The Romance Challenge, Complete Series Box Set: BBW Hot Alpha Billionaire Romance (18 page)

"I left her alone when she asked me
to stay. I might as well have." She wrapped her arms around her body.
"Michelle had a cast on her foot. She'd fallen off a curb and broke her
ankle. She could hardly get around on crutches and was having a tough time. I
was bored, tired of taking care of her, and invited a guy over. John and I had
just started seeing each other and he wanted to do something that night."

She turned slightly, as though she
couldn't look me in the eye. "Michelle is fragile, always has been. She
doesn't deal with stress well. It's one of the reasons we lived together, so I could
keep an eye on her. She's also gets these feelings, premonitions, ones that
have come true.  So I should have listened. John wanted beer that night and
there wasn't any in the house. Michelle didn't want me to leave. Said she had a
bad feeling. But I ignored her because I didn't want to make John angry. I
wanted him to like me. So I went with him to the store and left her
there."

She bowed her head and my heart ached for
this beautiful woman, who saw herself as unattractive, trying her best to
please a man. One who didn't deserve her.

"When I got back, Michelle was on the
floor. I thought she was dead. I've never been so scared in my life. She was
out for a few days, then regained consciousness, but she was never the same. Like
I told you, the docs say there's nothing physically wrong with her but she's
shut herself away. And it's my fault." The last line she delivered with a
wail that carried above the noise of the wind and tore my heart further.

Shit, no wonder she closed down and wouldn't
let anyone in, carrying around that guilt. From what I heard of her
conversation with her mom, she got little support from that direction.

"You can't possibly, logically
believe that you're to blame. You did nothing wrong. You know that,
right?"

"I know that here." She touched
her head, then pointed to her heart. "But here, I feel totally responsible.
Michelle asked me not to go, begged me, almost crying, and I went anyway. I put
John's feelings first, ahead of hers and left a defenseless woman all
alone."

"No. It's not your fault. That man
you saw tonight? He's the one responsible. Only him. And I can help you deal
with him, make sure he and whoever he's working with never hurt you and your
family again. Please. Let me do this for you."

"Why?"

"Because I care about you."

She scrunched her forehead and wiped
tendrils of wet hair off her face. "You don't think I'm a horrible person?
After what I just told you?"

"You are the best person I've ever
met. What happened that night is so not your fault. It's bad luck, bad timing.
If you were in the house, he would have attacked you too, maybe killed you.
You're not to blame for another man's criminal actions. This is not a battle
you should have to fight alone. You do so much for everyone else, let me do
something for you."

She threw her arms around me and buried
her face in my neck. We stood there, both sopping wet by now. Even in the dim
light, I saw the outline of her body, with her clothes plastered to her skin.
Shit. I needed to get her off me before she felt my cock poking her. Damn
thing. This beautiful woman revealed a deep, disturbing part of her past, a
part she was obviously ashamed of, and I get a hard-on. But I couldn't help it.
I wanted her so desperately, anytime we got this close, I lost control.

Amber pulled away slightly. "No one
has ever offered to go to battle for me."

"I will. Gladly."

A smile curved her lips and suddenly,
those lips were on mine, sweet, hesitant, as though she still wasn't sure I
wanted her. She held my face gently in her hands and I wrapped my arms around
her and returned the kiss, with all the desire I felt. Thunder rolled, making
the building vibrate. She shuddered, and I released her.

"Inside. Now. I want to get you out
of these wet clothes."

We stepped onto the tile floor of the
living room and before she even shut the door I was peeling off her shirt,
unfastening her pants and sliding them down her body.

"Wait." She tossed the flash
drive onto a table, pushed my hands away and laughed, a sound like music, one I
wanted to hear over and over.

"No, I don't want to wait." I
reached around and unsnapped her bra, then bent immediately and took one already-hard
nipple into my mouth. "This time, we leave the light on."

I half dragged her to the dining room
table. "Sit there and open your legs."

She bit her lip, like she wanted to
protest, but didn't.

"What, is that uncomfortable?"

"No, it's just, I don't usually sit
on furniture not meant for sitting. Tables and things. I'm afraid I'll break
them."

