Falling for the Billionaire's Daughter (Sutton Billionaires Book 6)

by Lori Ryan

  Chapter 9

  Turner Carson scanned the room, easily taking in those who could help him and those who didn’t matter. It was one of the many annual events he attended, the stated goal of which was fundraising for God knows which charity this year, but he only attended for networking purposes. Sure, he wrote the obligatory check—they wouldn’t let him walk out without that—but he made sure he got something out of the event that would benefit one of his businesses in some way.

  Marilyn Seaver was waving him down. He would have liked to pretend he didn’t see her but she was the mayor’s wife, so ignoring her wasn’t prudent.

  “Marilyn, you’re looking lovely as ever.”

  She waved off his compliment. “Is Debra doing better? Is she coming home soon?”

  Turner blinked. He didn’t know why she would assume his wife would be coming home anytime soon. As far as the town was concerned, they all thought Debra was undergoing a series of groundbreaking surgeries in Switzerland but he’d made it clear her recovery would be a long time coming.

  He hedged his answer. “She’s doing as well as can be expected, but she’s got a long way to go.”

  Marilyn’s brows knit. “Oh, when I saw her daughter was back in the states, I assumed she was doing better. I was hopeful she might even be back.”

  Turner forced his smile to remain in place as he glanced around the room. “You saw Jane?”

  “We went on a little vacation,” she said, only to be interrupted when her husband brought over another couple and made introductions, drawing the conversation—and his wife’s attention—away from his stepdaughter and wife.

  Turner seethed. He needed to find out where they’d gone on that vacation. He’d seen the mayor and his wife only two weeks prior, so if she’d seen his stepdaughter, it had to be recently.

  His PI was currently chasing a lead in New Jersey, but Turner didn’t mind going and tracking down his bitch of a stepdaughter in the meantime. He could use that kind of vacation.

  He waited and watched for the chance to get close to Marilyn or the mayor again so he could find out just where his vacation was going to be.

  Chapter 10

  What had started out as a wide dirt road was now a rocky trail and a thirty-degree incline, and Joy had to admit she was feeling it on the back of the horse and knew she’d be sore later. Still, she was going to miss Colorado. She hadn’t taken advantage of the hiking out here as much as she should have. She’d been too busy working most of the time.

  “I hear it gets worse up ahead,” Kaeden said as he came up alongside her.

  When she only shot him a look, he laughed.

  “You look like you wish you’d stayed behind.”

  Joy grinned but looked around. “Nah, it’s worth it. It’s so pretty. The falls at the top of the trail are supposed to be amazing.”

  “So I’m not failing as an event planner yet?”

  She eyed him at her side. She was tempted to ask if that was really his assignment here. From what she’d heard in his talks with his boss, the point wasn’t so much that he was supposed to plan events. It was more that he was supposed to oversee others planning the events. Although she didn’t know why that distinction would matter, she’d seen Jack keeping an eye on Kaeden’s interactions with the interns and she wasn’t entirely sure the boss was happy.

  But it wasn’t her business. Instead she said, “We’re two days in. I think I’ll reserve judgment.”

  “Tough crowd.”

  “What else you got planned?” Joy reached for the water bottle she had in her day pack and swallowed some before putting it back.

  He named a restaurant for dinner that Joy knew was a tourist trap. The food was horrible and the service wasn’t much better.

  “Skip that. Trust me. Have the interns call Empire Burger and see if they can fit in a large group tonight. If they can’t, try The Flip Side.”

  He was looking at her with something that wasn’t all that filled with trust and confidence.

  Joy shook her head, a smile teasing the corner of her mouth. “I was right about the crepes, wasn’t I?”

  Kaeden grumbled but he took out his phone and managed to balance his reins in one hand as he sent a text with the other.

  “Are you really texting the interns? You realize they’re five yards ahead of us. You can talk to them.”

  “A text is fine.”

  Joy was laughing as she watched the interns check their phones before turning to give a big thumbs up to Kaeden. “Oh, and you should add panning for gold to your list of activities.”

  Kaeden pointed at her. “Stop screwing with me.”

  She was pressing her lips between her teeth as she raised one hand in a not me gesture. “I promise. The kids will love it. You get to see some of the old tools that were used for gold mining during the gold rush and then you each get a little pan and you look for gold in a river. They can find garnet too.”

  “Garnet?”

  “Dark red stone. I think it’s the birth stone for January. Anyway, the kids will love it. We send families there all the time and they always come back to the lodge all excited at the tiny chips of gold they pulled out of the river.”

  “You get to keep the gold?”

  “Yup. All two cents worth. You’d need to pan for days to get anything that would earn you enough for a cup of coffee. But it’s fun.”

  Kaeden sent another text while Joy shook her head.

  “So what’s your story?” Kaeden asked as he shoved his phone into his pocket.

  Joy didn’t let the question throw her off. She’d gotten used to dealing with that kind of thing. “No story. I work at the lodge helping with the guests and cleaning rooms. This is a nice break for me because I’m getting sent out on all sorts of outings with you guys. I don’t usually get to play tour guide.”

