The Billionaire Takes All (The Sinclairs Book 5)

by J. S. Scott

“I’m all germy,” she protested with a laugh.

  “Then we’ll share germs. Not like we haven’t before,” he said huskily as he swooped down to steal a kiss.

  Her body reacted immediately, and she hated the fact that he smelled so damn good.

  “Enough,” she told him as she came away panting. “I’ll be back.” She danced out of his reach and took the stairs, smiling as she heard him muttering about her leaving him hard up as he turned back toward the kitchen.

  “People cook stuff all the time. What in the hell did I do wrong?” Julian mumbled to himself as he looked at the watery potatoes and the burned pot roast.

  Shit! He was hopeless in the kitchen. He couldn’t even feed his own wife.

  He’d watched his mother cook as a child. Now he wished he had paid more attention. Lifting the spoon, he noticed that the mashed potatoes were actually more like soup, and they were readily dripping from the spoon.

  “What are you doing?” Kristin asked curiously as she entered the room, dressed in a pair of black yoga pants and a sweater.

  Her hair was still damp and starting to curl, and Julian couldn’t stop himself from staring. Every time she entered a room, he felt like somebody was slugging him in the chest. “Trying to make dinner,” he answered flatly. “I fucked it up.”

  Kristin moved next to him and stirred the potatoes and glanced at the pot roast, which now looked like a shriveled black mass of something completely inedible. “My mom used to make this incredible roast with dumplings. I found her cookbook when I was going through some stuff I had in storage. It didn’t turn out the same.”

  “That?” She pointed at the pathetic piece of meat. “That used to be a roast?”

  Julian could tell she was trying not to laugh as she covered her mouth with her hand.

  “It was,” he answered sadly.

  “Oh, Julian,” she said kindly as she burst out laughing. “Cooking takes patience and practice. I already knew you couldn’t cook. You didn’t have to even try. I like to cook.”

  “You worked all day,” he protested.

  “And you didn’t?” she retorted, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

  “I did. But I was home and not on my feet all day. Being married to me isn’t supposed to make you work harder.” He’d actually wanted to make her life easier. Fuck it. He was a billionaire. He could hire somebody to make them meals.

  “I’ve always cooked for myself, even when I had to go to Shamrock’s. I always made something for myself before I started work. I don’t mind.”

  Julian was alarmed as he saw a tear trickle down her cheek. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.” She sniffled and wiped away the wayward tear, and then another as she looked at him with a sweet smile he’d never seen before.

  “Then why are you crying?”

  “Because I think this is the nicest thing anyone has ever tried to do for me. Thank you.”

  He didn’t have a clue why she was thanking him for screwing up their dinner. But he didn’t mind the affectionate look she was giving him. “I’ll hire somebody.”

  “No, you will not,” she told him adamantly. “My kitchen. I cook.”

  Julian held his breath, wondering if she knew she’d just taken ownership of his home as her own. He released the air slowly, realizing she didn’t even notice as she started moving things around, tossing the bad food and cleaning up so she could start fresh.

  He helped her by loading the dishwasher. “I can learn,” he offered. “Or I could just use the damn microwave.”

  She stopped what she was doing, moved up to him, and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Just the fact that you were willing to try makes me happy,” she told him with a contented sigh.

  Julian slipped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her hair. “Why?”

  “Because nobody has ever cared enough to try to please me like that.”

  “I can think of better ways to make you happy,” he admitted eagerly. He might not be able to cook, but he had other . . . skills.

  “Trying to make dinner is enough for now,” she said in a hushed voice as she laid her head on his shoulder.

  Inhaling deeply, Julian savored her sweet, violet scent and the feel of her soft body in his arms. “I’ll figure it out eventually,” he promised. He wasn’t going to leave his wife with all the hard work.

  She leaned back to look at him. “I’d love to look at your mom’s cookbook. I love collecting new recipes, and some of the old ones are the best.”

  “It’s yours,” he agreed immediately.

  “Do you have pictures of your mom and dad?”

