The Billionaire Next Door (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Collection) (9 page)

By the time she pulled the door open she was practically
grinning but in an instant her smile vanished.

There, on her doorstep was the man she’d been doing her
best to avoid.  Standing right in front of her, looking as handsome as always,
was Raul.

“Hello,
mi amor
,” he said as he reached out and
took her hand, limp from shock.  “I’ve come to win you back.” 

***

“You didn’t have to hunt me down, you know.  A simple
phone call would have saved you the trip.”  Rafe’s lips curled in a sardonic
grin.

Ransom regarded his brother, the square chin, the
rebellious set of his lips, the defiant gleam in his eyes.  Several seconds
passed before he spoke.  “If you would’ve answered the damn phone maybe I
wouldn’t have had to come all this way.”

Rafe’s smile widened then he shrugged.  “I can’t help it
if I’m out of range most of the time.  Hey, it’s an oil rig.  What do you
expect?”

“I expect you to answer the phone when I call you,
dammit.”  Ransom scowled.  Rafe was lounging in the chair across from him, his
elbow resting on the arm, his legs thrust out under the cloth-covered table. 
He looked too darned comfortable for a kid who was causing so much trouble. 
“What if it was an emergency?”

“If there was a real emergency,” Rafe said, looking
unperturbed, “you’d find me.”

Ransom watched his brother but said nothing.  The kid
had a point.  Then he caught himself.  No, the man had a point.  He had to
remember that Rafe was almost thirty years old.  It was like, no matter how old
his brother got, he would still be a kid in his eyes.  He had to break himself
out of that way of thinking.  Rafe was a full-grown man, responsible for
himself.  He would give him that much.

Ransom jerked his head toward his brother.  “That
doesn’t let you off the hook.  You know Mom frets about you.  Why don’t you
call her?”  Rafe was opening his mouth to speak when Ransom cut him off.  “And
don’t give me that lame excuse about your cell phone.  There are lots of pay phones
on the rig so you can call any time.”

“I call,” Rafe said, his tone unapologetic.  “Didn’t Mom
tell you I called last month?”

“What kind of bull crap is that?”  The words exploded
from Ransom’s lips as he fought to keep from reaching across the table and
collaring Rafe.  His brother looked too casual, too smug for his liking.  The
only thing keeping Ransom in his seat was the fact that they were sitting in
the middle of Nakamo's, one of the few restaurant options in Old Harbor. 
Ransom gritted his teeth and he could feel his nostrils flaring as he drew in
deep a breath in his attempt to stay calm.  “This is Mom we’re talking about. 
You really think a once-a-month call is going to keep her happy?”

Just for a moment a flash of something looking like
remorse crossed Rafe’s face and then it was gone.  Then he was back to his
nonchalant self, the persona he’d adopted when he’d taken off on his
adventure.  “Okay, you got me on that one.  I’ll step it up to twice a month.”

“At least once a week, Rafe.  Can’t you do that much for
our mother?”  Ransom was trying hard to hold on to his temper but he could feel
his hold slipping with each passing minute.  Rafe and his laid-back, don't-give-a-damn
attitude were not helping.  “Can’t you care about someone else’s feelings but
your own?”

That seemed to get to Rafe.  His self-satisfied smile
disappeared and his lips tightened.  When he looked back at Ransom there was
fire in his eyes.  “Leave it alone, big brother.  There’s more to this than
you’d care to know.”

That got Ransom’s attention.  “What the hell are you
talking about?  What else is there to know?”

“Just leave it alone, okay.  This is none of your
concern.”  Rafe shoved back his chair and started to get up from the table but
Ransom stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“You’re not walking out on me,” he said, his voice brooking
no argument, “not after dropping that bombshell.”

Rafe looked down at his hand then shook it off his arm. 
“Not today.  I’ve got to go.  You can link me tomorrow if you want to know.”  
And with that he turned and marched out of the restaurant, leaving Ransom
staring after him.

