OLIVIA
I thought it was just a consulting job.
Walk into Alexander Winter's foundation, audit his charity programs, collect my paycheck. Simple. Professional. Safe.
I didn't expect Manhattan's most intimidating billionaire to buy me hot chocolate from a street cart on a freezing December morning. Didn't expect him to look at me like I'm something precious instead of just his temporary consultant. And I definitely didn't expect to want him to keep looking.
He's ice in a tailored suit—all sharp edges and dangerous control. I'm warmth in budget clothes, trying not to blush every time his gaze lingers.
But when corporate sabotage threatens his Christmas gala, suddenly we're working late nights in his penthouse office. Strategy sessions that feel too intimate. Accidental touches that spark like electricity. And one kiss in an empty conference room that changes absolutely everything.
I don't belong in his world of glass towers and charity galas.
So why does being with him feel like coming home?
ALEX
I don't do feelings. Don't do messy. Don't let anyone past the walls I've spent years building.
Then Olivia Harper walks into my office with her sharp mind and warmer heart, and every rule I've ever made shatters on impact.
She challenges me. Makes me notice things I've ignored, like the hollow echo of my perfectly controlled life. Makes me feel things I swore I'd never need.
I want her. In my office. In my bed. In my future.
And I don't wait for what I want.
When threats target her safety, I pull her closer—forced proximity that ignites into something neither of us can deny. Late nights become stolen moments. Professional boundaries blur into passionate need. And for the first time in my life, I'm completely, terrifyingly out of control.
She thinks she doesn't belong in my world.
I know she's the only thing that's ever made it feel like home.
This Christmas, I'm claiming what's mine.
And I don't take no for an answer.
Winter King is the first book in The Winter Empire series—standalone romances featuring powerful billionaires who discover that the greatest risk is opening your heart.
