The Truth about Billionaires

by Michelle Pennington

  She opened one and took a nibble off the corner. “Mmmm. Yes, that’s perfect.”

  But when she looked up from her chocolate, Blake was watching her with an intensity that caught her off-guard. “What?”

  “I don’t know. I just like looking at you.”

  Jill laughed. “That sounded kind of creepy.”

  Blake unleashed one of his rare grins. “Sorry.”

  “Isn’t it funny how differently you feel about things like this depending on who the person is? Like if Trevor was watching me like you are, like you wanted to eat me or something, I would be so out of here.”

  “So, what makes it different with me?”

  Realizing where this was leading, Jill looked over Blake’s shoulder, trying to see where Rick was. He hadn’t moved from his seat on the end of Blake’s bed where he was watching television. Blake turned and saw the direction of her look.

  “Hey Rick,” Blake said.

  “Yeah, boss?”

  “Go take a walk.”

  “What? Why?”

  “I don’t know. Check the perimeter or something, but go.”

  Rick’s eyes switched back and forth between the two of them, then understanding dawned in his eyes, and his lips twisted into a smirk. He clicked off the television and left, only pausing to nod to Jill on his way out. But this was all too much for Jill. Maybe if Rick had never been here—if she’d never had a chance to think about it, she might have given into her impulses. But as she shifted to get up, Blake wrapped his hand around her shoulder.

  “Jill. Don’t freak out on me.”

  “What? I’m not freaking out.”

  “Yes, you are. You’re tense and your eyes are big and you’re biting your bottom lip.”

  “I just…this isn’t a good idea.”

  “I think it’s a great idea, and if you’d relax, you might decide you want to kiss me, too.”

  Hearing him say those words made her heart pound harder than before. “It’s not that I…don’t want to. I’m just afraid of what comes next.”

  Blake’s expression was somber again, his eyes focused on her lips. “If we like it, we do it again.”

  “That’s not what I meant.” But her words were sluggish and her thoughts scrambled as he bent towards her. There were reasons this was a bad idea, but she couldn’t remember what they were. Giving up, she tilted her head and met him half way, fitting her lips to his. The contact set off a reaction through her body— a jolting, radiant explosion. Blake moved his lips slightly, tasting more of her, then pulled back. Jill opened her eyes, trying to see if his reaction had been at all comparable to hers. The blaze in his eyes left her in no doubt.

  “We definitely need to do that again.” Blake’s voice was deep and rough, but tender.

  His arms came around her, his fingers sliding around her side, pressing into her back. She relaxed and let him pull her against his chest, sinking into his embrace. Slowly, as if they had forever to test this new world, they kissed again. Jill’s lips parted as she sought for more, and Blake deepened the kiss with an urgency that stole her breath. His fingers threaded through her hair and his warm breath fanned across her cheek. His scent and heat enveloped her. She felt like she was melting, warming into a fluid, silken being. This was dangerous. It was impossible to pull away from the magic of his kiss. She’d wanted this so badly, this taste of paradise, and now that she’d tasted it, how would she ever give it up?

  If Blake’s phone hadn’t rung just then, she might never have found the strength to stop. Blake didn’t seem to notice though, so Jill pulled back. “Your phone.”

  “I couldn’t care less.”

  Jill smiled, touched that he was so focused on her. But when the phone rang again, she leaned forward to look at his screen. Blake made a sound in his throat that she recognized as a protest just before he shifted to press kisses along her jaw and down to her neck.

  “Blake, it’s Hayden.”

  His lips stilled against her skin, then he took a deep breath, kissed her one more time, and reached for the phone.

  Jill felt awkward, stirred up by powerful emotions, unsure where this was going, and uncomfortable listening to Blake’s conversation with his sister. After touching the coarse stubble on his jaw with her fingertips and feeling his firm, masculine lips against hers, watching him was a new sort of pleasure. There was a throbbing ache in her chest at how much she wanted him to be hers. Kissing had been more dangerous than she’d ever thought possible because now it was too late to protect her heart—to deny the feelings taking root inside her.

