The Billionaire Bargain (Millionaire's Club) (12 page)

“This should be plenty big enough for you,” Rae said, smiling, walking him to the four-poster handmade teak bed. The room had a dresser, two nightstands, and a desk facing a window with a view to the ocean.

He nodded, rubbing his eyes.

“Shower’s in the en suite.” She pointed to the adjoining door. “This is a lot to take in. Believe me, you won’t lack for anything again.”
And especially not love.
Rae knew physical comforts didn’t matter as much. “Your dad is one of the good ones.”

Daniel stalked toward her and flung his arms around her in an awkward hug.

She pulled him into a warm embrace. “You’re not alone anymore.”

His big brown teary eyes looked up at her, and her heart nearly faltered.
And neither am I.

He cleared his throat and corrected his posture, pulling back from her a step. “Thank you.”

She tousled his hair and smiled. “Make yourself comfortable. Okay, buddy?”

He smiled, picked up his bag, and disappeared into the bathroom.

Good kid.

Rae poured two glasses of wine and brought leftover fruit out to the balcony. The rain had subsided, and the sun was sliding into the ocean.

“He’s too skinny,” Daegen said as she took a seat next to him and looked out onto the vast horizon. “And something tells me he doesn’t trust me yet.”

“Give him time. He’s only just arrived. He’s been plucked out of his world, and even though it wasn’t great, it was what he knew. It’s natural for him to guard his feelings.”

“He’s been through too much for a boy his age,” Daegen declared. His expression was a mix of anguish and frustration. “When I think of what they must’ve told him about me.”

“He will soon determine for himself what kind of man his father is.”

“What will he see? A man who deserted his mother. Who abandoned him?”

“Not at all,” Rae interjected. “He’ll see a kind and successful man. Someone he can look up to. A hero.”

Thoughtful, Daegen leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers.

“Is that what you see?” His question was laced with humility.

“Yes.”

His eyes skimmed her jeans and blouse. “Am I your type? Or do you prefer a man like Steve?”

Daegen was jealous of Steve?

The thought sent warmth and light into her soul. And she enjoyed his anguish a little too much. “That’s ridiculous. He simply showed up late for your expedition. He wasn’t here to see me.”

“He’s never been so eager to accompany me before.”

The words, the emotion she’d swallowed all day, lumped in her throat. “And you think he’s here for me? I barely know him, and I hardly think he’s my type.”

“You didn’t answer my questions. Who is your type?” he asked.

You, dummy
. She didn’t want to say out loud. Things were complicated with Daniel’s arrival.

Turning to Daegen and softening her expression, she asked, “What really happened between you and his mother all those years ago?”

The hard planes of his face went stone-cold when he said, “I already told you. I failed her. I didn’t get there in time to save her.”

His gaze didn’t budge from the blue-green water stretching on forever in front of them. “We were tempting fire. She was beautiful, so her family easily arranged a marriage with a wealthy man.”

And you became wealthy a thousand times over in return.

“She didn’t want to become his property. She wanted to marry for more than social position. They refused to accept we were truly in love. Before I knew it, she was gone. Betrayed by her own family.” His gaze didn’t falter even as his lips thinned. “You know what happened next.”

“You were so young.”
How could you not feel responsible?

“I was nineteen, and my family had no money.”

That’s not your fault.

“We had nothing to give her family to buy her back.”

Buy her back?
Hard to believe this still occurred in a modern world. “Did they force her to marry him anyway?”

“No. She was shipped off to have her illegitimate child so they could get rid of it.”

Rae could scarcely wrap her mind around what she heard. “They wouldn’t allow her to keep him?”

Daegen’s gaze narrowed. “So she took her own life.”

Rae—who had always looked at family as some kind of magic ticket that once you held your life would be perfect—looked out onto the darkening horizon wistfully. Sometimes, it might just be best to have no family at all rather than have one who could be so cruel. “I can’t imagine her pain.”

“What did I do to stop it?” the anger in his voice rumbled thickly.

“Daegen, it’s not your fault.”

“Then who?”

