The Secret: A billionaire romance

by Harper Lauren

  Jordan grinned. “Glad you like,” he said. “A lot of women don’t like roses, but I had a feeling they’d be right up your alley.”

  I smiled. “I love them. And your building is gorgeous.”

  Jordan shrugged. “Yeah, it is,” he said. “Too bad I don’t spend as much time at home as I really should.”

  “Too much time in the office?” I teased.

  Jordan bent his head down and kissed me. A delicious warmth spread through my body as his tongue slipped into my mouth and I shivered.

  “Maybe,” Jordan whispered when he pulled away. His stubble tickled my chin and I giggled nervously. “Or maybe too much time with this gorgeous girl I just met.”

  “She sounds terrible,” I said playfully. “I don’t like that idea.”

  Jordan smirked. “She’s wonderful, actually,” he replied. “Come on.”

  Taking my hand, Jordan led me inside his lavish condo. I hardly had time to look around before he pulled me into his arms and gave me a passionate kiss that left me weak in the knees. Dropping the roses to the floor, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my body against his.

  “God, I want you so badly,” Jordan growled in my ear as he broke the kiss. He took my earlobe in his mouth and sucked it until I moaned loudly. Arching my back as pleasure crawled down my spine, I was hardly aware of Jordan taking me in his arms and moving through the luxurious living space.

  “I want you, too,” I whispered.

  Jordan carried me into a dark bedroom and set me down gently on the mattress. He crawled on top of my body, pinning me down to the mattress and nudging my head up and nibbling on my neck. His lips, tongue, and teeth felt so good as we moved together in the semi-darkness. I rubbed my hand over his close-cropped hair, then took his chin in my fingers and lifted his face to mine for a kiss. Inside, my heart was pounding. I couldn’t believe that it was finally happening – it was so exciting that I could hardly breathe. As Jordan suckled my lower lip, I spread my legs and felt him crawl beneath my thighs on the mattress. Jordan ran his hands down my body, cupping my breasts through the thin material of my dress. I moaned softly as he rubbed his thumbs over my stiff nipples. Pleasure flooded my body and I arched my back, spreading my legs as Jordan’s muscular bulk pressed against my crotch.

  Jordan dipped his head to my chest, nuzzling my breasts through the thin material. He took his hands away and I moaned, desperate for more of the delicious pleasure he’d been giving me seconds before. As he pressed his lips to mine in a deep kiss, I sucked Jordan’s tongue and ran my hands down his muscular body. I fumbled with the buttons of his shirt – my fingers felt clumsy and awkward – and Jordan pulled away. He got to his knees and locked eyes with me as he unbuttoned his shirt and stripped it away from his ripped torso. Even in the dim lighting of the room, I could see huge black tattoos swirling and spiraling over his pectoral muscles and upper arms. Jordan locked eyes with me as he unzipped his pants and slid them down his hips. When he was clad only in silky black boxers, he ran a hand up my thigh. Goose bumps appeared all over my body and I bit my lip to keep from crying out in ecstasy as he stroked my inner thigh.

  “I know you want me,” Jordan growled. He pushed my dress up to my waist and crawled closer. A warm, musky smell filled the room and I blushed hotly at the knowledge that it was my own arousal. Jordan closed his eyes and inhaled, licking his lips.

  “You smell delicious,” he said in a low voice that sent a shiver down my spine. Jordan stroked my inner thigh, inching closer and closer to my most sensitive spot. Moaning, I wriggled closer, craving his touch in a way I’d never thought possible. When Jordan’s fingers finally made contact with the soaked crotch of my panties, I cried out loudly. It felt so good that I could hardly stand it. Jordan slipped a finger inside my panties, gently playing with my small tuft of pubic hair. He slid my panties down my hips and held them to his nose, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply until I blushed bright red.

  With shaky hands, I lifted my dress over my head and tossed it to the side. Now I was completely naked on the bed and I’d never felt more exposed – or more desired – in my entire life. Jordan let his eyes linger over my body, trailing down my breasts and stomach and hips. I closed my eyes and covered them with my hands but Jordan took my hands in his and pulled them away.

