The Billionaire's Secrets (The Sinclairs Book 6)

by J. S. Scott

All of this . . . the entire night . . . had been mapped out just to make me happy. More than the actual events, which had been spectacular, the thought was the part that touched me so deeply.

  Xander was an incredible man.

  Time had slipped away so quickly. I realized we were almost at the end of the summer. Xander was back into his music, and he wrote every single day while I was working on my book. He’d do fine with a small performance in Amesport.

  Technically, I’d accomplished what I’d wanted to achieve with him. We’d become close, and Xander had found the path to heal himself.

  I’d also made my own peace with all of the traumatic events of my past. Not that I’d ever completely get over any of them, but I was able to move on without my past haunting me anymore.

  My hand instinctively went to the teardrop around my neck, a piece of jewelry I never removed. It always reminded me that love really did never die. I’d care about my parents and my family until I breathed my last breath. But I also knew I could now live my own life without them, and honor them in any way that I could in the future.

  I wasn’t sure what Xander was thinking. Neither one of us had broken our agreement to just enjoy being in the moment, and decide everything else later. But our deal was eating at me, and I was worried how my life would be without him in it.

  I swallowed hard and tried to push it from my mind. I loved him, but if he didn’t end up feeling the same way, I’d be crushed into a million tiny little pieces.

  I loved him just that much.

  This wasn’t the way I’d planned things when I’d made the move to come to Amesport, but I was beginning to learn that not everything was certain. I was a planner, a woman who had everything mapped out for her future. Maybe that was boring, but it was the way I’d always handled my life. Probably because I needed some semblance of control after some of the chaos of my earlier years.

  No, I hadn’t planned on Xander. But loving him was one of the best things that had ever happened to me.

  Good or bad.

  Together or not together.

  I just couldn’t regret what had happened over the summer.

  Maybe it wouldn’t be easy if we had to part ways. But I’d hang on to the experience for the rest of my life.

  “What are you thinking about?” Xander asked curiously.

  I closed my eyes and wallowed in the sensations of his warm breath across my neck, his arms tightly around me, and the feel of his hard body supporting mine. “Nothing really important. I was enjoying the view. It’s gorgeous up here. I’ve actually never seen it at night.”

  “What in the hell did you do when you lived in New York?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “Went to school. Worked. Went to cheap places to eat that still had good food. And I made a hobby of visiting bakeries for cake,” I answered.

  I never lied to Xander, but I wasn’t about to tell him I’d been thinking about us parting at the end of summer. The last thing I wanted was to ruin the most perfect night I’d ever experienced.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  “Yes.” I turned around and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Thank you. This night has been perfect.”

  His head lowered, and I trembled as his mouth met mine. I tried to show him everything I couldn’t say in one special kiss.

  He lingered over the embrace, nibbling on my lower lip and then laying a succession of gentle kisses on my mouth.

  When he took my hand and led me to the elevator, I walked in a haze of bliss.

  It was late when we entered the limo for the last time, the ride that would take us back to the penthouse.

  “I almost don’t want this night to end,” I murmured against his shoulder.

  “Samantha,” he growled in the darkness, his arms wrapping tightly around me. “I can’t last another minute without being inside you.”

  My channel clenched painfully, and as Xander’s mouth came crashing down on mine, heat flooded my core, and we ended up almost clawing at each other to try to get the connection we craved.

  He kissed, caressed, and nipped at my skin, lowering the shoulder of my dress until it fell in a pool around my waist. I moaned as his mouth roughly connected with one of my pebbled nipples, the sensation nearly painful as he laved over it with his tongue.

  It was dark in the back of the limo, and the driver had closed the screen between us and him. Still, I couldn’t believe I was getting hot and heavy in a car.

  Xander explored with his hand, finally reaching under the material of my dress to find the heat he was seeking.

  “Christ, Sam. You’re so wet,” he rasped as his fingers moved the flimsy material of my panties so he could caress across my slit and into my drenched heat.

