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A Virgin To Redeem The Billionaire
Dani Collins
He’ll make her pay… Until he learns of her innocence! Self-made billionaire Kaine Michaels has just given Gisella Drummond, daughter of one of New York’s most influential dynasties, a shocking ultimatum: use her spotless reputation to save his own or he’ll ruin her family for betraying him! Kaine knows Gisella wants him, and he knows how much pleasure he can give her! But uncovering sweet Gisella’s virginity makes Kaine want her for so much more than revenge…
He’ll make her pay...
Until he learns of her innocence!
Self-made billionaire Kaine Michaels has just given Gisella Drummond, daughter of one of New York’s most influential dynasties, a shocking ultimatum: use her spotless reputation to save his own or he’ll ruin her family for betraying him! Kaine knows Gisella wants him, and he knows how much pleasure he can give her! But uncovering sweet Gisella’s virginity makes Kaine want her for so much more than revenge...
Turn the page and begin a seductive journey of revenge and desire!
Canadian DANI COLLINS knew in high school that she wanted to write romance for a living. Twenty-five years later, after marrying her high school sweetheart, having two kids with him, working at several generic office jobs and submitting countless manuscripts, she got The Call. Her first Mills & Boon novel won the Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best First in Series from RT Book Reviews. She now works in her own office, writing romance.
Also by Dani Collins (#uc39474d0-3db7-55ea-9143-76922eb99ee1)
Bought by Her Italian Boss
The Secret Beneath the Veil
Xenakis’s Convenient Bride
Consequence of His Revenge
Claiming His Christmas Wife
The Wrong Heirs miniseries
The Marriage He Must Keep
The Consequence He Must Claim
The Sauveterre Siblings miniseries
Pursued by the Desert Prince
His Mistress with Two Secrets
Bound by the Millionaire’s Ring
Prince’s Son of Scandal
Bound to the Desert King collection
Sheikh’s Princess of Convenience
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk).
A Virgin to Redeem the Billionaire
Dani Collins
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-08753-7
A VIRGIN TO REDEEM THE BILLIONAIRE
© 2019 Dani Collins
Published in Great Britain 2019
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To my daughter Delainey,
who was enlisted over Christmas to brainstorm an
idea for a duet. “What comes in twos? How about
something with earrings?” she suggested. Voilà!
Honorary mentions also go to my husband Doug,
our son Sam, and Delainey’s boyfriend Alex,
who were all sounding boards as I regularly asked,
“What if…?”
Contents
Cover (#u32fba3f3-c607-5f94-9305-be2ae57b1091)
Back Cover Text (#udeb01335-da88-5a6f-9d75-20ec454c7ac6)
About the Author (#udd212086-5af4-55f7-97d5-dce4314c8d9e)
Booklist (#u0eab5af2-9b08-5ec7-935e-16651882baa1)
Title Page (#ufcfc66e2-35b8-5bcc-8040-14fc9b7c1aa2)
Copyright (#ufa0d130f-a1f2-562b-baf2-6775e5a3cb34)
Dedication (#ub0e90d9f-94a7-5667-acc0-b30c92dbbcd0)
PROLOGUE (#u4c007160-485a-535b-abd5-da699796e038)
CHAPTER ONE (#u4d9814ec-2bfa-5d71-b28d-2711b2b41781)
CHAPTER TWO (#u77632f12-5f47-5801-8d53-a3ff03910951)
CHAPTER THREE (#ua7d97ac4-d51e-556f-99d4-c87a5e2df2e0)
CHAPTER FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
PROLOGUE (#uc39474d0-3db7-55ea-9143-76922eb99ee1)
“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, we’ve had a surprise offer for the entire estate by Mr. Kaine Michaels. A figure has been accepted by the family for the house and all the contents. We will not be auctioning individual items. Thank you for coming, but no further bidding will take place.”
“What? No.” Gisella Drummond barely heard her own gasped words over the babble of discontent that rose from the crowd seated around her. They all let their bidding paddles droop in shock.
