The Billionaire's Matchmaker: An Indulgence Anthology (Entangled Indulgence)

by Barbara Wallace

  “There’s something I meant to ask you this afternoon,” Nick said once they’d resumed walking. “How exactly did you end up with Charlie anyway? I know you said Ms. Wilson got married, but that was months ago. Her husband’s done some work for my company,” he added before she could ask.

  “Long story. It started when Gabby decided to take a road trip with T.J.” She relayed the entire story, from when Gabby and T.J. fell in love, through Marney needing a guard dog, to their friend Mia marrying Charlie’s vet. “Three weddings later, here I am dog sitting while they bask in newlywed bliss.”

  “Aren’t you the good friend.”

  “More like the single one. By choice,” she added, in case he thought her bitter about her friends’ good fortune. “Marriage isn’t really on my radar.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Little personal, don’t you think?”

  “You’re the one who made the statement.”

  Yes, she did, only she’d hoped he wouldn’t ask her to elaborate. How did she explain?

  “Let’s just say some people just aren’t meant to have relationships. They are…” Unlovable. “Not cut out for them.”

  Nick didn’t reply right away and Jenny wondered if she said too much. If she did, it was his fault. He asked the impossible question.

  Finally, he nodded. “I understand.”

  “You do?”

  “Sure. Some people are meant to fall in love and get married, others are meant to be alone. Though I have to admit, I find it hard to believe a woman like you could ever be in the second category.”

  His compliment washed warm over her. “You don’t even know me,” she said, looking to the ground.

  “True. And I haven’t always been the best judge of character.”

  Did he mean his fiancée? Jenny noticed he suddenly sounded very weary, like his shoulders bore the weight of the world. Perhaps she’d been wrong to think him coldhearted.

  “One of the reasons I like dogs is because they don’t ask for anything but for you to love them,” she found herself saying. “They don’t care who you are or where you came from. Love them, and they’re yours forever. Unconditionally.”

  “Now I’m definitely keeping Charlie.”

  “Looking for a little unconditional love, are we?”

  “Something like that.”

  “Aren’t we all?” Jenny recognized the loneliness in his answer. It reminded her of the longing she kept tucked deep inside her heart. All her life she’d wished for someone to want her, truly want her, and it was when that longing grew too unbearable that she made her most questionable decisions. Was Nick lonely, too? Was that the reason she found herself suddenly wanting to reach out and hold his hand? To connect?

  Ahead through the trees, Jenny could see the lights of the main house shining through the branches. “I didn’t realize we’d walked so far,” she remarked. “Lulu and I have a hike back ahead of us.”

  They stopped at a split in the path. It was, Jenny noted, one of the darkest points on their journey. Nick was more enveloped by shadows than ever. They both were. And yet, rather than eerie, the setting felt oddly intimate. They were alone, with nothing but the sounds of the dogs rustling in the leaves and their own breathing. Jenny’s body began to hum with an anticipation she hadn’t felt for years. What now? Would he invite her back to the house? Would she go? Even as the notion caused her insides to flutter, her body screamed bad idea. Only a few hours ago she was verbally sparring with the man over Charlie’s care, and now she was reacting to…what? Emotions she thought she heard in his voice. Emotions she had no way of knowing were real, or even existed for that matter, despite the loving happiness her friends had found. She’d been fooled way too many times before.

  But, oh, what if those emotions weren’t her imagination? What then?

  “Would you like my driver to take you home so you wouldn’t have to travel alone?”

  She told herself it was relief, not disappointment, falling heavy in her stomach. “I wouldn’t want to put you to any trouble.”

  “You’re not putting me to any trouble, and my driver does what he’s told. Besides, it’s the least I can do. It was nice to be able…to have the company.”

  “I enjoyed it, too.” She wondered what he was originally going to say before changing his words. “Plus you got a dog out of the bargain.”

  “So I did.” Again, she caught the flash of a smile in the dark. “Thank you for bringing Charlie back.”

  “Thank you for not pressing charges.”