  “Have you been in the area long?”

  It was a natural question. They were talking about her playing tour guide so wanting to know how long she’d been in the area was a normal segue. She didn’t let it get to her. But she did fudge the answer.

  “Long enough to know you should listen to me.” She couldn’t help but grin at his scowl. He was fun to tease.

  Lord, the thought of teasing him in other ways hit her and she had to look away from him so he wouldn’t see her blush. Or worse, read her thoughts on her face. She focused her attention on the rocky terrain her horse was working around as though her intense concentration might help the horse.

  They were coming to the top of the trail and Joy heard the others in their group exclaiming over the waterfall. She turned to Kaeden. “Come on, let’s check out the falls. They’re supposed to be worth this climb.”

  One of the wranglers was helping everyone dismount and tie the horses’ reins to stumps. They followed suit and then took the short path that led to the falls.

  They were without a doubt worth the climb. They had seen small bits of the river and minifalls along the way but now there was level after level of rushing waterfalls. It wasn’t like some falls where it was tall. This was more like a cascading meandering fall that made its way down the face of the mountain in its own way, carving a path through rock and trees.

  Kaeden jumped onto some of the rocks near the falls and Joy let herself watch the way the muscles flexed in his legs as he jumped. She had a new appreciation for shorts as she watched his tanned muscles. It was surprising to see him in such good shape. The way he acted sometimes she would have thought he’d spent all day every day in the office but you didn’t get legs like that without getting out sometimes.

  Instead of letting herself wonder what his hobbies were, she wondered if it would be such a bad idea to have a fling with this guy before she left town. It’s not like she got the chance often and there were times she thought he was flirting with her. Would it hurt to let herself relax for just a day or two before she had to face the reality of her life again?

  Kaeden turned and grinned at her, leaning down and offering his arm to
pull her onto the boulder with him. His hand was warm and his grip firm and she would be lying if she said she didn’t lean in a little closer than necessary as he tugged her up. She saw heat flash in his eyes when her body came flush to his and he didn’t back away.

  “It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” he asked. He was watching her and she looked away to the waterfalls, flustered at his flat-out flirting. It had been too damned long since she’d done anything like this.

  “Yeah, it is.” It came out way too breathy and Joy stepped back, all too aware that half the people he worked with were nearby.

  How do you tell a guy you want to see if he’s up for a night of fun and nothing else?

  If the way he was looking at her was any indication, he was reading her thoughts just fine. And she didn’t know if she should be glad about that or terrified.

  Chapter 11

  Joy watched the fire, listening to the crackle and pop of the wood. She was far enough away to avoid the smoke, letting the interns manage the s’more-making with the kids. She had to admit, this week was turning out to be a lot less stressful than she’d thought it would be. Most of the time interacting with people had her too stressed to enjoy anything. She would wonder if they’d know Turner. Would they go home and say something to him about a girl who looked a lot like his missing stepdaughter?

  It was probably silly to think something that coincidental would happen, but she couldn’t help it. When he’d found her shortly after she got her mother away from him, he’d threatened to hurt her until she told him where to find his wife. She had no doubt he would have. There had been a look in his eyes as he gripped her arms behind the restaurant she’d been working at. She had been prepared for his threats, for his anger. She hadn’t been prepared for the icy calculation in his eyes.

  If someone hadn’t walked out then, giving her a chance to get away, she knew he would have done more than just hurt her. The man was evil, straight through his soul.

  So yeah, being around people instead of working behind the scenes at the lodge had made her nervous. But so far, there didn’t seem to be anyone in the group from Texas and they were all people who made her smile. She hadn’t thought a corporate retreat would be this way.

  She pictured team building exercises that no one really wanted to do and a bunch of people talking about their boss when he or she wasn’t around to hear it.

  Instead, there was Jack Sutton, the CEO of the company, juggling not just his own children’s marshmallow sticks, but those of two other kids in the group as well. She would have thought this was a family reunion if she didn’t know better.

  She felt Kaeden before she saw him. He stood across the fire watching her as he made his way around the outside of the group. He smiled and nodded greetings at the others when they spoke to him, but he was steadily making his way toward her.

  And damn if that didn’t make her stomach flip. Stomach, heart—hell, all of her.

  And then he was there.

  “Is this seat taken?” His voice was low and sexy and raked over her body in a way it shouldn’t. But she loved it.

  She looked at the space next to her. It wasn’t really a seat. She shifted over on the large log she was sitting on. “Nope. Have at it.”

  He grinned her way as he sat. She could see his eyes skimming over the group. He was checking and double checking everything. In fact, she was surprised he’d gotten here late. It wasn’t like him to let the interns handle any event without him, even for a short time.

  “You’re late,” she commented, bumping his shoulder with her own as she sent him a teasing smile.

