His Billion-Dollar Secret:: A Taboo Forbidden Love Romance

by Kelli Walker

  So, I’d give her all the distraction she needed.

  “We’ve been looking at a few places, but we have it narrowed down to a building in Switzerland and a building on the outskirts of Frankfurt,” I said.

  “Oh, Germany. That sounds exciting,” Callie said.

  “Though, that one isn’t at the top of my list right now because the building is much more rundown. What we’d save initially paying upfront we would easily filter back into making the building what it needs to be for our international real estate branch.”

  “Where is the other building in Switzerland?”

  “Zurich.”

  “Oh, I bet that’s beautiful. I’ve never been to Switzerland. What’s it like?” she asked.

  “Matthew never took you?” Clay asked.

  “Matthew took her,” Callie murmured.

  “You get that out of your system?” I asked.

  I hooked my gaze with Clay and willed him to back down. He didn’t need to be pressuring Callie to talk, and I sure as hell wouldn’t let him. Not at this dinner. I glared at him until he nodded and cleared his throat, then he speared another piece of steak and let his own wants go. It didn’t matter how he wanted to deal with this. It didn’t matter how he wanted to approach it. The only thing that mattered was how Callie wanted to approach it.

  How she wanted to deal with it.

  “So, yes. Those are the two places we’re looking at. Switzerland’s a bit more expensive, but the building won’t need much. Germany isn’t as expensive, but will need more renovations. In terms of price and work, they about even out.”

  “I take it you’re not delving into the tax benefits of both countries, then,” Callie said.

  “I am the C.F.O., after all,” I said, grinning.

  “Sounds like you got it under control, then. When are you thinking about making a decision?”

  “We need one by the end of the month. The plan is to be signing for the building at the beginning of July.”

  “Oh, how exciting. Do you have pictures of both the buildings?”

  “We can take a look at them later,” I said.

  Callie smiled at me as she reached for her water and I took the whole of her in. Her thick, curly black hair that fell down past her shoulders. Her amber eyes that sparkled with delight whenever she grinned. Curves on a body with long legs that could wrap around me twice. And a mind that sucked up information around her and retained it as if it were a sponge. Callie wasn’t just sexy as hell. She didn’t just dominate my dreams and throb my cock at the most inopportune times. She was also fiercely strong and wildly intelligent. Ambitious. Independent. An absolute joy to be around. She has her own dreams and her own aspirations, and she was charging full steam ahead towards all of them.

  I enjoyed everything about her. Including things Matthew deemed ‘faults’.

  “Uncle Colton,” Callie said.

  “Yes?” I asked.

  “Did you hear what I said?”

  My eyes flickered over to Clay and I found him giving me the oddest look.

  “Sorry. I was thinking about where those pictures for the buildings were,” I said.

  “They’re on our phones,” Clay said.

  “I know that now that I’ve retraced my actions in my mind. What did you say, Callie?”

  “I said that Dad was right. This steak is the best one you’ve made by far.”

  “Well, I’m glad you like it.”

  She smiled at me again before taking her last bite of steak in and my cock lurched against my pants. I loved watching her enjoy my meals. From slurping up my spaghetti to chewing on my buttery steaks, watching her lips wrap around her fucking forks was a nightmare. And the little moans that fell from her appreciative lips echoed off the corners of my mind for hours after the meals were over and done with. This young woman had fully captured me. Fully mesmerized me with all she was.

  Why the fuck was she my brother’s adopted daughter?

  “How much longer do you have with your Master’s degree?” I asked.

  I breathed a sigh of relief when Clay turned his confused look back over to Callie.

  “I’ve got this last year of study, and then I’m done. Come this time next year, I’ll have my Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology.”

  “And one step closer to opening your own practice,” Clay said.

  “Have you put any thought into the process that will go into something like that?” I asked.

