A Bride for the Billionaire Bad Boy (The Romero Brothers, Book 2) by Shadonna Richards Page B

adequate to describe it.
    “It’s a one-way visual. We can see out but no one can
see in.”
    “Oh, this is nice, Lucas.” And what a scenic view it
was. She could see Lakeside Drive with a pier and a few yachts docked. Over to
the left some tall, glass, high-rise buildings that reflected the glistening
sunrise overlooked the rich, sparkling blue lake that seemed to stretch for
miles along the coast. They didn't call it a “great lake” for nothing. Ontario
was surrounded by a few great lakes the size of some cities and even some states.
Glancing at the waves in the water outside was refreshing and soothing.
    But it was the deep orange and red sun rising in the
east that captured her as the reflection on the water
was a warm orange over the blue. Darkness was melting into light. The dawn of a
new day—and a new phase in Maxine’s life.
    “I love watching the sunrise in the morning,” he
whispered. “My mother used to tell us that when we rise with the sun we get
more energy to start the day. It’s a wonderful way to renew your strength.”
    When Lucas spoke, his eyes glittered with what looked
like raw hurt. Maxine was sure there must be some story there but decided not
to probe further. Not now. She just could not believe that Lucas was sharing
this magical, intimate moment with her and it had nothing to do with them
getting naked in bed. She’d never felt so sensual, so close to a man like this.
He was opening up in a way that was indescribable, yet sweet.
    Lucas sat beside her and placed his arms over the back
of the chair around her. She wanted to snuggle in his embrace. This was so not
the bad boy image the media painted of Lucas. She would never again believe
everything she read about a celebrity or public person. Never
again. She learned a lesson in that there was always more to a story.
    To her delight, Lucas and she spoke practically
through the night to early morning. They spoke about many interests and family
stuff and all sorts of things while the city slowly woke until they heard the
honking of horns and the busy traffic outside. Yep, the city was wide awake now. But she was grateful to have this time to feel
protected after what had happened to her at her apartment.
    And all through this she wasn’t even tired. How weird
was that? She guessed Lucas was right about getting energy from the sun. Only
once before did she remember pulling an all-nighter, while studying for finals,
but it was nothing like this. Maxine always slept well during a twenty-four
hour period. And she knew she would have to get some sleep sometime
soon—if only in Lucas’s arms.
    Lucas spoke fondly about his family. His grandfather, whom he adored more than anything on this
earth—though they’d sometimes butt heads about issues. He spoke
about the bond he had with his cousin Antonio and his six brothers. All of his
family members were doing well in their chosen industries. They all worked
under the umbrella of Romero Corp. and the Romero Foundation. The foundation
especially brought so much to the community and it hosted the famous annual
Diamond Ball that raised millions of dollars for various programs to help young
entrepreneurs, fixed-income families and funded affordable housing for
low-income families.
    Maxine felt a pang of longing. She was happy that
after all Lucas and his family had been through that he was doing well but she
wished she had a large family too. It must be amazing, simply amazing to come
from such a huge family—and a close-knit one at that, Maxine surmised.
    Oh, how she wished she and her mother had a family.
She didn’t even know her biological family. That hurt her the most. She was
grateful for her adoptive mother but the pain of not knowing why her real
family gave her away, stung her at times.
    “So you have six brothers?” Maxine was stunned. She’d
read about the Romero family but didn’t realize there was…so many of them.
    “Yeah. And they’re all a pain in the butt!” Lucas