  “I wouldn’t have anyway. You made some valid points this afternoon. I’ll see to it Charlie gets more attention.”

  “He’d like that,” she replied with a smile.

  A thick silence settled between them. Jenny wished she could see Nick’s face. She swore she could feel his gaze searching hers. His eyes zeroing in on her lips. Why else would her mouth run dry?

  “Jenny…”

  “You really should install some outside lighting,” she said, swallowing hard. “I can barely see my hand in front of my face.”

  She didn’t need to see to feel his body come closer. The air around her hummed with his presence. “That so? I can see just fine.” His voice was rough, intimate.

  “That’s because you like the dark,” she told him.

  “Who says I like it?”

  “Oh, I don’t know, maybe the fact you’re out here without a flashlight or the fact you insisted on meeting in a dark room this afternoon.’ She tipped her face upward. “Why did you act all mysterious today? Were you trying to frighten me?”

  She figured he might dodge the question; she didn’t count on his hand reaching out to caress her jaw. “You have such pale skin,” he murmured. “I bet in the moonlight, it would glow silver.”

  “I—I—I wouldn’t know.” Jenny suddenly couldn’t think. The seductive growl in Nick’s voice should frighten her. She was alone in the woods with a man whose wealth and power allowed him to take and do whatever he wanted. The realization should not send a thrill shooting through her body. But it did, and that scared her. His feathery touch left her trembling. Had her wanting more. Dear God, if he were to close the gap between them, she would… She would…

  She gasped as his arm reached out and yanked her close. Her flashlight and leash tumbled to the ground. Knocked off balance, she had little choice but to grip the front of his jacket with her free hand, fingers twisting in the worsted wool. She felt his erection against her hip. Instead of setting off warning bells, the knowledge he was aroused fueled her own arousal. The hunger unfolded from a place deep in her soul, as though the lessons from five years ago never happened. She was once again wanton, needy.

  “So long,” she heard him whisper. He might as well have been reading her mind. When his lips brushed hers, she sighed and allowed him access.

  His tongue swept into her mouth without warning. Jenny moaned. He tasted of mint and coffee. She clutched his jacket tighter, pulling close, her hips seeking friction. In the back of her mind, she knew this was a mistake, but the voice of reason couldn’t be heard above the rush of blood in her ears. Unable to stop herself, she mewled and clung to him as his hands slid down her back, cupped her bottom.

  From far off, she heard a dog barking. Lulu. Charlie. Their baying reached where common sense couldn’t and she came back to earth. What was she thinking?

  She broke free of Nick’s grasp.

  “I—I—”

  Unable to form words, she turned her attention to fumbling for Lulu’s leash. If it was any consolation, Nick appeared to be as dazed as she was. The minute she pushed away, he’d stepped to the edge of the path. He stood there now, silently watching her while Charlie weaved around his legs. Jenny could hear his ragged breath mixing with hers.

  What had she been thinking? For years she’d managed to behave herself, to keep the needy, desperate side of her personality in check, and now here she was, practically climbing up a stranger in the woods. She couldn’t get off
the property fast enough.

  Finally, she located the end of Lulu’s leash. Forget getting a ride from his driver. Calling him would take too long. Grabbing the leash as well as her flashlight, she stood up. Her legs were still shaking, and she had to hold her arm out to steady herself. This caused the light’s arc to swing wide. The beam shone straight at Nick. For the first time, Jenny saw the face of the man she’d so wantonly kissed.

  She gasped.

  Chapter Four

  It was like looking at one of those cartoon villains with two different faces, only this was no cartoon. The right side of Nick’s face was marked by a thick darkened blotch that started at his hairline and continued downward, beneath his collar. A thick cord of a scar divided the discoloration into two. It, too, looked like it ran from hair to jaw; its route interrupted by a black eye patch.

  The right side of his face, however… The photos she and her friends discovered online didn’t do him justice.