I laughed. "Baby, you aren't going to
break this table. I might, what I'm going to do to you. If so, I'll buy another
one. Sit."

She did, watching me with eyes full of
heat and a trace of uncertainty. I would chase that last part away. Show her I
meant what I said.

"Lean back, a little. Put your hands,
right there. Brace yourself." I put one hand at her waist and the other at
her neck, then bent slightly and kissed her.

While my mouth devoured hers, I took the hand
off her waist, satisfied she'd hold that position. I slid a finger between her
pussy lips, not surprised to find her already wet and swollen. She reacted to
me like I did to her. Turned on and wanting. Stroking slowly, lightly, I teased
her, drawing circles on her clit, moaning as the nub hardened under my finger.
She squirmed, wriggling her ass on the table, making me crazy to take her.

But I wouldn't. I wanted her hotter,
wanted to watch her come. I knelt and licked her, my tongue now torturing her
pussy, slipping in between her damp folds, flicking hard at her engorged bud.
Her scent drove me out-of-this-world crazy. Musky, rich, the way the air smelled
before a storm. Another boom of thunder sounded, matching my racing heart.

She grabbed my hair. "Fuck Nathan, I'm
going to fall off this table. Stop."

Yeah, like I could stop if I wanted to. I
rose, stepped back between her legs, and pushed her gently.

"Lean back again, that's it."

I bent my head to pay attention to her
breasts. Damn, she had the most delicious tits. I wanted to fuck them, to slick
them up and slide my cock between them. And I would, later. Now I'd taste them.
I took one pointed nipple into my mouth and grazed it with my teeth. Her head
fell back and she moaned, and to build the fire more, I slid two fingers inside
her pussy. 

She pushed herself into my hand. I stroked
my fingers in and out, watching her thrust, ready to lose my mind. This woman
responded to me, as though she was born to be mine.

And she was. So strong, so brave.

Before I exploded all over the place, I
pulled away. "Don't move."

I raced to the bedroom and grabbed a
condom. I'd bought a box after our first encounter, optimistically hoping for
more. When I came back to the kitchen she remained on the table, and I stopped
in the doorway, wanting to do her silly postcard thing. She looked so fine,
sitting there, legs open, eyes wide and shining with desire.

"What? Is something wrong?"
Those gorgeous eyes narrowed.

"No." I moved to her and cupped
her face in my hands. "Everything is perfect. You're perfect."

I kissed her, my heart pounding, wanting
to show her how absolutely flawless she was to me, how much I cared.

Hoping I could hold out, for a good long
while, knowing I couldn't, I eased my cock into her, about losing it when she
gasped and called out my name. With one finger I rubbed her clit, and with the
other, teased her nipple. Setting a slow pace at first, I ramped it up after a
minute, keeping a grip, just barely. Judging by her moans, she was close, and
when she arched her back and shouted out her release, I let go, roaring out my
own.

Guess we'd find out how sound-insulated
these walls were. I'm sure I'd hear from my neighbors if they weren't.

We held that position, foreheads touching,
breathing in unison, until the timer in the kitchen went off, making us both
jump.

"Ready for dinner?" I smoothed
back a lock of her hair and she leaned her cheek into my hand.

"Will it be as good as the
appetizer?"

"I highly doubt it, but we need to
keep up our strength. For round two."

She smiled, and my heart dribbled right
out of my chest into her hands. She might be mine, but I was, without a fucking
doubt, totally and absolutely hers.

Sunday

"What's on the schedule for
today?" I reached out my arms and stretched them overhead. What I wanted
to do all day was stay right here, in this warm bed with Nathan.

After pizza and another round of
lovemaking, I'd fallen into a deep sleep. Sometime before I'd passed out,
Nathan had woke me gently and told me he would put our clothes in the dryer. He
wanted to check with me, make sure nothing of mine would be ruined by high
heat. How could I not love a man who cared about my clothing?

Uh-oh, did the words love and Nathan show
up in the same sentence in my mind? At least I hoped just in my mind. I had no
intention of saying them out loud. Not yet, anyway.

