Accidentally Married to the Billionaire (Whirlwind Romance Series) Read online

  Praise for Shadonna Richards’s

  AN UNEXPECTED BRIDE

  (BOOK ONE IN THE BRIDE SERIES)

  "Her debut novel, An Unexpected Bride, has burst onto the scene, zooming up the bestseller lists and racking up fans faster than other writers racking

  up words....a smash hit!"

  - KINDLE FIRE DEPARTMENT

  "Author Shadonna Richards has an "unexpected" bestseller on her hands with this unheralded romantic comedy....An Unexpected Bride has sold 10,000 copies in its first three months..."

  -KINDLE NATION DAILY

  "Shadonna Richards is a wonderful author!...It's a sweet and romantic story that will

  sweep you off your feet."

  - REVIEWS BY MOLLY

  ***

  THE BRIDE SERIES

  An Unexpected Bride

  The Jilted Bride

  The Matchmaker Bride

  His Island Bride

  An Unexpected Baby (the sequel to An Unexpected Bride)

  The Bride Series (5 Bestselling novels in 1 Volume)

  WHIRLWIND ROMANCE SERIES

  Accidentally Flirting with the CEO

  Accidentally Married to the Billionaire

  Accidentally Falling for the Tycoon

  Copyright © 2011 Shadonna Richards

  All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Thank you, God for all my blessings. To my cherished son and husband for your unconditional love. With gratitude to my family and friends for your endless support. To Solomon, Jermaine, Merdella, Nesitta, Godwin, Monica, and Percell. To my editor M.M. for always being brilliant.

  To Sean, Charms, Judy, Yvonne, and Fenn.

  ACCIDENTALLY MARRIED TO THE BILLIONAIRE

  When Kira Watson, a normally shy reporter, wakes up in a Las Vegas hotel room with a gorgeous man in her bathroom, her jaw drops open. He tells her that he is Alessandro, her new husband, but just for the weekend. Alessandro was the man she was sent to write a story about—but how did she end up his weekend wife?

  Sexy, arrogant tycoon Alessandro Romano goes to Las Vegas to clench the most important deal for his business. What he did not bargain for was sweet undercover reporter Kira Watson. After a few drinks they end up tying the knot on the spur of the moment in a drive-through wedding on the Vegas Strip. She is perfect to play his temporary wife for the weekend so that he can persuade his business partners and the press that he is a family man—but the rules soon change when passion begins to sizzle between them.

  1.

  I will never drink again!

  Kira Watson’s head pounded like a bass drum when she woke up from her first real hangover in years. She froze when she heard the buzzing sound of an electrical device coming from the bathroom of her hotel suite.

  Oh, God! Please tell me I didn’t do anything stupid last night.

  The last thing she remembered was coming to Las Vegas, Nevada on an assignment with a new job to cover the bidding for a large facility near Disneyland in Orlando, Florida. Billionaires from around the world were meeting at a prestigious hotel just outside of Vegas with their proposals of what they would do with the facility. All eyes were on one man who wanted to change it into the world’s largest children’s hospital and thought it would be the best location. Kira’s twin had died of a rare childhood disorder and she hoped whoever won the bid would be turn the sought after building into a world-renowned facility to help sick children from around the world—regardless of their family income.

  That was pretty much what she remembered.

  She also remembered not having anything to eat then drinking champagne at some reception at the hotel—a few glasses too many, probably, and feeling tipsy. She’d spoken to a nice gentleman but that was it. Wasn’t it?

  “Who’s in there?” she moaned while pressing her hand to her head to stop the hammering inside her skull.

  Talking to strangers or picking up guys was never her thing and never would be. She pulled the sheets over her body and propped herself up in the bed.

  Just then, the door swung open and so did Kira’s mouth when a gorgeous naked man walked out with nothing but a towel over his midsection holding what appeared to be an electric toothbrush.

  “Oh, my God!”

  “Good morning, beautiful,” the sexy stranger said with a dimpled grin on his face. His voice was deep and smooth like warm honey. He tilted his head to the right as if surveying her with his smooth eyes.

  Kira could not speak for a moment. His silky voice caused a reaction within her, sending waves of excitement and bewilderment down her spine.

  She’d seen good looking guys before but he was…stunning. Drop-dead gorgeous!

  Her eyes captured his tall, lean frame and ripped muscles on his firm body. She gaped at his beautiful tanned complexion, his six-pack, biceps, and the taut nipples on his muscular chest. The body of someone who obviously worked out at the gym a lot. No, the body of a Greek god!

  His dark sexy eyes resembled a delicious shade of milk chocolate. Ooh, he was hot! Yummy!

  “Um…I’m sorry but this might sound a bit…rude but…” Kira sucked in a deep breath, “…who the hell are you? And what are you doing in my room?”

  A grin touched the corner of the sinfully handsome stranger’s full lips. His expression, a bit perplexed. “The name’s Romano. Alessandro Romano. Now, honey, is that anyway to greet your…Wait a minute! You don’t remember anything about last night?”

