The Hot Billionaires Box Set

by Nella Tyler

  I left her nightlight on, crept from her room, and closed her door most of the way. I went downstairs to find Drew in the kitchen, putting our popcorn bowl in the dishwasher.

  “Well, I think she’s out for the night,” I said. “She never stirred at all, even through all of the moving around.”

  He turned to me, grinning. He’d gotten a haircut since I’d last seen him, but his hair was wild on the top of his head from leaning back against the couch while we watched the movie. I wanted to smooth it back with my hands and then bring his lips down to mine.

  “Yeah, Soph is a sound sleeper.”

  “I guess I should be getting home.” It was the last thing I wanted to do, but I didn’t want to overstay my welcome tonight and ruin the toasty warm feeling flickering inside my chest.

  “I’ll walk you out,” Drew replied. We went to the front hallway together, his arm draped over my shoulder. He watched as I put my winter clothes back on, a regretful expression on his face. I could see he wanted me to stay. I wanted the same, but it wouldn’t be right for Sophia to find me here in the morning, even if I was downstairs sleeping on the couch. Things were confusing enough already for her with the two roles I was now playing in her life.

  He pulled me close to him, instead of letting me open the door. He ducked his head and kissed me, slowly at first, just letting that heat build between us. Before I knew what was happening, I was pressed against the door while we went at each other, our tongues in each other’s mouths and hands traveling all over each other’s bodies. I pulled away from him, my hands flat on his chest to keep him from leaning into me again. I had to stop right now or I wouldn’t be able to leave tonight.

  “When can I see you again?” His was voice low and husky with desire.

  “Soon,” I said, breathless from our kissing. I reached to smooth back his soft hair the way I’d wanted to do in the kitchen. “My principal saw us outside the other day and warned me about creating a scandal with one of the parents.” I had no idea why that had come to me at this exact moment, but now it was out in the open.

  Drew smiled, looking sleepy. “I don’t care what that guy thinks or says. We’re two consenting adults. That’s not a scandal.”

  I didn’t have a response to that, and Drew sealed his words with another long kiss.

  We said our goodnights, and I went out into the cold. The wind was freezing. I ran to my car and started it. By the time I was a few miles down the road, I could finally feel the warm air coming from the vents. I thought about the day and how much fun I’d had. But thoughts about the conversation with Terry kept encroaching and ruining my good feelings. He’d seemed very worried at the thought of me dating a parent of one of my students. I didn’t want to put my job in jeopardy, but I also didn’t want to stop seeing Drew. I really liked that man. And, I already loved Sophia.

  By the time I pulled into my driveway, I’d decided to keep seeing how things would develop between Drew and me. I just needed to be careful to keep it separate from my professional life. That would be easy enough. Drew was right. What we were doing wasn’t scandalous. It was wonderful. And it wasn’t anyone else’s business.

  Chapter 25

  Drew

  Monday

  The morning flew by at work. There was so much to do after the weekend, and I barely had time to lift my head from my tasks until just before lunch. These were the days I enjoyed the most — when I could barely find the opportunity to breathe. It made the hours fly by, and I did my best work when I was under the gun. When lunchtime finally arrived, I was just finishing with my last site report. That made twenty five in only a few hours, which had to be some kind of record. Across from me, Brian had stayed just as busy as I was, going through the other twenty reports that had dropped into our inboxes on Saturday and Sunday.

  I sat back in my chair and stretched my aching spine, groaning at how good it felt to be out from under all of those reports. I still had plenty of work to get done for the rest of the day, but I could do some of that from home after I picked up Sophia at the end of her school day. The reports, on the other hand, had to be reviewed and submitted to my superiors before I left the office.

  “I didn’t think I’d ever finish those damned things,” Brian said. He was sitting back in his own chair and sipping on a mug of what had to be ice cold coffee. He ran a hand through his blond hair, musing it up even more than it already was. He had a habit of scratching his head when he was focusing hard on something, leaving him looking like he’d just come in from a high wind.

  “It’s only going to be worse next Monday.”

  Brian groaned.

  “Hey, what do you have going on tonight?” I asked, looking at him. He was leaned over his desk, eyes on his computer screen. My words brought his gaze up to my face.

  “Not too much. Why?”

  “I told you Sophia and I went out with Abigail last Saturday, right?”

  His expression brightened, and I could see the spark of interest ignite in his eyes. We’d had so many damned reports to get through when we came in that we hadn’t even taken a minute to chat about our weekends. Fortunately for both of us, Karen had come in an hour before we got here, brewed an extra large pot of her killer coffee and had hard copies of the reports printed and waiting for us in neat stacks on my desk. We said good morning, grabbed a mug of coffee, and dove in.

  “How’d that go?” Brian asked.

  “It was an amazing day. I can’t tell who likes Abigail more: me or Soph.” I chuckled deep in my throat. It was a good problem to have. “And, I can’t tell who Abigail likes more: me or Soph.”

  “Definitely Soph.” He gave me his smartass grin, the one that was sharp around the edges. “That’s who I like best.”

  “I’m glad to hear that, Bri, because I need you to watch her tonight.”