"Today is Mariana and Daniel's
wedding. I'll hang around at the resort for that, make sure everything gets set
up correctly. I think there's only one meet and greet shift scheduled with the
employees today. Don't you have our agenda memorized?" He turned toward
me, laughter and lust in his eyes.

"Anything I had in my brain, I think
you destroyed most of it last night."

"Good." He grabbed me.
"Let's see if I can finish up."

He took me gently, slowly, and we both
drifted off for half an hour afterward, me wrapped in his arms. Finally, we had
to get up. Nathan's phone had been buzzing on vibrate and he'd ignored it, a
practice I knew he didn't do often. He climbed out of bed to take a look.

"I have a few urgent issues to deal
with. Finish up your notes. Do the shift. Anyone who hasn't picked up their
raffle ticket, see if you can find them and drop it off. I'll get to the Reef
room if I can, but if not, call me with any problems. Plan on dinner, with me,
tonight."

He brought me my clothes, still warm,
watched me as I dressed, then kissed me tenderly goodbye.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The rest of the morning I moved in slow
motion, like swimming underwater in the bay. A blissful languor wrapped around
me and I couldn't wipe a big old smile off my face. I'm sure everyone who saw
me thought I was nuts.

Too bad. I wanted to enjoy this bliss, to
hold it as long as possible. Because I knew reality would come crashing down
soon. It snuck in, a little, when I stepped into my suite and remembered last
evening. But I'd already seen one of the security guards Nathan hired, so I
relaxed. Anyway, I didn't doubt that Nathan scared off Turski. At least for
now.

Not even going to think about him.
I
showered, reluctant to wash away the scent of Nathan. Last night had been so
good, better than I could have ever dreamed. Not just the way we moved together
during sex, so in tune with each other, but the way it felt, in my heart. Like
he honestly wanted me to be happy. I'd already seen what lengths he would go to
to protect me. Looking into his eyes last night, as they shone with need and
tenderness, I believed he truly cared for me.

Trying to focus on the day ahead, I
checked my laptop. Our schedule showed this last meet and greet took place at
one o'clock, so I had some time. I finished typing up a few of my remaining handwritten
notes on the employees and added several more comments about Bay Paradise
Resort.

Music in the café should be more modern
and upbeat. The wheels on the housekeepers' carts needed a squirt of lubricant.
The property map given to guests needed to be updated, with the vending machine
and laundry services better marked. Many calls to the front desk pertained to
this and would be avoided.

Looking for other distractions, my gaze
kept returning to the flash drive I'd put on the coffee table. Did I want to
open it now? While I felt so good? Maybe I'd wait until I got home, not ruin my
last day here.

Oh hell. Curiosity gnawed at me like a
mouse chewing cheese. I needed to know. I plugged it in, my pulse pounding. One
folder, labeled simply "For You." I held my breath and clicked it.
One document called "The Truth." I clicked that. Enter password to
open file. What would Dad have used? I put in word after word, anything and
everything I thought of.

When my phone buzzed I jumped and looked
at the time. Wow, was I sitting and plugging in words for an hour? A text, from
Jen, wanting to know where all those pictures were I was supposed to send. I
grinned, an image of last night floating through my mind. What would she think
if she saw pictures of that? I texted her back, promising a few today.

Wedding shots could be fun. From what I'd
seen on the bridal program, the ceremony was held outside. A perfect day for
it, so far. I'd snap a few shots, get those to Jen, make her crazy to come down
here. I rubbed my eyes. Time to get the Reef room ready. Having a great caterer
sure helped. Mariana was using the same company for her wedding that we worked
with this week. I was terribly impressed with the way they always showed up
with fresh food when needed. They'd already made it to my notes. So nice to not
have to worry about a problem vendor.

Ejecting the flash drive, I put it in my
purse. I'd have another go at it later. This past hour, thinking of my dad, had
brought up memories. To my surprise, most of them made me smile. I meant what I
told Turski; Dad was a good man. He had problems, but so did everyone. Maybe he'd
got involved with a grey crime area, but from what that bastard said last
night, Dad had come around in the end.