  Kira instinctively pulled the sheets up to cover her bosom under her lingerie. Thankfully, she was not naked. “No.”

  “Don’t worry, darling. I don’t do comatose women.”

  Kira looked aghast.

  Alessandro’s expression softened when he saw her reaction. “Relax. I’m just kidding. About you being comatose. We did not have sexual intercourse if that’s what you are worrying about. You can breathe now.” He placed his toothbrush between his lips and turned the motor on. She caught his eyes sliding down her body as if he knew what was underneath the sheet and her nightie.

  Kira didn’t realize she was holding her breath but exhaled sharply. She also didn’t realize how much she wanted a part of her in between his lips instead of the toothbrush.

  Stop it, Kira! Get your mind out of there. He’s…Did he say, Alessandro Romano? That name. That name sounds so familiar. Where did she hear it from?

  Oh, God!

  Alessandro Romano!

  One of the billionaires bidding for the facility in Orlando!

  She’d spent so much time researching Alessandro’s background that she felt she knew a lot about him. At age thirty-five, he was one of the youngest self-made billionaires. He was also one of the most generous philanthropists, giving away more of his income than any other wealthy tycoon. But he also had a mysterious side. And…he looked so much different from the few photos she found of him on the web. For instance, he always wore his trademark shades in public.

  She just got the new assignment from her employer, Babs Insider Magazine, to cover the story that was supposed to be titled “The Bidding War Begins! Let the Best Man Win.” Their other reporter got sick and couldn’t make the trip.

  She held her head again at that thought. God, sh
e would never have another drink so long as she lived and that would suit her just fine.

  “Seemed like you had a bit too much to drink, my dear. After we…”

  “After we what?” Kira’s heart pounded hard and fast in her chest now. She thought she was going to have a panic attack. This could not be happening. No way could this be happening. She was usually careful. She didn’t do exciting things…like this. This was all so out of character for her. Her sister was the fun one. Kandy’s motto had always been “life is short, so live it up!”

  Just then her head started to throb again. So did her inner thighs. How could she hold a proper conversation when he was…dripping with sexual eroticism?

  “Relax, Kira! We just got married,” he said as he returned to brushing his teeth as if he said nothing out of the ordinary.

  “We just got what?”

  Kira felt her heart stop.

  2.

  “We got married last night. You don’t remember, my dear?” He turned to go into the bathroom to finish brushing his teeth then she heard him rinsing out his mouth. He returned wiping his face with a white face cloth.

  Kira jumped out of the bed with the sheets still wrapped around her. She paced as if she were locked up in an insane asylum. She might have well been for what she’d just done.

  “We got m-m-married?”

  She just got married to Alessandro Valentino Romano, the mysterious billionaire who’d been linked to more women than a pool party at the Playboy Mansion?

  Kira’s heart raced. She could not believe what her ears had just heard.

  “You really don’t remember the conversation we had last night?”

  “No!” Kira panicked. “No! I don’t! W-what happened?”

  “Well, we both got to talking. I found out you were stalking me for your story and you didn’t know who I was at the time but you took a liking to me.”

  “What?” Kira got up and stumbled to the plush sofa by the fireplace in the suite—she didn’t feel like having this conversation while she sat up in bed. The room was certainly a grand suite if she’d ever seen one. It was like a presidential suite.

  Alessandro sighed. He then took off his towel and began to dress.

  Kira’s jaw dropped.

  He was naked!

  He was naked in front of her like it didn’t mean anything. And he was…truly blessed with generous proportions by Mother Nature. That much she knew.

  Ooh, he was sex-y!

  Kira’s mind drew a blank for just a moment. She squeezed her eyes shut then opened them again. She felt heat rise to her cheeks. She was sure she was blushing fifty shades of rouge or something. It was hard to tear her gaze away from his body but she finally looked down at her pedicured on her toes.

  “Um…you were saying?” she said, trying not to look at him.

  Alessandro slipped into his silk boxer shorts and began to dress himself in front of her.

  “We both found out that we have a lot in common.”

  “We do?” Kira sounded dubious as she watched him slide his vest on.

  “Why does that surprise you, my dear?”

  “Because…”

  “Because what?”

  “Well, for starters, you are a…um….wealthy businessman and I…well…”

  “You don’t know how you’ll come up with the rent next month, is that it?”

  “How did you…?”

  “Know? Well, let’s just say we got very friendly yesterday evening. You were nervous because this was your first out-of-town assignment with that magazine you work for. We both discussed the paternity suit that is going on with me right now and how it could harm my chances of opening up a children’s hospital if they thought I had a child I didn’t want to care for. Which is not true. I was set up. I’d never even met that woman before. And you wanted to help me to win the bid to help children with rare disorders. Is that correct so far?”

  Kira’s mouth fell open again. He must really think she wanted nothing more than to catch flies.

  “I can’t believe we discussed all that,” she finally replied, her voice faint.

