The Billionaire Next Door (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Collection)

by Angelo, Judy

  “I’m good,” he said with a crooked smile. “What about you?” He gave her a self-satisfied smile.

  Solie felt the telltale warmth begin to rise in her cheeks. She tightened her lips in near frustration. If she didn’t know better she would almost say he knew exactly what she was feeling right then. But how could he? The man had just suffered a serious head injury. She was surprised he wasn’t groggy and dazed. Far from it, he looked like he was the one in control of the situation, not her. And she didn’t like it. Not one bit…

  Solie turned away from her patient and reached for her tray. When she rolled it toward the bed and turned back to him she had her supplies and she was ready to work. The weakling of a woman, uber-conscious of the sexy man lying in the bed, was gone. Now she was Nurse Felix again. She picked up the syringe and ripped open the wrapper then reached for the needle.

  In that instant the man on the bed sucked in his breath. When Solie glanced at him his previously hooded eyes were now wide as he stared at the needle flashing under the stark white light of the fluorescent bulbs overhead. As she moved toward him he almost seemed to shrink back in the bed.

  “Where are you going with that?” His voice was gruff but he didn’t look at her. His eyes, as if mesmerized, never left the needle in her hand. It was the first sign of weakness she’d seen in this man since the day they’d met. He was genuinely scared.

  Trypanophobia. The man had needle phobia, that much was obvious. No matter how big and bad and bold he’d thought himself, she was the one who was now in control. She almost smiled. But no, she would not be callous. It was her job to help him. Reassuring him and getting him to relax was part of that job.

  “I need to hook you up to the IV,” she said as she pulled the stand closer. She pointed to the bag of saline hanging from the hook. “We have to make sure you’re properly hydrated. I also need you hooked up so we can administer your medication easily.” As she spoke she was ripping a sterile cotton swab from its packet. “Now if you just give me your arm I’m going to clean the skin just inside your inner elbow. I see a lovely vein there.”

  It was when she saw his face turn pale that Solie knew it was probably the worst thing she could have said. A lovely vein? The man must be having images of blood shooting out all over the place. She gave him what she hoped was a comforting smile as she drew closer. “Can you make a fist for me?”

  When his brows fell and his lips tightened in a hard line she knew she was in for a fight.

  ***

  Ransom could not believe the situation he was in. Being clobbered by a wrench was nothing compared to this. By some cruel twist of fate he’d fallen into the evil clutches of the wicked witch of the west, his neighbor, of all people. And now she was out to get him with the worst weapon she could have chosen. A damn needle.

  Where needles were concerned he was a wimp. He’d be the first to admit it. But Christ, did he need this right now, just when he was playing tough guy, right when he was trying to impress his hot neighbor?

  And he’d gotten off to a good start, too. He could tell by the way she dropped her eyes whenever he caught her staring, by the soft blush in her cheeks when he let his gaze linger a little too long. She’d seemed confused that he wasn’t disoriented and weak and he’d loved that.

  But now the tables were turned and she’d see firsthand that he wasn’t who she’d thought he was. With that needle she had the power and she could take him down.

  “Nurse…” he glanced at the name tag glittering on her chest, “…Soledad. Is this really necessary? Can’t you just bring me a jug of water and let me take some pills or something?” Little did she know it but he’d do practically anything to get out of this.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Kent. This is standard hospital procedure. We need our patients fully prepared in case of any emergency. With the IV in your arm we can administer drugs immediately in case of anything sudden, like a seizure. We wouldn’t want to be searching for a vein at a time like that, would we?”

  There was that word again…vein. For some reason it made him think of his blood draining out of his body. And for some reason he felt like Nurse Soledad F., as her name tag said, was enjoying this. Eyes narrowed, he gave her a suspicious glance. “And what if I refuse?”

  “You won’t.” Her eyes full of challenge, she gave him a crooked grin. “Or else I’ll have to call you a baby.”

