Mr. Cocky (London Billionaire #1)

by Nana Malone

  Lex just laughed. “Sure. Whatever you say.”

  His brother studied him as they left his office and took the back hall to the staff parking lot. “So, what’s with you?”

  Lex shoved his hands into his pockets and kept his gaze looking ahead. He didn’t need Xander probing into the dark recesses of his mind. “Nothing. Why do you ask?”

  Xander dropped his camera bag in the boot, then strolled around to the driver’s side of his Pagani Huayra. “Seriously, Alexi? You seem to forget it’s my job to study the nuances of human features and emotion then capture those moments.”

  Lex wasn’t in the mood for his brother’s attempts at psychoanalysis. He carefully opened the passenger door of the Huayra. The car was both the fastest and the flashiest of Xander’s vehicles. Lex preferred to run around in something more subtle, but his brother liked the attention. Although, Lex had to admit, the thing was cool.

  “I’m not biting, Xander. Let it go.”

  “I can’t. It’s written all over your face. The tight set of your mouth. When you smile, it doesn’t quite reach your eyes. Your body has a rigidity to it. Especially in your shoulders. Like you’re poised and ready to take action on something. Not to mention you’re fidgety as hell.”

  Lex immediately stopped playing with the hem on his hoodie. “I am not fidgety.”

  “Come on. Why don’t you just tell me what it is? Is it Gemma?”

  Lex was careful to keep his voice neutral. “When did you become an agony aunt? I’m fine.”

  Xander narrowed his eyes and studied him as they came to the stop sign at the campus exit. “No, it’s not Gemma, but it is a woman. Go ahead and tell me I’m wrong.”

  “You’re wrong.” He kept his face averted toward the window. Maybe dinner with his brother had been a bad idea.

  “You forget I know you better than anyone. Who is she?”

  Lex dropped his head against the headrest. “She’s no one. Just a girl. I don’t even know her name.” But as luck would have it, he’d seen her with Max’s girlfriend. So if he was so inclined he could track her down.

  Xander shook his head. “See, I’ve got the skills of a detective. Maybe when this photography thing is over I should join Scotland Yard. Screw that I’m going big. MI-6 all the way.”

  Despite himself, Lex laughed. “You’re full of shit.”

  “Maybe, but I figured out some woman is tying you in knots. Gemma got a clue?”

  Xander was the only one who knew the truth behind his relationship with Gemma. And he thought Lex was insane to go along with it. “There’s nothing to tell Gemma. I haven’t done anything. And I’m not going to.” He said through ground teeth. He couldn’t pursue it. He wanted it too much.

  “Yeah right. You’ve got the look of a man on a tight string.” His brother shook his head as he easily navigated the streets of Ealing on his way to the motorway. “Though I have to say, I like this look on you.”

  Lex frowned. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “Oh, I dunno. I feel like you’ve used your relationship with Gemma as an excuse to never get close to anyone. Sure you have a discrete dalliance here, a hot fling there, but you’ve never had to be in a real relationship. With someone you care about, who would actually have to get to know the real you.”

  “Shut it, Xander.”

  His brother laughed. “Why? Because I’m telling you the truth? You are avoiding intimacy because you’re afraid of what you’ll have to show and share. It’s classic.”

  Lex rolled his eyes. “Oh, I’m the one with love issues? Says the man who goes through women like you’ve heard there will be a store closing on them or something.”

  Xander grinned. “I do love women. But we weren’t talking about me. Besides, I’ve turned over a new leaf. Women are to be treated with respect. We were talking about you and some woman getting under your skin. It’s a good look for you.”

  “Wow, Xan, I had no idea you were such a romantic.” He eyed his brother again. “Shit, you’re not sleeping with another one of your students, are you?”

  Xander’s eyes bugged. “No! Hell no. I learned my lesson the first time.”

  Lex laughed. “You know they have those rules for a reason.”

  “I said I’m not fucking sleeping with her.”

  “Her, so there’s a her?”

  Xander cursed. “No. I have a student. She’s promising, that’s it.”