“Certainly not you. You didn’t know. And besides, you weren’t much more than a child yourself.”

“A boy has suffered.”

“Not anymore,” she quickly countered. “Believe me, Daegen, you are going to be a wonderful father.”

“What makes you say that?”

“You care. Deeply. You want to get this right. You love him already.”

“How do you know?”

“I can see it in your eyes.” A tender mix of caring and exposed pain and determination. “Believe me. He’s lucky to have you as his father.”

“Thank you,” he said and his voice was soft. “You’re the one person’s judgment I respect.”

Rae should’ve been ready to pack her bags and leave. She wasn’t. She wanted to stay.
Impossible
.

She couldn’t live off Daegen’s good will forever. In her present state, broke and scared, she had nothing to offer. No security.

“What is it? Something’s bothering you,” Daegen said.

Honesty would not erase her concerns. So, she lied. “My father.”

His fingers came up to gently brush her cheek, and her stomach flipped. “I’ve been too wrapped up in my own circumstances to notice.”

“It’s understandable. With all that you’ve recently learned,” she said.

“That’s no excuse. I’m sorry.” His gaze brushed over her stopping momentarily to hold onto hers. “Did you visit him today?”

She shook her head. “Every time I called, they said he was sleeping. Then there was the storm.”

“Then we’ll go together.”

“It won’t do any good,” she said.

“Why not?”

“He must be refusing to see me again. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

Daegen blinked. “Refusing?”

“I know. Hard to believe isn’t it? But my father is nothing like you, Daegen.” Tears spilled down her cheeks.

Daegen stood and pulled her into his arms, brushing kisses along her hairline. “I’m sorry.” Tenderly, oh so tenderly, did his lips eventually press to hers.

As their gazes met, her body began shaking. And when she registered her next thought she realized his did too.

“God, how I’ve missed you,” he said.

His masculine shoulders felt soft to the touch. Steel muscles were underneath that soft layer of skin. And the clean male scent of him was addictive—he was addictive.

All rational thought and sanity melted into the teak wood.

He kissed her.

When Rae’s brain could manage to drum up a thought, she called on every ounce of energy she had to pull back. “We can’t do this.”
Because how will I ever walk away?

His expression was animal-like from desire. “We can, and we will.”

Everything about this man heightened Rae’s senses and brought her body to life. His salty ocean scent. His high slashing cheekbones. And his kissable lips.

His fingers stroked her hair as she felt his lips brush her forehead, and she felt a yearning well up from deep inside that made her head numb. Being so close to him, feeling his skin put her at war—a war she couldn’t afford to lose. She struggled to breathe. The feeling was too overpowering to fight. Frustration nailed her. “We need to talk.”

“I’d rather take you to bed.”

“That can’t happen now,” Rae said folding her arms for fortitude.

“Why not?”

“Have you forgotten your son is here?” she asked, frustrated.

“Of course not. He’s resting. The poor child admitted to not sleeping in days.”

“I should think about going home now.” But the thought of leaving nearly impaled her heart.

“Why? Your father’s here.”

“Your son is too. You two need time to be together. Alone.”

“If we’re together, then we are not alone.”

“Oh, you know what I mean. Don’t twist my words,” she said.

“I wasn’t. Why are you suddenly so—”

“What?”

“Angry.”

“I’m not,” she huffed.

Daegen ground his back teeth. “If this isn’t anger then I don’t know what is.”

“Okay. Fine. I’m a little angry. But it doesn’t have anything to do with you.”

“That’s a relief,” he admitted. “Is it your father?”

“It doesn’t matter,” was all she said as she walked away.

Daegen stopped her with a powerful hand on her arm.

“It matters to me,” he said.

“I need to go. I have to put my life back together now that my father—”

“He will see you. I’ll make sure of it. Don’t give up.”

Not even the great and powerful Daegen Tan could move that mountain. “It won’t help.”

“I can be persuasive when I need to be.”

Believe me how I know that to be true.
Tears welled. The tension in her back squeezed. “You can’t make him love me.”

“He told you this?”