  His eyes narrowed, but playfully, and I knew I was in for some additional ribbing. It was just how things went between us. “Are you trying to take Abigail out again?”

  I nodded. “I plan to surprise her today when I pick up Sophia. She’s been really understanding about my no going out during the work and school week policy, but things are going so well between us. I can’t wait until this weekend to spend time with her again. And, I’d like to have her to myself for a few hours.”

  “Well, I could watch Sophia, but I’m going to need a couple hundred dollars to do it,” Brian replied with a sober expression hardening his normally soft features.

  I stared at him for a moment, and he started laughing. “I’m just shitting you, Drew. Go out with your lady. I can swing by your place after work. Maybe Soph and I will order some Chinese food or something.”

  “Thanks, man. Just don’t let her stay up half the night.”

  “I could say the same to you.” He lifted his eyebrows suggestively, and I rolled my eyes.

  I finished all the tasks that couldn’t wait until the following day and left to pick Sophia up from school. I pulled into the parking lot, stopped the truck, and got out. I crossed to the sidewalk next to the car loop and sat down on the bench to the left of the doors leading into the school. I wanted to surprise Abigail, who wasn’t expecting to chat with me. I knew she wanted to keep our relationship completely separate from her work at the school. I meant to respect that, but it didn’t mean I couldn’t ask her out on the sly.

  The bell rang and the kids started to come out, led by the older kindergarten teacher. There were dozens of cars already waiting in an orderly line. Kids went racing by me, laughing and talking in loud voices as they went to their parents’ vehicles. I was shivering on the ice cold bench by the time Abigail came out with the last of the children. She was holding Sophia’s hand and talking to one of the male students. The boy took off as soon as Abigail finished whatever she was saying, sprinting to his parent’s minivan at the head of the line in the car loop.

  I watched Abigail look across the parking lot to my truck, only to see that I wasn’t in it. She frowned lightly, but Sophia had alread
y found me. Her face split into a wide smile, and she tugged on Abigail’s arm, collecting her attention, which she focused in the direction of where I was sitting on the bench.

  I rose, a huge smile on my face. Sophia wiggled free from Abigail’s hand and rushed to give me a hug. I picked her up and spun her in a circle while she let loose a gale of sweet giggles. Abigail wandered over, smiling, but looking worried at this change in our afterschool routine. I could see the principal wasn’t out at the car loop today. I’d keep an eye out for him to make sure Abigail wouldn’t get reprimanded again, not that she was doing anything wrong to begin with. Her free time belonged to her and she could do whatever the hell she wanted with it.

  “What are you doing over here?” she asked, her green eyes skipping around my face. She was gorgeous as usual, her red hair loose on her back and soaking up the sunlight.

  “I wanted to ask you out tonight. We never go anywhere during the week, but I want that to change. I already have a babysitter and would love to spend the evening with you.”

  The cautious look in her eyes disappeared, replaced by excitement. “That sounds wonderful, Drew. I’d love to.” Her face tensed again with worry. “I have a parent teacher conference today at four, though, so it would need to be after that.”

  “I can swing by your place tonight around five thirty, if that works for you.” Brian wouldn’t be able to get to my place until after work, anyway.

  She brightened again. “That sounds great.”

  “See you then.” I left right then, not wanting to risk standing this close to her for much longer. I was liable to try putting my hands and lips on her right here in front of everybody, which would be all kinds of inappropriate and a lot harder for her to explain to the principal. Anyway, I was sure I’d get my chance to kiss her tonight. I just needed to wait a few hours.

  I drove Sophia home, nodding and laughing as she told me about her day in school. When we got to the house, she set up at the dining room table to complete her homework. Once that was done, I had her take her shower early. That was the one part about taking care of Soph that Brian didn’t care for. If I didn’t make sure she bathed before I left, I came home to find her unwashed in bed. While Sophia was upstairs singing loudly to the music playing through her waterproof speakers, I made sure everything was in order for the following day. By the time Brian arrived just after five — he’d cut out a little early to make it over here as soon as possible — Sophia was clean and in her pajamas and the house was tidy.

  “Thanks again for this, Bri,” I said on my way out. He waved off my words, and I ran out to the truck, not wanting to be late picking up Abigail. I somehow managed to get to her place right at five thirty, even with the slow-moving rush hour traffic clogging up the streets all over town.

  I pulled into Abigail’s driveway, and she came right out of the front door before I’d even put my truck in park. She motioned for me to stay put in the driver’s seat while she locked her front door and ran down to meet me.

  “I would’ve come to the door, crazy lady,” I laughed.

  “There’s no use for us both to be cold,” she replied, breathless from the jog and the cold. It felt as though it had dropped ten degrees between the weekend and now. This winter didn’t seem able to make up its damned mind. It would be unseasonably warm one day and then give us subzero temperatures a few days later. I cranked up the heat, and she held her bare fingers up to the vents, smiling gratefully.

  “So, where are we going?” She glanced over at me. The last of the day’s light was disappearing from the sky, but I could see how excited she was for the evening.

  I put the car in reverse and backed out onto the road again before I answered her. I didn’t want her changing her mind and jumping from the car or anything crazy.

