Page 19 of Merging with the Billionaire

“Six, five, four—”

Conrad’s grip around her waist and at her hand tightened, his eyes tapered, and his lips parted slightly.

“Three, two, one.”

His mouth came down to meet hers, and just like before, it was like a bolt of lightning hit them, electrifying everything around them. This time, Tiffany didn’t pull away, knowing she could blame it on New Year’s Eve—it was a requirement after all—to kiss whoever you were with, and she was lucky enough to be with Conrad Gaines.

Tiffany let herself melt into the kiss, reveling in the amazing sensations his kiss evoked in her. Never had she felt like this before; never had she hoped and wished for another kiss so much and been rewarded so abundantly when it happened.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder, causing the kiss to end. As quickly as the moment came, it was gone, both of them being pulled away by well-wishers for a happy New Year.

For the rest of the night, all Tiffany could think about was how good it felt to be held and kissed by Conrad. She wasn’t sure how or when the opportunity would arise, but she couldn’t wait for another reason to let it happen.

7

The following week,Conrad couldn’t wait to get into Boswell Oil and see Tiffany. He had debated all weekend whether he should call or text her but thought he would be better not to press it. Like Boswell Senior pointed out, Tiffany was going to need time to adjust to the idea of being open to a new relationship.

He brought with him another round of coffee, knowing that at least this time he wouldn’t have to convince her to drink it.

As he entered Tiffany’s office, she raised her hand to make sure he didn’t interrupt.

“That’s right, yes, we’ll be ready to meet your demand by the time you’re rolling out your next line of homes.” There was a long pause, Tiffany looked up and rolled her eyes, then gave him a smirk. She focused back to the call a moment later. “Agreed, it will make your homes fully eco-friendly, which will entice the newer consumer who worries about carbon footprints. All right. Sounds good. I’ll talk to you at the end of the month.”

Tiffany stood from her desk and came around to greet Conrad. “I’ve never been so glad to see a cup of coffee in all my life. She reached out and took the hot drink. “It’s been a long morning.”

“Already?” Conrad questioned, glancing down at his Rolex. “It’s only 8:30 AM.”

“I’ve been here since seven, trying to talk our first solar client into not backing out. He heard that my father took a turn for the worse after the wedding, and he’s threatening to pull out. He’s worried that I won’t be able to handle the company, especially the new division, with Roger away on his honeymoon.”

“When did he leave?” Conrad inquired, leaning against the edge of the desk.

“He should be taking off today. He had to get everything situated with my nephew.”

“Who’s watching him?”

“I am,” Tiffany admitted, taking a sip of her coffee before continuing. “He’s at preschool for most of the day and then with the nanny until I get home for dinner. My mother offered to let him stay with them, but with my dad’s constant shifting in temperament, Roger and I agreed it would be better for Marcus to stay with me. We were busy all day yesterday getting him settled into my apartment so that Roger and Celeste can take off today for St. Barts.”

“Are you up for taking care of a small child? That seems like it could be a lot,” Conrad pointed out.

She shrugged. “He’s my nephew—I like spending time with him. As an added bonus, it probably pleases my parents to no end. They want nothing more than for me to settle down.”

“Why’s that?” Conrad asked with curiosity.

“Because Boswell women have their whole lives planned out from conception. Elite nannies until private prep school. Then socially and economically beneficial marriages for the sole purpose of producing lots of heirs. You wouldn’t believe how furious my dad was when I announced that I had gotten into Harvard on a full-ride scholarship and planned on attending, even if he didn’t approve. He literally said, ‘That’s not the plan for my daughter. You know what’s required of you. Why are you striving for more?’”

“He shouldn’t have said that to you,” Conrad rebuked in anger. “You’re so much more than an incubator for babies. Doesn’t he know how rare it is to have someone with your brains and intuition wanting to work for his company? You’re an asset to this place, and your vision to turn Boswell Oil into Boswell Energy is genius.”

“Well, considering we were creating a division strictly to handle solar energy, it made sense to rebrand ourselves in the process.”

“You know, I get being underestimated because of the role you were born into. People didn’t expect much from me since I was a foster kid,” Conrad admitted with a shake of his head. “They just assumed I would end up never amounting to anything. You don’t know how many times I had someone tell me to just accept what I had and not strive for more. In a way, it’s what made me so determined. I wanted to prove all of them wrong.”

“Well, you did. You’re one of the youngest self-made billionaires in all of the world and have the largest energy company in the world—next to mine of course,” she added with a wink.

“It’s why the merging of my solar panels into your new energy division makes so much sense. With your company’s contacts in big oil, and mine in solar, together, we can dominate the industry.”

“And the world would be better for it if we can convince the largest energy users to convert over to alternative energy sources. Wouldn’t it be amazing to find a way to get to a place where the world didn’t thrive on fossil fuels but sustainable energy resources like solar and wind?”

The spark of passion he saw in her eyes made the blueness twinkle like the stars in the night sky. She was way too tempting, and before he knew what was happening, he was moving towards her. “I agree, sustainable energy is the new future, and your family’s smart to want to move into the space now while there’s still so much room.” Reaching out he pulled her against him. “I guess I should say, you’re really smart, since it’s your idea.”

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