  “And you want to sleep with her.”

  “No. Damn it. I want to teach her.”

  Lex had to laugh. “Exactly what do you want to teach her, Xan?”

  “Shut up, Baby Brother.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

  Xander was quiet for several moments before he quietly said, “The old man called me. Or rather had Mum call me.”

  “Fucking fantastic. Whose side are you on, Xander?”

  “Yours. Always yours.”

  Lex glared at his brother. “Then why are you pushing his agenda?”

  “I’m not. I swear. I personally think you should tell the geezer to fuck off like I did. I just worry he’ll pull the trigger on his threat.”

  “Well, he’s welcome to. In a few weeks, I won’t need his money.”

  “It’s more than money you’re walking away from, Lex. It’s not always easy to do. I wouldn’t think any less of you if you took his deal.”

  Blood boiled under Lex’s skin. “After everything that happened, you think I’d take the easy way out? I don’t want anything from him.”

  “And everything comes back to that.”

  Lex ground his teeth. “Of course it comes back to that. We were kids Xan. He was supposed to love us and instead he treated us like we’d tarnished his good name.”

  “Never said he wasn’t a prick.”

  “Well, I want nothing from that prick. I knew that night he didn’t give a shit about us.”

  His brother nodded. “Also true. That night changed everything, but we survived.”

  Had they? Lex didn’t feel like he’d survived. He felt like a storm battered buoy most of the time. “It was a hell of a price to pay.”

  Xander nodded slowly. “Just as long as you understand what that will mean for you.”

  “Yeah, it will mean my freedom.”

  33

  Dinner with his brother had gone infinitely better once they stopped talking about their father. Though, Lex knew next time he’d have to lay off the Scotch. It had been two days and he still hadn’t fully recovered.

  His skin buzzed, his brain was foggy, and his focus was shot to hell. But that could easily be because he knew he was about to see his mystery girl again. His blood rushed just thinking of having her in his arms again.

  When Max had told him to pop ‘round he mentioned Sophie was having some friends around too. He prayed her friend included the American girl. And just like that, the force of the gravitational pull was too strong to ignore. Lex knew he had it bad. He didn’t even know her name and he was a total sap.

  He tried to focus on what the hell Jasper was saying but his brain could only focus on the sounds of Sophie and her friends as they walked in the door. Sophie bounded in with her usual energy, her friends in tow.

  She greeted him with a hug. “Hey Lex. I wanted you to meet my friends, Abbie and Tamsin.”

  So at last he had a name. Lex forced himself to smile and mutter a greeting to Tamsin as he kissed her on both cheeks. When he turned his attention to Abbie, he steeled himself for the current of electricity.

  She met his gaze with a sheepish smile and said, “Actually, Sophie, we’ve already met. Sort of.”

  Lex cleared his throat. “Abbie, it’s nice to meet you, officially.” He shouldn’t touch her again, but he knew if he didn’t, he’d probably regret it the rest of the night. Stepping forward, he took her hand and kissed her twice on the cheek. He took note of her stiff posture again. Yeah, she was definitely not comfortable with touching. He slowly let out a breath before backing away.
Her lemony shampoo made his nose tingle. He ached to keep her in his hold. He was in trouble. A shit load of trouble.

  “Earth to Lex, pay attention, mate. This is your birthday, after all. And we’ve got a week to make it epic,” Max muttered.

  Lex rolled his head and tried to massage his neck. “I’m not sure what you need me for. I told you my criteria. I really don’t want it to be seedy. No surprises and no strippers. I want to know what’s coming.”

  As Sophie chatted with her friends, his gaze kept wandering in Abbie’s direction. The memory of her pressed up against him, melting into his arms, snuck into his frontal lobe. And the memory alone was enough to trigger a kick of lust to his groin.

  Jasper, relentless flirt that he was, lost focus on the birthday plans and hit on the girls instead. Specifically Abbie. Lex couldn’t help the pang of jealousy as Jasper turned a full watt grin on her.

