The Billionaire's Secret (The Tycoons, #4)

by Higgins, Marie

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Brooke asked, “So, how was the rehearsal?”

  “Good grief, sis, you’re not going to believe what happened.”

  “What?”

  As Tiffany rattled nonstop about the wedding rehearsal – or lack of it – shock expanded in Brooks’ body and vibrated quicker the more her sister talked.

  Brooke gasped. “No way!” She bit her lip and tried her hardest to hold back the laugh threatening to bubble up from her throat. “Then what happened?”

  While her sister rambled, Brooke struggled to keep a serious tone in her voice for her sister’s benefit. Tiffany absolutely doted on their spoiled cousin.

  “Oh, that’s so... so sad.” Laughter lodged in her throat, threatening to spill forth at any moment, so she quickly tried to end the call. “Listen Tiff, I better get off the phone, but I’ll call you and let you know when the storm passes.”

  “Okay. Take care, and please, be careful.”

  “I will. Love you. Bye.” Brooke placed the receiver down and laughed until tears gathered in her eyes.

  Her uproar overrode the boom of Justin’s footsteps when he rushed into the kitchen. Upon seeing her, he stopped, and a smile touched his chiseled features.

  “Is something wrong?” he asked.

  She momentarily calmed her joy and wiped the excess liquid from her eyes. “Who are you closer friends with? The bride or the groom?”

  He shrugged. “The groom. Why?”

  She hiccupped another laugh. “Be-because, the wedding rehearsal never took place. Robin’s fiancé walked out on her, and from what my sister said, Robin was extremely humiliated.” She laughed harder.

  He cocked his head to the side. “And this is good news?”

  “Yes. Robin finally got what she deserves, if you ask me. She’s been horrible to a lot of people, and it’s about time she received a taste of her own medicine.”

  “So, Robbie was very distraught, huh?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did your sister say anything about the father of the bride?”

  “Just that Uncle Tony was very upset and that she’s never seen him so angry.” She took a deep breath. “But Tiffany says Robin will never live this one down, and Robin has never been this miserable before.”

  He snickered. “Oh, I think she’ll get over it, and even take him back if it came down to it.”

  She looked at him through narrowed eyes. He sounded almost bitter. “You think so? Why would she want him back after he walked out and embarrassed her?”

  “Because she wants him and will stop at nothing to get him. Knowing Robin like I do, if she can’t obtain something for herself, she enlists her father’s help.”

  It surprised Brooke because Justin was right. Robin wouldn’t let this minor setback stop her from getting her man – a rich man, especially.

  “I guess you know Robin and my Uncle Tony pretty well.” She paused then asked, “Exactly how do you know my cousin?”

  Leaning back against the counter, he crossed his arms over his magnificent chest, propping one of his cowboy boots against the oak doors.

  “Our families know each other. Besides that, Robin and I attended the same college.”

  “And her fiancé, too?”

  “Yes.”

  She studied his relaxed stance and was surprised how his charming grin could make her knees weak. Her cousin was certainly lucky to know him. In fact, all of Robin’s male friends were hot. Brooke couldn’t remember much about the man her cousin was going to marry except for his legendary good looks, and of course the powerfully, wealthy name Monroe.

  She folded her arms behind her back and leaned against the wall. “Why didn’t Robin pick you to marry? Is it because you’re not as rich as her fiancé?”

  He nibbled on his lip, which she thought was adorable. “I don’t know, but if you ask me, Robin isn’t that great.”

  “Oh, really? Name me another woman who’s as beautiful and has as much money as Robin Pierpont.”

  “Looks and money aren’t everything. Didn’t you just get through telling me about Robin’s treatment of you and others?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, from what you’ve told me and what I know about her, I’d say she isn’t as wonderful as people think. Not only that, I’ve seen prettier women.”

  Brooke smiled. Perhaps it was all right to like Justin after all. “Not very many men would say that, you know. It makes me wonder if you weren’t jilted by her at one time.”