  “Xander,” I panted as he connected with my clit, stroking over it until I was ready to sob with frustration. “More!”

  I forgot that I was in the back of a car on a crowded New York City street. I forgot about everything except Xander, and how much I had to be elementally, carnally connected to him.

  One hard yank eliminated my flimsy panties and gave Xander access to my bare pussy so he could continue to stroke and tease, driving me half out of my mind.

  I reached for his cock, desperate to free him. My hand could only wrap around the hard outline of his member, and I shivered with frustration. “I need you, Xander. Now. Right now.”

  “Down,” he growled, lowering me to the carpeted floor. “I need to be as deep as I can get.”

  I stayed in the kneeling position he wanted, trembling as I felt clothing brush against my ass.

  “Hold on,” he warned.

  Nothing prepared me for the force of his thrust as he entered me from behind, his cock buried to the root.

  “Oh, God. Yes. Hard, Xander. I need it hard.” I wanted it rough, passionate, and animalistic. I craved his possession, and I wanted him to claim me like he meant it.

  “You aren’t going to have much choice,” he rumbled. “I need this.”

  He grasped my hips and started a punishing rhythm as he drilled in and out of my sheath, burying himself deeply with every entry.

  The only sound in the back of the limo was the sound of our harsh breathing, our skin slapping, and our sounds of satisfaction as we both neared our peak.

  “You have to come, baby. I can’t last any longer this time,” he grunted, his hand moving from my hip to my belly and down to the place where we were joined.

  I splintered apart almost from the second he stroked a finger across the sensitive bundle of nerves that were throbbing for attention.

  Thankfully, Xander slapped a hand over my mouth as I went to scream, probably worried that the limo driver would think he was killing me.

  My climax flowed over me in a torrent, and milked Xander of his own release.

  We panted as we spiraled down. Xander placed a gentle kiss to my temple, then pulled me up as he started rearranging my clothing.

  “Sorry. The panties are done for and in my pocket,” he answered without remorse.

  I smoothed my hand down my wrinkled dress and actually giggled. “I’m glad I can’t see. I’m sure I look like I just got fucked in the back of a limo.”

  As we slowed to a stop, I realized that we hadn’t left much time to spare.

  “I hope you had a pleasant ride home, Mr. Sinclair,” the chauffeur said in a stuffy voice.

  Xander slid out and offered his hand to me. “It was fine. Thank you.”

  “Miss.” The driver nodded as I stumbled out of the vehicle.

  “It was a nice ride. Very stimulating,” I shared with the chauffeur, biting my lip to keep from laughing.

  Xander slipped the man a tip, and grabbed my hand. We were both laughing as we tripped happily toward the penthouse, so wrapped up into each other that we barely knew anyone else existed.

  CHAPTER 31

  SAMANTHA

  “You don’t have to do this, Xander. You’ve proven to yourself that you can go back to your music any time that you want.”<
br />
  My plea was uttered in fear as we stood in the tiny backstage area of the temporary platform at the fairgrounds.

  Had I pushed too hard to get him performing again when all I really wanted was for him to find his creativity?

  Now that I heard the thundering sound of the local band who was performing before Xander on the outdoor stage, I wasn’t absolutely certain I’d done the right thing.

  It was Labor Day weekend, and the crowds were horrific for a small town. The show and the traveling carnival at the fairgrounds had brought in a horde of last-minute visitors to the coast.

  Not to mention the fact that there were rumors that Xander Sinclair was going to perform a few songs for the very first time in years.

  I wasn’t sure how word had traveled. The appearance should have been spontaneous. Nevertheless, we’d all heard rumblings around town for the last week, and it was evident that fans were expecting his performance. None of Xander’s family would have revealed the secret. It had to have been spread from the few organizers who knew he might be here.

  I let out a sigh of relief as the last chord of the band on stage died out.