She instinctively looked to the tall stranger who had appeared in the room moments ago. He had captivated her as he entered to confer with the officials on a small dais near the fireplace. He was sinfully sexy in a suede jacket worn with casual elegance over black jeans and a button shirt without a tie.
Her first impression had been that his renegade appearance didn’t fit this setting at all. The Manhattan mansion was a gorgeous ode to French Renaissance style, full of antique furniture placed with care on fading silk rugs under crystal chandeliers. Marble columns held up the low ceilings, and heavy velvet drapes blocked out the view of Central Park. That man was too rough around the edges for such a pristine, refined space. Had he really bought it, lock, stock and barrel?
Beside her, Mr. Walters cursed the man. He was one of her uncle’s longtime business associates, had asked after her family and had confided he intended to buy the house.
Gisella was here only for an earring, but she was equally disappointed by this turn of events, probably more so. “Do you know him?”
“He owns Riesgo Ventures.” Mr. Walters spoke with a disparaging sneer. “It’s a tech company out of San Francisco. If he thinks he’s earning any goodwill in this city with a move like that...”
She was curious what else Mr. Walters knew about him, but through the confusion of people rising and talking, she saw Kaine Michaels was leaving.
Urgency gripped her. She quickly excused herself and jostled as politely as she could through the milling bodies toward the door.
For a second, she thought she’d missed catching him. He wasn’t exiting through the front doors of the entry foyer, though. His long legs had carried him up the wide, carpeted stairs to the gallery. He was moving along it with an auction house official hurrying to keep up.
She trotted up after him and pursued them down the hall. They paused at a pair of open double doors. The official spoke to the security guard standing watch.
“This is Mr. Michaels. He has just purchased the house and all of its contents. You can allow him to take anything he likes.”
“Just the one piece,” he said, indicating something on the clipboard in the official’s hand. “The rest can go into storage.”
“Mr. Michaels,” she called, wanting one piece herself before everything was sent to a remote, humidity-controlled facility.
He glanced back at her, then drawled to the guard, “Actually, you can go downstairs and show everyone the door.”
The guard gave her a hard look, as if he meant to include her in his sweep.
She held up a hand. “I only need a moment.”
Kaine jerked his head to dismiss the guard, then glanced at the official. The other man nodded and moved quickly into what looked like a sitting room. The jumble of paintings and sculptures wore numbered tags. So did a handful of furniture and other items. This was clearly the staging area for the auction.
The earring was probably among that collection, practically within reach. Butterflies of excitement batted around her midsection.
“Your moment is almost up,” Kaine said.
She looked to him and lost her voice as she confronted his handsomeness up close. His dark hair was short and thick, his brows bold statements above golden-brown eyes. His swarthy cheeks were smooth, but underlined by a precise border of stubble along his jaw. A goatee framed a mouth too full-lipped and sensual for words.
Men didn’t usually affect her. Not even very good-looking ones, but a funny squiggle in her midsection teased with intrigue, especially when his eyelids lowered in lazy, male appreciation.
She extended her hand. “Gisella Drummond.”
His relaxed demeanor altered. His expression tightened with dismay and he raked her with a more disparaging glance. It went down to her open-toed heels and came back to her snug top with the shoulder cutouts.
When he met her eyes again, she felt the impact as though she had walked into an invisible wall, one that teemed with icy electrical currents. They wrapped around her and squeezed the breath from her lungs.
He snorted in a way that suggested he couldn’t believe her gall.
It was highly disconcerting. She was usually very well received by men. Not just for her various wealthy and respectable contacts, either. She was naturally blessed with the slender height and patrician bone structure seen in ads for swimsuits and makeup.
Her beauty was as much hindrance as strength so she didn’t often use her looks for leverage, but this was battle conditions. She was on the verge of losing something she’d waited years to acquire.
She tried to melt his sudden frost with a warm smile, but it felt forced.
“I know who you are, Ms. Barsi.” He only looked at her hand, didn’t take it.
She let it drop along with her smile. Her heart also seemed to slump uselessly for a moment before she gathered herself with affront.