  “No,” Jordan growled. “I want you to watch. I want you to see everything, Laci.”

  Just the way my name sounded in his voice was almost enough to make me come. I nervously licked my lips as Jordan stroked my lower belly. He moved his hand lower and lower until he was cupping my pussy. When I felt him spread me apart, I gasped and flushed a crimson red. Jordan slid a finger inside of me and I whimpered loudly. It didn’t hurt, but I could feel pressure. Then, he took his thumb and started stroking slow circles around my clit as he slid another finger inside of me. It felt so good that I started to wriggle and thrash and push my hips up against his hand. As Jordan continued stroking my hard clit, I began to sweat and pant. I could feel myself becoming even more turned on, and I knew I couldn’t wait much longer for him to take me.

  Moaning loudly, I reached for Jordan’s body. He took his hand away and licked his fingers, staring me down as he made a show of licking my juices off his thumb. I shivered as he yanked his boxers down. His cock bobbed free – it was even bigger than I’d thought – and I gasped, suddenly wondering how that massive thing was going to fit inside me.

  Jordan reached into the nightstand and pulled out a condom. He ripped it open with his teeth and sheathed his cock, rolling the rubber down to the base and groaning. I loved watching him stroke himself – even if only for a few minutes – and I gasped as he put his hand on my hip and crawled between my legs.

  “If you want me to stop, just tell me,” Jordan grunted in my ear. Taking my chin in one hand, he gave me a deep, lingering kiss.

  I nodded. I was nervous, but I also felt that I was completely ready. I wanted to give myself to Jordan, I wanted to become one with him. I wanted to make love and be a free, independent woman.

  Jordan thrust deep inside of me, grunting with pleasure. For a moment, I felt a sharp pain. I bit my lip and tears came to my eyes as his cock slid inside. Jordan leaned down and kissed me tenderly, stroking the side of my face as he began moving his hips back and forth. The pain melted into something delicious and warm and soon, I found myself moving and moaning alongside Jordan. I wrapped my legs around his waist and clenched my teeth as his body slammed against mine, each thrust more urgent than the last. Jordan buried his cock deep inside of me, groaning with obvious pleasure. Soon, we were moving together in a passionate rhythm that filled me with sensual pleasure and lust. Jordan tangled his hands in my hair and pulled my head back. As he kissed his way down my neck, I shuddered and moaned his name, whimpering with hot pleasure as I felt his lips encircle one of my nipples. Jordan scraped his teeth along the sensitive flesh and I shivered, bucking my hips in rhythm with his own movements.

  “Oh my god,” Jordan grunted. “Laci, you feel so fucking good.”

  His words sent a thrill shooting through my sweaty body, but all I could do was moan in response. Jordan felt more than good – the pleasure was becoming overwhelming, especially when Jordan put a hand between our bodies and began roughly fingering my clit with each thrust of his cock. I whimpered and shuddered as a strange, new feeling began building in my lower belly. It was like nothing I’d ever felt before, and when I realized I was holding my breath, I knew I was about to come for the first time.

  When my orgasm hit, it felt as powerful and delightful as a tidal wave of ecstasy breaking over my head. I arched my back and screamed as my body shook with powerful shocks of pleasure. There was nothing in the world but Jordan and me, and I shuddered intensely. Jordan grunted and arched his back, grunting and thrusting. He shoved his hips against mine and groaned, closing his eyes and burying his face in my neck. I could feel his cock pulsing and twitching inside of my body and I shuddered again, moaning softly as I lay back a
gainst the sweaty pillows.

  For a moment, we didn’t speak. Lying there in the hot, dark bedroom I felt like no words could possibly be powerful enough in comparison with the act of love that I’d just participated in.

  Jordan pulled out of me and rolled to the side, pulling a sheet over our naked bodies and wrapping an arm around my waist. He pulled me close and nuzzled the back of my neck.