  Callie giggled as she picked up her water and leaned back into her chair.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Trust me, I’ve already tried to give her advice on the topic. She won’t take it. Won’t even talk about it with me anymore,” Clay said.

  “Well, that’s silly. Why not?” I asked.

  “It’s not silly. But this is something I want to do on my own,” Callie said.

  “No one’s taking that from you. But my brother and I have a plethora of knowledge to help you with your endeavor so you don’t make some of the mistakes we made when getting our business of the ground,” I said.

  “I’ve already told her,” Clay said.

  “Look, I just don’t want to use my family and our name to help put me in a position of prominence in the community before I’ve earned it,” Callie said.

  “Then you’ve highly overestimated what you think I would do for you. I wouldn't give you something like that unless you worked for it. I know what our name means in this community, and it’s something my brother and I had to earn. All I was thinking about was more along the lines of what building you were going to rent. Or perhaps you’re going to purchase? Where do you want to set it up? Are you going to be in Los Angeles or not?” I asked.

  “Maybe we should tuck in the talking shop now. I don’t want Callie to get overwhelmed,” Clay said.

  “Dad’s right. I think that’s a conversation for a different night. I’m getting a bit tired after eating two plates of this delicious food,” Callie said.

  But I wanted answers to those questions. Just like I knew Clay did. I mean, was I going to lose her over the next year? Was Callie planning on going halfway across the country to open her practice? On the one hand, it wasn’t like I couldn't get to her. My brother and I owned the largest real estate development company in the country. We were established in every major sector of the United States. And the traveling alone I did for the branching out of our international marketplace would make it more than easy for me to pop in on her whenever I wanted. Or whenever she wanted.

  But the thought of not having her in Los Angeles made my stomach turn. The thought of having to relinquish her yet again to a world that proved to be just as unkind as I knew it to be made me sick.

  “Then, we’ll leave it for another time,” I said, smiling.

  I panned my eyes back down to my plate, but not before I saw Callie toss me a playful wink. And every hair on my body stood on end. I loved it when she did that because I knew what it meant. I dropped my eyes to my plate and scooped the last of my mashed potatoes onto my fork, but my mind was elsewhere. I was focused solely on my cell phone in my pocket, just waiting for that telltale feeling to ripple through my thigh.

  I kept Callie in my peripheral as her fingers flew across the screen of her phone in her lap. Then, I felt it.

  My phone vibrate against my hip.

  I put my fork down and wiped my mouth off, then tossed my napkin onto my plate. Clay got up and began clearing the dishes from the table, dumping them into the sink. I unlocked my phone and saw the message Callie had sent me and it bled excitement through my veins.

  We’ll talk about it soon. I promise.

  “You think I don’t see you guys when you do that, but I do,” Clay said.

  I chuckled and shook my head as Callie threw hers back in laughter. I slid my phone back into my pocket and took in her reverence. The happiness that spread across her features. That had always been our thing. If Callie needed to talk, she’d wink at me, send me a message, and I’d be
at her beck-and-call. Her laughter filled my ears as I scooted away from the table, then I rose to help my brother clean up the rest of the kitchen.

  But Callie’s laughter persisted.

  “Was it something I said?” I asked.

  “I think she’s just relieved to be home,” Clay said.

  I dumped my dish into the sink before I crossed my arms and turned to look at Callie. Her cheeks had turned bright red, lending a healthy glow to her milky skin. She cupped her hands over her mouth and curled her legs into her body, and soon Clayton began laughing with her. The two of them devolved into a pointless laughter that almost robbed them of their breath, and watching the two of them struggle made me cave.

  “What the hell are we laughing at?” I asked.

  “That’s the first time… Dad’s ever… called us… out like that,” Callie said.

  “You guys have done it for years. I’m surprised you didn’t… know I knew,” Clay said.

  I shook my head as a smile completely took over my face, closing my eyes and rendering me sightless. It felt like old times. Before school and death and financial hurdles all got in the way. The three of us, laughing until we could hardly breathe in the kitchen after sharing a hearty meal. I leaned against the counter to hold myself up, my ribcage hurting as my stomach jumped with my delight.

