by Lexi Aurora
“What’s up?” said Casey, her voice excited. She and her brother had always been close, and I knew that they had these video calls at least once a week while they were apart in separate cities.
“Hey, sis,” Travis said, and just the sound of his voice made something shift in my body, made my stomach feel light and fluttery. He was so handsome—his dark hair was pushed back from his face, his hazel eyes sparkling with light. Casey caught me off-guard by turning the camera toward me then, and I watched Travis’ face light up when he saw me. It made my heart do a flip in my chest and for a second I could only stare at him. I hoped to god that Casey didn’t notice the pause between us as we drank each other in for a moment.
“Hi,” I said to him finally, breaking the silence.
“Jenna,” he said. “Wow.”
“Um, I was just over here visiting Casey. How are you?”
“I’m good,” he said, looking over at Casey, then back at me. “How are you guys?”
“We’re good,” I said, my throat dry. I had to look away from the screen. I felt his eyes on me for an instant before Casey started to speak. He was studying my face intently, making me blush under his gaze. I only hoped that Casey didn’t notice my reaction; not only would it be embarrassing, but I was sure that she would be angry at me if she found out how I felt about her brother, that I had always carried a torch for him even when we were kids.
“So are you ready for this big family bash, Travis?” she asked. “It’s going to be crazy.”
“It is going to be interesting,” he said, rubbing his hand over his mouth. His eyes were still on me even as he spoke to his sister, and I prayed that he would look away from me before she noticed how focused he was. I knew then that he was remembering that kiss, too, the first one we’d had. It had been prom night and I hadn’t had a date; we’d gone home to Casey’s after the dance and she’d fallen asleep after a long night of dancing, but I had stayed up. Travis had been outside when I stepped out for some air and we had barely talked before he leaned his face down to kiss me, a kiss that was soft and sweet before he pulled away. He had left for college the next day.
“Why don’t you come, Jenna?” Travis asked. I blinked at him, looking over at Casey. I had zoned out and wasn’t sure what he was talking about anymore, hadn’t been focused on anything but the memory of our first kiss.
“Come where?”
“On vacation!” Casey said. “It’s my mom’s fiftieth birthday. She would love it if you were there.”
“I don’t know, I—”
“Come on,” said Travis. “It’s a private island in the Florida Keys. Beautiful place. You’ll love it.”
“You definitely need a rest,” Casey said. “You said you were exhausted.”
“I guess I could go,” I said, realizing that neither of them were going to let me say no anyway. A vacation did sound great, even if it meant being around Travis in person for a few days.
“Good,” said Travis, who was chewing on his lip as he looked at me. “Good girl. Case, make sure you bring suntan lotion this time, you know—”
“Okay, dad,” Casey said, rolling her eyes.
“I’m just saying,” he said with a grin. “I’d better go. I’ll send you the final details later today. See you later.”
“Bye, Travis,” I said softly, and he winked at us before he hung up. I was still feeling fidgety and warm as I had been while he was on screen. I looked at Casey, studying her face to find out if she noticed how I had been affected by Travis on the phone. She didn’t look like she noticed—she was smiling and bouncy, excited that I was going to go on the vacation with her. I was excited, too. It meant that our couple of days together was going to expand into the full week. It also meant that I would have to see Travis in person, which I imagined would be much more difficult than seeing him smiling on a phone screen.
Chapter 2: Travis
I sat back in my leather office chair, spinning in a slow circle as I put the phone to my lips and thought of Jenna. I hadn’t seen her since we were in high school. I had just graduated, actually, and the next day I headed away to college for a year before dropping out and starting my business. I remembered vividly the kiss we had shared outside before I had left—it had been soft and sweet, perfect; I’d wanted it to go deeper, to taste her mouth, but she had been so young and delicate that I knew I couldn’t go that far with her. She wasn’t a young girl anymore, though, and she hadn’t looked remotely delicate to me on the screen. Her strawberry-blonde hair was full, thick, and curly around a heart-shaped face. Those green eyes had been focused on me more intently than my sister had probably realized, and I knew in an instant that she was thinking the same thing I was.
