Beauty and the Billionaire (BILLIONAIRE BOYS CLUB NOVEL) (16 page)

The room was dark, but he knew—he just knew—that Gretchen would be there waiting for him. A faint light shone through the open window, and in the moonlight he could see a rumpled mess of covers in his normally immaculate bed. On one side of the bed, a small figure was curled up in sleep.

He moved toward the bed, heart aching at the sight. Such a wonderful, exquisite sight—he’d never thought to have so much. He thought he would always be alone, reviled. Now, he had a woman—such a perfect woman—waiting for him to come home so he could make love to her. Was life ever so sweet?

He noticed something shiny on the nightstand and moved to touch it. It was a crinkle of packets, and Hunter laughed. An entire strip of condoms had been left at the bedside. Wishful thinking indeed.

She sighed and he noticed she was wearing one of his shirts.
Ah.
His cock ached even harder at the sight. Hunter ripped one of the condoms out of the package and rolled it onto his cock, then moved to the edge of the bed.

Gretchen’s legs were bare and smooth, gleaming pale in the moonlight. They were slightly parted as she slept, revealing the cleft of her ass. No panties. Was she wearing anything other than his shirt? He groaned at the thought.

She rolled over and faced him, rubbing her eyes. “Hunter? Is that you?”

“Gretchen.” His voice was hoarse with need, even as he moved over her and began to kiss her jaw and throat. “I need you so badly.”

She moaned lightly, her legs spreading underneath him. “I was having dirty dreams about you,” she said. “Am I wet?”

He reached between her legs and groaned at the feeling of her. “Very wet.”

“Then come inside me,” she said in a soft, delicious voice.

Hunter didn’t need further encouraging. His fingers searched for the slick, warm opening and dipped a finger in as if to reassure himself that she was ready for him. He positioned his cock there and sank deep, freezing at her sharp intake of breath.

“Ah, that’s so good,” she breathed. Her legs wrapped around his hips and locked behind him. “Fuck me hard, Hunter.”

He groaned, her words making him frantic with need. He wouldn’t be able to go slow. Not this time, not with her so sweetly willing. He thrust, rough and hard, and then couldn’t stop himself. Over and over, he thrust into her, every rocking push forward shoving them across the bed. Her soft whimpers of pleasure became deep, wild cries, and her nails dug into his back.

“Hunter, oh, God, Hunter. Take me deep.” She raised her hips and lifted her legs a little, pushing them higher up his sides. “Keep pushing forward.”

He did, the force of his next thrust pushing her knees to her breasts.

She cried out in pleasure. “More!”

He did, giving her more. Every ounce of his being was determined to pound deep into her, to make it as good for her as it was for him—tight, hot, and oh so wet.

Her pussy seemed to shiver all around him, and then she cried out in surprise. “Oh! I’m coming!”

He exploded then, as if her orgasm had given him permission to release. With a sharp cry, Hunter came into her, clenching deep inside her pussy.

After a long moment of recovery, he rolled off her and stripped off the condom, tossing it into a nearby wastebasket. Then, he returned to the bed and pulled her close, unable to stop kissing her soft, perfect skin everywhere—the curve of her exposed shoulder, her neck, her hand, her dainty fingers.

“Mmm, did you miss me?” Gretchen asked sleepily, her backside snuggling up against his front. “It was a long evening without you.”

“I hope you got a lot of work done,” Hunter told her.

“Eh.” She didn’t sound enthusiastic.

“That’s too bad,” he told her, and bit lightly at her earlobe, a small move that he was starting to figure out that she enjoyed very much. Her sucked-in breath confirmed it. “I don’t plan on letting you get much sleep tonight.”

“Don’t you?” she asked, her voice a mixture of playfulness and sleepiness. “Aren’t you tired?”

“Not when I’m around you.” His fingers slid to her nipple and he caressed it, eliciting a moan from her. “You bring me back to life.”

It was true. He felt alive when he was with her. Nothing else mattered anymore—his face, his loneliness—nothing. All that mattered was what Gretchen thought of him.

For the first time in his life, Hunter Buchanan was in love.

***

Gre
tchen paced in the library, her hand pressed to her forehead. “No. I promise. I need my apartment. I really do. I’m just doing a project on location at the moment.”

“Your rent is one week overdue, Ms. Petty,” her landlord said into the phone. “And we haven’t seen your check.”