  His careless shrug almost convinced her he wasn’t bothered by the fact he’d missed the start of one of the group activities he was in charge of. “Had to make a phone call.”

  They were quiet for a few minutes before he leaned in close to her. “So, tell me the rest of your story. There has to be more to it.”

  She was startled to realize she wanted to. Luckily, she wasn’t that stupid. It was only the fact she’d been so cut off from everyone for over a year that made her feel that temptation. “No story. Just working for a living. The lodge is a good place to do it.”

  A great place, actually. She loved Carl and Evelyn and she hated that she needed to leave. Maybe if she told them she had to go instead of just taking off, they’d let her come back someday. Would it hurt her to return in a couple of years?

  Exhaustion hit her then. Would she still be running in a couple of years? Would Turner have given up and left them in peace by then? How would she know? It’s not like she could take a chance.

  The thought of keeping this up for five, ten—even more years almost swamped her.

  “Yeah, there’s something more there. Something you aren’t telling me,” Kaeden said so quietly she didn’t know if he meant for her to hear it. His words snapped her back to him and she realized he was watching her intently. There was more than curiosity there. He was angry that she wasn’t being honest with him. He was trying to hide it but she could see it there.

  Well, he could get as mad as he wanted. It didn’t change the situation. She took a deep breath and swept away the cloud in her thoughts, plastering a bright smile on her face. “Like in the movies? I’ve got a big bad secret I can’t let anyone know.” Truer words and all that.

  “Do you?” His eyes said he believed she did.

  Joy forced a laugh. “Maybe you’ll find out I’ve buried the bodies of ten people out back. I target control-freak businessmen who don’t know how to let their hair down and you’re my next victim.”

  Now he scowled but she saw a playful edge to it as his frustration with her seemed to flicker. “I can let my hair down just fine, thank you.”

  A grin played on her lips at that.

  “You didn’t answer the question.”

  Joy sighed. “No big secret. I’m just a woman working for a living.” The lie came easily. She was used to it now.

  He grinned and looked to where some of the couples in the group were slow dancing even though there was no music. “Dance with me.”

  Joy was so surprised she didn’t answer for a minute.

  He raised a brow. “Dare you.”

  Well, damn, now she had to.

  Like it’s going to be a hardship, the catty little internal dialogue in her head said.

  He held out a hand and she stared at it for a few seconds, liking the idea of holding that strong hand a little too much. Wanting to know what it would feel like when she slid her hand into his.

  She wasn’t at all prepared for what happened when he pulled her to her feet and into his arms. The man wasn’t playing fair. He was humming quietly, moving them in a slow circle in time to whatever song he had playing in his head as he leaned close, his head close to hers so only they shared the music.

  She would have tried to pick out the song, but her mind had gone to utter mush in his arms. He was strong and warm and his hands felt amazing, one holding her hand and the other on her back. It was low but not enough to be offensive. Enough, honestly, to make her wish he’d go lower.

  Lord, what was happening to her?

  “You’re a little different than I expected, Joy Wilson.”

  She made the mistake of tilting her head back to look up at him, planning to say ditto.

  The look in his eyes when she met his gaze stopped the breath in her chest. He was looking at her with such heat, she couldn’t get the word out of her mouth.

  But he was accurate alright. He wasn’t what she’d expected either.

  He lowered his head a fraction of an inch and for a minute, she thought he was going to kiss her. There was that moment where they were too close, closer than two people who didn’t plan to kiss would be. And if her breathing was any indication, her body was all for it. She felt that excitement in her stomach that came from the anticipation of connection.

  Yes! that voice in her head started screaming.

  Part of her knew she shouldn’t want this at all. It was a bad idea
to mess with this man. Any man. She couldn’t have relationships in her life.

  But this wouldn’t be a relationship. It could be a fling. A really fun amazing fling when she was about to go on the run again and lose the few people she had in her world. She could give herself that, couldn’t she?

  His mouth hovered over hers, breath mingling as she felt her heart kick up, seeming to trip over itself at the anticipation of his mouth on hers.

  And then he stopped.

  Whether the song inside his head was finished or he’d just come to his senses or whatever, she didn’t know.

  But he pulled back and cleared his throat. “Thank you for the dance, Joy.”

  Well, at least he hadn’t called her Ms. Wilson. That was something.

  Chapter 12

  What happened the night before with Joy shocked the hell out of Kaeden. Asking her to dance hadn’t been something he planned. The idea had come into his head at the same time the words had come out of his mouth. And then he’d had her in his arms and the feel of her had stripped his defenses.

  When she tipped her head back and looked up at him, all the walls he’d built so carefully in the past few years began to crack.

  And it had been all he could do to plaster over those fucking cracks and step away from her without kissing the gorgeous curve of her bottom lip. The way she always looked like she was trying to hold everything together and keep people at arm’s length, he wanted to see if he could make her fall apart in his arms.

  Christ, he had to think of something else. Standing in line for the buffet breakfast at the lodge with all of his coworkers wasn’t the place to get a hard-on.