for letting us stay.” It sounded hopeful, like a question—one last chance for him to change his mind.
“I’m glad you’re staying.” He cleared his throat. “I have to head back upstairs and visit with my family for a short while, but will you meet me in my office later to talk? It’s on the fourth floor.” She was willowy and gorgeous, and he felt a certain desperation rise in him—don’t let her get away. And a competing pull—don’t let this holiday become a disaster.
Rachel took a deep breath. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m very sure,” Jonas said. “Meet me there in an hour.”
Grab your copy of The Billionaire’s Christmas Son
Available December 17th, 2020
BLURB
It’s the Christmas season in the tiny Kingdom of Maatkare, and the royal family needs a chef. Desperate to prove herself after her first restaurant failed, Ana Rizzo jumps at this chance for redemption and nabs the high-paying, short-term job. The opportunity couldn’t be more perfect. Ana will be able to stretch her culinary skills, earn enough money to open another restaurant, and still be able to give her adopted daughter the attention she needs. Her biggest challenge will be winning over the family’s elderly cook and getting Noel Yared, the middle son, to give her food his stamp of approval. She only cares about Noel’s palate, not his soulful brown eyes, his gorgeous runner’s body, and his amazing kisses. An avid runner herself, Ana pushes herself to keep up with Noel during their daily runs. But she’s finding the biggest challenge is resisting Noel’s charm.
Noel finds Ana endlessly fascinating and incredibly sexy. With a bit of charming persuasion from him, the two begin what they both know is a short-term affair. No rules, no heartache, just great sex and a bit of fun. So when he believes Ana has betrayed his family’s trust, he’s glad his heart wasn’t involved. Glad she’s gone. Glad he’ll never see her again. Until he realizes a couple terrible truths too late: Ana was actually the one who was betrayed, and somehow he’s fallen hard for her. Now he needs a bit of Christmas magic to prove he’s worthy of her love.
Grab your copy of The Sheikh’s Christmas Fling (Christmas with the Yard Sheikhs Book One) from www.LeslieNorthBooks.com
EXCERPT
Chapter One
Ana hiked her daughter higher up on her hip, wiping away a few strands of chocolate brown hair that had slipped out from her headband. This was their first full day in the palace, but she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to navigate without a full color map.
“This place,” she hissed as a palace servant led her and Charlie, her best friend and sous chef, from their wing toward the kitchen, “is bigger than the state of Montana.”
Charlie snorted. They’d been friends for over ten years, practically long-lost siblings. And if she was going to take anyone on this crazy trip halfway around the world to start a new job as head chef at a palace in a tiny Christian country just a month and a half before Christmas, it was him.
Linh kicked her legs, clocking the back of Ana’s thighs. She inhaled sharply. “Linh, baby. Not now. Mommy is trying to navigate.”
“This is kitchen,” the servant said, pushing open a swinging door. A gust of cool air billowed out. Ana grinned, catching sight of the interior.
“Well look what we have here.” She breezed inside, hiking Linh higher on her hip one more time. The three-year-old was heavier by the week and liked to be held more than Ana’s body could always physically manage. But she couldn’t blame the girl—Ana worked a lot. And with all the recent travel and upheaval in living situations, she wasn’t sure her daughter would detach herself anytime soon from her hip.
Inside the kitchen, everything gleamed stainless steel and spacious. This was the type of kitchen she’d only ever fantasized about. Enough deep sinks to wash a thousand pounds of potatoes. Wide aisles between work stations, so no hips or butts would knock together.
And the pans. Oh heavens, the pans. Skillets and sauté pans hung from steel hooks above a center marble island. She ran a finger over the cool edge of a skillet. Charlie whistled low.
“Looks like we stepped into paradise,” he murmured.
“You got that right.” Ana smiled at the servant. “Thank you for your help. We’ll be in here for a while. Can you make sure nobody bothers us?” This was part of her process. Isolation in her work space. Enough time to get acquainted with the nooks