  That did it. There was no way he was going to let this slip of a girl have anything over him. She might be the nurse from hell ready to torture him witless and he might be shaking in his boots even as she stared down at him but she didn’t need to know that. He stretched his arm out. “You’ll never have any reason,” he said through gritted teeth, “to call me baby.”

  She gave him a self-satisfied smile. “We’ll see.” She came close then leaned over and used the medicated pad to swab a spot on his arm. “Now take a deep breath,” she said, almost gently. “You’ll feel a tiny prick then it will be over in a second.”

  Ransom knew when to drop the tough guy act. He drew in a deep breath according to her instructions and as much as he wished he didn’t have to, he closed his eyes and turned his face away. It was either that or fall into a dead faint. It had happened before and he wasn’t about to let it happen again. Definitely not in front of Miss Soledad F.

  The feel of the needle piercing his skin made him bite down on his lower lip but, like she’d said, it was over pretty quick. By the time she’d pressed tape on it and stepped away he could actually peep at the contraption attached to his arm. He drew in another deep breath and let it out slowly. It was only then that he looked up at her.

  Soledad had a broad smile on her face. “Well done, Mr. Kent. You did better than I expected.”

  Now what the hell did that mean? Not wanting to hear the answer to that one, Ransom didn’t bother to vocalize his thoughts.

  “Now just relax,” she continued, still smiling like she wasn’t the same person who’d been his bulldog neighbor for the past couple of months. “I’ll soon be back to give you your enema.”

  What the… Ransom’s head jerked up and his mouth fell open. “What enema?”

  But even as the words left his throat she was laughing and pulling the curtains closed and then she was gone.

  Ransom let his head fall back into the pillows and his nostrils flared as his breathing quickened. The wicked witch was back and she was out to have his hide for lunch.

  He was at her mercy and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “An enema. She got me good, bro.” Ransom was chuckling as he watched his brother pull up a chair by his hospital bed. “But I’ll find a way to get her back. You can count on that.”

  Ridge laughed but as he sat down he was shaking his head. “She sounds like a sharp one. I’m not so sure you’ll get the better of a girl like her. You were never the sharpest knife in the drawer and now with that bump on your head…”

  “Hey, watch it, bud,” Ransom growled. “I’m still your big brother and I can whup your butt any time.” His threat was nullified by the big grin on his face.

  “Boys, behave yourselves.” Mother Kent looked from one to the other then tilted her head toward the third man in the hospital room. “Why can’t you both be more like Ryder? Look how calm and collected he is. So well behaved.”

  “Mama’s boy,” Ridge teased, giving his brother a sardonic grin.

  Ryder didn’t even spare him a glance. After years of living in a house full of rambunctious brothers he was more than used to the jabs. “So when are they going to let you out of your cell?” he asked, ignoring Ridge who looked like he was trying to come up with some other way to annoy him.

  Ransom shrugged, trying to look relaxed. “Maybe by tomorrow. They said they wanted to keep me a couple of days for observation.” Then, of their own volition his fingers started tapping the cotton-covered surface of the bed.

  Ridge gave a snort. “Yeah, and you want to get out of here like
yesterday.”

  Ransom grimaced. “That obvious, huh?”

  “You betcha.”

  That made Maggie Kent smile. “You’re always the impatient one, Ransom, always the first to get up and go. But this time,” she said with a shake of her head, “it’s time to take it slow. You’ve suffered a serious injury and the worst thing you could do is rush things. If the doctors say you need to stay here and rest then that’s what you need to do.” By the time the last words came out her tone had turned firm. Mama Kent had gone into serious mothering mode.

  As Ransom looked over at his mother, her brow softly wrinkled as she regarded him with eyes full of concern, his heart swelled with an emotion he knew was love. No matter how old he grew he would never stop loving Magdalena Kent, the woman who had opened her heart and her home to four homeless waifs.

  He’d been the first to be adopted by the Kents. They told him he’d joined them when he’d been only two years old, the child of two unfortunate souls who died in a motor vehicle accident. Two years later Ridge joined him then came Ryder and finally, when Ransom was all of eight years old, there came Rafe.

