Her Homebound Billionaire: A Love Conquers Fear Clean Romance (Billionaire Tech Tycoons & Titans Book 3) Read online

  Her Homebound Billionaire

  A Love Conquers Fear Clean Romance

  Gigi Marlowe

  © Copyright 2019 - All rights reserved.

  It is not legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Also By Gigi Marlowe

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Also By Gigi Marlowe

  Also By Gigi Marlowe

  The Series: Billionaire Tech Tycoons & Titans (The Visions they Follow, The Causes they Fund, The Love they Find)

  “Not Another Billionaire: A Clean Second Chance Romance”

  “Her Billionaire Dilemma: A Clean Romance”

  Connect with Gigi:

  Sign Up for her VIP Readers Group

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  Email her at [email protected]

  Chapter 1

  “I’m telling you, Lizzie, I have no idea why I haven’t done something like this sooner!” Alexandra Jane Taylor, better known as AJ, took a deep sigh of relief. It felt good to be back in San Francisco after two glorious weeks galavanting around southern France. As much as she loved seeing the classic and modern architect, she missed the steep hills of The City. She couldn’t deny that seeing the Musée Matisse in Cimiez had taken her breath away. The russet red brick was a heartstopping contrast to the sea that touched AJ’s artistic spirit. But there was just something about San Francisco. To her, stepping into her car and heading home from the airport felt like walking into her house after a long day at work.

  “Honestly, I’m surprised that you left at all,” Lizzie chuckled. Her warm voice crackled slightly over the car speaker as AJ halted in a long line of traffic. AJ rolled her eyes at Lizzie’s comment as she honked at the car in front of her. She hated being an aggressive driver, but she knew if she was ever going to get home, she couldn’t shy away from what had to be done. This was San Francisco after all. Out of her passenger side window, AJ could see the Golden Gate Bridge hanging in the distance. After living in The City By the Bay for eight years, AJ was still surprised by the childlike wonder she felt when she saw it. She supposed that growing up in the small Missouri town of Kirkwood was the reason she was always impressed by big city life.

  “Okay, okay,” Lizzie said with a mischievous giggle in her voice, “give me all the dirty details!” AJ disconnected her Bluetooth and pressed the phone to her ear. She put her steel metallic Honda Fit in park. A smile played at the corner of her blush pink lips at the thought of collapsing on her couch with a glass of Pinot Grigio.

  Her house wasn’t spectacular, but it was all hers. She had purchased the home when she was made partner at her firm three years ago. It was a stunning attached single family home nestled on Bernard Street in Nob Hill. Lizzie had thought she was crazy when she purchased it. The house was in desperate need of some TLC. The floors were covered in dirt and grime, and from the street, the house had looked like it had been overrun with rats. But AJ had seen the potential. She had seen how this sorely neglected house could easily become her home.

  “You’re not going to leave me out to dry on those details are you?” Lizzie’s voice pulled her back into their conversation. Dropping her keys off on the counter, AJ headed towards her metal spiral staircase.

  “You get one detail before I get off the phone with you and soak in the tub. You know how flying wears me out.”

  “Hey, maybe it’s a good thing that you’re tired from your flight.”

  “And how’s that?” AJ dragged her feet up her stairs until she reached the third floor. Dropping her bags at the top of the stairs, she kicked off her shoes one foot at a time. She didn’t care that she was leaving a trail of her belongings between the front door and her bathroom. She would pick them up later; right now all she wanted was to feel the soft swirl of her warm bath water kissing her tired skin.

  “You won’t work!”

  “Are we on that again, Lizzie?”

  “Yes, ma’am, we are. You work entirely too hard, AJ. You haven’t taken a vacation in five years-”

  “-Because I couldn't-” AJ turned the faucet on and watched the water fill her soaker tub.

  “-Because you wouldn’t.” AJ heard Lizzie open and close the silverware drawer before she pulled open the door of what AJ assumed was her freezer.

  “Don’t get out the ice cream, Lizzie.” Ever since college, Lizzie had taken to eating Ben and Jerry’s Americone Dream Ice cream straight out of the carton whenever she was about to lecture AJ.

  “Leave me alone, AJ. If I want to eat my favorite ice cream while I tell my best friend how worried I am about the insane amount that she works, I will.”

  “Is there anything wrong with loving my job?”

  “No,” Lizzie said between mouthfuls of ice cream, “but there is something wrong with never making time for yourself. I mean you’re so focused on work that I bet you worked on your vacation from work!” AJ blushed. She had sketched out a few designs for some French-inspired buildings. “Oh my goodness! AJ, I was just joking. Please don’t tell me you actually did work on your vacation.”

  “You never have to work a day in your life if you love what you do, Lizzie. It’s not my fault that the beauty of France inspired me. Imagine how gorgeous it would be if we combined their architectural symmetry with the diversity of San Francisco? Wouldn’t it be breathtaking?”