  “Don’t worry,” Xander said as he adjusted the strap of his guitar. “It’s not like I haven’t played to a hell of a lot bigger crowds than this.”

  I looked at him, uncommonly unable to gauge his mood. He’d been quiet most of the day, but I’d attributed that to his concentration on practicing in his studio for this evening.

  Now I was having misgivings, pretty sure I might be more nervous than he was.

  I’d forgotten about the noise.

  I hadn’t expected this big of a crowd in such a small area.

  “I know. But you didn’t choose this,” I said loud enough to be heard over the rumbling of the crowd. “I did.”

  He grinned at me. “Samantha, I’m good. As long as I can see you out there, I’ll be fine. I’ll just pretend I’m singing for you.”

  My heart clenched. “Are you sure?”

  He nodded and leaned over to kiss me on the forehead. “I’m getting used to the noise and the crowds. The more I go out there, the less it bothers me.”

  I grabbed both sides of his face and planted a kiss on his mouth. “Okay. Then go. The audience is waiting.”

  Xander headed out to the stage as I flew down the makeshift stairs, tripping over my feet as I tried to rush back to a seat.

  Dammit! I cursed in my mind as my body hit the ground, stunned for a moment because I’d landed on my back and gotten the wind knocked out of me.

  I sucked in a breath. And then another. As I finally sat up, I saw Xander enter the stage to a crowd of cheers that was nearly deafening.

  That’s when the fireworks started.

  Pop! Pop! Pop!

  I panicked as I realized that they were so close because they were part of Xander’s introduction, exploding right behind him in a beautiful array of colors. Or they would be . . . if I wasn’t so terrified because they sounded so much like gunshots.

  I raced for the front of the stage, my eyes never leaving Xander as I saw that he was hesitating.

  His gaze was looking around frantically, and I knew he was trying to find me.

  As my ass landed in one of the folding chairs in the front row, I realized that we weren’t close enough.

  The entire first line of chairs, which was occupied by me and all of Xander’s family, was far enough back from the stage that the spotlight wasn’t illuminating me in the crowd.

  Kristin was seated next to me, and I said in an anxious voice, “He can’t see us. And he was fine until they brought out the damn fireworks.”

  Watching Xander struggle for composure was killing me. He’d done a long, hard battle, and I’d be damned before I’d let him fail just because of some unexpected circumstances.

  I hopped up and tore down the fragile tape that was meant to keep the area clear in front of the stage. Once I knew I was in the spotlight, I stood on the grass, waving my arms at the hesitating man on stage.

  “Look at me, Xander. Just me. Don’t go back. Stay here with me,” I whispered frantically.

  His eyes finally met mine, and I locked on to his and wouldn’t let go.

  Xander’s family moved in a wave of bodies from the front row to stand beside me, every one of his cousins, his brothers, and their wives forming the first wave of faces he could see when he looked out at the crowd. Like me, not a single one of them had any issues tearing down the fragile barriers to stand up for this member of their family who had fought for so long to come to this particular day.

  “He’ll be fine,” Kristin said in my ear. “The stupid fireworks are done, and he can see we’re here to support him now.”

  Xander nodded to me subtly, letting me know he was present in the moment, and then started his first number, the song he wrote for me.

  I gradually relaxed and got lost in the music. Xander’s former band had moved on to other things, but he’d hired some local musicians to back him up, and the performance was magical. At least it was for me.

  Tears flowed down my cheeks, and as I gazed down the row of faces, none of the Sinclair women were holding back their emotions, every one of them crying just like me.

  Xander was nearly whole, although he’d probably always have his quirks from his traumatic past. But he was right. The more he exposed himself to the world, the better he’d become at conquering his reactions. When I looked at him, all I saw was a beloved man who had hit rock bottom, then slowly clawed his way back up again.

  I loved him for his strength.

  I loved him for his kindness.

