An Heir for the Billionaire (6 page)

Damon's body relaxed over hers and she released his shaft to slip her hands around his waist and hold tight to him.

"Get up!" Damon jumped back out of her embrace and took a couple steps back from her and the car.

"What?" Still reeling from her several orgasms and dripping with their combined fluids. Katrina sat up, and ran a shaky hand through her blonde locks, trying to clear the cobwebs from her mind as she watched him hurriedly do up his pants.

"Katrina! Hurry!" Taking her hand he pulled her unceremoniously from the hood of the car and tugged her skirt down. She stumbled against him, due to the combination of her heels sinking into the gravel and her slightly light-headed state.

A bright light spotlighting them made her realize the reason for his abruptness. A car was approaching and was in the process of stopping behind their car.

Awwwww shit.
Their intimate time together was done. She spun around to see a police car, the driver's side door opening and a tall, thickly build officer stepping out. The headlights of the car blinded her from seeing anything more about him then his silhouette.

"So what's going on up here?" the officer asked, with a knowing tone in his voice.

Katrina cringed, feeling like a teenager caught by her parents doing something naughty. She supposed she was, but instead they were adults and it was a cop instead of their parents.

The officer stepped out of the light and Katrina let out a low sigh. Mark Glover.

"Hey Mark." Despite her relief, a tinge of embarrassment still lingered.

"Well, well, well Katrina Alexander. I haven't seen you around in a while." He turned his dark eyes over to Damon and his mouth went slack. "Holy shit! Damon Garratt." He stepped up to Damon and pulled him into a quick embrace. "Been a long time man."

"Since graduation," Damon confirmed.

Mark stepped back and gave his head a shake. "I can't believe you're back. For the reunion?"

Damon and Katrina nodded in unison.

"I'm in awe with how well you've done man," Mark continued. "I was going to go to the reunion, but we were short staffed tonight."

Katrina's eyes drifted over to Damon and saw him becoming slightly agitated. He gave Mark a tight smile and nodded. "Yeah. Not bad."

"Shit man. Not bad!" Mark turned to Katrina and jerked his thumb in Damon's direction. "Did you see the spread they had on him in..." He frowned. "
Forbes
maybe?
Time
. Dammit I can't remember. One of those. Read it while I was waiting for my daughter at the dentist office the other day."

Katrina cocked her head to the side and eyed Damon. His expression became impassive. "Really?"

"Oh yeah. They had their annual richest people in America list and he's the youngest person to have ever made that list." He looked back at Damon, awe in his expression. "Amazing man. Who'd have known. You were always a smart mother fucker, but..."

Katrina's mouth dropped open. She had no idea. She knew he'd done well, but to be one of the richest men in America! She was speechless.

"So are you two..." His grin widened, continuing to address Damon. "Back together?" He shifted his eyes back to Katrina.

Katrina glanced over at Damon and he caught her gaze.

"We're reconnecting," Damon offered. The way he said
reconnecting
sent a shiver through her. She was thankful for the darkness of the night, as she considered all the ways she'd like to
reconnect
with him, and felt the warmth colouring her cheeks. As the men caught up, in a busy banter she stood back and watched Damon. He was the same Damon, but there was so much more to him that she needed to learn.

Chapter 6

"So I was thinking..."

Katrina glanced over at Damon behind the wheel, brow raised waiting for him to continue.

"What's the chance of you getting the next week off?"

Katrina thought about her schedule. She had banquets all next week, every night, Monday to Sunday. "Horrible."

His face fell. "When do you work next?"

"Monday night."

"Can you get people to fill in?"

Katrina laughed, reached over and gave his thigh a squeeze. "Not if I want to pay the rent this month."

"What if money wasn't an issue?"

"But it is."

"What if it wasn't?" he persisted. "Could you get the week off?"

The hotel had just hired a group of new servers, so she supposed between Farrah and the new staff she could get the shifts covered. She looked over at him, catching his gaze. She knew what he was getting at. He was offering to pay her bills, but she wasn't sure how she felt about that.

"I don't want handouts Damon."

Damon huffed and gave her a look that said,
don’t be stupid Katrina
.

"But-"

"Hey, when we were young, you were fine with me paying for the movie or dinner."

Katrina laughed. "Yeah, well that was cheap night at the theatre and a trip to McDonalds."

"Doesn't matter."

"Sure it does."

Not replying Damon pulled the car into the parking lot of the hotel and headed for the secure underground parking. He remained silent as he swiped his card into the card reader to raise the garage doors. Once open, he drove in and slipped the car into his assigned parking slot. Turning off the car, he turned to her, his expression serious.

"I never stopped caring for you Katrina. Even after all these years. Seeing you has reminded me of those feelings and how insane I was to allow my ambition to blind me."

Katrina opened her mouth to respond, but no sound came out. In fact, she had no idea how to respond.

"If you ever loved me then allow me a week. Allow me to try and make it up to you. Maybe I don't deserve a chance to make it up, but I'm asking. I'm a selfish, arrogant prick like that. Give this a chance to see if what we had all those years ago was as real as I remember it to be. As we both thought it was."

Katrina's eyes caught his and she saw the genuine need and yearning for her in his eyes. It wouldn't hurt right? She sighed.
I could just be setting myself up to be hurt again
. Could this just be history repeating itself?

Damon touched the side of her face and stroked her cheek with his thumb. His touch so light and intimate she closed her eyes and savoured the touch. It was so crazy, but... She slowly opened her eyes to see him still staring, waiting with baited breath for her answer.