I put on my Bay Paradise Resort uniform, probably
for the last time. Would I get to keep the clothing? I laughed out loud,
remembering how much I disliked it at first. Now, I wore it with pride. It
represented an accomplishment, a job well done. With my mind no longer occupied
on the flash drive, my thoughts drifted to the past evening.

 How good it felt, to have told Nathan
everything. He still liked me, didn't think I was an awful person. And he was
right. The intellectual part of me knew I wasn't entirely to blame for
Michelle, despite what my mom said, or even what my heart told me. Jen
encouraged me to see another therapist, one I felt more comfortable with. Maybe
I'd check into that when I got back home.

So, what would happen with Nathan and me?
When I surrendered to him last night, I'd been driven by passion. I trusted him
not to hurt me and I wanted him, wanted to make love to him.

But I knew, our lives were so very
different. That hadn't changed. Next week, we wouldn't be on a tropical island
together. I'd be freezing my butt off in an apartment with crappy heat, going
to work, visiting Michelle, eating microwaved dinners. He'd be making
billion-dollar business deals, jet-setting around the world, and watching a
different ocean on the opposite side of the country. 

Some of the magic shine I'd been basking
in slipped away, so I pushed those thoughts aside. I'd enjoy my last day here,
and deal with whatever happened next the best I could. Like I always did.

+++

The last two employees on our list came in
to the Reef room shortly after one-thirty. I apologized for Nathan not being
there and called him as he'd texted me to do. He was on the deck at the Tiki
Largo bar and asked me to send the two women out there. He sounded happy and
relaxed and I smiled, knowing I was responsible for him being that way after
last night. He'd lightened up around the employees, a lot. Pretty sure I helped
out with that too. He was a fun, likeable guy, once he dropped the hard-ass
persona he kept front and center.

As I packed up the food, that sad cloud of
doubt drifted back in. Did I really know him? Maybe all this had only been an adventure.
A project to keep his busy mind occupied while on this trip. I'd come to
believe, Nathan
did
find me attractive and sexy. No way he faked his behavior
when we made love. But all that about standing with me… he said he would help
me, but when it came down to it, I had a feeling I'd be on my own. Much as I
wanted to believe last night had been real, had come from his heart, I'd had mine
broken too often to give up my trust so easily.

Or maybe he just wanted me because I said
no. Maybe after this final conquest, he'd be bored and leave.

This time, I couldn't push the blackness
away and after I dropped off the leftover food to the employee lounge, I headed
back to my room. I had little else to do and the beautiful, sunny day seemed to
mock me. Might as well start packing.

My phone buzzed with a text from Nathan.
The
ceremony is about to start. Come join me.

Oh, the last place I wanted to be.
Watching a happy couple get married. Bleh. But if I didn't go, I was pretty
sure, Nathan would come get me. Too tired to run and hide, I dawdled around for
ten more minutes, then headed to the deck.

Wow. The Tiki Largo bar and surrounding
area had transformed, into a beautiful, white paradise. Swaths of tulle fabric
enveloped the railings and hung everywhere. Thirty or so chairs had been set up
facing the water. A long, white carpet led to a beautifully decorated wedding
arch, where the happy couple already stood. She looked radiant, in a simple,
white dress, and he wore a conservative suit. Even from a distance, I saw the
mega-watt smiles they beamed at each other.

I spotted Nathan, my gaze instantly drawn
to him. He stood at the back of the crowd and had put on a sport jacket and
tie. The wedding was casual dress, so the jeans he wore weren't out of place
and damn, he looked good. My heart squeezed.

How I wished we were two normal people,
attending a special event together. Ready to have a drink of champagne later,
and a bite of cake. Dance a slow dance, under a spinning mirrored ball. Corny,
I know, but every wedding I attended, solo or with a half-ass date, I'd watch
those couples together and I could tell, the ones that were in love. The way
they smiled at each other, the way they touched. A feeling I longed to
experience but doubted I ever would.

As though he sensed me looking, Nathan
turned, and his face lit up. He gestured for me to move closer, so I did, slightly,
but stood two feet away. He wouldn't want anyone to see us together. He took my
hand and tugged me closer. Yeah, that tingle was still there, like the first
time we'd touched. I shuffled my feet. I couldn't stay here long. Weddings made
me sniffle anyway. Happy for the couple, sad for me. With Nathan so close, like
a treat I couldn't have, double the agony.