  “Alright, I admit that the charm of France would be electrifying in the hustle and bustle of San Francisco, but you know what would really be breathtaking? You not missing out on anything: romance, love, a family. You don’t even leave yourself time to date.”

  “I do date.” A guilty ping struck AJ. She knew Lizzie was right. The last time she had been on a date with someone was at least six months ago and that ended horribly. “Remember Benjamin? The chef?” she asked.

  “Wasn’t that the guy whose ego rivaled Narcissus himself, showed up at the office, and then went over your head to become your client?”

  AJ thought back to how Benjamin had spent the entire date name dropping. He had been so concerned with letting AJ know that he knew celebrities and had partied with some of the wealthiest people in L.A. that she had barely spoken two words the entire night. Benjamin had claimed the date was a huge success. He called her several times the next day and, when she refused to return his messages, he showed up to her work. After she had explained that she wasn’t interested in him romantically, he immediately went to a senior partner and demanded that AJ remodel one of his restaurants. For the entire project, Benjamin had insisted that they had an amazing connection. AJ had felt relieved when the entire experience was finally over.

  Ok, so I don’t date.” AJ poured lavender sudsing soap in with the bath water. She swirled her fingers lazily in the foaming liquid and tied her dusty blonde hair up. It seemed to AJ that all anyone wanted to know was when she would get mar
ried and settle down. She hated that. She hated feeling like her only dream in life should be finding a husband. She had bigger dreams than that. She wanted to do something more with her life, and she didn’t need a husband to help her do it.

  “I’ll date seriously after I’ve established my career. There will be plenty of time for me to fall in love later. Right now, there’s just too much I want to see. Too much I want to do. I’m in the prime of my life and, frankly, I’d rather invest in myself and my friendships right now.”

  Lizzie sighed softly. “Hasn’t anybody ever told you that investing in love is investing in yourself?” It was rare for her lighthearted friend to speak such words of astute wisdom. “I’m surprised your French lover didn’t fill you in on that one.”

  “Lizzie,” AJ giggled, “You know that I didn’t go on vacation to find any kind of lover, French or not. I went on vacation to get recharged.”

  “I just don’t want you to miss out on your chance of meeting someone great, you know. You deserve love too, AJ.”

  “Well then, it should make you pretty happy to know that I did meet someone great.” AJ smiled to herself as tested the temperature of her bath before turning off the faucet. She could almost imagine Lizzie jumping up from wherever she was sitting and dancing around the room.

  Lizzie’s breathless response was all the confirmation AJ needed to know that she had been right. “Why didn’t you tell me?” She said.

  “There’s actually two of them,” AJ began.

  “Two? Good Lord, AJ, there’s two of them? You always have to be an overachiever don’t you?”

  “In my defense, they are married,” AJ could almost feel Lizzie’s confusion through the phone. “ You would love them. Their names are Henry and Sue Chow and they’re from San Francisco, too. We were all staying in the same hotel and instantly clicked.”

  “This is not what I meant.”

  “It’s better than what you meant. ”

  The two decided to get together the next day. Soaking in her lavender-scented bath, AJ thought about what it would have been like if she actually did meet someone in France. She turned on her stereo to hear the soft musical notes of the reprise of “I’ll Cover You” from Rent. She wondered what it would be like find someone who wanted to be her shelter from life’s troubles. Shaking off her thoughts, AJ sunk deeper into her bath. She didn’t need love. She didn’t need to be shackled to someone else’s ambitions. She was just fine on her own.

  “After all this time, it shouldn’t surprise me. Most people aren’t like you all,” Patrick Walker said. He looked tiredly at Henry and Sue Chow. He had known them for years now, and the extent of their kindness still baffled him sometimes. They were always the first ones to volunteer a helping hand or a sympathetic ear, and today was no exception. Hearing the exhaustion in Patrick’s voice earlier that day, Henry had invited him to come over and have dinner with him and Sue. Now the two of them were sitting with him, listening earnestly as he vented about his job. “They aren’t kind unless it benefits them,” continued Patrick, “Take this newest client I’m working with. They hired me to install high-end anti-malware on all of their firm’s computers. Then, I showed up to one branch, and the CEO was sickeningly sweet to me.”

  “Shocking,” Henry said as a roguish smile flashed across his face. Patrick ignored him as he took another roll from the plate in the middle of the table.

  “Then, right before I finished, she asked me to coffee.”

  “Very suspicious,” Sue nodded gravely before she covered her mouth with her hand to hide her smile. Patrick tried his best not to chuckle. While Henry had always been a frolicsome person, Sue was only now beginning to partake in the casual banter that Patrick and Henry routinely used.

  “It was,” he insisted. “I mean, I don’t know her at all. ”

  “And it could have nothing to do with you being a handsome, single man,” Henry commented as he stood. He gathered their plates in one hand and headed around the corner to their small kitchen.

  “You know it had nothing to do with that. It had everything to do with who I am.”

  “What do you mean?” Sue asked.

