The Billionaire's Command (The Silver Cross Club) (31 page)

I laughed, and wiped my nose again. “Can you even imagine? He’s been in cabs before, but I usually warn the dispatch when I call. You don’t want to give someone a heart attack with a surprise parrot.”

“Mm, that sounds like a euphemism,” he said, and held his arm in front of the cage. “You can surprise my parrot whenever you want. Step up, Teddy.”

“You’re really weird,” I said, watching Teddy clamber awkwardly out of the cage to perch on Alex’s arm. “I don’t think you should talk like that around Teddy. He’ll get bad manners.”

“His manners are already appalling,” Alex said. He waited while Teddy arrange himself, mantling his wings to keep his balance, and then he stood up and said, “Should we leave him out to explore?”

I shook my head. “Let’s just put him in his cage for now. He’ll be overstimulated enough just being in a different room. Baby steps.”

We went into the office, where Alex had set up the new, enormous cage he insisted on buying for Teddy. After a rocky start, Alex’s shameless bribery—treats, toys, endless head scratches—had overcome Teddy’s suspicious nature, and now they were, as Yolanda put it, BFFs.

Teddy took one look at the new cage and hunched down on Alex’s arm. “Go home,” he said.

“Aw, he’s afraid,” I said. “I told you it was too big.”

“He just needs to take a look around,” Alex said. He opened the cage and held Teddy in front of it. “See, Teddy? All of your favorite toys. There’s your perch, and I sliced up some papaya for you.”

I laughed. “How did you do all of this?”

“Stealthily,” he said. Teddy, looking very suspicious and reluctant, fluttered up to perch on the stripped branch spanning the width of the cage. He bent to test the wood with his beak, and Alex smiled, clearly pleased with himself. “There, see? He likes it.”

“You’re shameless,” I said.

“You aren’t happy unless Teddy’s happy,” he said, “and you know what they say: happy wife, happy life.” He got a strange look on his face, and then said, “Speaking of which.” As I watched, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box.

Then he dropped down onto one knee.

My heart started racing. I clapped both hands over my mouth.

“Sasha,” he said, “this past year with you has been the best year of my life. I want to bicker with you every day until I die. Will you marry me?” He opened the box, and there was a ring inside, small and shining.

I couldn’t think. My head felt like it was floating three feet above my body. “I don’t understand,” I wailed.

“I love you,” he said, so patient with me, the way he always was when the chips were down. “I love the way you let the dishes pile up in the sink until Yolanda gets fed up and does them for you. I love the way you never put the cap back on the toothpaste. I even love your stupid bird. And now that I’ve managed to con you into moving in with me, I don’t intend to ever let you leave. I hope that sounded exactly as creepy as I intended it to. Please marry me.”

“Oh, Alex,” I said, and started crying again, so overjoyed and overwhelmed that I thought I would explode. “Yes. Of course I will. Yes.”

He slid the ring onto my shaking finger, and then he stood and took me in his arms, holding me tight. “I hope these are happy tears,” he said.

I nodded, my face moving against his shoulder. After a moment, I got myself under control enough to speak. “Definitely happy,” I said.

“I even love your snot,” he said. “You’re perfect.”

“No,” I said. “
We’re
perfect.”

And we were.

<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>

Thank you for reading
The Billionaire’s Command
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The next book in the series will be released later in 2014.
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The Silver Cross Club

Serving the Billionaire

The Billionaire’s Embrace

I owe thanks to many people. First, to my friends R and F, who despite not knowing or caring about romance novels were willing to listen to me talk at length about this book over the months it took me to write it; and to D, who doesn’t care for billionaires, and told me that nobody would want to read a book about a stripper.

To Mr. Linder, for the many hours he spent hashing out the storyline and proofreading, and for his suggestion that I write a sequel about Teddy finding parrot love.

To C, age 9, who demanded that I dedicate my next book to her, and that I include the following somewhere: “They kissed, and then they kissed again, and then they kissed harder!”

And, finally, to my readers, who waited.

©
2014 Bec Linder, all rights reserved.

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. References to real places and entities are used for verisimilitude and are intended as fictitious representations.

Cover design
©
Bec Linder. Cover photograph Dreamstime.com