  His good eye stared at her with such heated blue intensity, it sucked the air from her lungs. What upset her the most, however, wasn’t the scarring he’d so clearly tried to hide. It was the renewed ache between her legs. Seeing the flashing heat in his gaze and knowing the passion with which he kissed, she was more aroused than before.

  “I…” Dear God, would she ever be able to form a coherent thought again?

  No. Not so long as they were here alone in the woods, and he was looking at her like that.

  She dragged Lulu down the path before she did something foolish.

  …

  “You just left?” Mia Roth gave her a look from over the rim of her coffee cup. “Without saying anything?”

  “I blanked,” Jenny told her. “I didn’t know what to say.”

  She, Mia, and their friend Gabby Wilson-Shepherd were in Mia’s kitchen the next morning. They were there to look at photographs from Mia’s wedding. Jenny had told them about her encounter with Nick. How, as a result of dropping her flashlight, she’d discovered Nick’s disfigurement. She left out the reason she’d dropped the flashlight. Bad enough Nick’s touch haunted her all night. The way she lost herself in the kiss horrified her. Like some animal starved for affection. Had Charlie and Lulu not barked her back to reality, he could have taken her then and there.

  “Found it,” Gabby announced. Having heard the story, her friend had borrowed Mia’s laptop to find more information. “I can’t believe we missed this the first time.”

  “Because we were looking for photographs, not news articles,” Jenny said.

  “Not to mention we’d had a pitcher of margaritas,” Mia added. “I’m surprised we effectively searched for anything. What does the article say?”

  Gabby turned the computer.

  “Industrialist injured in lab explosion,” Mia read out loud. “Oh, the poor man.”

  The article described how the heir to Bonaparte Industries had been touring a recently-acquired facility when an explosion tore through the laboratory. Nick was attempting to pull one of his employees to safety when a section of the burning wall collapsed on them.

  “Wow,” Gabby murmured when they got to that paragraph.

  Wow indeed, Jenny thought. She skimmed the rest of the paragraphs until she reached the part about Nick’s injuries. Didn’t say much, other than the fact Nick suffered extensive burns to his face and body.

  “No wonder he’s a recluse,” Gabby remarked. “I would be, too, if I had half my face burned off.”

  “The scars aren’t that bad,” Jenny replied. Then again, she’d been turned upside down by his kiss. Maybe she wasn’t seeing straight.

  “T.J. has business with him,” Mia said. “How come he’s never mentioned the scars?”

  “Actually,” Gabby replied, “they only met in person once and T.J. said Mr. B. sat in the shadows.”

  “So no one could see his secret,” Jenny murmured, pulling at her cardigan sweater. And she’d run off like a scared villager soon as she flashed a light in his face. He’d have no way of knowing her fleeing had nothing to do with his appearance.

  “The article doesn’t mention a fiancée,” she noted. Speaking of women who ran away.

  Mia set down her coffee. “Mr. B.’s engaged?”

  “Was,” Jenny replied. “And like I already told Marney, can we please stop calling him Mr. B.? The nickname so doesn’t suit him.”

  On the other side of the table, Gabby and Mia exchanged looks.

  “What?” Jenny asked. “It doesn’t.”

  “Not when you can call him Nick,” Gabby teased.

  “Just look up his fiancée, will you?”

  “Yes, Miss Travolini.” Gabby grabbed the mouse. “This article is from the wire service so they might not have known about the fiancée at the time the stringer filed the story. Other sources probably added information later in the day.”

  They searched through several more articles, mostly reprints of the original article, before settling on one from a weekly tabloid. The main photograph featured a perfect-looking Nick with an equally perfect raven-haired beauty clinging to his arm.

  “She certainly doesn’t look like the dog owning type,” Gabby remarked. “Hard to picture her breaking a nail—let alone dealing with Charlie’s rambunctious side. Can you imagine her spelling out words so he doesn’t go crazy?”

  “More likely she’s one of those types who get a puppy because he makes a cute fashion accessory, then loses interest once they become work,” Mia replied. “Gideon hates those kinds of people.”

