“Yes, can you leave a message for another guest?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Connor in room 400. Thank you for everything. Yes to dinner, when and where?”
“Is this all?”
“Yes, and thank you.”’
Kimberley lay on her bed. “Wasn’t in his room?”
“I can’t access the fourth floor without a keycard.”
“Oh. Sooooo, would you mind if I went down to the bar? I called Rick, and he wants to meet up tonight. I promise to come up in a few hours and check on you.”
“I don’t need to be chaperoned. Besides, you’re not my keeper. If ‘Rick’ is here in the building, by all means, you need to go.”
“Thanks, hon. Seriously, I’ll just be downstairs. Call if you need me.”
Alone, she changed into the sleepwear and climbed into bed. Her whole body relaxed into the soft bedding. She wasn’t sure how long she had been asleep when the very annoying ring of the phone next to her started. She fumbled with the headset before finally managing to bring it to her ear.
“What day is today?” the male voice on the other end asked.
“What?”
“What day is today?” he said more forcefully.
“Connor?”
“Come on. You have to answer the question.”
“Saturday, I think but I don’t know what time it is.”
“Good enough.” He chuckled. “Sorry about the call block.”
She yawned and curled into the pillows. She loved the sound of his voice, gruff with a light huskiness. “Does tend to make a relationship one-sided.”
“Keeps me in charge.”
“You like to be in charge.”
“I only think I’m in charge. I learned a long time ago the women in my life are in charge. From my mother all the way down to my executive assistant. They sometimes let me think I have the last say.”
“Smart women.”
“Smarter than you know. And they would like you.”
She bit her lip. The idea of meeting his mom both scared and elated her. She had just met him, and yet here she was having schoolgirl fantasies of a man she came here to hate. There was no way to make this work. Either he was lying, which she doubted, or her sister was, which broke her heart. Someone was bound to lose, and she suspected it might be her.
“Did I scare you off?” he asked.
“No. Sorry.”
“Tired?”
“A bit.”
“How about I call you in the morning?” he asked gently.
“Can’t we just talk a bit?” she asked, panicked at the idea of cutting off the call.
“Sort of like a first date over the phone.” He chuckled.
“Yeah. It’s nice this way. I can feel normal without reading every muscle in your face to tell if you are lying or not.”
“That must suck.”
“I knew my father was leaving before I think he did. I knew my mother was cheating on my stepfather a year before he found out. And my sister won’t see me or talk to me because I don’t allow her her secrets.”
“I have few secrets to hide. I don’t cheat ever, and I don’t plan to leave.”
“We just met,” she said on a hitch.
“When you opened those beautiful green eyes, you sucker punched me. Who knows where it might lead, but at least give us a shot?”
She closed her eyes. How she wanted that fantasy. She could almost taste it. “Thank you for the clothes and shoes.”
“I would love to take credit, but that’s something the gift shop puts together for guests who have lost their luggage. But, either way, I was happy to do it.”
The inflection in his voice indicated that he was uncomfortable about her thanking him for something that was so little to him. Even if the jeans might have cost her a week’s salary. “So, what do you talk about on a first date?”
“Twenty questions?”
At three a.m., when Kimberley returned, they were still talking, and she felt like a teenager caught on the phone long past lights out. After a quick got-to-go and sneaking the phone receiver back into its cradle, she feigned sleep. When sleep did come to her, she dreamt of a man with a strong jaw, sexy voice, and a kiss to melt her knees.
Chapter Two
“Mr. Rankin?” A voice pulled Connor from his musing.
Turning from the plate glass window overlooking the mountain, he offered the hotel employee a smile. “Yes?”
From across the nearly empty banquet room, the young man stood in the door to the kitchen. “I was asked to tell you that Ms. Scott is on her way up. Would you like me to pour the wine?”
“That won’t be necessary. I’ll do it. If you could bring out the food as soon as it’s ready, that would be wonderful.”
Nervous didn’t begin to describe the emotions running through him. Yesterday, a normal run down his favorite trail with his best friend quickly turned into a fork in his road of life. This hazel beauty filled his thoughts throughout the day. As he played with his nieces and nephew, it was thoughts of what children with her would look like. Never had he thought about children other than peripherally, as in one day he would have them. But, now, he couldn’t imagine having them with anyone but Breanne.
The relief he felt when he had been alerted she checked in was well out of proportion for someone he had known for a couple of hours. When he returned her call, he anticipated speaking for a few minutes, asking her to dinner again, and saying goodnight. At three in the morning, he felt like a boy caught on the phone way past curfew. The ease and comfort he experienced talking with her was a new experience for him.
The door to the kitchens opened, and Breanne stepped through, thanking the person next to her. She looked sexy as hell in simple jeans and a sweater. When their eyes met, her smile almost caused his knees to buckle. Once he knew his legs would carry him, he crossed the empty room to her side.
“You look beautiful.” He took her hands and placed a kiss on her cheek. She blushed a fetching rose. “Sorry about the covert entrance.”
