Free ROMANCE: Billionaire Romance: All Yours (Sexy and Funny Romantic Comedy, Mature Young Adult Romance) (The Billionaire Next Door Book 1) by Violette Paradis

~Chapter 1~
    My hands
gripped tightly onto six leashes as six excited, rampaging dogs pulled me through
the park. Out of breath and struggling to keep on my feet, I ran after them.
    They
weren’t my dogs. Dog-sitting was only a part-time job I took on after the big
business, Powers Corp, moved into my beloved city of Jacksonville, cutting most of the local jobs.
    Luckily, I
still had my job. During the day I was a veterinarian, which was enough for me,
but Victoria, my mother, was one of the unlucky ones. After the market space
for her vegetable stand was bought out by Powers Corp, Victoria set up a dog-walking business for
extra cash, and so here I was.
    I didn’t
mind it - of course I loved the dogs, but between my two jobs, I barely had any
time to go out.
    Sigh.
    At least I
got to see animals every day.
    Running
down the sidewalk with Rufus, Sally, Nana, Gorax ,
Bill, and Gimli , I noticed a runner heading straight
towards us.
    “STOP,
GUYS!” I yelled out, holding steady onto their leashes, but the running,
barking dogs were too excited and the force of all of them pulling was too
strong for me to stop.
    Not wanting
to let go of the leashes and risk losing one of them, I held on tight for the
run of my life.
    The runner
- a tall, well-built man in a white t-shirt and loose running shorts -
approached closer and closer as the dogs pulled me towards him.
    “GET OUT OF
THE WAY!” I yelled.
    But as the
runner stepped out of my way, Bill, the large Dalmatian, stepped into the
runner’s path, tangling his legs in the long leash. The man tripped and went
flying onto the grass.
    Bill
stopped in his tracks, giving me a chance to play a tug-of-war with the other
dogs, getting them to stop too.
    “Oh my
goodness! Are you okay?” Wrapping all the leashes in one hand, I crouched down
and put my hand out onto the man’s arm. The tight, white t-shirt did the man
justice. His firm muscles flexed under the material. I couldn’t help but admire
his toned physique as I helped him up.
    The man
rubbed his head. “I’m alright.” He was barely out of breath from his run.
Actually, the only evidence that he had actually gone for a run was his
perfectly disheveled dirty blond hair and flushed pink cheeks. “Just a bit
winded.” He smiled, flashing his dark shimmering eyes up at me.
    Oh my
god.
    My heart
skipped a beat. I hadn’t been looked like that by a man in a long time. And why
would I have? With my two jobs, it was impossible to date.
    Don’t
fuck this up, Sophia.
     “You
know, I’ve been looking for ways to spruce up my run. Maybe being pulled by
three hundred pounds of dog would do the trick.” The man smiled as he pet the
Dalmatian behind the ears.
    The man
was good with dogs! This was one trait in a man that made my heart melt, and I could tell by the
way the man pet Bill behind the ears that he was a natural. Bill licked the
man’s face. Lucky dog .
    I laughed
nervously. “Sorry about that. It’s hard keeping them all in control.” I tugged
on the leashes, making sure the dogs didn’t get distracted by a nearby
squirrel.
    “Don’t
worry about it.” He flashed his bright, white smile again. “Help me up.”
    I slipped
my shaky hand in his, feeling his soft but strong palms and helping him to his
feet. All the while he was looking deep into my eyes. My heart fluttered in my
chest.
    As he got
up, I caught a whiff of his musky scent, which had an aphrodisiacal effect on
me. The man smelled incredibly delicious, and I couldn’t help but inhale deeper
and deeper in an effort to commit the scent to memory.
    With my
hand still in his, he looked at me with his dark, glittering eyes.
    “I-”
    A beeping
noise pulled us both out of the moment.
    The man
looked at a piece of equipment strapped to his wrist.
    “I have to
keep running.” He flashed me a dangerous, tight-lipped smile and continued
running down the pathway. “I’ll see you around!”
    I watched
the man run away, still feeling the rush of adrenaline