We stood watching until they kissed, then
he leaned down and whispered in my ear.

"Come here, I want to show you
something."

I let him lead me away, back to the
resort, into his little office. As soon as we were inside the cramped room, he
shut the door, pulled me to him and kissed me. Not a simple, loving kiss, like
the bride and groom. He captured my mouth with his, conveying his hunger as he
crushed me to him. I reacted automatically, my tongue meeting his, even as I
tried to turn off my desire.

How in the world would I get over Nathan,
if every time we touched, he claimed a little piece of my heart? I pulled away.

"So, this is your lair? You weren't
kidding, it's tiny." I glanced around. File cabinets, his desk and two
chairs filled the space. "Is that what you wanted to show me?" Trying
for nonchalance.

"No, that's what I've wanted to do, all
morning and afternoon. This is what I want to show you."

He took a folder off his desk and pulled
out a picture of a building. "Do you recognize this?"

I studied what looked like a photo printed
from a real estate site. A two-story brick building, a townhouse. It had a
curved bay window on the bottom, a balcony on the upstairs floor, and a black
iron fence all around. Cute. "No. Should I?"

"It's a townhouse, a duplex, not far
from where you live now. I bought it. I'm hoping you'll agree to live in one
half, and I'll keep the other, for when I come to Chicago to visit. Which will
be often." He took another picture from the folder. "I also have my
eye on a place here, in Los Angeles. If you like this apartment, I'll buy it
too. Maybe when Michelle is better and you can travel more."

I looked up at him, my mouth hanging open.
"Why?"

He smiled and cupped my chin. "I hope
last night drove away any doubts. I love you and I want to spend time with
you." He raised his hand as I started to object. "You're not my
mistress. You won't be living there for free. You'll pay rent, the same as
you're paying now, to my real estate management agency. And you'll continue to
have your own life, to come and go as you please. I won't interfere. I also
hope you'll continue to work for Cameron Industries. But mostly…"

He dropped the hand touching my face, put
them both in his pockets and cleared his throat. "Mostly, I hope you'll be
my girlfriend. I love you. I know long-distance romance isn't ideal, but I
think we can do it. I can make more time in my schedule and if you'll let me,
I'd like to help free up yours. By doing whatever you need for Michelle."

Tears clogged my throat and swam in my
eyes. He loved me. This wasn't just a fling, a diversion to occupy his time. He
wanted to be with me and had taken the first step. A big one. How could I not
follow?

"Was this the urgent issue you had to
take care of?"

"That, and this."

He pulled out a box from his desk drawer.
"You had one angel bring you sorrow, I'm counting on this one to bring you
joy."

I opened the box, trying not to let the
tears fall into it. Nestled in a swath of blue silk sat a necklace, a gold
angel, with a bow and arrow, and a tiny diamond on the end of the arrow.

"She's a fighter, like you. The
minute I saw it, I thought of you. I want to spend time with you. Start
delegating areas of my work to others. I plan to enjoy my life more and I want
you to be there with me while I do. I'm ready to trust someone, see what
happens. How about you? Care to join me?"

He said the last words almost casually,
but I heard the intensity beneath the surface.

"I, I want to. I do. You really want
me, to date me? Out in public?"

"Yes, I want to date you, to show you
off, to take you everywhere with me. I told you, you're beautiful, you're
perfect, and I plan to parade you down the street on my arm. Hope you don't
have a problem with that."

I couldn't speak over the lump in my
throat, and then I couldn't talk because Nathan's lips were back on mine,
sending streaks of ecstasy running through me. I responded, like I had since
the first time we touched, leaning into him and returning the kiss with
abandon. Time stopped, and we wrapped around each other, lost in our own world.
Through the haze of pleasure radiating in my mind, I heard a sound. I pulled
away slightly.

"Your phone is ringing."

"Let it ring. This is our
time." 

I looked into his eyes where raw desire
glittered.

He smoothed my hair behind my ear, running
his thumb along my cheek. "I don't usually do quickies, but I've got to
have you. Now."