  “I do. Micah has more than I do, but my parents were both picture nuts. They loved taking family pictures just about anywhere we went.” He hadn’t pulled the photos out since his parents had died.

  “Can I see them, or does it still hurt too much?” she asked softly as she put a palm to his cheek in a comforting gesture.

  It would hurt, but for Kristin, he’d pull them out of their hiding place. It was time. “I’ll find them.”

  She stroked his jaw. “No hurry. I’d just like to see them someday when you’re ready.”

  He nodded. “I’m ready,” he affirmed.

  “Let me get us something to eat and we’ll look.” She backed up and starting moving through the kitchen, looking completely at home in her environment.

  Julian played assistant, helping her put together an edible dinner before he pulled out the pictures of his family.

  They spent the rest of the evening talking about his childhood, reliving happy memories of his parents and brothers while they were all still living at home.

  Strangely, once Julian had started talking, he couldn’t stop.

  CHAPTER 19

  Xander came home a day before Kristin and Julian’s big reception. Micah had brought his younger brother home, and Julian had planned to spend the day with Xander before attending the reception.

  Kristin made it home from work before her husband got back from his brother’s house, hoping that the two would have a happy reunion. Since Julian wasn’t home yet, she’d seen it as a good sign.

  However, judging by the look on Julian’s face when he did arrive home, it was fairly obvious that things hadn’t gone all that well on his visit to Xander’s house.

  Julian didn’t say much as he walked into the kitchen from the garage. Kristin watched as he hung up his leather jacket and then tossed the keys on the counter.

  “Everything go okay?” she asked curiously.

  “He hates it here. He hates his house. He hates the snow. He basically fucking hates life right at the moment. He’s clean, but it won’t take him long to go right back to where he was before, because of his shitty attitude.”

  As Julian turned to face her, Kristin couldn’t help but notice how defeated he looked. She reached for a beer in the refrigerator, screwed off the top, and handed it to Julian. He looked like he could use it. “I’m sorry. I know you were hoping he’d be better once he was dried out. But he still needs counseling.”

  Julian nodded as he took a slug of the beer straight from the bottle. “I know. Micah and I will just have to keep an eye on him for now and see what happens. He doesn’t want to continue his counseling here.”

  Kristin looked at his worried face, and her heart broke. If Xander wasn’t willing to continue to fight his battle with drugs and alcohol, nobody could help him. He had to at least want to stay clean. “Do you want to skip the reception?”

  “Oh, hell no,” Julian answered with a grin. “I’m not missing my own party. Your parents put a lot of planning into this celebration. I still have plenty to be happy about,” he declared as he set his beer down on the counter. “Xander was invited. If he wants to show up, he will.”

  “Are you angry with him?” Kristin asked, wondering how Julian really felt. Sometimes it was hard to tell.

  He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned a hip against the cupboard. “Angry? Yeah, I guess I am.
But probably more pissed off at myself than him. Before this happened, we drifted apart. Now I can’t get through to him. I don’t know what he’s thinking. Christ! I don’t know how he feels or what he’s not telling me. We used to be close when we were younger. Now he’s like a damn stranger to me, and he’s my fucking brother.”

  The anguish in his voice ripped Kristin’s heart out. “You can’t understand him if he won’t reach out,” she told him sternly, hating Xander at that moment for putting his brothers through so much pain. “It’s his move. If he wants to get to know you again, if he wants your support, he needs to reach out after he’s pushed you and Micah out of his life. It sounds like he pushed anybody who loves him away.”

  “There’s something wrong. Hell, I know he’s hurting, but I don’t understand why. He still has his talent, but he won’t touch an instrument. Anything he connected to the time before the murders happened, he doesn’t seem to want to remember. There’s more than just losing our parents. I wish to hell I knew what really happened that night.”

  Kristin frowned. “What do you mean? Didn’t he tell you?”