  Blake turned his head toward her and covered the speaker on his phone. “If you keep looking at me like that, I won’t be responsible for what happens.”

  While Jill bit her lip in embarrassment, she hoped that he would follow through with his threat. But his conversation took an abrupt change.

  “What do you mean Mrs. Joseph quit? No, you can’t go stay at your boyfriend’s house. Are you crazy?”

  Pressing her lips together to keep from laughing at Blake’s big brother tone of voice, Jill started cleaning up the chocolate mess. She brought over the little trash can from under the desk and started tossing all the wrappers and half-eaten chocolate, carefully sorting out what was still unopened. As she worked, Blake got up and paced as he argued with his sister. Jill was impressed that he never raised his voice even though it was obvious that his sister was pushing his limits. Finally, he ended the conversation abruptly by saying, “Hayden, I’m going to have security on high alert, and if you think you can sneak out, or sneak your boyfriend in, you’re mightily mistaken.”

  His accent had gotten stronger the more agitated he got, which Jill found alluringly attractive. She wished he’d speak that way all the time. But now wasn’t the time to focus on that. Blake tossed his phone on the bed and ran his fingers through his hair. “Wouldn’t you know she’d wait until I’m hundreds of miles away to start acting like this.”

  “Maybe that’s why she’s doing it. She probably wants you to come back.” Jill carried the trashcan back to where she’d found it. “Her and Ivey both.”

  Blake crossed his arms over his chest. He licked his lips and captured her with his magnetic eyes. “I know the perfect way to stop you from teasing me.”

  Jill squared her shoulders, fighting back a smile. “Oh yeah? Go for it.”

  But before Blake could take more than two steps in her direction, Rick came in. “Sorry, but, well, I didn’t know how long you wanted me to be gone for.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Jill told him. “I need to go to bed anyway. Hope I’m not hungover from all the chocolate in the morning.”

  Blake walked toward her and she realized that he was going to take her to her room. As he passed Rick, he said, “Call your team and have them on high alert in case my sister tries to leave the house.”

  “We can’t stop her from leaving,” Rick said.

  “No, but you can let me know if she does. And you can follow her.” Then he held the door open for Jill, placing his hand in the small of her back as she passed through, and walked across the hall with her.

  “Are we about to have a goodnight scene?” Jill asked, baiting him.

  Blake shook his head and tipped up her chin. “Why do I like you so much when you drive me crazy?”

  “I don’t know. You’ll have to answer that yourself.”

  Jill took her room key out of her pocket, but before she could use it, Blake cupped her face with his hands and pressed one, slow, lingering kiss on her lips, tugging at her bottom lip as he drew back. “Promise me something.”

  “What?”

  “That you’ll just let this be what it is for now, and not freak out.”

  “You know me too well.”

  Stepping back towards his own door, Blake pointed a finger at her. “But not as well as I intend to.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Blake woke up earlier than usual, and the first thing he thought about was Jill. Kissing her. Holdi
ng her. Man, it was torture having her right across the hall. But what killed him was that he’d come to the frustrating conclusion last night that he needed to go back to Dallas today. Not fooling himself for one minute, he knew the only reason he’d even come on this trip was to be contrary and bug Jill while spending as much time with her as he could. But he could no longer ignore all the fires he needed to put out at home.

  He hated it though. And he had this feeling that if he gave Jill space, she might start second guessing whatever it was they had started last night. He had no clue what it was or where it was going, but he knew he liked it.

  Unable to go back to sleep with so much to do, Blake texted Rick to come talk to him, then started an email to Ivey, telling her he’d be back in the office by noon. When Rick came in, using his key to Blake’s room, he looked around the room, obviously ensuring there weren’t any armed assailants for him to dispatch.

  “It’s early, boss.”