“He doesn’t have to spell it out. He wants nothing to do with me. He doesn’t even want to be alive. I have to face reality as some point. I’m broke. I’m about to be fired from my job.” There. She’d said it.

“You’re a top producer. They won’t get rid of you.”

Tears brimmed in Rae’s eyes. She did her best to hold them in but they fell anyway, streaking her cheeks. “Not anymore. I’ve been distracted by all this personal stuff. I blew off an important client meeting today I couldn’t afford to miss.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I couldn’t risk you turning away, and not helping my father.”

“You did all this for him, and yet you don’t think he loves you?”

Daegen moved to her and his arms closed around her.

She buried her face in his chest.

“My love,” he whispered softly into her hair. “Stay here with me. I won’t let anything hurt you again.”

If only.

“Daegen, I’ll only be in the way here,” Rae protested. The thought he’d called her “my love” registered somewhere deep inside.

“Bullshit.”

“It’s true.”

“Look, I need you. Daniel does too. Stay.”

His words deeply touched Rae’s heart. “It’s not that I don’t want to be here. I have my own problems do deal with.”

“There’s nothing I can’t help with,” he said, his tone deadpan. “You’ve already helped Daniel and me. Don’t leave like this. Let me help you.”

If only
.

Rae wasn’t sure exactly what it was that had her head nodding in agreement because in her mind she was saying no. “A couple of days. Just until the pair of you get your bearings. You’re going to be a great dad. You don’t need me around to help you.”

He seemed touched by her words. “All the same, I like seeing your face here. What’s so wrong in that?”

She couldn’t think of one thing.

Daegen took her hand in his. “I have a new deal that can make all your problems disappear.”

If only.

“How’s that?”

He bent down on one knee and looked into her eyes. “Marry me.”

Chapter Eleven

Shocked, she gasped. “That’s a terrible thing to ask.”

Wasn’t that just like Daegen, to think marrying him could magically solve all her problems? Besides, she was beginning to see that she could actually love him. And he would never love her back the same way.

His laugh was as surprised as it was arrogant. “Most women would jump at the chance.”

“I won’t marry you because it’s practical.” Was he trying to give his son a mother? Not that she minded the thought of having a child. Some day. But she feared it more than she desired it. Besides, she might be very bad at mothering and she would hate to drag a poor child down.

“Marrying me would solve your problems. No? We’re talking about your job and money, right?”

“Yes. But you already knew that. I know you’ve investigated me.”

“I scrutinize everyone I’m about to do business with. I had no idea the real reason you’d shown up after all this time.”

Rae remembered just how ruthless Daegen Tan could be. A man like him would gain any snippet to ensure an advantage.

And yet, she’d jump at a real proposal from him in a nanosecond. This was sadly not it. Her heart beat harshly, threatening to burst. If she told him why, he’d most likely say anything to convince her.

“My answer is no.”

“You won’t even consider?” Daegen asked, perplexed. More than a hint of frustration darkened his features.

“How can I take this seriously?” she demanded. A real proposal would be worth considering—but this? For convenience? So she could catch up on her bills? This was an insult to the institution of marriage.

“It doesn’t have to be complicated. You need financial help. Daniel needs a mother.”

Incredulous, her mouth fell open. “So, it’s a business arrangement then?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes. Aren’t all relationships that way? Besides, we already know—”

“That we’re compatible in bed?”
Great.

“You’re overthinking this. Are you saying you don’t enjoy spending time with me?”

A bit more than she’d like to admit right now. “I never said I didn’t.”

“Then why fight this?”

She wanted to blurt out that she wanted to marry for love. How unsophisticated, she knew. But there it was.

She wanted to be cherished.

Did she want it all? Yes.

The absolute last thing she wanted was to marry for a business agreement. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“You came to my bed because you wanted to. You would be marrying me because you want to. What’s so wrong in that?”

He was right. Oh so right. She bit her bottom lip. The truth of the matter was she had gone to his bed willingly and openly. She had given of herself in ways she hadn’t imagined she ever would and gotten oh so much in return.