The Billionaire Next Door (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Collection) (5 page)

“He’s not doing it for the money.  You know that.”  Ryder
shoved his hands into his pockets as he looked down at Ransom, his face serious. 
“He’s got a wanderlust that only a woman…the right woman…can assuage.”

Ransom folded his arms across his chest.  “Well, I’ve
had it with Rafe and his shenanigans.  He’s stressing Mom out and it’s got to
stop.  And if it means finding him a woman then that’s what I’ll do.”  As if
confirming what he’d just said aloud he nodded then turned to look at Maggie. 
“Don’t worry, Mom.  I’m going to get Rafe.”  His voice was firm.  “I know I’ll
have a fight on my hands but I’m bringing him home.” 

***

“Soledad Felix.  Paging Nurse Soledad."  Solie
groaned as her head touched the pillow.  The words kept reverberating in her
head.  If she never heard her name announced over a hospital intercom again it
would be too soon.

It had been a long, exhausting day and that was putting
it mildly.  She’d had one of those crazy shifts, twelve hours long, and now all
she wanted to do was forget about hospitals and emergencies and patients and
just lose herself in the silky softness of slumber.

But even as her tension began to dissipate and her body
sank into the cottony comfort of her bed she had to admit there was one patient
who she didn’t want to forget, a devilishly handsome one who had her heart
doing flip-flops each time she walked into his room.  Even lying flat on his
back in the narrow stark-white bed Ransom Kent exuded sex appeal so strong it
had her thinking thoughts that were far from ‘nursely’.  She was lusting after
her patient, for heaven’s sake.  How low could you get?

But
Dios
, how could you help it when the man
who’d suddenly been placed in your care was the same man who’d set your heart to
racing from the first day you’d laid eyes on him.  She would never admit that
to him, of course, but ever since Ransom Kent moved in next door she’d been teetering
on a titillating tightrope.

And that was why she’d been so prickly with him all this
time.  It was because she was doing everything in her power to fight the wicked
attraction that made her want to grab hold of him and kiss him till he gave in
and made hot love to her.

Solie almost chuckled as the sexy picture filled her
mind.  These were not the kind of thoughts to have when you were trying to fall
asleep.  Now she was wide awake, her mind filled with the image of raven-black
hair falling onto a wide brow, a dark-eyed gaze that made your bones melt and
lips that were definitely made for kissing.  And not to mention his rock-hard
body.  She’d touched him, felt the solid muscles of his biceps, and she could
only imagine how heavenly it would be to have those arms wrapped around her.

He would pull her close, crush her breasts against his
muscled chest, and she would tilt her face up to his.  Then, taking full
control, he would capture her lips with his firm ones and kiss her till she
clung to him, breathless.

Then, of their own volition her hands would slide down
to his waist and then to his hips, on their way to…

The cell phone exploded into a Celia Cruz ring tone and
Solie jerked up. 
Dios
.  It was after two in the morning.  Who the heck
could be calling at this hour?

She grabbed the offending device and peered at the
screen.  An unknown number.  It could be anybody – a misdialed number, a telesales
rep gone beserk…or it could be family.  Without hesitation she clicked on the
answer button and pressed the phone to her ear.  “Hello?”

Solie waited but all she could hear on the other end of
the line was silence.  “Hello,” she said again and now she was frowning.

She sat up in the bed, her frown deepening.  “Hello,”
she said, her voice firm.  Whoever was on the other end of the line had better
answer, and fast.  She was in no mood for games.  Not at two in the morning.

“
Hola,
Soledad.  How are you?”

At the sound of the deep, accented voice Solie's breath
caught in her throat.  Her heart picking up pace, she clutched the phone
tighter as shock coursed through her.  She hadn’t heard this voice in over a
year.  It was the last voice she’d expected to hear at two in the morning.