I stood up and left my office, going next door to see my business partner. His door was open, and I went inside and shut it behind me. My partner, Arthur Monroe, was also my best friend and my closest confidant, other than my sister. But this wasn’t something that I could talk to my sister about—I could never let on that I had feelings for Jenna. Casey would be heartbroken, I knew, and feel betrayed by the both of us. I couldn’t stand the thought of it being that way between Casey and I, not when she was one of the most important people in my life.
“What’s up?” Arthur asked, propping his feet up on the desk.
“I may have just done something really stupid,” I said.
“Again?” He was grinning. I nodded; I had to give him that—I was prone to making impulsive decisions that didn’t always lead to the best of consequences.
“Does it have anything to do with a girl?”
“Yep,” I said. He shook his head. “Always. That’s why I don’t date women.”
“Right. That’s why.”
He chuckled. “So what did you do? Who is she?”
“You know my sister Casey? It’s her best friend. We’ve known each other since we were kids. I saw her on a video call with my sister and I invited her to our family vacation next week.”
“Why’d you do that?”
“I want her,” I said. “Seeing her again brought it all back. I had the biggest crush on her in high school and now she’s even more perfect.”
“So what’s the big deal?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest. “She married? Got a kid?”
“Casey would never go for it. She would hate both of us.”
Arthur rolled his eyes. He had never been the type of person to care much about how other people felt about his decisions, which was why I had chosen him as my partner. He was a ruthless businessman, intent on getting what he wanted, and was the only person I’d met who matched me in terms of ambition and drive.
“She would get over it.”
“I can’t take the risk,” I said. “I just—the moment I saw her again, I knew I had to have her. I have to.”
“So do it,” Arthur shrugged. “Keep it a secret while you’re there. It’ll make for some killer sex.”
I knew that was true. I could only imagine Jenna’s body now since I hadn’t gotten to see it, but I imagined that it had filled out as she’d grown into it just as her face had. I wanted to touch her no matter how she had grown up—my main desire was to see that look in her eyes again, wide and caught off-guard, surprising her by showing her all the things I could do to her body. But it didn’t feel like it was just about sex; I wanted to talk to Jenna again. She had always been so funny and sweet that being around her as a teenager had been agonizing knowing that I had to keep a respective distance.
“Is she coming with your sister to the island? How are you going to make it work?”
“I have a private jet and property on the island with plenty of room, so it’s not like we’re going to have to squeeze her in.”
“That’s kind of too bad. It’d be nice if you had to share a room.”
I laughed. “Probably wouldn’t happen.”
“I think you should go for it. At least have some kind of fling. Feels good to get someone you’ve wanted for a long time.”
&
nbsp; “I think I will,” I said. I had been meek back then, timid. But I wasn’t a teenager anymore—I had become a billionaire, built my business from the ground-up because I was capable and determined. I took what I wanted. And I wanted Jenna.
“I have to get back to work,” he said. “Let me know how it goes.”
“I will,” I told him. “Wish me luck.”
He gave me a thumbs-up and I stood up, leaving his office and going back into my own. I felt good now that I was determined I was going to make Jenna mine. It wasn’t just about the kiss or her body, but the fact that things had felt so pure between us before. I didn’t know how it was going to go over with Casey, but I tried not to think about it as I finished my day out excited for the upcoming vacation.
Keep reading the rest of The Forbidden Billionaire – it is available online and as part The Stonecutters Billionaires Series Box Set
All Books by Lexi Aurora
The Stonecutter Billionaire Series
Bound by the Billionaire
Bought out by the Billionaire
The Big Billionaire
The Forbidden Billionaire
Keeping Secrets from the Billionaire
The Billionaire’s Nanny
Stone Cutters Billionaires: The Complete Series Box Set
Wrong: The Enemies-to-Lovers Series
Wrong for Me
Wrong Kiss (Coming Soon)