  “Well, that’s why we hit it off. It was a spur of the moment decision. You desperately wanted to live and do something exciting with your life. By the way, I had my men do a quick background check on you, yesterday. You work for a reputable business magazine, Miss Watson. One has to be careful in my position.”

  “Your position?”

  “Yes. Being the top dog in a corporation brings many enemies. Which brings me back to what I was saying before…we both have a lot in common.”

  “I don’t have enemies…I mean…”

  He grinned as he finished dressing by putting on an expensive-looking pair of dark dress pants. He then reached for a crisp white shirt, a matching dark blazer and a grey tie from the closet. After he was fully dressed in his executive suit, he looked sharp like a GQ magazine model or something. Alessandro looked as delicious in a suit as he did naked.

  Kira had to stop herself from drooling over his physique.

  “We’re both misunderstood, Miss Watson.”

  “We are?” She snapped out of her gaze. “What makes you say that? And please…call me Kira.”

  He grinned and said nothing for a moment. “Your friends don’t understand you and neither does your aunt. Your mother is suffering from chronic depression that got worse after…your twin sister passed away. Since then you’ve been trying to establish yourself and take care of your youngest sister. Your aunt who is also your mother’s power of attorney should she not be able to make decisions for herself, thinks you’re behaving like an old woman instead of a young girl. She also has been telling her friends that you don’t like men because she hasn’t seen you with a date in years. Not knowing that you’ve been heartbroken and you don’t run around. You are twenty-seven years old and you’re afraid of dying before doing anything exciting with your life knowing you could be here today and gone tomorrow.”

  Kira was silent for a while. The torment of losing her twin had been a great blow to her psyche.

  Her late twin sister had always done exciting things in high school until she’d fallen ill just before her high school graduation.

  Up until then Kira had been the boring twin not doing much exciting while Kandy was the fun one that everyone liked to be around—she was the cheerleader in Kira’s life encouraging her to live it up a little. After Kandy’s death she was left with a void. She didn’t want her life to pass her by with regrets that she hadn’t lived with excitement.

  Her mouth fell open when it struck her that she had disclosed so much to a man who was practically a stranger. What was she thinking? How did she come to trust him so much with her private inner-thoughts? Did they just hit it off when they met this weekend? She had been researching him so she knew a lot about him beforehand but she’d had only recently met him in person.

  “My dear, you must learn to keep your mouth closed. Figuratively speaking and literally.”

  Again, Kira flushed. She drew in a deep breath. She tried to push the thoughts of losing Kandy out of her mind. She did not want to cry in front of this…gorgeous stranger. “Okay, you said that you, too, are misunderstood?”

  “Yes. With women.”

  “Women?”

  “Yes, people assume that I have lots of women.”

  “But you do, don’t you? I mean…”

  “That’s what the media would have you believe.”

  “But isn’t it true?”

  “I’m a man, Miss…Kira. Of course, I have needs. I’ve had girlfriends.”

  Kira took note of the word had. Well, of course, if they were married he couldn’t possibly have anyone else in the picture.

  “But I guess you weren’t too careful…I mean that paternity suit.”

  Alessandro’s lips tightened into a thin line. A muscle twitched in his jaw. “I’m always careful, Miss Watson. A standard DNA test takes three days to come back. Once the results are made public, that would be
the end of that rumor. I am not the father of that woman’s child and if I was, I’d take full responsibility,” he said in a cool tone that sent shivers down her spine.

  There he went, calling her Miss Watson again as if they were formal and had a business arrangement or something.

  “Like I said before, I think she was a set-up. Someone is going through a lot of trouble to tarnish my image.”

  “But why?”

  “That, my dear, is where you come in.”

  “What? Me?”

  “Yes, you. I need to prove to the potential client that I am fit to open up a children’s hospital despite those rumors. I want to appear as a family man. Not a womanizer.”

  Kira shook her head. “So that’s why I agreed to marry you?”

  Alessandro’s lips softened into a curve. “My dear, you should never drink alcohol again.”

  Kira folded her arms across her chest. Unimpressed. “Are you trying to say that I’m irresponsible?”

  “I don’t believe that for one minute. I think you’re way too trusting and you’ve always played it safe your entire life—up until now. You don’t usually drink that’s why it didn’t take you long to get tipsy. You have to learn to watch your step and your back at the same time when you’re in this game of life.”

  “Is that what life is to you, Alessandro? A game?”

  “The most incredible game of survival. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  “I don’t know about that.” Kira could not believe it. Here she was with the most elusive bachelor billionaire in town and getting a front row seat into his life and she was not going to record any of it. Except to her mind.

  Kira vaguely remembered feeling tipsy last night then driving on the Vegas strip with all the stunning lights and music and traffic and driving up through some candle-lit tunnel. It was like some dream. God, was it all real? She really did get hitched, didn’t she?

  “Well, you needed the money to cover your baby sister’s tuition, while paying off your own debt, and you also wanted to have a wing dedicated to your late twin sister, which I agreed to if I win the facility. And I need a wife for the weekend to prove I’m a family man to increase my chances of winning when I make my proposal.”