  Holy hell, it was good to have her home.

  But more than that, it was good to hear Callie laugh.

  Callie

  A knock came at my bedroom door as I laid in my bed, staring up at the ceiling. I heard the door open and a smile spread across my cheeks. I knew exactly who it was, and by the smell of the coffee that wafted into my room I knew why he was coming up to see me.

  “Hello, Uncle Colton,” I said.

  “I bring good tidings of great coffee and a want to know what’s going on in that mind of yours,” he said.

  I giggled and sat up as he came over to me and handed me the mug of warmth. I sniffed it deeply, taking in the hint of cinnamon and allspice that permeated the steam. Colt sat down in an armchair by my bed and took a sip, moaning at the taste of it.

  “I make a damn good cup,” he said.

  “Trust me, I know you do. I still can’t make it like you can at school.”

  “You could always call and get the recipe.”

  “But it’s so much fun to ruin whole pots of coffee trying to figure it out.”

  The two of us shared a laugh as I crossed my legs on my bed.

  “Okay, let’s start with your first question,” I said.

  “Mm. I’m all ears.”

  “I do want to set up my practice here in L.A. But, I don’t know if I should buy or rent.”

  “Are you asking for advice? Or simply wanting me to listen?”

  “I’m not sure, really. My concern is that if I buy a place right off the bat and my practice falls through, I won’t be able to keep up the payments until I can sell off the property. Or sell it off at all.”

  “But if you purchase the property, psychologically you’re going to be more invested in it,” he said.

  “Renting does come with the added benefit of being quickly accessible after I graduate as well. The process to rent a place versus buying a place is much shorter. The process is less involved.”

  “True, and it’s something to take into consideration.”

  “Well, that wasn’t any help,” I said as I sipped my coffee.

  “It all depends on where you want to lay your eggs, Callie. Do you want it to be easily accessible? Or do you want it to be successful?”

  I narrowed my eyes at Colt as I took another sip of my coffee. I silently commended his use of psychology in order play this game with me. He did have a point, though. In the end, it all came down to a psychological game I played with myself.

  “You think I should buy,” I said.

  “I think there’s no one better suited to play the psychological game of buying and becoming invested right off the bat than you,” Colt said.

  “So, you think I should buy.”

  “If you do, you’re automatically more invested because you have more to lose. It’s as simple as that. And I know you. I know you well, Callie. Once you’re invested in something, you do whatever that is to the best of your ability and you don’t stop. I think for the type of person you are and with the way you tackle certain scenarios, purchasing is the best way to go.”

  “You just want to keep me around Los Angeles like Dad does.”

  “I’d never want to clip your wings, Callie. I’d never want to be that person. But I do want you to make the right decisions based on the type of business you want and the type of person you’ve become,” he said.

  I settled against the pillow of my bed and took another sip of my coffee.

  “Business is just as much a psychological game as it is a monetary one. And with your degree as well as who your father and I are, you’re set up to succeed in both avenues. Not because of our reputation, but because of your intelligence and ability to absorb information.”

  I felt myself blushing underneath his compliments. Colt took another sip of his coffee and groaned, and the sound shot something through my system. Something that confused me, more than anything. It pooled in my stomach and blanketed my legs with a heat I hadn’t felt in many, many years.

  But I shook it off. I couldn't be what I thought I was experiencing.

  “Matthew’s parents live in Los Angeles,” I said.

  Colt was out of his chair and at my side in an instant after he put his coffee down onto my bedside table. He plucked my coffee from my hands and set it off to the side, then opened himself up for me. He could always read me like that. Whether it was the sound of my voice or the look in my eyes, he always knew when I needed to be wrapped up and hidden away from the world for a little while. He slipped down beside me on my bed and opened his arms to me, and I crawled into them like I always had.

