Yahrah John - Taming Her Billionaire

The fine art of seduction

Maximus Knight just had a rude awakening. It’s bad enough he has to compete for control of Knight Shipping with the half brother he never knew he had. Now his father’s will has just given gorgeous gallery owner Tahlia Armstrong a tie-breaking stake in the company. Seducing her into turning over her shares—and controlling interest—to him backfires when a sizzling kiss ignites emotions too powerful to ignore.

Max is Tahlia’s secret weakness. For years, she has desired the man no woman can resist. But the charismatic entrepreneur is used to getting what he wants, and Tahlia has been scorched by love before. When a shocking power play threatens their passionate bond, Tahlia has to decide whether she can trust Max with her heart—and a love too precious to lose.

He spun her around and, to her surprise, began buttoning her coat.

“I can do it,” Tahlia said, halting his hands with her own.

“I want to make sure you’re warm,” Maximus said, brushing her hands aside as he continued his task.

Tahlia looked down. Didn’t he know she was not only warm, but she was also on fire from his touch? She hadn’t recovered from his earlier kiss, and being in this confined space with Maximus was playing havoc on her senses. Her heart was already beating an erratic rhythm.

“Tahlia, look at me.” Maximus’s voice was husky with desire.

She met his eyes with hers, and they scanned her face slowly and seductively. And when his gaze slid downward to her lips and he lifted his thumb to caress them, her pulse quickened. Maximus tilted her chin upward with a finger to inch her closer to him. Tahlia knew what was coming next, and there was no hesitation on her part. She twined her fingers into his curly hair at the back of his head as she’d been longing to do. Sweet relief flooded her as he hauled her against him, bent his head and closed his mouth over hers.

Dear Reader,

I hope you find Maximus Knight’s story a satisfying conclusion to the Knights of Los Angeles series that began with Taming Her Tycoon. My idea of a sibling rivalry over the family dynasty came from watching the television show Empire.

I love the arc of each character’s metamorphosis. Maximus can’t get past his father’s betrayal in giving half his birthright to his brother, Lucius Knight, with Tahlia Armstrong as the tiebreaker vote. Maximus is equal parts charmer and schemer as he tries to retain his empire by seducing lovable Tahlia. She becomes empathetic to Maximus’s plight after realizing her surrogate father, Arthur Knight, had faults. It’s exciting to see Maximus’s growth as he falls for Tahlia’s sweet nature and accepts his new brother.

My next book, His San Diego Sweetheart, debuts in spring 2018. Visit my website, www.yahrahstjohn.com, or write me at yahrah@yahrahstjohn.com for details.

Yahrah St. John

Taming Her Billionaire

Yahrah St. John

www.millsandboon.co.uk

YAHRAH ST. JOHN is the author of twenty-five books, seventeen with the Harlequin Kimani Romance line. When she’s not at home crafting one of her sexy romances with compelling heroes, feisty heroines and a dash of family drama, she can be found in the kitchen cooking one of her gourmet meals discovered on the Food Network for her husband. Or this thrill-seeking junkie can be found traveling the globe seeking out her next adventure. A graduate of Hyde Park Career Academy, she earned a bachelor of arts degree in English from Northwestern University. St. John is a member of Romance Writers of America but is an avid reader of all genres. She lives in sunny Orlando, the City Beautiful, where there’s great weather all year round. For more information, please visit www.yahrahstjohn.com.

To my husband, Freddie Blackman—you light up my life.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter 1

Maximus Xavier Knight stared at the beautiful woman who’d just entered the library of his family’s estate for the reading of his father Arthur Knight’s will. Had she really just said she was his partner? Was he in some alternative universe? Surely his father’s attorney, Robert Kellogg, hadn’t just informed him that his father had bestowed 49 percent equally to him and his illegitimate older brother, Lucius Knight, and given this random yet stunning woman the remaining 2 percent?

One thing was for sure, she was a knockout. His eyes skimmed over her. The wrap dress she wore clung to her shapely curves, showing him she had generous breasts and hips he could grab on to and legs that went on for miles. Long, flowing black hair hung down her back in soft luxurious waves. Her smooth tapioca-colored skin looked soft to the touch. He drank in every detail, her high cheekbones, finely arched eyebrows and full kissable lips, which held a hint of pink lipstick. Her expressive large brown eyes were mascara-coated and looking at him intently.

“Maximus, I presume.” She held out her hand. “Tahlia, Tahlia Armstrong.”

Maximus extended his hand, cupping her small, soft one in his, and shook it. The brief contact sent an arc of desire shooting straight through him. They stared at one another for several beats before she lowered her hand, making Maximus wonder if he’d imagined the electric connection.

“Ms. Armstrong, welcome,” Robert said. “I was hoping you would have come earlier.”

“Sorry.” Tahlia blushed. “Promptness isn’t my strong suit.” She found an empty chair beside his half brother, Lucius, and took a seat. She was clearly embarrassed by her tardiness but seemed to have known more than any of them did.

“Omigod!” Maximus’s mother, Charlotte, cried into her handkerchief by his side. He knew she must be in shock just as he was by his father’s bequest, but he was determined not to show weakness.

“Robert.” Maximus remained standing and walked over to his father’s longtime friend. “Is this will iron-clad?”

The attorney frowned. “Meaning was your father of sound mind when he wrote it?”

“Of course he was,” Lucius’s mother, Jocelyn Turner, burst aloud, jumping out of her seat. “This was his way of finally acknowledging Lucius.” She pointed to her son, who was still seated next to his fiancée, Naomi Brooks.

“You have no say here.” Charlotte Knight stopped sniffing long enough to speak and rise from her seat to face her nemesis. “Arthur was my husband, not yours. You were nothing more than his low-rate mistress, one he couldn’t bother to be seen with.”

“Mother! That’s enough.” Maximus didn’t want an all-out brawl to break out. Lucius had stood as well and stepped in front of his mother in full protective mode.

“Everyone, please,” Robert spoke loudly, interrupting the crowd. “I need you all to take your seats.”

Reluctantly, both mothers sat down while Maximus and Lucius remained standing. Maximus didn’t know what to make of his older brother, but he knew he’d be a formidable opponent. He was six foot two with a square jaw and an athletic physique. Even though he worked out often, Maximus wasn’t sure he could take him down physically, but there were other ways.

“Why would he do this?” Lucius asked, turning to Robert. “I know nothing about the shipping business, and I want no part of any inheritance Arthur Knight may have left for me.”