Title: The House Guest
Author: Penelope Ward
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Billionaire Hero/Roommates/Twist
Slow Burn/Angsty/Opposites Attract
Release Date: August 31, 2025
BLURB
From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a new, STANDALONE contemporary romance…
The last thing Dorian Vanderbilt expected was to find me painting in my crop top when he returned to the mansion he hadn’t inhabited in years.
He was understandably surprised I’d turned his living room into an art space.
Life is certainly full of surprises, though, but not always in a good way.
I learned that lesson when my aunt and the billionaire she married died unexpectedly while traveling.
I’d been living with them, and just like that, my life was turned on its axis.
Unsure of what was next, I stayed alone at the barren estate figuring out my next move.
That was when Dorian—the late billionaire’s only son—showed up.
I’d never met Dorian Vanderbilt. He’d been living on the other side of the country.
But now, he was home, left to pick up the pieces of his father’s legacy.
Not only was Dorian devastatingly handsome and mysterious, but he was the sole heir to the Vanderbilt fortune.
He didn’t seem to like me—at first. We were total opposites. But I was grateful that at least he didn’t kick me out.
We stayed out of each other’s way for the most part, save for some late-night kitchen run-ins or unexpected bonding sessions in the home theater.
Over time, though, we grew closer. Turned out, our chemistry was pretty combustible.
I was falling in love with him.
Until everything I thought I knew turned upside down yet again.
And fate left me pining for the one man I’d ever loved.
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WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
BILLIONAIRE HERO
ROOMMATES
TWIST
SLOW BURN
ANGSTY
OPPOSITES ATTRACT
EXCERPT
Copyright © 2025
By Penelope Ward
Eventually, I was able to put Dorian out of my mind and continue my movie night for one. Pulp Fiction was almost finished when the theater door opened again.
I turned to find Dorian entering—alone.
“Is it over?” he asked.
My pulse raced as I paused the movie. “About ten minutes left.”
Without further comment, he took the seat next to me, sinking into the chair and stretching his long legs. He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. His delicious cologne wafted my way, sending unwanted arousal through me. I pressed play on the movie, hoping to move out of this hyper-aware state.
“Where’s your date?” I asked after the movie finished and she still hadn’t reappeared.
“She left.”
“Is she a…girlfriend or…?”
“Definitely not,” he said, staring at the screen.
“Someone you hook up with?” I pried.
He turned to me. “You always this nosy?”
“Well, we are stepcousins,” I teased. “You can tell me anything.”
“We go way back, don’t we? So much I nearly kicked you out when I got here.”
“Details…” I shrugged.
He chuckled. “She’s someone I used to hook up with when I lived here years ago. Thought it might be interesting to reconnect with her, but I was grossly mistaken.”
“Why? What was wrong with her?”
“Nothing wrong with her. I was just bored out of my wits. It’s probably me that’s changed more than anything. That happens when you leave home, I guess.” He reached for some popcorn. “Anyway…found myself more in the mood to watch Pulp Fiction than I was to make pointless conversation with her.”
“I can start it over, if you want to watch from the beginning.”
“Nah.” He shook his head. “But I’ll watch another movie with you, if you’re down.”
Ohhhkay.
Hesitant excitement washed over me. I’d been pretty lonely lately if the idea of having someone to watch a movie with felt exhilarating. But at the same time, this was Dorian Vanderbilt—not exactly someone I could relax around yet. But I sure as hell wasn’t going to say no.
I finally nodded. “That’d be cool.”
“You choose.”
“Well…” I took a moment to think on it. “If you were in the mood to watch Pulp Fiction, maybe another Tarantino?”
He scratched his chin. “Actually, have you ever seen Snatch?”
“Guy Ritchie, right?” I nodded. “I’ve heard of it but never watched it.”
“His style reminds me of Tarantino. I think you’ll enjoy it. Would you want to watch that?”
“Yeah.” I nodded, impressed with his effort to think of a movie I would like.
Dorian went over to the laptop and pulled up the film, then returned to the seat next to me. He reclined his chair as I pressed play on the remote. He once again stretched out his long legs.
For the next couple of hours, we watched the movie intently, neither of us saying a word until it finished. That was exactly how I liked it. But he did look over to see my reaction at certain parts, which I also liked. Any nervousness I’d had dissipated as the movie went on. And I certainly couldn’t complain about sitting close to him, since he smelled like heaven. I hadn’t been out with a member of the opposite sex in what seemed like ages. Sitting this close to an attractive man made me miss dating, even if the man sitting next to me currently was out of my league.
When the credits came on the screen, he reached for the remote and lowered the volume. “What did you think?”
“It was awesome. I love movies where you don’t know what to expect, and the power dynamic can change at the drop of a hat.”
“Ah…sort of like how you suddenly had the power when I discovered you could control those dogs?”
“Maybe, yeah.” My mouth curved into a smile.
“They actually like me now. But they did not like Savannah.”
“Savannah was your date tonight?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Tess saved me, actually. She helped me get out of the rest of the date.”
“What do you mean?”
“I wanted to end the night early and had been thinking up an excuse. Then Tess rubbed her asshole on Savannah’s shoe as we were standing in the foyer. She decided right then and there she wanted to call it a night.”
I cracked up. “Saved by the asshole.”
“Exactly. It was perfect.”
“Did you drive her home?”
“I called her a car.”
“Well, I’m sorry again if I disrupted your evening.”
“Trust me, I had more fun watching the movie with you than I would’ve sitting through whatever sappy film she picked.” He sighed. “And…I’m sorry if she was rude to you. She was probably just intimidated.”
“Intimidated? Why?”
He glared. “Really? You’re gonna make me say it?”
“Sure.” I smirked.
“Because you’re attractive…” His eyes fell to my abs. “And you seem to have no other wardrobe besides crop tops.”
AUTHOR BIO
Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.
She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.
With millions of books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over forty books. Her novels have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.
AUTHOR LINKS