  At the thought of his youngest brother Ransom’s lips tightened. Rafe. The wayward sheep in the family. The one who’d always been – and probably would always be – a major source of stress for both their parents.

  He almost groaned as he opened his mouth to ask the question. He could almost guess the answer before the words even left his mouth. Still, he had to ask. “So what’s Rafe up to now? Nowhere near the good old U.S. of A, I can bet.”

  “No quite,” Ridge said, his tone harsh. “But close. The kid takes it as his duty to stay as far from home as he possibly can. Always in a different country. Would live on a different planet if he could.”

  “Even though he knows how much it makes Mom worry.” Ryder’s voice was cool but the look on his face was anything but. Whatever Rafe’s excuse was this time, it didn’t matter. Regardless of how easygoing Ryder usually was, Rafe had managed to piss him off.

  “It’s all right, boys. Rafe has to live his own life the way he sees fit.” As always, Maggie was quick to defend her youngest. The wisps of graying brown hair falling into her face, she looked earnestly at Ransom then at Ryder then at Ridge. She hated it when they fought over Rafe. Sliding forward in her chair she reached over to pat Ransom’s hand. “Don’t worry about Rafe right now. You just focus on getting well.”

  Ridge gave a grunt. "Kind of hard to do when my kid brother’s acting like a jerk.” Then he frowned. “How’s all of this affecting Dad?”

  At his question Maggie bit her lip and looked down at her hand still resting on top of his. A range of emotions flitted across her face but when she lifted her eyes to look at him again, on her lips she was wearing a brave smile. “Your Dad’s a trooper,” she said, her voice slightly hoarse. “You know how hard it’s been on him since the stroke but I’ve never heard him complain. Not once.”

  Ryder left his post by the window and walked over to lay a hand on Maggie’s shoulder. “You’re his backbone, Mom. You’re the one who keeps him going. You’re always there…for all of us.”

  Maggie shook her head but even as she did she was reaching up to cover his hand with hers. “You’re my boys,” she said, the telltale glint in her eyes giving away the depth of her emotions, “my family. I’m the luckiest woman on earth.”

  Now it was Ridge’s turn to shake his head. “No, we’re the lucky ones. Lucky to be blessed with you and Dad in our lives. Thanks, Mom.”

  Ransom felt the same way but he couldn’t help cocking an eyebrow in surprise. They weren’t normally an expressive family and when it came to things emotional they tended to keep those to themselves. They all loved one another, that was without doubt, but in their home actions always spoke way louder than words.

  He cleared his throat. Things were getting too emotional for his comfort. Time to change the subject. “As soon as I’m back on my feet I’m coming out to the farm to see Dad.” He grimaced. “And then I’m going to deal with that runt and get him to come home.”

  Maggie’s smile widened. It was obvious that she was pleased with the news of his plan to visit. “Bill will love that.” Then she chuckled. “But you have to stop calling your brother a runt. He’s taller than you are. Remember, he’s not the twelve-year-old who used to want to hang with his big brother who could drive. He’s all of twenty-eight.” She paused then her eyes took on a wistful look. “My, how time flies. Even the baby’s all grown up.”

  “And speaking of ‘the baby’,” Ransom turned his eyes on Ridge, “where the heck is he now? Is anyone going to tell me?”

  Ridge gave him an amused grin. “You won’t believe me if I tell you.”

  “Just spill it.” Ransom was in no mood to play guessing games with his brother. “Where’d he run off to this time? A Buddhist temple in the Himalayas?”

  “Worse,” Ridge said with a smirk. “An oil rig in Alaska.”

  “What the…an oil rig?” Ransom stared back at Ridge, incredulous. No wonder their mother was worried sick. Living and working on an oil rig was no simple matter. In fact, if you had a yen for dangerous living that was a damn good choice. If a fire broke out on one of those rigs you either stayed on board and got roasted alive or you jumped a couple of hundred feet down into freezing, shark-infested water. Talk about ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’.