“What if I give you a check today?” Gretchen kept her voice bright and cheerful. “I’ll call a taxi and head into the city. I’ll give you a check and I can date it for next week. I should have my contract payment by then.”

“Next week? Your rent was due last week.”

“I know! But I have the payment. I can pay the rest of the entire year with my next check, which should be in any day now. I promise. I can get my agent on the line if you don’t believe me, and she can confirm the dollar amount.”

“Your contract with us states that rent is due on the first. Not when you get paid.”

“I know. It’s just—”

There was a knock at the library door and Eldon came in, giving her a dour look. “You have a guest.”

“I . . . what?” She looked at him in surprise.

“A guest,” he enunciated, exaggerating each syllable as if she were some sort of nitwit. “A visitor.”

“Um, okay.” Into the phone, she said, “Can I call you back in five minutes?”

Her landlord hung up.

Well, shit.
Surely they couldn’t change the locks in the next five minutes. She’d just call back after she got rid of whoever this was and explain that she could pay a big penalty fee if they’d just give her another week or so. Gretchen pocketed her phone and followed behind Eldon, who was already heading back down the hall.

Cooper stood in the front lobby of Buchanan Manor, a box in his hands. He was staring at the lofting ceilings and spiraling staircases of the entryway as if he’d just walked into a foreign land. It kicked her amusement into high gear. Had she looked as bug-eyed as he did when she’d walked in for the first time? How funny. “Cooper, what are you doing here?”

He lit up at the sight of her and set the box down. “Hey, Gretchen. There you are.” He held his arms out for a hug.

She moved into them and patted his back, returning the hug awkwardly. At any other time, she would think nothing of his hug. Now that she knew he was in love with her? It made things . . . strange.

“Audrey said you were having a hard time with your project. She said you’re behind on your deadline and was going to bring you a few things to help out. I told her I wasn’t busy and I’d stop by, and I thought I’d bring you a little care package from the Cuppa while I was at it.”

Had he held the hug for a little longer than was necessary or was she imagining things? Gretchen pulled out of his arms and smiled. “You’re a good friend, Coop. Did you bring me the brownie fudge mocha latte flavoring I love?”

“Of course.” He chuckled and picked up the box again, handing it to her. “You look great, by the way. How are you doing?”

“I’m awesome, of course,” Gretchen said cheerfully, juggling the box. “You want to come hang out in the kitchen for a bit?”

“I wouldn’t mind a coffee,” he said, and took the box from her. “Here, let me get that for you.”

She refused to release it, fighting annoyance. “I can carry my own boxes, Coop.”

“Yes, but men carry things for ladies.”

She snorted. “Who are you and what have you done with my friend?”

He laughed at her teasing, throwing his hands up. “Fair enough. At least I tried.”

The box was deposited on the kitchen counter, and Gretchen put a pot of coffee on. When it was brewing and Cooper had taken a seat at one of the stools at the kitchen island, she opened the top of the box, peeking in. There were two smaller boxes inside, one with the Cooper’s Cuppa logo. She reached for the other, glancing at Cooper. “This is from Audrey?”

He nodded, though he couldn’t stop staring at their surroundings. “I can’t believe you’re staying here for an entire month. It’s like a castle.”

“Oh, I know,” she said, setting the box down and pouring herself a cup of coffee. “Complete with creepy butler and everything.”

“I swear this could be something out of a movie,” he said with a grin. “Don’t tell me. The owner’s some
Phantom of the Opera
–style guy intent on sucking the blood of virgins.”

Gretchen spit out her coffee, coughing.

Cooper immediately got up, slapping her on the back. “You okay?”

“Just . . . breathed . . . wrong,” she said, coughing between words. It was kind of weird how close—and yet far away—Cooper had been with his guess.

After all, she was the one intent on the virgins around here.

With a weak smile, she opened the box Audrey had sent. Pink lace and black satin caught her eye and she immediately flipped it shut. Feigning ease, she pushed the box aside. “What did Audrey say she was sending me again?”

“Stress relievers, I think she said. Something to help things along.” He shrugged and sipped his coffee again. “She said you’d know what to do with it.”

It was clear he hadn’t looked in the box. “I have a pretty good idea, yeah.” At his inquisitive look, she lied, “Bath salts.”

