Bad Nerd Rising (35 page)

“You’ve wanted me for that long?”

“Definitely. I have wanted
you since your freshman year of university. It merely took me a
long time to discover. Once we met again at that conference, I
knew.”

“Did you plot to entice me over here?”

“No, I plotted to entice you in
general.”

Her happy smile could have
gilded the palace.

Chapter
26

A year and a half
later

Aleksi cradled his
son,
Ruslan Aleksandr Vasily Kristian
Maksmillian of the House of de Leos,
in
his arms and carried him to the balcony railing. He held the baby
so the people of Rurikstan could see their future. Tia stood beside
him, her hand clasping his arm.

The wells all remained
clear, the lead pipes were all replaced, and his wife had banned
silver colloid as a well treatment and cleaner. She also worked
closely with the hospital and other researchers around the world on
better treatments for bacterial maladies.

He couldn’t believe the
last year and a half and all that had happened. He had married the
woman of his dreams, and his mother was fully recovered. Tia and
his mother were fast friends, and Gracia had actually only just
flown in from an extended trip to America.

One she embarked on with
Maria Wellington. The two women had bonded over his and Tia’s
wedding. They decided to visit Tia’s family after the wedding and
ended up extending their trip several times.

Both had rushed home
though, once Tia mentioned her time of delivery was at hand. He
couldn’t believe how easily Tia sailed through the pregnancy and
delivery and was already negotiating his next heir.

“Are you certain you want
to do this again?” He whispered to her.

She had to lean forward,
due to the applause and excitement of their people. “Yes,” she
replied. “But perhaps we can wait until
Ruslan is a year old.”

“That sounds fine to me.”

“Maybe we could try for a girl next.”

His eyebrow sky rocketed. “Why a girl?”

“Ruslan needs the influence of a
know-it-all. And you’re so good with Nadia and Toni. I just thought
you might like a little girl.”

Her eyes lit with heat, and Aleksi responded
to that look in her eyes. He couldn’t imagine loving her more, but
every day he did.

“Better be careful, princess, or you will
end up with another child much sooner than a year.”

At which point Emerson, who must have
overheard his comment, cleared his throat. Great, now it’d be all
over the palace by lunchtime.

Tia, of course, giggled. His life had become
a never ending parade of smiles, arguments, companionship,
fellowship, and love like he’d never known. He was thankful every
day for his privilege.

“I love you,” Tia whispered, and he leaned
closer to better savor her.

“I love you, too.” They sealed their love
with a kiss, their son and a happy future between them.

About
the Author

D.R. Grady lives with her husband near
Hershey, PA. She loves gadgets, books, plants, shoes and writing
stories that resonate with others. You can generally find her in
her “office”, a chair in the living room, hopefully writing, but
sometimes playing Angry Birds or reading.

Visit her website for more information.

http://www.drgradybooks.com

Not certain when this will
be available...

Bearer
of My Heart

Book 2 – The Abroad Series

Clary Hazelthorpe has always been footloose
and fancy free and she likes her life that way. But Rafe Tezrakis
has wanted Clary from the moment he saw her. She has the Tezrakis
blue eyes and red hair, both characteristics which seal her fate –
an imminent end to her bachelorette days. With Clary not so sure
she wants a relationship and Rafe absolutely certain he does,
sparks fly. Rafe knows Clary is the bearer of his heart, but will
his determination to prove this fact scare her away?

Bearer of My
Heart

By: D.R. Grady

Chapter One

Closing her eyes didn’t help. Her heart
still beat too fast and sweat pooled at the base of her spine. Add
in her damp palms and Clary Hazelthorpe refused to think about why
her body was busy betraying her.

The seat belt light blinked on. Clary
appreciated the interruption. Her seatbelt was already fastened
though, so the effect was minimal. She’d flown many times in the
past. In fact, the majority of those trips had been from Heathrow
to this particular airport in Greece. So why the near panic
attack?

She loved Greece. She enjoyed flying. Clary
declined thinking about the tall man waiting for her in the
airport. Rafe Tezrakis had proven to be a far larger problem than
she’d first imagined.

He made things melt or shift inside her -
that had never happened before. This uncomfortable sensation did
not bode well for the contract negotiations she was here to
finalize. She couldn’t afford to lose sight of the reason for this
visit. It was a business arrangement, nothing more. Even as she
thought the words, Clary’s subconscious laughed at her.

She didn’t know him well, but she did know
Rafe didn’t think of her as a mere business associate. He’d been
subtle, but she was pretty sure he was steadily steering her into a
relationship with him. Clary, as a Vice President to her family’s
corporation, knew all about contract negotiations and more than a
little about the building of the hotels they specialized in. What
she didn’t know anything about was men. Particularly not
billionaires bent on getting their own way.

Her heart beat far too fast as they
approached the airport. For the last six months Clary had come to
recognize Rafe wanted to steal her footloose lifestyle and maybe
even her soul. He pushed her relentlessly toward a relationship she
wasn’t certain she wanted. In fact, she had to be barking mad to
even contemplate dating him. She lived in London, and he lived in
Greece, so how could a relationship work?

Then there was the problem of Rafe’s ease
with issuing orders and her unwillingness to follow them. The final
straw was that cutting one’s teeth on a man like Rafe Tezrakis
seemed unwise, to say the least.

Yet she was sure he’d be
waiting for her. He wouldn’t send anyone else to meet her. No,
perhaps she should say,
he wouldn’t allow
anyone else to meet her
. His determination
to run her to ground set her teeth on edge. He wanted to become the
all supreme ruler in her life, when she felt she was a rather
capable ruler herself. Clary didn’t need a man, especially not Rafe
Tezrakis.