Screwing up his lips, Ransom sat back in his chair and
watched his brother leave.  There was something serious going down and, until
he found out what it was, there was no way he was leaving Alaska.

CHAPTER TEN

“R…Raul.  What are you doing here?”  Solie’s heart
slammed against her chest as she stared up into the smiling face of the man
she’d almost married.  Thank the stars she’d discovered the true nature of the
snake before she’d walked down the aisle with him.

Realizing he was still holding her hand she pulled it
from his grasp.  “What are you doing here?” she asked again and this time she
was firm, almost belligerent.  What she wanted to do was escape inside and slam
the door in his face but she knew he was too fast.  He would not let her go
that easy.

“I’m here to see you,
mi amor
.”  His voice was
thick with honey as he looked down at her, leaning forward to place his hand on
the door jamb above her head, effectively preventing her from closing the
door.  “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

The look Solie gave him would have withered any man…but
not Raul.  “You’re not welcome here,” she told him, just in case her look
didn’t send a strong enough message.  “Please leave.”  She stepped back and
made to close the door but he slammed his palm against it, making a mockery of
her efforts.

“Not so fast,
mi amor
.  I think you’d better
invite me in.”  He gave her another of his crooked grins.  “You don’t want to
have a scene right here on your doorstep, do you?  What would your neighbors
think?”

Solie gave him another scowl as she took in his
self-assured expression, wondering why in the world she used to find that smile
so sexy.  Now that she knew the real Raul Escobar that smile just looked like
pure evil.

She was contemplating the wisdom…or stupidity…of letting
him in when he grasped her by the upper arm, set her aside and pushed the
door.  Then he stepped in and closed the door behind him.

“See how easy that was?” he asked, but this time when he
looked at her his smile was gone.  In its place was a look so cold it made her
shiver.  “You kept me waiting,
mi amor
.  That’s not good.”  He jerked
his head toward the hallway.  “Now let’s go relax in the living room and have a
chat.”  Before Solie could respond he grasped her by the shoulder, turned her
around and gave her a little shove, forcing her down the hallway ahead of him.

Her skin prickling at his touch Solie walked, trying to get
as far away from his reach as possible.  She hated the idea of inviting him
into her home but if she let him say his piece maybe he would go.  Right then
her greatest wish was to have him gone, out of her house and out of her life,
but maybe she would have to suffer through his tirade first.  She just hoped it
would be a short one.

In the living room Raul didn’t even wait to be invited
to have a seat.  He stepped past her as if he owned the place and went to
sprawl on her sofa, his head against the cushion, one leg halfway up.  A slimy
smile slid over his lips as, eyelids lowered, he watched her standing in the
doorway.  “Come on,” he said, his deep voice silky soft.  “Join me.”

Solie stood right where she was.  Once upon a time that
seductive tone might have worked but not now.  She was way past any kind of
attraction to him.  Now all she felt was revulsion.

She folded her arms across her chest.  “Just say what
you came to say then get out.”  She said the words through gritted teeth.  “I
have no time to entertain slime balls.”

Raul threw back his head and laughed out loud.  “Was
that the best you could come up with?  You’re losing your touch, Solie. 
Where’s the fiery
chica
who used to match me word for word?  Where’s the
witty rejoinder?”

Solie took a step forward and scowled at him.  “Listen,
you’re not welcome here.  You’re lucky I even let you in.  Just state your case
and leave.”

That got her a look of amusement.  “You let me in?  How
droll.”  Then, as if tired of the game, he shifted and dropped his legs to the
floor.  He patted the seat beside him.  “Come on over and sit so we can talk.”

Solie did not move.  The very idea made her skin crawl. 
Sit beside Raul so he could wrap his arms around her, maybe even force himself
on her?  She wasn’t that stupid.  “Just talk,” she said.  “Say what you have to
say and get out.”

Raul sat back and regarded her, the amusement sliding
from his face.  “Oh, so that’s the way it is, is it?”

“That’s the way it is.”