“Ah. Girl stuff.”

“Definitely girl stuff.” And before she could giggle and ruin things, she pulled the other box out and pretended to sniff it. “I think I smell cookies.”

He grinned.

She flipped open the lid and sighed with pleasure. “Two dozen? You shouldn’t have.”

“And some toffee dream bars underneath, just in case you want a little variety.”

She pulled out the bags of cookies and smelled the bag of coffee beans that had been included. “You’re awesome, Cooper. I’m sure these cookies aren’t as good as mine, though.”

“They should be. It’s your recipe.” He was watching her with a soft, adoring look on his face. “I’ve missed seeing you, Gretchen. The Cuppa isn’t the same without your smiling face.”

And he reached across the counter to place his hand over hers.

Damn.
It seemed they couldn’t even go a half hour anymore without things getting awkward. “Cooper . . .”

“I can’t stop thinking about you, Gretchen.”

“Cooper—”

“No, please, let me say this.” His eyes were pleading. “It’s time I said this.”

The door to the kitchen opened. Hunter stalked in, a dashing figure in his neatly pressed, too-formal-for-around-the-house-but-he-wore-it-anyhow dark suit. He glowered at Cooper and his hand on Gretchen’s, then moved to Gretchen’s side and kissed her cheek, his arm sliding around her waist.

A very possessive, obvious gesture.

White-hot shock drained the blood from Cooper’s face. He turned white, then went blood red with embarrassment, staring at Hunter. “I—”

“Introduce us, Gretchen,” Hunter demanded, his gaze on Cooper even as he hovered possessively over her.

She ground her teeth.
Well, hell. This had just gotten ugly fast.
She slid her hand out from under Cooper’s and gave him a soft, apologetic smile. “Cooper, this is . . . Hunter. He owns Buchanan Manor.”

“Yes. The phantom intent on sucking the blood of virgins, I believe you said,” Hunter stated coldly.

Cooper’s face turned an alarming shade of purple. “Uh . . .”

“Thanks for bringing the box, Cooper.” She shut it to give her hands something to do and so she could quit staring at the many shades of awkward that Cooper’s face was turning. “This is going to be really helpful for my deadline.”

“Of course. Anything you need, I’m here for you.”

Hunter seemed to glower even more. “You don’t need to be here for her.
I’m
here for her.”

Gretchen inhaled sharply. This was going from bad to worse. “Since you’re here, Cooper—”

“Actually, I was just about to leave.” He got up hastily, the stool nearly falling over with his jerky movements.

“Oh, but I was wondering if you could take a check to my landlord—”

“He said he has to go,” Hunter said darkly. “I’ll take care of whatever you need, Gretchen.” His gaze moved over Cooper again. “He knows that.”

“I really should go,” Cooper said. He gestured at the door.

“Eldon will show you out.”

And the annoying butler was there a moment later, holding the door to the kitchen open. Cooper headed for it, but not before giving Gretchen a wounded look as he headed out the door.

“Thanks again, Cooper. You’re a good friend,” she called as he was escorted out. When the door swung shut again, she buried her face in her hands. “Oh, God, that went really badly.”

“Who was that?” Hunter asked, his voice stiff with fury.

“He’s a friend of mine.”

“He was trying to hit on you,” Hunter bit out. “His hand was on yours.”

“Not through any of my doing,” she admitted. “I’ve been trying to figure out a way to let him down easy.” She glanced at the kitchen door and felt a twinge of remorse. “Guess I don’t have to worry about that anymore.”

“You didn’t tell him we were together?”

She tilted her head, giving Hunter an odd look. “Are we together, Hunter? You’ve never said and I didn’t want to presume.”

Shock crossed his face. “We had sex.”

“We had really great sex, Hunter. And I love having sex with you. But it doesn’t mean we’re together.”

The expression on his face looked shattered. “I . . . see.”

Why was he so upset at that? She was trying to give him an easy out.
Here’s some casual sex with no strings attached. You’re welcome.
Why was he so offended then? Most guys would be thrilled.

He turned away, and she noticed he was carefully hiding the scarred side of his face.

It hit her, then.

The phantom intent on sucking the blood of virgins, I believe you said.

He’d heard that. And she’d simply sputtered. She hadn’t defended him, or protested, and then to make matters worse, she’d just told him she wasn’t in this for a relationship.