  He chuckled. “No, I was never jilted by her. Sorry to disappoint you, angel.”

  She lost her breath for a quick second. Why had he called her angel? Excitement poured through her, and she cursed the warming effect it had on her heart. If he only knew about her past, he wouldn’t be calling her angel at all. Far from it.

  SIX

  A SHIVER WASHED DOWN her spine and she wrapped her arms around her waist. “Let’s go in the other room. It’s cold in here.”

  She hurried into the living room and sat by the fire. The heat from the logs warmed her, but when Justin joined her on the floor, goose bumps trickled over her skin.

  For the first few minutes, she played tag with his gaze. She didn’t want to stare into his intoxicating brown eyes or at his knee-buckling grin, but she couldn’t help herself. He was like an addiction.

  Finally, he cleared his throat, breaking the silence. “Well, since there’s nothing to talk about, what do you think we should do to pass time?” He waggled his eyebrows.

  Her heart jumped to her throat. She had to keep him occupied. She couldn’t have him trying to kiss her again. Glancing around the room, she searched for something to do, anything to keep her from looking at him. “Well, since it’s the end of January and Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, I wonder if we should see if your friend has any decorations for that holiday.”

  She stood and rubbed her hands together. “Decorating always puts me in a good mood.” She glanced down at him. “What do you say?”

  He lifted to his feet and stood very close in front of her. His eyes narrowed as they bore into hers, and her throat dried. Leaning toward her, he cupped her chin and his thumb gently stroked her skin.

  Brooke lost her breath, but for the life of her, she couldn’t push his hand away. The strength just wasn’t there.

  “I think,” he said softly, “you’re avoiding telling me about your past, which isn’t a good thing, especially for your soul. But if it will make you happy, I’ll snoop through Brad’s closets and see if there are any decorations.”

  She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath until he stepped away, then it came out in one big relieved gush. Flutters stirred within her stomach and she cursed her weakness – charming men. What was wrong with her? When would she learn she couldn’t trust men like that?

  When he disappeared down the hallway, she moved to the disc player and opened the oak cabinet. It looked as if his friend liked country music. Stacks upon stacks of discs lined the shelves, and she touched each one as she read the artists. Finally, she found one she really liked.

  She flipped open the case, set the disc in the player, and clicked the On/Off button. The country singer’s baritone voice rang through the quiet room. If Justin sang, she imagined he would sound this way, too.

  Humming the familiar tune, she wandered to the window. It looked as if several more inches of snow had fallen since they’d arrived. Being up in the mountains, could they get snowed in? Would the snowplows make it this far to uncover the roads?

  She shivered and ran her hands over her arms. Confinement with Justin would be torture. The next twenty-four hours were going to be hard, especially if he grinned at her in that charming way... and his warm chocolate eyes could melt a glacier.

  Justin’s boots clomped on the wooden floor, and she turned away from the window. He came into the room carrying two boxes.

  “Look what I’ve found.” His voice lifted with excitement.

  She smiled and hurr
ied over to take the top box. After setting it on the floor, she ripped off the duct tape. “Oh, Justin. There are tons of decorations. Some of these are Christmas, but I think if we pull out just the red, purple, and white decorations, that will look enough like Valentine’s Day. Don’t you think?”

  He set down his box and slapped his hands against his thighs, brushing off dirt. “Let’s try it and see.” He glanced around the room. “What do you want me to do?”

  She arched an eyebrow. “Have you ever decorated before?”

  He shrugged. “I remember as a child that we used to decorate before Christmas, but since I’ve moved out, I don’t decorate any longer. My mother and her housekeeper still make the house decorative.”

  “I’m sorry you don’t do that anymore. My parents always made it a family affair. We’d pop popcorn and heat apple cider. We even had a Christmas movie playing on the television while we decorated the tree. I looked forward to it every year.”