  And, well, if he was more cynical than he used to be, he’d damn well earned the right to be that way.

  Life completely sucked sometimes, and some people got that more than others. But there were times—like this one—that were made so much sweeter because of all of the pain.

  As the last note died down, and the crowd roared, Kristin turned to me with her face swollen with tears. “That was amazing. That was Xander. Thank you, Sam. You’ll never know how much it’s meant to Julian and Micah to get their brother back.”

  Kristin threw her arms around me, and I hugged her back. “It wasn’t me. It was him,” I said in her ear. “He’s stronger than he thinks he is. He always has been.”

  She gave me a tremulous smile and nodded as she let me go, then turned to hug her husband.

  Micah and Julian headed toward the stage, and I hung back to give the brothers time to talk. Xander deserved this time with his brothers, and he needed all the encouragement that I knew Micah and Julian would give him.

  I waited for the crowd to clear out and go rejoin the other festivities at the Labor Day Fair, chatting with the Sinclair women as the male cousins, Hope, and Jason all went to congratulate Xander on his performance.

  “Is he planning on going back to performing?” Kristin asked in a normal tone of voice as most of the people had left the now-darkened stage.

  I shrugged. “I’m not certain. He said he was getting tired of being on the road, so I’m not sure where he’ll go from here. He mentioned the possibility of opening his own record label, but he hasn’t pursued it yet. But music is a big part of his life. He’s not going to leave it in the background anymore.”

  “We want him to stay here,” Tessa commented from her place beside Kristin.

  Kristin added, “We hope you’re planning on staying, too.”

  I didn’t want to explain my bargain with Xander, and that as of right now, I had no idea whether we were parting, or if there was a future for us. “I’m not sure what’s happening right now,” I told the two women honestly.

  “I’ve watched you all summer,” Kristin said. “I’m not sure what your life was like in New York, but you fit here, Sam. You belong with Xander, and Amesport is where you need to be. I’ve never seen you kicking for more action, or missing the bright lights and the big city. And even if you did, Xander could take you anywhere.”

  “Are you t
rying to convince me?” I asked with a weak smile.

  Kristin and Tessa both nodded emphatically.

  “You don’t have to,” I confessed. “I love Xander. I love his family. And I love Amesport. But you have to understand the trauma he’s been through—”

  “You helped him conquer that,” Tessa interrupted. “This is about how you feel about each other now.”

  “We’ll see,” I answered vaguely. “Let’s go see the superstar.”

  Kristin and Tessa joined me, and I knew the other Sinclair women wouldn’t be far behind. They were chatting in pairs or in groups.

  When I thought about it, it was mind boggling just how many Sinclairs were now residing here in this small town.

  The three of us carefully climbed the stairs, but I stopped abruptly at the curtain that separated us from the men as I heard arguing.

  “I’m not going to do another contract or agreement with Sam. That isn’t what I want. It was okay while I was still recovering and I needed her help. But I’m a hell of a lot stronger now, and I don’t want it. I’m done with her being tied to me. She needs to be free to go.”

  It was Xander’s voice, Xander’s bellow that wafted through the air and punched me straight in the heart.

  I felt Kristin grip my arm gently, probably in sympathy.

  “It’s okay,” I whispered quietly. “I knew this might happen. Xander is getting better, and sometimes feelings change.”

  He’s getting his life back. He doesn’t want or need me anymore. I was always well aware that this could happen. I knew it.

  But I had just never wanted to imagine how painful it would be when and if it did.

  I turned and awkwardly took the stairs, then started to run.

  I wasn’t sure where I was going, or what I was doing.

  Honestly, it didn’t matter, because my heart was torn to shreds, and I knew I was never going to be able to put it back together ever again.

  CHAPTER 32

  XANDER

  There was no fucking way I was going to make some other kind of contract or agreement with Samantha. Not unless it was a fucking marriage license that would land us together for the rest of our goddamn lives.