  And the second my cheek fell to his shoulder, his lips pressed into the side of my head.

  “You are no longer required to make decisions based on that slimy, good-for-nothing, pathetic excuse for a man. You never were in the first place, but you sure as hell aren’t now,” Colt said.

  I giggled at his words as a smile crossed my cheeks.

  “I’m serious, Callie. It doesn’t matter where his family is. It doesn’t matter where he is. That doesn’t determine your success. And if the only reason for you to do something is because of another man? Then it’s not worth it, no matter what the decision is. No matter who the man is.”

  “Not even for you and Dad?” I asked.

  “Especially if it’s for myself and your father. We want you happy, Callie. Not controlled. Not hindered. We want the world for you. Not this heartache you’re experiencing.”

  I tilted my head to look up at him and thank him for his kind words. But, at that exact moment, he tilted his lips back down to my head to kiss the top of it. And when our lips connected, I froze. Not only that, but I felt Colt stiffen.

  However, he didn’t pull away.

  And neither did I.

  I didn’t know why I wasn’t pulling away. Everything in my body told me to. But the soft warmth of his lips and the strength of his arms around me drew me in. I assumed his lips would pull away eventually. That he would release me and scramble off my bed. But when his body tilted into mine, I puckered my lips to encompass more of him.

  I suddenly wanted to drown in his comfort.

  I pressed into Colt’s lips as his arms blanketed my back. He rolled me over onto my back, his chiseled body lying on top of me as my legs spread for him. What was I doing? What type of alternate reality had I jumped into? But I didn’t want to pull away. I didn’t want to leave him.

  I wanted more of him. All of him.

  I wanted to feel him against my body.

  All of the racing thoughts of our family growing up together over the years fell from my mind. All of the confusing emotions I’d been experiencing fell to the wayside.
Everything stopped the second my tongue slid across Colt’s mouth, and once our tongues collided my body came alive. My nipples puckered. My arms tightened around his neck. I pulled Colt’s body on top of me, feeling him fall into my curves. I felt his muscles pulsing underneath his shirt. I felt his hands sliding down my thighs. His tongue commanded mine. Raked along the roof of my mouth and stunned me silent. I gasped against him. My hands slid down his back as a moan escaped my lips and fell down his throat. I could’ve sworn I felt him growl. I could’ve sworn I felt a rumble in his chest that buried itself into mine.

  My hands fell around his ass cheeks and fisted the strength of them, and I felt his thickening cock roll against my thigh.

  I wanted him more than I could stand.

  And I had no clue as to why.

  Colton

  I knew there was something wrong the instant our lips collided. I felt like I should have wanted to fight it, but I didn’t. My mind should have been screaming at me, but it wasn’t. Instead, every fiber of my being and every part of my soul was elated at the fact that Callie hadn’t pulled away from our accidental kiss. I held myself there, steeling myself against her inevitable pushing of me away.

  But instead, I felt her lips picker.

  Fuck. My heart was elated. My cock throbbed harder than it ever had, and the second she pressed her body to mine I was done. Gone. Lost in a sea of her scent as she tugged me closer. My body dropped to hers as her beck and call as her luscious thighs parted for me. My cock throbbed against her clothed leg. Against a thigh I’d dreamt of sinking my teeth into for damn near four years. I ground into her, deepening our kiss the second she swiped her tongue against my lips. There it was. The moment I had been looking for.

  Her sign that she wanted so much more of what I could give her.

  Her hands gripping my ass shot electricity to the tip of my cock. The way her hands explored my body filled me with a fire I couldn't deny. My head tilted off to the side as her lips swelled against mine. And the little moan that crept from her mouth and poured down my throat sent shockwaves rolling through my body. I undulated into her. Her hands fled up my back and threaded through my hair, pulling me closer to her body. She fisted my shirt like she wanted it off and every fiber of my being exploded and pieced itself back together.