  He knelt beside a box and removed a few items that were red and white. The frown marring his handsome face sent a pain shooting straight to her heart. Perhaps she shouldn’t have told him about her happy childhood Christmas traditions. Obviously, he didn’t have the kind of family upbringing she’d had.

  She reached over and touched his hand. When his gaze bounced up and met hers, she smiled. “It’s okay. I’ll teach you how to decorate. There’s nothing to it.”

  The corner of his mouth pulled into a grin and her heart melted.

  Brooke spent the next hour showing Justin how to decorate. With her nightmarish past with Chuck forgotten, she actually felt like a normal person again. Justin didn’t look at her as if she’d committed murder, and he treated her like she was special.

  Justin made her laugh more times than she could count, and the longer the evening progressed, the more relaxed he became around her. His arms grazed hers as they worked side-by-side, and his body brushed against her as they moved past each other. When he tickled her, she allowed his fingers to poke her.

  She didn’t want the spell to end, yet at the rate they were going now, she worried she’d want to tell him about her problem. Crazy thing was, he just might understand and be of some comfort. Having an understanding ear wasn’t something she’d received from anyone. Not even her shrink.

  It surprised her how many Christmas decorations they used to make the living room look like the school gym for a Valentine’s Day dance. As Justin added the finishing touches to the red lights around the window, she wandered back to the music discs and sat on the floor, leafing through the collection. When she saw an artist she loved, she smiled. “Great, he has Vince Gill.”

  “Who?”

  She looked over her shoulder at Justin. “Vince Gill. He’s a country singer.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know a lot of musicians. I don’t really get time to listen to music.”

  She took the disc out of the case and replaced it with the other in the player. Vince’s soft voice drifted from the large speakers. As the music played, she continued to browse through the collection.

  “Justin? What’s your friend’s name? The one who owns the cabin?”

  “Brad Young.”

  She hesitated in thought then shook her head. “I don’t know him.”

  He laughed as he threw another couple of logs on the fire. “Are you kidding? Everybody knows Brad. Are you sure you don’t know him?”

  “The name doesn’t sound familiar. Maybe if I saw his face, I would recognize him.”

  “I’m sure you would.”

  She glanced back at Justin. His warm gaze hadn’t moved off of her. A strange comfort surrounded her, and her heart skipped to life again. Why did he have to be so incredibly good looking and sweet now? Why couldn’t she have stayed upset at him? She silently prayed he wasn’t anything like Chuck, or her weakening control would give her big trouble.

  A MOMENT OF SILENCE stretched through the air as Justin listened to Vince Gill’s song. The singer’s soothing voice echoed through the room, creating a cozy feeling. He closed the glass doors to the fireplace, and Brooke’s angelic hum rose above the crackle of the burning logs.

  Relaxing against the wall, he let himself enjoy the music as her voice blended with the singer’s. It had been so long since he enjoyed anything. Justin’s hectic life kept him going one way or the other, not allowing a moment for himself. It was a miracle he’d even had time to date Robin, let alone get engaged. Thanks to his meddling mother, he’d somehow found the time to pop the question. Or maybe she’d popped the question. He couldn’t remember.

  In fact, his mother was the one who purchased the ring because his schedule was so time-consuming. The interfering woman reserved the perfect restaurant and she made sure the limousine picked him up from the office to deliver him there on time.

  If his mother wasn’t trying to run his life, it was Robin. She’d wanted an office right next to his and had even hinted about being Vice President of the billion-dollar company. No way would he allow Robin to work side by side with him. She didn’t know the first thing about the oil business since her father owned a chain of hotels across the country.

  Even before the wedding date was set, Robin had been house hunting. He shook his head in remembrance. That woman would have bought furniture and home decor and charged it to him if he hadn’t found out about her shopping spree before she went and put a stop to it. He’d tried to break off their relationship, but she told him her daddy wouldn’t be happy. Right then Justin should have realized that her father was already controlling his life.