“What was that about?”
He led her to the single table in the room. “My sisters got wind of our date and became insufferable about trying to figure out your identity.”
“I think I might have run into one downstairs.”
“Did she have a streak of purple in her hair?”
“She did.”
“That’s my baby sister, Cara. You would think a newlywed would have better things to do than annoy me.” Though they were incessant with their desire to see him married, they did so with love, so who could argue? “I actually left through the front door and snuck in the back.”
“Are you the only unmarried sibling?”
“Yep. Four sisters, all happily married. Wine?” he asked, and when she nodded, he opened the bottle and poured her a glass.
“Sounds like they love you.”
“They do, though I think more because I stepped up and took on the business.”
“Is it a family business?” She brought the glass to her lips, and he didn’t know why the lipstick marks she left on the glass brought his blood pulsing.
“It was started by my maternal grandfather.”
“And you being the soul male…”
“Sex has nothing to do with it, I promise. Becca, the oldest, has no interest in running the business. She is an interior designer and likely to be head designer for us in the next decade. She is focusing on the airport restaurants. Jennifer is a middle-school teacher and needs a medal for it. Terry has only ever wanted to be a stay-at-home mom and with four little ones is enjoying every minute of it.”
“And Cara?”
He smiled. “She is the one who hasn’t figured out what she wants to be when she grows up. Today, she is a painter. Last year she wanted to bake cupcakes. Next month, we’ll smile and support her next adventure.”
“And you?” She cocked her head and, although he knew she was reading him, seeing if he was telling the truth, it
didn’t bother him. She couldn’t know he wanted her to know everything about him. He wanted her in his head and heart.
“I wanted to be a cop. No, don’t laugh, it’s true. I spent my teens on the ski patrol.”
“Got a taste of hero worship?”
He let his gaze move back up the mountain. “I did, but when I was in my final year at college, my grandfather had a stroke, and my mother was trying to fill his shoes at the company. Which she could have done admirably if she didn’t have to do her job as chief financial officer and his as CEO. So, I came in and helped out. I learned the job by fire. I didn’t come up in the ranks, because there was no time. I took on half the responsibility as I finished my degree. The day I graduated, the board voted me COO. And five years later, CEO.”
“It was overwhelming.” Not a question, a statement. Almost as if she understood.
“My grandfather and my mother had left me big shoes to fill. She stepped down a week later when my sister announced she was pregnant.” He reached over and touched her hand. “What about you?”
“As I said last night, it’s only my sister and I.” She took another sip as if bracing herself. “My family isn’t quite like yours.”
“Mine isn’t always picture-perfect, either.”
“My father left us when I was seven.” She squeezed his hand, and he met it, offering silent support. “My mom remarried, but it wasn’t a great union. Mom wasn’t really wife material. But she tried. And my stepdad did his best. But…”
He got up from his seat. Something demanded he ease her pain. He lifted her to her feet and pulled her into his arms “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
She clung to him. “It’s only me and Sarah, now.”
“And she isn’t taking your calls.”
“No, she isn’t.” She shifted away. “Sorry. I just totally brought this dinner down.”
“Never apologize for being honest and human.” He searched her eyes, hoping she could read in his how much he cared.
She laughed. “Honesty isn’t something I see a great deal of in my line of work.”
“I bet. How did you get into that line?” He intertwined his fingers in hers and brought them up so he could kiss her knuckles.
“When you have dysfunction in your home, you learn to read the signs of trouble coming and try to cut it off.” She moved back to sit, but didn’t remove her hand from his. He moved his chair so that they were next to each other instead of across. “Much like you have to read people at the negotiation table I guess.”
“But on a much larger scale.”
“I suppose so.”
Their meal came, and it helped change the topic and lighten the mood. He reveled in the way she savored every bite.
“This is so good.”
He nodded. “One of the reasons we bought the place.”
“You bought a mountain for the restaurant here?”
“No, I bought the resort for the restaurant; the mountain was another reason entirely.”
“And you want to buy the waffle house, too?”
“Definitely, but only if they sell the pancake recipe with it.”
“You have a huge affinity for food.”
“One might call it an obsession. I admit I love food. I love watching the chefs work their magic.”
“Do you cook?”
“I try, and I think I am competent in some areas. You?”
“I make a mean grilled cheese.”
He covered his heart. “Sold.”
After a tray of dessert delicacies, he led her outside to the private fire pit. Wrapping her in a blanket and pulling her into his arms, he settled them into the two-person lounger. “Thank you.”
“Why are you thanking me? You put me up in a five-star hotel. You fed me a five-star meal and bought me and my bestie clothes and pampered us with a spa package.”
“And you gave me all I wanted in return, which was your time.”
“My time is cheap.”
“Don’t underestimate yourself.”
“I’m not as great a catch as you might think.”
She hid something, and it bothered her. But they were still getting to know one another. Perhaps he needed to slow it down. “Am I going too fast for you?”