She swallowed.  “R…Raul.  Wh…why are you calling me?” 
She bit her lip.  Solie knew she should have sounded much firmer than that.  She
should have made a biting remark, made him know he was still worse than a dog
as far as she was concerned.  But she hadn’t.  She’d been too startled for any
of that.

“Why do you think,
mi amor
?  I miss you.”

Low and sensuous, his voice alone was enough to make a
girl grow moist.  But not Solie.  Not anymore.  She gritted her teeth and if he
could have seen her face right then he’d have thought she was a volcano about
to erupt.

“Raul.  Are you insane?  What right do you have to call
me in the middle of the night to tell me…crap like this?”  She was almost
spluttering in her rage.  “You treated me like dirt and you dare call me with
this?  Hurting me was not enough, you have to mock me, too?”  By this time
Solie was up and out of the bed, standing in the middle of the room with the
phone clutched to her ear.  Heart pounding, palms moist, she felt just about
ready to strangle the man on the other end of the line.

“I’m not mocking you, my sweet.  I love you.  You know
that.”  The deep bass was confident, smug even.  It made Solie’s blood boil.

“You.  Did.  Not.  Love.  Me.”  Fist clenched, she bit
the words out.  How dare he speak to her in that tone?  After what he’d done to
her he had the gall? 
Maldicion
!  “Don’t’ you ever use that word to me. 
I was the one who loved you and you took my love and stomped all over it.  We
were engaged, Raul, but that didn’t stop you from cheating on me.  All that
time I thought you loved me you were having an affair.”

“Soledad,
mi amor
, all of that is over.  It was a
big mistake, darling.  I was going through a phase-”

“A phase?  Is that what you call it?”  Solie almost
laughed out loud.  This would have been funny if it weren’t so sick.  “What do
you take me for? 
Una idiota
?”

“Soledad, listen to me.  It is done.  I told you, all of
that is over.  I’ve come to my senses and I realize I still love you,
mi
amor
.”  He paused as if for effect.  “Very much.”

Solie paused, too.  She could be dramatic, too, and she
definitely could create effect.  Her next words came out dry and matter-of-fact. 
“She left you, didn’t she?  That’s why you’re calling me, right?”

There was silence on his end but this time she knew it
was not for effect.  She’d hit the nail on the head and he didn’t know what to
say.

When he finally spoke his tone was harsh.  “I already
told you, I came to my senses.  Let’s leave it at that.”

“No, let’s not leave it at that,” she said, her tone
frigid.  “Let me remind you of some relevant details.  You might recall that we
were six weeks away from our wedding day when I paid you a surprise visit in
Hawaii where you were supposed to have been on a business trip.”  She made sure
to place emphasis on the word ‘business’.  “Well, that trip turned out to be a
lot more pleasure than business, didn't it?”

“Let’s not go there-”

“No, let’s.”  She cut him off again.  She’d been too
shocked and hurt to blast him when he’d destroyed her hopes and shattered her
dreams.  She wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass.  “You just listen to
what I have to say.  You bullied me back then but it’s my turn, now.”  Solie’s
chest was heaving as the rage rushed in full force.  “I loved you, Raul.  Loved
you.  But not anymore.  Seeing you in bed with that woman wiped that slate
clean.  All I feel for you now is disgust.”

“Be careful what you’re saying,
nina
.  I don’t
take kindly to insults.”  Raul’s voice was low, threatening.  The charm gone,
he began to show his true colors.  He was becoming his old, menacing self.

But Solie would not let him scare her.  Not this time. 
“Are you threatening me?” she demanded, her voice unwavering.  “You’d better
watch your tone, mister, or I’ll file a complaint so fast you won’t even have
time to blink.”

Her comment got her silence.  All she could hear was the
sound of his breathing and the sound of it was even scarier than his words.

Finally, he spoke.  “Complain all you want,” he said,
his voice cold.  “I’m done for now but know this.  You haven’t heard the last
of me.”  Then there was a click on the other end of the line and he was gone.