  “You don’t have to tell me that. I need to get back to Dallas this morning.”

  Rick nodded. “I’ll be packed in two minutes.”

  “No, you’re staying here with Jill.”

  Distress flooded Rick’s countenance. “Does she need to be protected?”

  “I hope not. But it would make me feel better and I can do without you for a few days.”

  “Pardon the reminder, but you’ve gotten enough threats and blackmail letters from wackos to prove differently.”

  “Rick, I appreciate that it’s your job to be concerned about me, but don’t forget that I’m the one making the calls here. And I want you on hand to make sure Trevor Walton keeps the line. Jill is planning to spend one more day at his facility. And I’ll want you to arrange a chartered plane for her and Camden on Friday. Also, call in to have my pilot pick me up in Jackson and get a rental for me.”

  “I can get a car service for you,” Rick offered.

  “I’d prefer to drive. I need some time to myself.”

  “Did all the…chocolate last night mess with your head.”

  Blake narrowed his eyes at him. “Trying to turn comedian on me? Look, I’m going to shower and try to meet Jill for breakfast. Can you get on that for me?”

  Twenty minutes later, Blake texted Jill, asking if she was awake. Instead of getting a reply from her, he heard a knock on the door, making his heart jump at the thought of seeing her so soon. He opened the door and looked down at her, his insides lighting up like sunrise. She wore leggings again and that t-shirt that slipped off her shoulders. This time, he wasn’t about to miss the chance to kiss the smooth slope of her revealed shoulder.

  Taking hold of her arms, he pulled her close and bent to press a couple of kisses on her shoulder, then one at the base of her neck. Afraid he might get lost in her silken skin and delicate floral scent, he straightened and forced himself to remain on track. “I need to talk to you.”

  “I figured,” she said, a guarded look on her face. “I promise I brushed my teeth already if you want to try one here.” She pointed to her mouth, and Blake was not one to refuse a lady’s invitation.

  But kissing Jill was like a drug. Not only did he suspect her kisses were addictive, they impaired his mental functions. He savored the feel of her lips on his, of her hands curled into his t-shirt, then lifted his head. It took all the will-power he had, but he really couldn’t continue devouring her in the doorway.

  “Rick is here,” he murmured, letting her know they weren’t alone.

  Jill looked past him then said, “I suppose Rick has seen you with lots of girls. He’s totally chill about it.”

  “Not exactly,” Blake said, very sure that now was not the time for a conversation about all their past relationships, even though he was extremely curious about the man who she’d said had broken her heart. He put his arm around her and pulled her further into the room.

  “Not exactly to which part?”

  “The first part,” Rick said with dry humor.

  “Thanks, sonar ears,” Blake said. “Look Jill, I need to head back to Dallas this morning.”

  He watched her expression carefully, both hoping for and dreading her disappointment. It definitely flashed across her face, but she controlled it quickly.

  “I understand. I’ve honestly been surprised you’ve been able to stay with us so long. And we’ve only got one more day to go here anyway.”

  “Yes. I hate to leave, but I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”

  Jill nodded but her expression looked closed off. “Well, back to reality as they say.”

  Blake gripped her arm. “This has always been reality.”

  “But Blake, we can’t do this once we’re back in the office.”

  Blake felt as if the floor was sliding beneath his feet. “Not in the office, no. But our personal time is our own. And you and I both know that Nate is paying your salary, not me.”

  “You and I know that, but does anyone else?”

  “What did you think we were doing? Starting some chaste sort of over-night fling?”

  To Blake’s amazement, Jill—controlled, mature, professional Jill—flopped backwards onto his unmade bed and covered her face with one of the pillows. “I don’t know what we’re doing.”

  He barely understood her muffled words, but it probably didn’t help that his brain had gotten stuck on the fact that she was in his bed, her bare feet tangled in his sheets. He looked across the room at Rick who was also staring at the bed wide-eyed.

  “Want me to leave?” Rick asked.

