The Billionaire Op - Lori Ryan Page 0,5

Jack’s house, where everyone had gathered for one last party before the baby arrived. Chad stood on one side of a pool volleyball net and Jennie stood on the other. Somewhere along the way, he’d forgotten what Jennie was arguing about, but he didn’t care.

It might be chauvinistic, but he loved seeing her fiery eyes sparkle as she fisted small hands on her hips and lit into him. She barely reached his chest, but she should get points for trying. Jennie tossed her head, flinging her strawberry-blond curls out behind her and kept right on going.

He loved this side of her. She was bold and brash and confident. She was feisty and fun loving and nothing seemed to frighten her. Not many women Jennie’s size – a mere 5’4” and 115 pounds if he was guessing right – would try the irreverent things she did with Chad.

At 6’4” and about 265 pounds of pure muscle, there weren’t many people who treated Chad the way Jennie did. She taunted and teased him at every turn, as if she was two or three feet taller.

Chad knew why she did it. They both felt the wild attraction that sizzled between them and they both worked hard to control it. With so many mutual friends, coupled with the fact that they worked together all day during the week, they couldn’t avoid seeing one another.

So Jennie seemed to deal with the attraction by throwing her saucy, cheeky attitude at him all the time. It was almost as if she tried to keep their interactions superficial, never going deeper than the surface. If she was busy yelling at him or taunting him, there wasn’t room for anything else.

Chad dealt with the attraction by staying in complete and utter control at all times around her. He didn’t allow himself to dwell on the curve of her tiny waist or the swell of her breasts in the bikini she wore as she fought with him now. He focused on her eyes, ignoring her body.

Then, he’d spend about five minutes telling himself that her eyes were nothing special. He’d tell himself her eyes weren’t warm and rich like melted caramel. That her eyes didn’t have a mysterious quality to them as if she held a world of secrets waiting for him to explore.

Shit. So much for control.

Chad wondered if Jennie would keep up her tirade if she knew just how sexy she was when she was angry. Or if she’d keep up the nicknames if she knew how much he liked to see what she’d call him next. Would it be ‘Tank’ today or ‘Little Bit?’ Or maybe “Mini Man.”

Jennie cupped her hand and splashed water across the net at Chad, pulling him from his thoughts.

Yeah, so much for maintaining control.

“Are you even listening to me, Chad?”

Nope. Chad’s grin broke through as he shook his head, willing it to clear. “Sorry, Jen. I tuned out five minutes ago.”

He knew that would really get her going and he’d get to watch her fume for a while longer. He could watch Jennie Evans storm at him forever and not get tired of it.

As the day wound down, Jennie wandered away from the pool and sat in one of the teak chairs that faced the back lawn of Jack and Kelly’s house on Long Island Sound in Connecticut. The sprawling house had become one of the main gathering places for their group in the summer. With a yard that sloped down to a small private beach and a pool with outdoor kitchen, it was perfect for barbeques and parties.

A welcome cool breeze brushed gently over Jennie’s bare arms. She curled her feet under her on the chaise lounge and listened to the noises of the party, letting them engulf her. The sounds of her friends laughing and talking soothed her.

Her black lab, Zeke, had given up playing with Zoe, the mixed breed puppy Jack and Kelly had rescued from the shelter, and Jill’s labradoodle, Rev. Zeke now lay, snoring loudly, but she was sure he’d open his eyes in a heartbeat if anyone dropped even a bite of food nearby. The six-year-old dog gave new meaning to the term ‘chowhound.’

Jennie’s eyes landed on Jill and Andrew walking hand in hand toward the beach. She smiled as she watched Jill lean into Andrew, who said something that made Jill laugh. After heartache neither one of them deserved, they had finally found each other. They’d been married in the spring and had just moved