The phone still clutched in her right hand, Solie
stumbled over to the bed and dropped down onto it.  She looked down and she
wasn’t surprised to see that her hand was trembling.  Raul was not the kind of
man you wanted in your life, and definitely not as an enemy.

But, like it or not, he was back.  She only wished she
could figure out what he would do next.

CHAPTER FIVE

“Get out of my way, will you?”  Ransom felt the anger
rise in his chest.  “You report to me, dammit.”

“Which means absolutely nothing.  Not when you’re sick. 
Now turn around and get on home.”  The beefy project manager folded his arms
across his chest, his feet planted wide as he blocked the doorway to the
office.  Trevor Jones was acting like a bulldog and today he looked like one,
his mouth set, his brows furrowed, his dark brown eyes boring into his boss. 
Even the sweat glistening on his dark-skinned brow seemed to be mocking
Ransom.  It was like every part of him was in the fight to keep him out.

“I’m fine.  I told you that.  It’s been a week since the
accident.”  Ransom almost felt like punching his manager in the gut.  Where
else in the world did an owner have to defend himself to his employee?

“Yeah, and you also told me you’ve been having headaches
ever since.  You need to go back to the doctor, man.  Get yourself checked.  It
could be serious.”  Concern flashed across Trevor’s face but then he dropped
his brows again and his glare turned cold.  “Until then you’re not setting foot
in this office or on the construction site.  When you report to me that you’ve
seen the doctor and she's given you the okay then I might consider it.”

“Bullshit.”  The word exploded from Ransom’s lips as he
returned the glare.

“Yeah, whatever.”  Trevor looked unimpressed.  “Just
turn around, jump back in that fast car of yours and I’ll swing by and check on
you later.”  He jerked his chin toward the parking lot.  “Go on.  Move it.”

Ransom knew when he was beat.  Boss or no boss, he would
not have his way today.  What made it worse, Trevor was far more than just an
employee.  He was a friend, and when it came to being protective, Trevor was
the man.  As long as he felt that Ransom’s health was in danger he would put
his foot down.  There was nothing to do but head back home and work on getting
well.  For now…

Ransom knew that as soon as he got bored again he’d be
back at the construction site.  And that could be as early as tomorrow.  This
was his life.  How could he stay away?

Defeated for the moment he turned and walked back down
the gravelly pathway toward his car.

“Hey, boss.”

He halted at Trevor’s yell.

“Even if you go to the doctor you need somebody
monitoring you.  You know, checking that you’re okay.”

Ransom turned and gave a snort.  “What?  I need a
babysitter now?  At this rate you’ll soon have me back in diapers.”

“Bet you’d look cute, too.”  With a bellow of a laugh
Trevor turned and walked back into the office, slamming the door shut behind
him.

Ransom could only shake his head.  That was what you got
for empowering your employees.

The battle lost, he turned again and walked back the way
he’d come.

***

“Ay,
mamita
.  Don’t make me laugh like this.  You
crack me up.”  Solie was laughing so hard tears were streaming down her
cheeks.  It had always been this way for her.  Whenever she wanted to forget
her troubles a quick phone call to her mother in Panama always did the trick.

Niurka Felix was a cheerful woman who was a born leader
and motivator.  She’d survived an abusive marriage and escaped to raise three
children, all girls, on her own.  It hadn’t been easy, particularly for a woman
whose formal education had ended at the ninth grade, but she’d done it.  She’d
worked for years in a bakery until she’d saved enough to open her own pastry
shop.  A few years later she had a small chain of shops in three cities in
Panama.  You could find Gala Galletas shops in Panama City, Tocumen and
Changuinola.

But if you asked Niurka about her greatest achievement
she would always say it was the raising of three strong, successful daughters. 
Caridad, her oldest, managed a chain of grocery shops in Panama City.  Her
youngest, Pascual, was a senior at
Universidad de Panama
, pursuing a
degree in veterinary medicine.  And Soledad, who fell between the two, knew
that although she was the most contrary she was the one her mother leaned on
most.