  “The basics. It was a home invasion. Mom and Dad died. They were both shot multiple times. But for some reason, Xander was not only shot, but he was stabbed and sliced all to hell. I’ve tried to ask him more, but he won’t talk about it, and I’ve never wanted to push him. It had to be a nightmare for him to be there when our parents died. The perp was shot and killed. The case was closed. But I think there was something else that fucked him up.”

  Kristin couldn’t imagine anything worse than watching her parents die. But Julian was right. There was something weird about the fact that Xander had been sliced up. Robbers, even evil ones, went in to get what they wanted and leave as quickly as they could. “It is weird,” she contemplated aloud. “Maybe the robber ran out of bullets?”

  Julian shrugged. “I suppose it’s possible. Maybe he was trying to make sure Xander was going to die so there were no witnesses.”

  Really, there was only one person who knew everything that happened the night that Julian’s parents had died. After looking through all of Julian’s family photos and listening to stories, she knew that all of the brothers had loved their parents.

  “Let’s go get dressed,” he insisted, holding out his hand.

  Kristin grasped his extended palm and squeezed, wanting to somehow let Julian know that she understood his frustration and pain.

  He squeezed her fingers in acknowledgment, his eyes flashing with unspoken gratitude before he turned and led her upstairs.

  Kristin swore everyone in Amesport had gathered at the Youth Center for their reception. Although logically she knew the whole town wasn’t there, the place was so packed that it seemed as though every resident was in attendance.

  “Dinner? Helloooo!” Mara Sinclair waved her hand in front of Kristin’s face to get her attention. “Kristin!” she finally shouted.

  Pulling out of her own thoughts, Kristin finally looked at Mara. “I’m sorry. I didn’t hear what you said.” She was busy looking at a figure dressed completely in black sitting in the corner of the ballroom of the Center by himself.

  Xander?

  Mara sighed and snagged another glass of champagne from a passing waiter. “I asked if you and Julian wanted to come over to our place for dinner next week. We haven’t done anything since you got back from Hawaii.”

  “Let me know what day and I’ll check with Julian. I know he needs to fly to California for a couple of days to do a promotion for his movie,” Kristin answered distractedly. “Mara, do you know if that’s Xander sitting over there in the corner?”

  Mara glanced over to where Kristin’s eyes were focused. “Yeah. That’s Xander. Jared just went over to talk to him a while ago. He said he didn’t have much to say.”

  “He showed up,” Kristin answered with hope in her voice. “It’s a step in the right direction.”

  “Yeah. I think everybody is a little confused about why,” Mara responded before she took a sip of her champagne.

  “Julian is his brother. I’m not sure if he even knows our marriage is all a sham.”

  “Is it?” Mara raised her brows as she stared at Kristin.

  “Of course. I told you the truth,” Kristin said defensively. Since Mara was her best friend, there was very little that she didn’t share with her.

  “You two were looking pretty much like the happy couple on the dance floor. And Julian does look amazing in a tuxedo,” Mara answered suspiciously.

  “Almost any man looks good in a tux.” All of the Sinclairs had dressed up for the occasion, every male in formal dress, and the women were wearing cocktail dresses.

  Mara looked stunning in a red dress that ended right above her knees, something Kristin’s friend would have never worn before she met Jared. Mara had blossomed into an attractive young businesswoman, but she was still the same person inside. Money hadn’t changed her one bit.

  “Admit it. Being married to Julian is one of the best things that has ever happened to you. You look happy. You look relaxed and rested. And you look incredible. Love that dress, by the way,” Mara said, giving Kristin her don’t-bullshit-me tone.

  It was yet another item that had magically shown up in Kristin’s closet, a gorgeous emerald-green dress that Julian swore matched her eyes. Yes, she’d gone through the trouble of carefully doing her makeup and hair, and even though the heels she was wearing were already killing her feet, she’d worn them because Julian thought she looked beautiful.

  “The dress was all Julian. Probably something his assistant picked out.” She didn’t know how to answer Mara’s assessment, so she simply said, “You know this isn’t going to last, Mara. He’s been good for me, and what he’s done for my parents is something I can never repay. But the marriage is only temporary.”