  “We’re going dancing.” I kept my eyes forward at this little announcement, but could feel her gaze boring into the side of my face. I had to press my lips together to keep from laughing out loud. I wanted to hear her honest reaction without my interference. I already knew how insane the plan sounded, but that was part of the reason I liked it so much. Getting outside of our comfort zones was key.

  “You dance?” she asked in an amused but incredulous tone.

  “I used to go all the time. I haven’t been in years and thought I should start again. With you.” I glanced at her briefly, and I could see my words had touched her.

  “Okay,” she said. “I haven’t gone out dancing since college, but let’s do it. There’d better be some food involved, too, though.”

  I laughed at that. “I’d never take you out without making sure you get something good to eat. Hell, I’m starving.”

  There was a club downtown that had a dining room along with an impressive dancefloor, the two areas separated by a solid, soundproof wall. It was built after Chelsea had passed away, so we’d never actually gone to that particular place together, but Brian had been there on numerous dates and assured me both the food and the music were excellent. I’d called ahead to reserve a table in the dining area, though it was Monday and probably not going to be very busy. The parking lot was surprisingly full and, when we wandered in, though, so I was glad I’d thought to make that reservation.

  “Wow, it’s really busy,” Abigail said, shrugging out of her coat. All of the tables appeared to be taken. But when I gave my name to the hostess, she took us back to the only empty place: a table for two tucked into a dark, somewhat private corner.

  We ordered drinks and an appetizer as soon as the waiter arrived at our table to greet us. After a few minutes of looking over the impressive menu, we both knew what we wanted.

  “This is a really nice surprise,” Abigail said, smiling as she took a sip of her red wine. I couldn’t stop looking at her. She was even more beautiful tonight than usual, as though her creamy skin was radiating some inner light that spoke directly to me. I couldn’t wait to get her out on the dance floor, for our bodies to rub against each other, building heat that threatened to boil over.

  “We never go out during the week. I wanted to do something different.”

  She lifted her wine glass, I lifted my scotch and soda, and we toasted each other. We kept up light conversation while we devoured our seafood appetizer, both of us unable to wipe the smiles from our faces for more than a few seconds at a time.

  I loved being here with her. I realized as our meals were set down in front of us that I wanted to eat every meal with this woman. I wanted to go to sleep talking to her and wake up to find her snuggled right next to me in the morning. I hadn’t felt this way about anyone else besides Chelsea. I was glad that I’d taken all the time I needed to process losing my wife. It left me ready to truly move on, and I’d met Abigail at just the right point in my life to give our relationship a real fighting chance.

  We each took turns discussing our day at work — it sounded like Monday was Abigail’s best day of the week while it was my worst, most harried day — and then went on to talk about what we expected from the rest of our work weeks. She had Valentine’s Day projects to put together for the children to deliver to their loved ones at the lunch the school was putting on.

  I grinned at the mention of the lunch and felt very satisfied that this beautiful woman would be sitting at the table with Sophia and me, and not because she felt sorry for us. It might have started out that way, but now it had developed into so much more. I felt a connection to this woman that was real, and I was very interested to see how deep it ran.

  We finished eating, resisted the urge to order dessert, and I paid our bill. We gathered our winter jackets and took them to the coat check area set up right in front of the entrance to the club side of the establishment.

  “Are you ready for this?” I asked, lifting an eyebrow.

  Abigail took a deep breath, drawing my eyes to her chest as it expanded beneath her tight fitting sweater. I really couldn’t wait to get my hands on her.

  “Let’s do it!” she said, grinning.

  I took he
r by the hand and we plunged into the darker atmosphere of the club, the music beating against our ears. It was good music — I actually recognized the rock song that was playing — and I found myself ready to shake off the stress of the day and really have a great time. I turned to her once we reached the dance floor, and we began to move together. I brought Abigail closer to me, resting my hands on her slim waist. I loved the feeling of her body moving so closely against mine, like we were doing something naughty right here in front of everyone. It was cranking the heat up inside of me and making me want her more than I ever had before. I wondered, and not for the first time tonight, if she’d be in the mood for more than just kissing when I drove her back to her place.

  She lifted onto her tiptoes to brush her cherry lips against mine and I kissed back, pulling her further into my body as I pressed my tongue into her mouth. We broke apart, our bodies still going along with the music as we smiled at each other. Abigail’s eyes were wide as she stared up at me. I could feel the heat in them. It was stealing my breath away. I didn’t know how much longer I could do this before I had to find a quiet place for us to be together.

  The song changed to one that was even more upbeat and we separated, dancing harder. I could feel the sweat running down my back under my sweater. It was too warm in here, but I was having a great time and didn’t want to ruin it by leaving the dancefloor or taking the time to pull my sweater off. We kept going through another dozen songs, the sweat beading on Abigail’s forehead as she moved her body gracefully along with mine.

  We left the floor finally, breathless, and guzzled some water at the bar. It was nearly ten o’clock by now. Behind us, the dancefloor was still packed with gyrating bodies. What time did these people go to bed at night?

  “It’s getting late. Are you ready to go?” I tapped on the face of my watch and had to speak loudly in order to be heard above the music.