His Ex's Well-Kept Secret. Joss Wood

      

      She’s keeping this billionaire’s son a secret...

      Down-on-her-luck heiress Piper Mills will do anything to help her baby—even strike a deal with the devil who impregnated her! Due to a car accident, Jaeger Ballantyne has no memory of the passionate night he and Piper shared...or that he’s Ty’s father. Purchasing Piper’s heirloom sapphires is the only thing on his agenda...until seducing the green-eyed temptress takes over.

      Piper’s falling for the stubborn tycoon, even as she continues to guard her secret. Can a man with no memory of their past find a way to forgive her so they can create a future?

      “I’m not asking you to marry me, Piper, or even date me,” Jaeger replied.

      This wasn’t how the conversation normally went. He usually fielded the demands about when he’d be calling, when their next date would be. He didn’t particularly care that the shoe was very firmly, and uncomfortably, on the other foot. “I was just wondering if you’d like to—”

      “Hook up again sometime?” Piper tipped her head and the corners of her mouth lifted. When she exposed her neck he wanted to nibble on her collarbone, kiss that spot under her jaw. “Thanks, but no. Hooking up is not something I make a habit of. This interlude will be a lovely memory, but re-creating this back home won’t work for me.”

      Piper stood up and pulled the knot on her robe, allowing the sides to fall open. With a small shrug the robe slid down her arms and then to the floor and she stood in front of him, gloriously naked. She straddled his thighs and gently touched his mouth with hers. “If this is all the time we have, then we’re wasting it.”

      She was the perfect one-night stand; she’d let him off the hook with no drama and little fanfare and he should feel grateful, he thought, lowering her to the bed.

      So then, why didn’t he?

      * * *

      His Ex’s Well-Kept Secret is part of the Ballantyne Billionaires series— A family who has it all...except love!

      His Ex’s Well-Kept Secret

      Joss Wood

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      JOSS WOOD loves books and traveling—especially to the wild places of Southern Africa. She has the domestic skills of a pot plant and drinks far too much coffee.

      Joss has written for Mills & Boon Modern and, most recently, the Mills & Boon Desire line. After a career in business, she now writes full-time. Joss is a member of the Romance Writers of America and Romance Writers of South Africa.

      Dedicated to Chris, taken too fast and too soon. Your family—and friends—lost an incredibly good man. You will be missed, bud.

      Contents

       Cover

       Back Cover Text

       Introduction

       Title Page

       About the Author

       Dedication

       Prologue

       One

       Two

       Three

       Four

       Five

       Six

       Seven

       Eight

       Nine

       Ten

       Eleven

       Twelve

       Extract

       Copyright

       Prologue

      In the presidential suite of a boutique hotel on the Via Manzoni, the most luxurious hotel in Milan, Jaeger Ballantyne ran his hand down a slim female back, the bumps of her spine pearls under satin skin.

      The fine cotton sheet covered Piper’s hips and draped her butt. Jaeger couldn’t stop touching her, loving the feel of her warm skin under his rough hand. He’d had women in his hotel room before, probably more than he should have, and while Piper was not the most beautiful female he’d ever had in his bed, she was certainly the most magnetic. Since the moment she’d stumbled into his life a day and a half ago, he’d thought of little else.

      Exceptional gems—the cut and sparkle of diamonds, rubies, opals, emeralds and a dozen more—captured and held his attention. Women? Not so much. Like diamonds destined for the mass market, they were generally nicely cut and well polished but nothing exceptional. And when he did find one a cut above the rest, he enjoyed her and quickly moved on.

      But for some reason, he kept thinking of Piper as a flawless, colorless diamond, the rarest type on the planet. Ridiculous, because he knew there was always another gem to discover, and he never lost his head over sparkly stones or the sweeter-smelling sex.

      Piper Mills made him wonder if walking around headless was a risk he was prepared to take.

      He should have been back in New York City already, Jaeger thought, irritated with his overthinking. He’d originally intended to be in Milan only for the previous evening. But when he’d seen Piper at the Milan branch of Ballantyne and Company, her long legs under a short skirt captured his attention. They’d been designed, he was convinced, to wrap around his hips.

      The intelligence in her light green eyes intrigued him, and the splash of freckles across her nose charmed him.

      Her body had him wanting to make her scream until the whole of Milan knew his name.

      Piper had mentioned owning ten blue stones that family legend said