  “We’ll see,” Mara answered mysteriously.

  Exasperated, Kristin looked over toward the group of Sinclair men and Jason Sutherland standing around together talking. Julian had gone to join them for a few minutes so he could talk to Micah, but they looked like they were all trying to bust each other’s balls right at the moment. She saw Grady say something and all of the men started to laugh. There was a lot of back-slapping and laughing going on in that circle of handsome men.

  The wives were right behind her and Mara, all of them chatting at once and trying to catch up on what was happening in their lives.

  She and Mara had stepped away for a moment of private conversation.

  Kristin leaned in a little so she wasn’t overheard. “It’s temporary. Do you really think Julian is going to be happy here in Amesport? He’s lived most of his adult life in California.”

  “I don’t see why not. He told Jared that he loves it here. Your parents certainly love him. The question is, do you love him?” Mara asked her quietly.

  “Julian makes me crazy,” Kristin shared. “One minute I want to throttle him, and the next he’ll do something so outrageously sweet that I want to throw myself in his arms and beg him to kiss me or have sex with me right that moment, wherever we are. He’s a terrible cook, but he does everything else so well that I don’t give a damn. He’s obnoxious, but underneath all of his crap, he’s a really decent, considerate man. He’s probably the most complicated and confusing guy I’ve ever known. He never forgets the little things, and he always tells me I’m beautiful and special even though I’m . . . not.” By the time she was done explaining, Kristin was breathless, her heart racing as she considered Mara’s question.

  “You are beautiful and special. You just don’t see it. You didn’t happen to mention whether you’re in love with him,” Mara prodded.

  Kristin shook her head. “Probably because I don’t want to say it out loud. If I do, I’m screwed. But yeah, I think I might be falling in love with him. That’s a disaster, Mara. You know it is.” Tears welled up in her eyes, and Kristin had to blink them back. Her wedding reception wasn’t the place to be bawling her face off.

>   Mara put her arm around her lightly. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. It’s pretty damn obvious that Julian feels the same way. Even when he’s all the way across the room, he’s checking to see that you’re okay, that you’re still safe. He reminds me of Jared. Sinclair men are protective as hell when it comes to the women they care about, but they also encourage us in everything we do. Well, almost everything.”

  As Mara stepped back so Kristin could accept the drink a waiter handed her, Kristin asked her curiously, “What doesn’t Jared support?” Jared Sinclair would literally walk through fire for his wife. Kristin had seen it time and time again in their relationship.

  Mara grinned. “Since Micah joined the family here, all of the Sinclair women want to learn to skydive. Tessa has done it. She’s tandem jumped with Micah, and now she wants to qualify to go solo. Eventually, we all want to go. Micah already said he’d take us. We’ve gotten some kickback on that. None of our husbands are thrilled about the idea of us jumping out of an airplane, even if Micah is in control. But Tessa swears it’s one of the most incredible things she’s ever experienced. Now we all want to try it.”

  “Oh man, that would be awesome,” Kristin agreed readily.

  “Yep. But try convincing Julian you’d be safe. He’d freak.”

  “He does some pretty crazy things. And he doesn’t control my life.”

  Mara chuckled. “Neither does Jared. But when I see that terrified look on his face, I have a hard time pushing the issue.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I love him,” Mara readily replied. “Because I have the same fears. I hurt when he hurts, and just like him, I’d be totally destroyed if anything happened to cause him to get injured . . . or worse.”

  Kristin saw her friend shudder, and she knew the “or worse” really meant getting dead. “Then when you come to an impasse, who has to give?”

  Mara shrugged. “We work it out. Our love is stronger than fear.”

  Kristin had to admit, she was envious of the relationship her best friend had with her husband. She’d never seen two people more in love. In fact, all of the Sinclairs had the same types of relationships with their spouses. Different personalities, but so much in love that nothing ever stood between them anymore. It seemed like the longer they were together, the stronger they were as couples.