  “That was amazing,” Jordan purred. He nipped at the top of my spine and I shivered with pleasure, pushing my ass against him.

  “Yeah,” I said softly. It felt so woefully inadequate, but I had a feeling that somehow all words would manage to fall short. “It was.”

  Jordan rolled me onto my back. He grinned at me and reached for a small remote on the nightstand. I half-expected to see a flat-screen television rolling down from the ceiling, but instead the curtains of the bedroom pulled back when Jordan pressed a button. The sun was sinking low in the Boston sky, and I realized that I’d never felt closer to anyone than I felt to Jordan in that moment.

  “So,” I said, giggling. “I guess you didn’t want a drink after all?”

  Jordan smirked. He leaned down to kiss me and I tasted musk and sweat on his lips. The scent alone was intoxicating and arousing and I felt another thrill of lust rush through my body.

  “Yeah,” Jordan said. He licked his lips and flopped back down on the pillows. “But I don’t have any complaints.” He raised an eyebrow. “What about you? Still want to go out to dinner?”

  My stomach rumbled and we both laughed. “I am hungry,” I said truthfully. “But to be honest…”

  “You’d rather just stay here?” Jordan raised an eyebrow at me. “Because if so, I don’t have a problem with that.” He reached into the nightstand again and tossed a pile of paper take-out menus at me. “In fact, I happen to know of quite a few good places.”

  I giggled as I leafed through them. “I never thought Jordan West would be such a slob,” I said, biting my lip. The sheet fell away from my breasts as I sat up and I made a mad grab for it but Jordan held the hem down. He licked his lips as he stared at my chest.

  “Laci, you’re beautiful,” Jordan said in a low growl. “I can’t believe you’re mine.”

  I flushed hotly. I’m his, I thought as my cheeks reddened. “I can’t believe it, either,” I said softly.

  “So,” Jordan asked, shaking his head and wiping the sweat from his forehead. “What do you want? Indian? Chinese? Thai? There’s a wicked good sushi place down the street, but I don’t know if that’s your thing or not.”

  I want you, I thought as I looked into his intense brown eyes. And I never want you to let me go.

  “Sushi sounds good,” I said after a long pause, feeling like a coward. I knew I should tell Jordan how I was feeling – how I was worried about falling in love and getting my heart broken.

  But as hard as I tried, the words wouldn’t come.

  Chapter Seven

  Jordan

  When three days had passed and I hadn’t heard anything from Ken, I was starting to get desperate. If I couldn’t find a way to track Leo down, I was going to be in a huge fucking mess that I didn’t feel like trying to worm my way out of. After all, my life was different now.

  So why the hell was I so fixated on trying to make sure that Leo’s life changed, too?

  After a long day at Trading West, I swallowed my pride and walked out to Megan’s desk. She was on the phone with a client and I stood there for a minute, tapping my toe with my arms crossed over my chest. When she saw me, she flushed.

  “Mr. West, I’m so sorry,” Megan said. “Is there something I can get for you? Tea? Coffee?”

  I shook my head. “No,” I said. I swallowed uncomfortably. “Megan, would you mind getting my brother on the phone?”

  Megan’s cheeks darkened from pink to red. “Your brother?”

  I cleared my throat. “James West.”

  Megan nodded. “Yes, of course, right away,” she said quickly, still clutching the receiver in her hand. “I’ll transfer him over as soon as I have him.”

  The short walk back to my office was just long enough to fill me with dread. Shit, I thought as I stared at my phone, waiting for the telltale blinking red light. Am I doing the right thing?

  When the light appeared, I took a deep breath and grabbed the receiver.

  “Hey,” I said shortly. “Thanks for—”

  “Jordan, what do you want?” James asked in a flat voice.

  “I need your help,” I said. It took every ounce of strength that I had not to lash out at my brother, but I knew I had to stay calm if there was any chance of James hearing what I had to say.