  “You’re looking beautiful as always, ladies. Especially you, Abbie.”

  Tamsin just laughed and shook her head. Abbie blinked at Jasper once, then twice, then said, “Do these cheap lines really work on girls?”

  Jasper frowned. “Yes, usually.”

  Abbie shook her head. “I’m not sure why. They could use a dose of sincerity.”

  Lex grinned. So she wasn’t shy or afraid to call things as she saw them. He liked her even more.

  Jasper clutched both hands over his heart and pretended to die. “You wound me. That’s okay though. I have thick skin, and I’m not giving up.”

  There was no way Lex was letting Jasper hold too much of her attention. He smiled at Abbie and asked, “Did you girls have fun at the club the other night?”

  Under her flawless dark skin, he noted a shade of pink. Good, maybe he had her thinking about their dance.

  Abbie stuttered, “Y-yeah, it was fun. I had no idea Jasper was such a good DJ.”

  Fantastic. He’d given her the opening to give Jasper a compliment. Moron.

  “What’s this about no strippers?” Sophie asked.

  Max rolled his eyes. “Lex doesn’t want strippers at his party. We’re trying to convince him he’s got to do it.”

  Abbie met his gaze as she slid into a chair between Tamsin and Jasper. “Why don’t you want strippers? Aren’t you supposed to want strippers?”

  Nick guffawed. “See, Abbie speaks sense. You’re a man. There should be naked women there.”

  “I prefer any naked women I’m around to be there because they want to be, not because they are allegedly working their way through University or something.”

  Abbie laughed and the sound filled his head. “What are you going to have if not strippers?”

  Wow, someone who actually cared what he wanted. “Maybe a little poker, some music. Something low key.”

  Max tossed a pen at him. “No way, no how, Lex. It’s your twenty-fifth birthday. It has to be fun. You can be mellow after this party, but for the meantime, Jasper and Nick and I will plan it.”

  “Any chance I’m going to escape it?”

  “Nope,” Max said with a grin.

  “Fine, I give up.” Through his peripheral vision he watched as the girls headed up to one of the bedrooms. Try as he might, he couldn’t keep his mind focused on the conversation. Eventually, the guys stopped including him and just talked football.

  His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he frowned the moment he pulled it out. His father had been calling all day. If he didn’t answer now, there was no way the old man would stop. “I’ll just grab this on the patio.”

  No one paid him any attention as he headed up the stairs to the living room then out onto the patio. “What’s the problem?”

  His father’s voice was terse. “Did you speak to your brother?”

  Damn it, could he get fucking peace from the man? His mind went to a point in his life when he’d needed the old man and how his father hadn’t made the time for him. But now when he wanted something, it was all Lex could do to get away from him.

  “Yes, I did. I also thought I made it clear that you’d have a decision after my birthday, not before.”

  “What is there to think about? It’s not as if you’ll forgo the money you’ve gotten so used to. I have a problem I need you to address in Japan in a few days. You’ll need–”

  “No.” Lex kept his voice controlled, but anger simmered under his skin. He hated how his father treated him like a foregone conclusion. “I’m not going to Japan. I’m not going anywhere until my decision is made.” If he told his father to shove it up his ass now, the old man would know something was up. His assumption that Lex wouldn’t give up money was right, at least partly. If his father got wind of the sale, he would move heaven and earth to stop it, and Lex wasn’t going to let that happen.

  “You’re walking a tightrope. Your birthday is in a few days.”

  “And you said I had until my birthday to decide, so I’m taking the time.” Lex hung up before his father could say anything else. Even talking to the old man for five minutes was enough to make his temper bubble over.

  A voice from his left startled him. “Everything okay?”

  Abbie. The anger morphed into something else far more dangerous. “Shit, I didn’t know you were out here.”

  She ducked her head as she stepped out of the shadows. “Yeah, sorry. We both had the same idea.” She held up her phone. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”

  Lex shook his head. “Just family drama.”

  Her smile was rueful as she spoke. “Tell me about it.”