  Jill sat up. “No. Sorry. This is crazy.” While Rick shrugged and went to the window, where he put his earbuds in his ears, she crossed her legs, and hugged a pillow across her chest. “Look, we both have work to do. I don’t know about you, but I need to focus on what’s going on here. I need to understand so I can make the right recommendation. I don’t want to let Nate down, but I also want to do what’s best for you.”

  Blake sat down on the bed, angled toward her. “Jill, will you please relax. It was just a few kisses.” It almost killed him to say that because it certainly hadn’t been just a few kisses to him. It had gone so much deeper than that. But he didn’t want her to run scared when they were just coming together. “We don’t have to figure everything out right now.” He reached a hand out to her.

  She smiled and took his hand. “I’ve never been any good without a plan.”

  “Me either, but I think this is one time we should both try it. Unless you can move on like nothing happened between us?”

  “No.” Her voice was a whisper.

  Blake sat stroking her hand with his thumb, desperately trying to figure out how to handle this, because he knew Jill needed to know the next step. They needed more time like this, together—away from the business world they were both so caught up in. “Want to come out to the ranch with Hayden and me on Saturday? You could stay for the weekend. The ranch house is small, but there are still a couple of guest rooms.”

  Her eyes lit up. “That would be…perfect.”

  “Okay then, we have a plan. You do your thing here and I’ll go do mine, but this weekend will be—”

  “More of this,” she said, looking down to their entwined hands.

  Blake leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. “Exactly. No pressure, no plans.”

  “No expectations?”

  “None. Just seeing where this goes.”

  “Maybe we should wait till after I finish my contract here. I’ll be delivering my report in a couple of weeks.”

  His heart clenched in a swift, negative reaction to that. He knew she had a lot of reservations, things in her past and future that would make this hard for her. So did he. Heck, this was exactly what he’d always said he didn’t want—a relationship with a woman married to her career. But he was too caught up in these emotions, in the lure of her beauty and spunky intelligence. Reaching out, he gripped her hips and pulled her closer to him until she sat facing him, her hip pressed into his, her thigh against his. While she squeal
ed in surprise, he grabbed the pillow she was holding and tossed it to the side.

  Slowly, gently, he ran his hands around her waist, splaying his fingers across her back and urging her closer. “Can you really wait two weeks for more of this? I can’t.”

  The way her body relaxed into him was answer enough. Her left arm wrapped around him while her right hand ran up his chest and curled around the back of his neck. He’d never experienced anything like the way her touch made him feel. It was a bigger rush than that moment when a gate opened and more satisfying than having a fortune in the bank. He kissed her then like he’d done everything else in his life—giving a hundred percent, holding nothing back.

  But as soon as he felt her willing response shifted and she pushed softly against his chest, he relaxed his grip on her and gave her the space she was asking for.

  She let out a long breath. “Wow. Cowboys know how to kiss.”

  Blake chuckled. “Yeah? Well your kisses are as potent as all blazes.”

  “Good thing we aren’t alone, huh?” Her eyes flitted across the room to where Rick had his back to them while he worked.

  Blake stood and helped her off the bed. “Probably, but that doesn’t mean I’m enthusiastic about it. By the way, I’m leaving Rick here with you.”

  “What? No. Blake, I’ve been taking care of myself my whole life. I’m okay.”

  “It would make me feel better.”

  “What about you? You must have a good reason for keeping him around.”

  “Nothing specific, but when you have as much money as I have, you become a magnet for people with nefarious intentions and poor judgment.”

  “I guess so. But since I don’t have that problem, why do I need G.I. Joe for a bodyguard?”

  Blake had no intention of telling her that Trevor was the reason—that the man brought out all his caveman instincts. “I just have an itch in my spine that tells me it’s a good idea. Do you mind that much?”

  Jill was quiet for a moment as she thought. “No. At least he and I are friends. I need to get ready and pack. It’s getting late. Will I see you again before you leave?”