  Justin took a deep sigh and relaxed. All of that was behind him now. He had bigger worries. Did her father still want him dead now that he’d walked away from the wedding?

  Shoving those irritating memories to the back of his head, he moved away from the fire and over beside Brooke, who sat crouched on the floor by the CD rack. Her head was bent over the collection of music as her voice joined in the song. She tapped her foot on the floor and bobbed her head to the beat. Strange how attracted he’d become to her in such a short time. But Brooke was completely different from Robin, and he couldn’t help but like the differences. Even now as his thoughts wandered off track, he wanted Brooke in his arms; wanted to take away the pain from her past that dimmed the glow in her eyes.

  He touched her on the shoulder to get her attention. When she lifted her jaded gaze, he smiled. “Excuse me, Miss Cavanaugh. Would you dance with me?”

  Her eyes widened. “Really?”

  “Of course.” He glanced around the room. “We have the decorations for a ball, so why not pretend we’re at one?”

  Mixed emotions crossed her face when her eyes widened. He expected her to turn him down, but she smiled and slipped her hand in his. It was smaller than Robin’s, and he liked it. Real fingernails shaped Brooke’s fingers, whereas Robin went in twice a month to have the salon do hers. Brooke’s nails were beautiful and delicate – just like her.

  “I’d love to dance with you,” she answered with a lift to her voice. He pulled her to her feet and took her in his arms.

  Compared to Robin, Brooke’s body almost disappeared in his hold. Brooke was like a breath of fresh air. She fit right into his arms, and as he gathered her close, she molded against him so well.

  They swayed with the slow song and danced perfectly together. She was an excellent dancer, unlike Robin who clumsily stepped on his feet. It surprised him to think he still remembered how to dance. It’d been so long since he was able to do anything fun like this.

  The more he danced, the more happiness grew inside his heart. Earlier that morning, he’d been running for his life, and betrayal hurt just as bad. Comfort washed over him, making his worries disappear. Once again, Lady Luck had been keeping an eye on him. Brooke needed this time also, but he wished she’d tell him about her past. He really wanted to help her if he could.

  The song ended, and a faster beat took its place, so he stepped away. “I’m afraid I don’t know how to dance to fas
t songs.”

  She laughed. “Let me show you.”

  Her excellent light-hearted instruction made him relax, and soon his feet stepped in rhythm with hers. Laughter bubbled from his chest and he didn’t stop the pleasurable sensations coursing through his body whenever she bumped against him.

  Memories from before his father had died came surging through his thoughts. He longed for that carefree life, and especially for the laughter. His mother had forced him to grow up, wiping away any excitement from his existence. Now as he focused on the moment with Brooke, his mind created a new world, one with peace and laughter and nothing but pure enjoyment.

  The song ended, and he released her hands. “You’re a great dancer.”

  A smile bracketed her mouth. “So are you.”

  He chuckled. “I’m a little surprised I still know how. It’s been a while since I danced.”

  “Same here. I don’t remember having this much fun since high school.”

  “I thought the same thing.”

  The next song began, and he slipped his arms around her waist for the slow dance. Her hands wandering up his arms, hooking over his shoulders.

  He satisfied himself by gazing into her pretty face, even though her eyes quickly darted elsewhere. He pulled her closer as the words of the song spun around him. The singer’s tenor voice sang about how lonely his world would be if the woman he loved couldn’t be in it.

  Brooke had been looking at the floor, but during the instrumental part, she lifted her gaze. Uncertainty flashed in her eyes, lightening them before they darkened. The words must have meant something to her, too.

  He held her gaze prisoner as the song continued, talking about how the woman he loved had given him a reason for living since the first time he’d looked in her eyes, and he wouldn’t know what he’d do if she told him goodbye. Suddenly, a lump formed in his throat and his chest constricted. The words hit him like a locomotive, and his mind sped ahead to the day Brooke would leave this cabin. Tomorrow! He quickly said a prayer in his heart that the snow would continue to fall, keeping her with him just a little while longer.