  “She was probably looking to secure her next big ticket boyfriend.” Patrick grimaced. He had already dealt with a woman like that. Patrick would never forget Jasmine and what she did. She had pretended to be in love with him so he would fund her cardiovascular research. When he had first met Jasmine, he was unaccustomed to the blatant disregard people could have for others. Since then he had been careful to keep his heart guarded.

  “And you know this from one coffee date?” Sue raised one eyebrow incredulously.

  “First off, it wasn’t a date,” Patrick clarified. “Secondly, we never went.”

  “You mean you didn’t go out to coffee with a CEO who so obviously fell for your witty charm and dashingly good looks?” Henry called from the kitchen. Patrick could hear the clinking of glasses and secretly hoped Henry was bringing coffee.

  “It would be unprofessional,” Patrick said as he stifled a yawn.

  “It would have been fun! Come on, Patrick, you need more of that in your life,” Henry interjected. Patrick watched his friend round the corner with three coffee mugs in one hand and a coffee pot in the other. Gratefully he took the cup of coffee and drank it black. It was precisely what his tired soul needed at that moment.

  “You do remember how to have fun, right?” Henry tapped the table in front of Patrick.

  “Oh, like the time I beat you so badly at Wii bowling that you had to fake a sprained wrist?” Patrick grinned wickedly and sat back in his chair. Henry scrunched his eyebrows and Sue burst into a fit of laughter.

  “That’s not what happened at all. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Henry protested.

  “Don’t worry Henry, everyone knows you’re horrible at bowling,” Sue pat Henry’s shoulder sympathetically as her eyes glittered with merriment.

  Henry grumbled. Seeing that Patrick’s cup was empty, he tried to change the topic. “More coffee, anyone?” He said.

  “He can be such a sore loser,” Sue remarked. She held her half-filled cup out to Henry.

  “We’ll work on that before the baby comes,” promised Patrick. Sue’s eyes dropped to her coffee cup. Patrick watched as her eyes flickered to the kitchen and then to Henry.

  “We’ll need to work on a lot before then,” Henry said reassuringly as he kissed Sue softly on the cheek.

  “Have you guys finally decided to take my advice about the kitchen?”

  “I’m not sure, Patrick. I like our kitchen. I know it’s small and doesn't function well, but we’ve made so many memories in there.”

  “You can make great memories in a new kitchen, Sue.” Patrick reached out and patted her hand. “Just think about it, okay?”

  Sue looked up at Patrick with a contemplative look on her face. “I’ll think about it if you will,” she suggested.

  “Think about what?”

  “Come on, Patrick. Your house barely fits you and Bear. What’s going to happen when you finally meet the woman of your dreams?”

  “I’m not sure if that will happen.” Patrick pushed his mug away from him. He knew that Sue meant well, but he wasn’t interested in falling in love, again. He had tried it once, and all he had gotten in return was regret.

  “You’re a great catch, Patrick,” Sue insisted, “you’re kind, smart, and incredibly loving.”

  “Any woman would be more than happy to marry you,” Henry added.

  Patrick evaluated the hopeful looks on the faces of his friends. “It’s not that. I just don’t know if I’ll ever meet someone genuine.” What Patrick didn’t say was that he didn’t know if he would let himself be vulnerable again so he could meet someone. “When I met Jasmine,” he continued, “I was foolish enough to think that love was always honest, but...” he paused, searching for right words to express himself. “She was kind enough to educate me of my naïvety. That’s why, if I were to fall in love, it
would have to be with someone who was authentic. And, frankly, now I just don’t know if that kind of person exists for me.”

  Patrick pushed his chair back and studied the ceiling. “Regardless, I’ve got a pretty amazing lady in my life right now.” A vivid image of his beloved German Shepherd instantly popped into his head. He could clearly imagine her waiting for him by the front door, ready to welcome him back with excited barks and wet dog kisses. “Bear might just be a dog, but at least I know I never have to question her devotion. ” Patrick ignored the gnawing thought that tugged at the corner of his mind: would Bear always be enough, or did he want to find love? He thought about how happy Henry and Sue were together. They complemented each other perfectly. Patrick wanted that, yet feared he would never find it.

  Henry closed the front door. He hated hearing Patrick talk so despairingly about his life. Returning to the kitchen, he saw Sue gazing out the window. Her beautiful brown eyes searched aimlessly in their backyard for nothing and everything. He could tell that something was weighing heavily on her mind.

  “What is it, Sue?” He asked. He crossed the kitchen quickly and took her hands in his. Blinking herself out of a trance, Sue looked deep into Henry’s eyes. His heart skipped a beat. Even now, after six years of marriage, she still made his heart stop with just one look. He doubted she knew exactly how breathtaking he thought she was.

  “It’s Patrick,” she said as her eyes searched his face for comfort. In them, Henry could see her utter vulnerability. It made him want to kiss away her worry. “He’s so different now.”

  “I know,” Henry furrowed his brow. He knew exactly what Sue was talking about. He had become distant, withdrawn.