  She shifted toward the balcony door, and his mind searched for something else to say to prolong the conversation. “How’s the camera?”

  Her brows knotted together then rose as she tilted her head.

  “Your camera? I figure since I was its knight in shining armor, I should ask after it. After all, I nearly died performing its rescue.”

  She laughed, and Lex felt like he’d been lit up from the inside.

  “Yeah, it’s good. You know, it was a tough ordeal. But with a little therapy and some new filters for medication, she’ll be all right.”

  “Glad to hear it.” His fingers itched to touch her again, but he knew better even if she did welcome the touch, he needed to stay very far away from her. A girl like her would tear him up inside. He knew what he was. And once she found out the same, she’d run for the hills. He was better off staying away. “Next you’re going to tell me she has a name.”

  Abbie grinned and took two steps toward him. Hell, if she came any closer, he’d forget about his damned don’t touch her rule.

  “I call her the badass money maker.”

  He laughed. “Are you serious?”

  “Of course. I’ve taken all my best photos with her. I have another two cameras, but they don’t seem to do it the same way she does.”

  He held up his hands. “Okay, okay. Fair enough. Bad ass money maker it is.” He rubbed his jaw. “My brother’s a photographer, and I don’t think he names his cameras. His other appendages yeah, but never his cameras.” The moment he’d let it slip abut Xander he wanted to bite his tongue off. He prayed she didn’t ask if she might have seen his work. Lex didn’t need her going all starry-eyed once she knew about the infamous half of the Chase brothers.

  Abbie cocked her head. “You can’t mock her name. I like it. Besides, your name is Lex. Please tell me your parents had a sick sense of humor and your last name is Luther. That would be perfect.”

  “A Superman lover, I see.” Well, wasn’t she full of surprises? “And Mum and Dad do not have a sense of humor, thank God. It’s Chase, actually. Alexi Chase.”

  Abbie frowned “Is Chase a common surname?”

  He inclined his head. “Common enough. I suppose it’s like the surname Smith. Why?”

  She shook her head. “No reason.” She studied him carefully. “Anyway, I like it. Alexi sounds Russian.”

  “My maternal grandmother is Russian. Grandfather was half Turkish and half British.” He cleared his throat and watched her
carefully. She tucked one of her braids behind her ear and he longed to touch her. Who was he kidding? He couldn’t be casual with her, and he couldn’t let her get too close and see him for who he really was, so his only option was to stay away from her. He could try to be good.

  “I think I prefer Alexi.”

  “And is Abbie short for Abigail?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “No. It’s Abena. Abena Nartey.”

  He cocked his head. “Beautiful, like its owner.”

  She ducked her head. “Uhm, thanks. I guess I should be grateful I wasn’t born on a less attractive sounding day.”

  He furrowed his brow. “I don’t understand.”

  “Like Sophie, I’m from Ghana. My name means born on Tuesday.”

  “What a coincidence, Tuesday is my favorite day of the week.”

  She laughed. “You’re almost as bad as Jasper now.”

  “Oh, ouch. I like to think I bring my own flair.” He liked her. Enough to ignore the warning bells clanging in his skull. When she was relaxed, she was funny and sarcastic and kept him on his toes.

  “Well, if it’s any consolation, I think you’re probably a better dancer.”

  “Hell, yes. I can give you another demonstration anytime you like.”

  Her gaze snapped to his, and a smile tugged at her lips. “I uhm, thought I already repaid my debt.”

  “You did. This dance would just be because it’s fun.” Maybe he was pushing his luck. Maybe she’d scurry away again at a moment’s notice.

  But she didn’t. He lost track of how long they stayed outside talking about nothing in particular. But he sure as hell didn’t plan on leaving before she did.

  It wasn’t until Tamsin called her name from somewhere inside the house that she excused herself.

  “Duty calls. I guess I’ll see you around, Alexi.”

  Oh, hell. The way she said his name held him transfixed. Abena Nartey was going to be a problem.

  34

  When Lex opened the door to the barge on the morning of his party, he stood stunned for several seconds.