She nodded. "Alright. I'll have my shifts covered and spend the week with you."

"Thank you Kat," Damon leaned into her and brushed his lips across hers. "Thank you."

Instead of deepening the kiss, Damon pulled back grinning like a schoolboy that had her grinning back at him. "So, have you ever been to Houston."

"I thought you said you live in New York?"

"I do," he confirmed, "But I also have a ranch in Houston."

"A ranch. With horses and stuff."

"Uh-huh."

"I love horses." She could never afford to go out horseback riding often, or get the time off to take an afternoon to go, but when she did she cherished every moment she was able to go.

"I know."

"Boy, do you ever know how to woo a girl, Damon Garratt," she teased.

"Only the ones I feel are worth wooing, Katrina Alexander."

*****

"You own this! Oh-my-god, and it even has your
name
on it!" Katrina squealed. Her blue eyes went wide and an expression of childlike amazement appeared on her face as they approached his private plane - Garratt Enterprises was written across the side.

"Well my company owns it."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Semantics."

As they approached the door on the side opened and steps descended. The pilot stepped into the open doorway and gave them a wave. "Mr. Garratt. Miss Alexander. Good to see you both."

Damon motioned for Katrina to climb the steps before him, following behind. His eyes glanced down to her round ass in the tight faded blue jeans she was wearing. He resisted the urge to caress her ass. As much as he'd wanted to spend the night with her the previous evening he knew they had to have a serious talk before they became more intimate.

You need to tell her now
, a voice in the back of his head urged. He knew he should, but couldn't get up the nerve - not yet anyhow. It was like if he didn't talk about the cancer then maybe it wouldn't be real. Irrational? Very. But he cringed at the thought of seeing her eyes fill with sympathy and sorrow when he told her. He didn't want to be pitied, or treated differently by her. But, before the chemo treatments began he'd have to tell her. Especially when in the matter of a couple of weeks he'd be bald as a baby's bottom. He'd never shaved his head before and wondered if it would suit him - he hoped so. Chicks dug bald men didn't they?

I'll know soon enough
, he mused.
Besides, why ruin our time together. At least a few days. Then I'll tell her
.

They entered the plane and Damon ushered Katrina into the cabin area.

"This is gorgeous," she gushed as her eyes scanned every inch of the cabin. Damon found himself flushing slightly, not used to people having such an exuberant reaction to his plane. For most of the people that boarded with him, flying in private planes was commonplace.

"Well, thank you."

"You really have done well for yourself. This is amazing." She turned and nudged him in the side, right over the incision. Damon winced and jerked away from her.

Frowning, Katrina eyed his side, and then lifted her eyes to meet his. "I'm sorry. Are you okay? I didn't think."

Damon gritted his teeth and pushed back the urge to wince a second time. "I'm fine. Little bruised that's all."

"Oh-my-god. I'm so sorry. Let me see." She reached out to him and was about to grab at his shirt to pull it up and inspect his "bruise," but he pulled away, batting at her hands.

"I'm fine sweetie.
Really.
No big deal."

Her eyes narrowed. "You winced yesterday as well. Damon, let me see." She made an attempt to grab at his shirt again, but this time instead of fending her off, he pulled her into him. Sliding a hand into her hair and grasping the back of her head, he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her with intensity and passion - hoping to get her mind off of his side and onto other more pleasant things.

And what's going to happen when she sees you without a shirt jackass
, the voice in the back of his mind nagged.

Please be seated and fasten your safely belts as we prepare for liftoff.
The captain's voice announced over the speakers.

Damon pulled back and was pleased to see the desire flaring up in her eyes, his
bruise
forgotten.

"Come on." Damon led her to the set of four black leather seats facing each other and divided by a table. Once Katrina was seated, he sat across from her and secured his safety belt.

"This is really,
really
cool Damon. I feel like some sort of celebrity. I never in a million years thought I'd be in a private plane."

Damon grinned. He couldn't wait to see her expression and excitement when she set foot onto the ranch and he gave her the tour.

*****

"Can I ask you something Damon?" Katrina looked over at Damon behind the steering wheel, taking them back to his ranch. Katrina could only imagine what his ranch looked like, maybe something straight out of the shows
Dynasty
or
Dallas
. She looked around her at the interior of the Lamborghini. Beautiful. Taking a ride in a Lamborghini, yet another first for her.

"Sure. What?"

"How many cars do you have?"

Damon chuckled. "I love cars. You know that."

"I do know, but just how much do you love them?"

Damon's grin widened. "I have two in New York and then eight at the ranch."

"And none worth less than a hundred grand either, right?" she teased. Despite her teasing, she was in awe. She couldn't even afford to get her little clunker fixed. To think Damon had enough money to buy so many lavish cars.... Wow. Her head was still spinning from it all.

"None."

"That's insane Damon."

Damon gave her a wink. "I prefer eccentric."

Katrina laughed. She watched as his hand shifted the gears, working the gears and clutch like a pro as they raced down the highway. She sat back and enjoyed the ride, the hum of the powerful engine, combined with the whoosh of his deeply threaded tires were surprisingly relaxing. Perhaps it was partly due to the beautiful man beside her - a man she never imagined she'd see again let alone be spending the next week with.

Watch yourself Katrina, don't go falling back in love with him
, the voice in the back of her mind cautioned her.
I'm not even sure I fell out of love with him to begin with
, she argued. The voice fell silent.