“I only have money. I have no investments. No homes other than the one we’re currently living— Did you say homes?” Tru grinned and nodded at him. “You’re getting way too much enjoyment out of this, just so you know.”
“Look. I tried to tell you several times, and you just nodded and moved on with what you were doing at the time. It’s not that big of a deal.” He just looked at her. “Okay, it is a great deal of money. And I’ve worked very hard for it. It was in my head that I wanted to be able to purchase whatever I wanted when I wanted it. But after looking around at the stuff that is out there, none of it really appealed to me as much as I wanted it to. The houses? Well, they’re an investment. I rent them out to people after they pass a very rigorous background check. As for things? I found a couple of things I wanted when I first started this idea. But after thinking about it, which I do for everything I do, I decided that really, I didn’t want it as bad as I thought I should. I liked having money in the bank more than I did having things in my place that gathered dust and cobwebs. Until I met you and moved in, I never even owned a plant, much less some of the things I’m enjoying getting with you.”
“We have four rooms in the house right now that have nothing in them except a few pieces of my work and a box or two. Why do we even have a large house?” She said it was nice to have the room. “Okay. That’s exactly what I thought when I purchased it. Room. You have enough money that we could buy an island and live there without having anything around.” He eyed her. “You own an island, don’t you?”
“Yes, but it’s not a very big one.” He growled at her, and she laughed. Again, he thought she was having way too much fun with this. “Look. Would you rather we were barely making it from check to check? Or do you like knowing if there is something you need, you can have someone bring it to you? We also have a lot of money going to charities as well as shelters around the world. We now own a few companies that do nothing but send products to places in need. Two companies help people get back up on their feet after a disaster. There are places we own that teach adults how to read and write. We don’t just have money, Houston, but we have an empire that is out to help a great many people that might not have had the wherewithal or the knowledge to get started on making a better life for themselves.”
When Melrose returned, he told them the name of the bank they would be working with. He explained why he was there, to help them put the money in the correct names and places, and to make sure what they were doing was legal. Mostly, he was there to make sure the banker, the one that had left, knew what he was doing.
“Which, I’m so glad he left us. I don’t think he’s ever seen this much money being handled before.” Tru said she’d told him that. “I understand, Mrs. Robinson. But there aren’t that many people around that can boast of having this much ready cash. Three, perhaps four others, but they’re beneath you by quite a bit.”
“You mean she’s the richest of all the people you work with?” Melrose told him no. That they were the richest people in the world. “The world? I think I need to lean over again.”
He didn’t, but he didn’t feel any better by the time they were signing paperwork. He didn’t like it, but after a little while, he simply tuned out what amounts they were talking about and signed his name where he’d been told. Tru seemed to not just know how to make money, but how to invest it as well. Melrose told them when he was finished, the bank they were with now would insure them completely. Houston didn’t ask what that meant. He had enough going on in his head.
When they were finished, he wheeled Tru out into the sunshine. It had become a favorite pastime of his, to sit outside and let the sun heat up his face. When Tru leaned back and closed her eyes, he sat there for several minutes, just looking at her. She turned to ask him what was wrong.
“Nothing. Nothing at all. We have a great deal of money.” She nodded and told him she was glad he was finally on board. “I am. I would like to do something if you don’t mind. I’d like to pay off my parents’ mortgage. Just that for now, but I’d like to do that.”
“That’s a wonderful idea, Houston. But as I’ve said to you several times already today, it’s not just my money. There is plenty enough there that whatever you do with it will barely be missed by me. I mean, I’ll see it—I do go over everything all the time. However, you don’t need to ask me for anything. You see a need, then you can take care of it. I love you. I want you to be as comfortable with the money as you seem to be with me. Or for that matter, you want something, then that’s what the money is there for. To get things that will make both our lives better.”
“No one knows how much you’re worth, do they?” She told him her dad did, but she didn’t think he believed her. “No, I would bet he didn’t. I bet if he’d seen the paperwork I saw today, he would have continued to think it was a joke even now. I don’t anymore. You—we have money. A great deal of it.”
“I’d like to take a long trip when I’m out of this thing. I’m ready for you to change me too. I know we haven’t talked about it. Changing me into a tiger like you are would have had me up and around already. And I’d be much stronger to take any kind of hit too.” He told her he’d love to do that when she was stronger. “Yes. I was talking to your mom, and she told me with me being so freshly hurt, it might make the change faster, but it might also weaken me more than I already am. I can wait.”
When the limo came around the corner to pick the two of them up, he wheeled her to the side of it and picked Tru up in his arms. Kissing her, something he’d wanted to do for a few hours now, he looked at her when he pulled away.
“There is no one or anything in this world that I love more than you, Tru. I will love you until the day we’re gone and beyond. You are my everything.” She kissed him again. “Let’s make arrangements to go on that long trip. I’m thinking we could leave in about three weeks. You should be up and around by then. All right?”
“Yes. Then I’m going to show you the world. And what having money can do for you when you travel.”
He laughed as he slipped her into the limo. Joining her there, she handed him a wrapped gift. Taking it from her, thinking he should have gotten her something too, he laughed when he pulled out the keys for a car. A big enough one, she told him to carry her ass around.
Christ, he loved this woman.
Before You Go…
Share your voice and help guide other readers to these wonderful books. Even if it’s only a line or two your reviews help readers discover the author’s books so they can continue creating stories that you’ll love. Login to your favorite retailer and leave a review. Thank you.
Kathi Barton, a winner of the Pinnacle Book Achievement award as well as a best-selling author on Amazon and All Romance books, lives in Nashport, Ohio, with her husband, Paul. When not creating new worlds and romance, Kathi and her husband enjoy camping and going to auctions. She can also be seen at county fairs with her husband, who is an artist and potter.
Her muse, a cross between Jimmy Stewart and Hugh Jackman, brings her stories to life for her readers in a way that has them coming back time and again for more. Her favorite genre is paranormal romance, with a great deal of spice. You can visit Kathi online and drop her an email if you’d like. She loves hearing from her fans. [email protected].
Follow Kathi on her blog: http://kathisbartonauthor.blogspot.com/
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
hive.
Houston: Robinson Destruction – Paranormal Tiger Shifter Romance Page 15