“Fine.”  He slapped his hands on his knees and then sat
forward.  “Let’s get serious.”  He looked over at her, his smile gone.  “I want
you to come back to me.”

Solie shook her head.  “I got that.  What I don’t get is
why in this world or the next you would think that would ever happen.  You’ve
gone mad or what?”

Raul shrugged and this time the smile he gave her was
free of bravado.  It almost looked…genuine.  “Mad is right,” he said.  “Mad in
love with you.”

“Raul,” Solie dropped her arms and jammed her fist on
her hips, “you said let’s get serious so why don’t you?”

“I am serious.”

“No, you’re not.  You’re the one who desecrated our
relationship by cheating on me.  You’re the one who couldn’t stay out of your
secretary’s pants.  Or did you forget?”  Solie sucked in her breath, the anger
building as the whole scenario came flying back to slap her in the face.  “And
after all that, you expect me to take you back?  No,” she said, shaking her
head, “you’re definitely not serious.”

“That was a big mistake, Sol.  I was going through
a…phase.  But I’m over that now.  I came to my senses.  I need you.”  He gave
her a look so earnest that if Solie didn’t know him she would swear he was
telling the truth.  Well, the truth according to him, anyway.

“And what about Miss McQuade?”  She just had to ask. 
Not that it would make any difference but her curiosity was getting the better
of her.

Raul gave a snort, his lips taking on a bitter twist. 
“That bitch?  I got over her a long time ago.”

Solie lifted her eyebrows, shocked at his crudeness. 
Then she frowned.  “I can imagine you called me the very same thing.”

“No,” he said, shaking his head, “never.  I respect you
too much.”

That almost made her laugh.  It would be funny if it
weren’t so sick.  “Yeah, that’s right.  That’s why you cheated on me.”

“I told you, it was just a -”

“I know, a phase.  That’s what you called it.  But let
me tell you something about that ‘phase’ of yours.”  She slid her hands into
her pockets, her anger giving way to a stillness in her soul, a sign that this
man could no longer stir her.  “That phase,” she said, her voice surprisingly calm,
“can go on forever as far as I’m concerned.  It’s been over a year since we
broke up.  What we had is dead.  Buried.  Rotting in its grave.”

This time Raul did not take her answer sitting down. 
Lithe as a tiger, he was up and by her side before she could move.  “Not
anymore, Solie.  I still want you and I know you want me, too.”

He hadn’t touched her and Solie used the opportunity to
back away, moving out of his immediate reach.  Things were getting too hot for
her, too emotional.  She needed a wild card to get her out of this mess. 
Desperate, she drew for the one thing she knew would rid her of him once and
for all.  “Well, that’s where you’re wrong,” she said, her voice cold.  “I
don’t want you.  I moved on a long time ago.  I have a man in my life now.”

A stroke of anger flashed across his face.  “You’re
lying.  I can see it in your eyes.”

She shook her head.  “I’m not.  I’m telling you the
truth.  I have a man.  He means everything to me.  There’s no room in my life
for anyone else.”

At her declaration Raul drew back and his dark eyes grew
cold.  “We’ll just see about that.” 

***

Ransom stared out the window of his hotel room as he
held the phone to his ear.  The naked branches reaching up into a bleak sky and
the dreariness of the snow-covered landscape almost made him shiver.  Boy, was
he glad he’d be heading back to sunny Florida soon.  This kind of frigid
environment, he could do without.

“Uh, huh.  I got that but what I want to know is, when
he’s going to deliver.”  As he spoke into the phone he reached out to slide the
pads of his fingers on the glass.  It was so cold it felt like his fingers
would stick.

He slid his hand into his pocket and listened some
more.  “Wrong answer, bud.  Give me something more positive than that.”  He was
not liking the direction of the conversation.  No project was ever one hundred
percent smooth but this one seemed to have more than its share of issues. 
First, it was the permit then the plumbing and now this.  “And the department
of transportation and roads is adamant we can’t cut the road through there?”