  “I’m so surprised,” James replied sarcastically. “I thought you were calling because you wanted us to be best friends.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Cut the shit,” I said sharply. “Meet me at Lowe’s in twenty minutes. I’ll tell you everything.”

  “And just why should I do that?” James asked. He yawned – the insolent bastard had the nerve to sound bored! “What, you’re going to give me some insider trading tips?”

  I clenched my teeth. “We’re brothers,” I growled. “You’re supposed to have my back, always.”

  James didn’t reply and I braced myself for a stinging insult.

  “James?”

  “Yeah, okay, fine,” James said finally. “I can’t be there in twenty, but I’ll meet you there at five-thirty.”

  “Okay,” I said. “Thanks.”

  We hung up and I sat there feeling oddly numb. Could it be that James and I would start getting along now, after all that we’d been through?

  Or was I just setting myself up for pain and disappointment?

  At five-thirty on the dot, I walked into Lowe’s. A small bar tucked in the corner of a posh hotel, Lowe’s had been my go-to for new clients and people I wanted to impress. Of course, I knew that I could never impress James. He knew far too much about me – and my past – to ever think of me as a gentleman. But it didn’t mean that I couldn’t at least try.

  James was sitting at the corner of the bar, drinking a Manhattan. His face looked worn and tired and his mane of dark hair was pushed away from his face.

  “Hey, little bro.” I sat down on the stool next to James. “You made it.”

  James gave me a sour look. “Yes,” he said icily. “I gave you my word, didn’t I? Not that you’d know anything about that, of course,” he added.

  I clenched my jaw and resisted the urge to insult him. “Yeah,” I said, shaking my head. “You’re damn good at that.”

  James pressed his lips together, then took a deep breath and drained the rest of his drink. He set the highball glass down on the bar.

  “I called you because I need help,” I said.

  James raised an eyebrow. “Shocking.”

  “I saw someone – someone I used to know,” I said, leaning close. “You know. When I was inside.”

  James sighed.

  “I know it was him,” I continued in a low voice. “He was trying to attack a woman in an alley.”

  “Jesus Christ,” James said. “And you want to help this guy?”

  I sighed. “I knew you wouldn’t understand. Fuck it,” I added bitterly, getting up from my stool and turning towards the door.

  “Wait,” James said sharply. He grabbed my elbow. “You came here for a reason.”

  “I want to help him because if someone had tried to help me, maybe my life would’ve been different,” I said. “I’ve been looking for him – I even had Ken look into it – but there’s nothing.”

  “And I suppose that’s what you want me for,” James said in a laconic voice.

  “You have a good private investigator,” I pointed out. “I remember that story from the papers, last year—”

  James held up a hand to silence me. “Then you’ll keep your mouth shut,” he growled.

  I shrugged. “Hey, man, you’re in the clear,” I replied. “But yeah – I want to hire your private inv
estigator. I…I know that deep down, Leo could be a good guy. I just want to help him away, you know? Give him a chance. Maybe give him a job at my firm and see what happens.”

  James toyed with his highball glass. “Jordan, you ever think that maybe you’re wrong about this guy?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You ever think that maybe he’s not waiting around for some savior? That he’s bad to the core, that he’s a man who’s going to take every chance to break the law?”

  “Well, yeah,” I said. “But you’ve never been to prison. You don’t know what it’s like – you don’t know how it conditions you to become a worse version of yourself. It’s not like anything I’ve ever experienced, man. If I hadn’t gotten out when I did and gotten help, I’d be fucked. And I don’t want Leo to deal with that shit. I want him to have a chance – a real chance, not like most guys who come out of prison.”

  “But how long has he been out?” James gave me a cynical look. “What if you’re too late, Jordan? You ever think about that?”

  “Every single day,” I said grimly.

  James was silent. “Fine,” he said. “I’ll help you.”

  I sighed with relief. “Thank you,” I said.

  James pressed his lips together. He looked deeply uncomfortable. “Right,” he said. “Come over next week, to my place – we’ll talk about it then. I won’t be able to put anyone on your project until after the weekend.”