“Not you.”
“Is it my money?”
She bit her lip. “Your money doesn’t interest me.”
“Okay, then what is it?”
“I feel a connection, and it scares the hell out of me.”
“I feel it, too, and I promise to take this as slow as you want.”
“Okay.”
He took a chance. “Would you go to dinner with me next week?”
“What night?”
“Any night. Every night.”
“Yes.” She gave him a small smile.
“To which?”
“Every night. Except Wednesday. I have to work late.” She cuddled in closer. “But you don’t have to buy out the restaurants for the night.”
“Promise. As it happens, this is the event room, and today’s wedding was an afternoon affair. So the dining room was empty.”
“But?”
“I still made sure they didn’t open it for more bookings. Because I wanted you to myself.”
“I’m okay with that.” She eased up and kissed him.
His world exploded for a second time. A simple kiss and his life would never be the same. He pulled her tight into his lap, deepening the kiss. He longed to have her hands on him but would be patient. He didn’t want a fling or a short-term relationship. He was looking at something important, and if he played his cards right, it would end, or truly begin, with a walk down the aisle.
Chapter Three
One Month Later
Riding the elevator up, Breanne rubbed sweaty hands down her dress skirt. Over the last few weeks, she and Connor had seen each other whenever they could. Stealing moments at lunch, having dinners in secluded restaurants or quick coffees in the afternoon. She had used the excuse that his position made her nervous, and she didn’t want any publicity yet to maintain their privacy. But, in truth, she feared her sister would discover she was in a relationship with the man Sarah claimed to love. It didn’t matter that Connor hadn’t been in the relationship. She still dealt with the guilt of it all.
And because of Sarah, she needed to end the relationship soon. But it broke her heart to think of it, and she wanted, selfishly, one night with Connor. One night in his arms to pretend she could have more. She had come well armed.
She hadn’t taken two steps into his penthouse apartment when she found her back against the wall and his lips on hers. They at least were in the same mindset with this one. This was their norm. Nights spent on the phone talking and getting to know each other long past exhaustion. Then, every few days, they would find time to get together. Time to reconnect physically. Hours of kissing, necking. So far, he hadn’t tried to take it further. But it had been a month since she had her little fall on the mountain.
He pulled back. “Let me get my coat, or we’ll miss our dinner reservation.”
“Not hungry.” She removed her scarf.
He swallowed hard. “We discussed this. You said you wanted to wait until we really knew each other.”
“I know you better than I have known anyone my entire life.” She took a step forward and undid the top two buttons of her blouse. “Tell me you don’t feel the same.”
“You know I do, but there is something you’re hiding?”
“We all have skeletons. I’m just not ready to bring mine out yet.”
He ran a hand through his hair and groaned. “The problem is, I can’t get anywhere near your closets. We always meet here or at some out-of-the-way place. Do you think I’ll judge where you live?”
“No. Well, maybe, but that’s not it.”
“Then, what? Because I”—he closed the distance between them cupping her face so she was forced to look at him—“want nothing more than to take this to
the next level. I want you to come with me this weekend back to the mount to meet my family. I don’t want to act like you’re some dirty little secret.”
“I don’t feel like a dirty little secret.”
“Well, I do.”
She read every line and muscle. God, he did feel like a dirty secret.
“Why do you look guilty?”
She tried to calm the muscles in her face. “My family isn’t like yours. They aren’t kind and perfect. They are manipulative and mean-spirited, and I can’t even trust my own sister.”
“Is this about her boyfriend again?” He turned away in exasperation. “So she lied about having a boyfriend. I’m sure my perfect sisters have lied, too. About their age, about how far past curfew they came in. Jeez, but I’m not living through them or for them.”
“I just don’t know if telling her I’m dating will make it worse.”
“Make what worse?”
“She still won’t see me.” She’d tried repeatedly since returning from her weekend in New Hampshire. But her sister never seemed to be home. She certainly never picked up her phone, and when she called her place of employment, Connor’s company, she had been informed her sister no longer worked there.
“Did you tell her you know she was lying?”
“No.”
“Why? Because you still want to believe she isn’t lying? Even with all the evidence against her?”
“I know she’s lying. I know the guy was never involved with her. But to admit that to her, to tell her I see through all her scams and sham boyfriends means I have to admit that I don’t trust her and never will again. I was all she had when her father finally snapped. He got slapped with a restraining order, and we got stuck with another ‘father’ who only saw us as pawns. We were alone. I learned quick how to use the stove and not burn myself.”
“You aren’t helping her. You’re enabling her.”
She reached down and picked up her scarf. “This secret will tear us apart.”
“Have some faith in me?” His voice was near a roar.
She pushed down the lump in her throat. “It’s me who lacks faith. I finally find a man I can trust and possibly love, and I can’t ever have you.”
Melody Anne's Billionaire Universe_The Billionaire Trap Page 3