You let him
in
. The voice tucked into the furthest
reaches of her mind and heart spoke quietly. Clary heard it far too
clearly.

Maybe she had let him in. Maybe she hadn’t.
Rafe might have plowed through every barrier she possessed because
he was determined to possess what she wasn’t sure she wanted to
give. No other man on earth could turn her various systems
gelatinous like he could. No man should be granted that much potent
magic. The problem was she liked him. Far too much. But was liking
enough? Flirting with fire had killed many a moth.

When she glanced down at
them, Clary noticed she was wringing her hands. Clary Hazelthorpe
did
not
wring her
hands. This nonsense had to stop. As soon as she saw him and he
escorted her to her hotel, she’d be able to take a firm grip on her
flighty emotions.

Clary was here to finalize a merger between
two divisions of the Hazelthorpe and Tezrakis Corporations. She’d
been entrusted, as Hazelthorpe Corporation’s primary contract
negotiator, to finish the merger and she would. This is what she
did. The contract was ready for their final review and signatures.
Which she would deliver.

Then she’d climb back onto a plane and fly
home. Where she would pack another suitcase and take a two week
holiday somewhere. Somewhere far from Rafe Tezrakis and his
overwhelming masculine presence. By the time she returned, he’d be
a fading memory.

The plane shuddered as the wheels bumped the
runway. A few jostles later and the large container squealed to a
halt and the passengers were encouraged to deplane. Clary gripped
her carry-on bag, took a deep breath, and stomped on the man’s foot
behind her.

By the time she’d made her
apologies and the man had grumbled something in return, she’d been
caught up in the deluge of moving people.
Not yet
, she pleaded with the fates.
All of whom must have been snoozing because she turned a corner
with her fellow passengers and the tunnel opened into the gate, and
there was Rafe, waiting for her like some king expecting a
delectable treat.

Which she
wasn’t
.

She was here for
business
purposes she
reminded her galloping heart. This was a business deal for their
companies. Somehow she’d have to make certain Rafe understood she
wasn’t part of the merger package. Why did he want
her
anyway? He could have
any woman he desired. That tight little voice mentioned he might
just be toying with her, and Clary’s heart lurched.

Her feet felt laden down with rocks, and
Clary had to force herself to take the next step toward him. She
tried to take in the dark curls, massive build, and amber colored
eyes that formed Rafe Tezrakis with indifference, but her wobbly
knees told a different story.

Rafe didn’t smile, which was probably good
for him. Instead, he glanced across the crowd she’d flown with. The
notion that he didn’t miss a thing didn’t reassure her. He was a
wily opponent in a game she wasn’t certain she knew all the rules.
And to which she was pure novice.

“How was your flight?” Rafe leaned over and
planted a proprietary kiss on her unsuspecting lips.

She couldn’t answer him for lack of gray
matter. Instead she stared up at him like she’d never seen him
before, which, since that unexpected kiss, she hadn’t. Her wits did
sort themselves out finally and Clary managed to narrow her
eyes.

“What was that for?”

He took her arm and steered her across the
terminal toward baggage claim. “Did you check luggage?”

“Yes.” Clary discovered it was difficult to
utter words through clenched teeth. “Why did you kiss me?”

He glanced in her direction but she
entertained the idea he wasn’t paying her much attention. “You’ve
come all this way to see me.”

“This is a business
arrangement.” Her jaw started to ache so Clary made a conscious
effort to unclench it. “I travel long ways to see
lots
of
people.”

“Yes, a small fraction of our time will have
to be spent on pesky business matters.” He heaved a great sigh.

By this time, he’d managed to snag her bag
off the conveyor belt and directed her toward the exit doors. The
fact he stood at least a head taller than her and outweighed her by
a good seven stone might have had something to do with how easily
he maneuvered her now.

“I’m perfectly capable of managing.”

“I’m surprised your jaw hasn’t cracked yet.”
His voice held a musing quality she would normally have been amused
by.

“You are the most trying person I’ve ever
had the misfortune to meet.” So much for unclenching her jaw;
apparently if she didn’t think about it, it happened.

“You never answered my question.”

“Which question?”

“How was your flight?”

“My flight was fine.” She kept the news of
her still sweaty palms and erratic heartbeat to herself. He’d find
a way to use the knowledge for his own purposes and right now he
seemed to hold all the cards. She wished she knew more about this
whole dating-relationship business. Rafe was light years ahead of
her. The burden of that disadvantage weighed heavy.

Rafe continued to scan the interior of the
airport as they wove their way to the car park. “What are you
looking for?”

He glanced in her direction and only because
she was watching him so closely did she see him nod to a woman who
had flown with her. The gesture alone raised warnings, then the
woman returned a nod of her own before she melted from view.
Clary’s blood pressure rose.

“What was that?”

“You still haven’t cracked any teeth?”

“Don’t try to distract me, Tezrakis,” she
growled. “Why did you and that woman just nod to each other?”

“You are a curious little thing, aren’t
you?” His voice was thoughtful. Like he hadn’t seen this side of
her personality before. Well, he’d better get used to it.

The fulminating glare she sent him must have
done some good because he relented. “I’ll tell you everything once
we’re in the car.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You can’t tell me
now?”

“I could, but I’d prefer to do so in the
safety of the car.”

His mild statement upped the warning signals
in her brain. Why couldn’t he tell her now? Rafe seemed to be
acting in a similar odd manner she’d witnessed already today. But
where? Her brain hit on the answer as they left the airport.

Colton, her brother, had been acting odd
too, repeating several warnings while he drove her to the airfield
this morning. She’d seen Mirry, the love of his life, intervene at
least once with a hand to his shoulder, as though she sought to
alert him to be careful.