  Ransom’s brows fell. “That kid needs some sense knocked into him. What the hell was he thinking? It’s not like he needs to be doing stuff like this. I invested in his online business. He's got wads of money to spare.”

  “He’s not doing it for the money. You know that.” Ryder shoved his hands into his pockets as he looked down at Ransom, his face serious. “He’s got a wanderlust that only a woman…the right woman…can assuage.”

  Ransom folded his arms across his chest. “Well, I’ve had it with Rafe and his shenanigans. He’s stressing Mom out and it’s got to stop. And if it means finding him a woman then that’s what I’ll do.” As if confirming what he’d just said aloud he nodded then turned to look at Maggie. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’m going to get Rafe.” His voice was firm. “I know I’ll have a fight on my hands but I’m bringing him home.”

  ***

  “Soledad Felix. Paging Nurse Soledad." Solie groaned as her head touched the pillow. The words kept reverberating in her head. If she never heard her name announced over a hospital intercom again it would be too soon.

  It had been a long, exhausting day and that was putting it mildly. She’d had one of those crazy shifts, twelve hours long, and now all she wanted to do was forget about hospitals and emergencies and patients and just lose herself in the silky softness of slumber.

  But even as her tension began to dissipate and her body sank into the cottony comfort of her bed she had to admit there was one patient who she didn’t want to forget, a devilishly handsome one who had her heart doing flip-flops each time she walked into his room. Even lying flat on his back in the narrow stark-white bed Ransom Kent exuded sex appeal so strong it had her thinking thoughts that were far from ‘nursely’. She was lusting after her patient, for heaven’s sake. How low could you get?

  But Dios, how could you help it when the man who’d suddenly been placed in your care was the same man who’d set your heart to racing from the first day you’d laid eyes on him. She would never admit that to him, of course, but ever since Ransom Kent moved in next door she’d been teetering on a titillating tightrope.

  And that was why she’d been so prickly with him all this time. It was because she was doing everything in her power to fight the wicked attraction that made her want to grab hold of him and kiss him till he gave in and made hot love to her.

  Solie almost chuckled as the sexy picture filled her mind. These were not the kind of thoughts to have when you were trying to fall asleep. Now she was wide awake, her mind filled with the image of raven-black hair falling onto a wide brow, a dark-eyed gaze that made your bones melt a
nd lips that were definitely made for kissing. And not to mention his rock-hard body. She’d touched him, felt the solid muscles of his biceps, and she could only imagine how heavenly it would be to have those arms wrapped around her.

  He would pull her close, crush her breasts against his muscled chest, and she would tilt her face up to his. Then, taking full control, he would capture her lips with his firm ones and kiss her till she clung to him, breathless.

  Then, of their own volition her hands would slide down to his waist and then to his hips, on their way to…

  The cell phone exploded into a Celia Cruz ring tone and Solie jerked up. Dios. It was after two in the morning. Who the heck could be calling at this hour?

  She grabbed the offending device and peered at the screen. An unknown number. It could be anybody – a misdialed number, a telesales rep gone beserk…or it could be family. Without hesitation she clicked on the answer button and pressed the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

  Solie waited but all she could hear on the other end of the line was silence. “Hello,” she said again and now she was frowning.

  She sat up in the bed, her frown deepening. “Hello,” she said, her voice firm. Whoever was on the other end of the line had better answer, and fast. She was in no mood for games. Not at two in the morning.

  “Hola, Soledad. How are you?”

  At the sound of the deep, accented voice Solie's breath caught in her throat. Her heart picking up pace, she clutched the phone tighter as shock coursed through her. She hadn’t heard this voice in over a year. It was the last voice she’d expected to hear at two in the morning.

  She swallowed. “R…Raul. Wh…why are you calling me?” She bit her lip. Solie knew she should have sounded much firmer than that. She should have made a biting remark, made him know he was still worse than a dog as far as she was concerned. But she hadn’t. She’d been too startled for any of that.