  “Yeah, me, too,” Jenny replied, although she was only half-listening. Her attention was too focused on studying Nick’s face. His blue eyes seemed to reach through the computer screen, brash and confident. So not the gaze she saw last night. Last night she saw fear, a desperation even that matched her own behind the sparkle. Those painful emotions didn’t belong in eyes like his. To see them touched a chord deep inside her.

  “He sure was gorgeous,” Mia said.

  “Is.” The correction was automatic. “I told you, the scars aren’t all that bad.”

  “Well, he must think they are,” Gabby said. “Why else would he pull all this Phantom of the Opera stuff?”

  Why else indeed? Did Nick think of himself as some kind of marked monster? Jenny’s gaze traveled back to the computer screen, to the breathtaking woman on Nick’s arm. The type who loses interest once they become work. Wasn’t that how Mia described her? Had the ex-fiancée bailed on Nick the same way she’d left Charlie, walking away when things became hard? Jenny’s heart bled a little at the thought. Not all scars could be seen on the surface, as she knew all too well. The marks of abandonment ran far deeper.

  And, last night, she’d run from Nick without explanation, leaving him to think her horror was about him. He couldn’t be more wrong. No way he’d know that though.

  She owed him an explanation. An apology.

  “I have to go,” she announced.

  Both Mia and Gabby looked up. “Right now?” Mia asked. “Marney hasn’t gotten here yet, and we still have to sort through the photos.”

  “I’m afraid so.” Her guilty conscience wouldn’t let her put it off. “I need to clear up a misunderstanding.”

  “Must be some misunderstanding,” Gabby noted.

  “It is. A big one,” she replied. “And it has to be fixed right away, before there’s too much damage.”

  She could practically hear Mia and Gabby speculating as she pulled out of the drive. Even though she tried to cover her odd behavior by blaming a work dispute, she could tell from their shared glances they didn’t believe a word. Oh well. Let them speculate. The moment she shared with Nick in the woods was too intimate to share, and while her behavior had shocked her, the magic she’d felt in the moment held a special place in her memory.

  She didn’t stop to think about why she felt such urgency to set the record straight. Nor did she want to analyze the emotion that clutched at her chest when she thought how her behavior must have hurt him. She on
ly knew that Nick needed to be told he wasn’t the reason she ran last night. As shameful as telling her story would feel, allowing Nick to add another layer to his demons would be worse.

  She only hoped her courage would last when she got to his front door

  …

  “Cyrus!”

  Nick limped his way to the library door and called again, getting nothing but Charlie’s bark in response. What the hell good was paying employees if they weren’t around when you called for them? He looked down at the terrier who’d followed him. “Nice to know someone isn’t afraid to stick around,” he said, the words weighing heavy on his shoulder. Charlie grinned and ran back inside where he promptly dragged the throw pillow off the chair. He considered Nick’s comment an invitation to play.

  “I wish I could.” The dog had way too much energy this morning. Unlike Nick, whose back was torturing him. He’d pushed himself too hard working and walking, and as a result, his muscles had tightened up. That was the reason he was looking for Cyrus. Someone should take Charlie for a walk since he couldn’t. But the butler was nowhere to be found. Neither, it appeared, was anyone else on his staff.

  That’s right, he’d given people the day off, to catch up on affairs. Because some people had lives outside this house. “Looks like you’re going to have to roam on your own again,” he told him. “Just don’t tell Jenny.”

  Jenny. The name stabbed him in the chest. What on earth made him think she’d be different from anyone else not on his payroll? At least the dark spared him seeing the expression on her face when she finally saw him. The fact she ran away was cutting enough.

  The rejection wouldn’t be bad if he hadn’t spent the night reliving the feel of her body against his. Masochistic, yes, but how could he not? After years of solitude and celibacy, he’d gotten to experience physical contact. For a few glorious seconds, he’d been his old self, holding a beautiful woman who wanted him. The memory of those moments would be a long time in fading. Even now, he could recall the taste of her kiss, the way her hips ground against his erection. And, the sounds she made… He’d almost come in his pants from the sounds alone.