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

by Lori Ryan

  He was all too aware of Joy as she replaced a nearly empty plate of bacon with one piled high with the perfectly cooked, extra crispy stuff that would probably kill him.

  Jack and Andrew were busy adding eggs and pastries to their plates while they talked about a company that might be worth looking into when they got back to the office. They had a rule in place that business could only be discussed at breakfast each day.

  “We’ll need to see if Commfarm is willing to hold off on phasing out their software department. We’d need that to remain in place for what we have planned,” Andrew said.

  Kaeden was about to open his mouth to say he had a friend who worked at the tech company that they might reach out to, but Joy spoke first.

  “Too late. They began phasing out software three years ago and it will be gone completely in another six months when they sell the last of their chips to CommNet.” She wasn’t even looking up as she said it. She spoke as she wiped up crumbs from the buffet table and he saw her freeze as she realized she’d said the words.

  Jack was the one to ask a question. “You know Commfarm?”

  She shrugged and tossed the napkin she’d used onto the empty bacon plate in her hand. “Not really. I just remember reading something about them.”

  That was bullshit if Kaeden ever heard it but she hurried back to the kitchen before he could question her. Jack and Andrew didn’t bat an eye as they sat down, talking about their plans.

  Kaeden watched the door she’d disappeared through. How was he the only one who thought it was odd that a random woman who worked in a lodge in Colorado was reading articles about a tech company in Connecticut?

  He pulled out his phone and texted his friend to see if he knew a woman named Joy Wilson. If she was that aware of the details of the company’s plans to sell off its software products, she was more connected to it than she was letting on.

  It wasn’t the first time he’d thought there was more to Joy Wilson than she was letting on. Following his gut, he added a description of her to the text and asked his friend if she sounded familiar at all.

  Then he joined the rest of the company at the long table in the lodge’s dining room. Since they had taken over the entire lodge for the time they were here, there was no one else in the dining room.

  Jennie was trying to convince her daughter to eat something other than the pastries the lodge’s owner made fresh each day.

  “You can’t blame her,” Kelly said to her sister. “These things are amazing.” She pulled apart a croissant and reached for the strawberry butter in the center of the table.

  “I really can’t,” Jennie said, grinning as she gave up. “Jack, we should come back here in the winter for another retreat. We can bond over skiing.”

  Joy walked back into the room and Jack shook his head laughing.

  “Joy, it looks like we might see you guys again in the winter. The retreat is a success.”

  Kaeden was probably the only one who thought her smile was stiff. But he knew she was faking her way through interactions with people a lot of the time.

  He knew the tactic when he saw it. Was an expert in it from using it himself and this was one of those times. She was faking her way through it here.

  It could be that she just wasn’t that into this side of the business. Interacting with strangers might not be her thing. But he didn’t think so. He’d seen her laugh with the interns and he’d managed to make her relax and be at ease at times with him.

  His gut said something was up with this woman. The stupid part of him that couldn’t give up on the idea that he could help her wanted to jump in and protect her.

  Luckily he was smart enough to listen to his head where she was concerned and not his heart. He knew damn well he had a hero complex, always wanting to save people.

  It had gotten him into trouble in the last months of his time in the Marines. And he hadn’t been able to save the woman. Not one little bit.

  He looked away from Joy, wishing he hadn’t messaged his friend after all. He needed to keep his distance and keep his head out of places and business it didn’t belong in.

  Chapter 13

  “This really isn’t in my job description,” Joy grumbled beside him after they’d had the safety lecture.

  Kaeden laughed. He was stoked for the whitewater rafting trip and was glad it was just the adults going so they could go on something with some real whitewater.

  He’d planned this knowing it would be his favorite part of the trip even though it had been a two-hour drive to get to the Royal Gorge run on the Arkansas River.

  Jax and Dave walked past them, and from their talk it was obvious they were trying to come up with a way to make their trek down the river into a competition.

  Kaeden shook his head and looked back to Joy. “You’re going to feel great when you hit a big challenge and you have to push through it together and you get out the other side. There’s nothing like that feeling.”

  He didn’t mention that people did sometimes die on the Arkansas River or that she had miles of class III and IV rapids to look forward to. They weren’t the hardest in the world, but this wasn’t going to be a lazy float down the river.

  She tilted her head at him. “I didn’t think you were one for teamwork.”

  Her words stopped him. She was right. He wasn’t. Hadn’t been in a long time because teamwork meant trust.

  He shrugged off her words but the unease they caused lingered.

  She seemed willing to brush past it. Or maybe she was so anxious about rafting that she didn’t realize her words had hit a mark.

  “Or I could fall into that big challenge and be left behind by the raft.”

  Now he focused on her, stepping closer. He put a hand out to stop her. “Hey, we won’t let that happen. Trust me, if you go over, you’re going to be pulled out, I promise.”

  She rubbed her hands up her folded arms. “I’d just really rather not go in at all.”

  He looked around. “You can probably stay here. I don’t think Jack will mind if you don’t come if you’re really uncomfortable with it.”

  She was watching the river, but she glanced now at the others getting into their gear around them. She bit her lip and he could see her thinking.

  “I promise,” he said. “If you get out there, you’ll love it. The scenery is gorgeous so the times when the water is quiet you’ll get to see things you don’t see otherwise. And the times when the water is rough, it’s not too bad. It’s enough to get your blood pumping and have fun. Nothing more.”

  She looked to him now and there was still indecision on her face. He shouldn’t be pushing her. He didn’t know why he cared if she went. The truth was going out on the river with someone meant you bonded with them. He shouldn’t want this.

  But he did. For some reason, he wanted to see her overcome this fear.

  He stepped closer and replaced her hands with his on her arms, rubbing them. She was wearing a wetsuit. Touching her through the heavy neoprene shouldn’t be affecting him the way it was.

  “You can do this,” was all he said, kicking himself even as he did it.

  He could see the moment she made the decision in her eyes. She was going to do it.

  It was stupid that her decision gave him so much pride. And in a ridiculous move, he knew he was going to make sure she was in his boat.

  It was also stupid that he somehow found her sexy even in her flotation vest and helmet.

  “If we lose any of the team,” Jack said as they all loaded into the rubber rafts they’d be taking down the river, “I’m holding you responsible, Kaeden.”

  Kaeden laughed but he saw Joy’s eyes go wide. He shook his head at her.

  The other rafts pushed out ahead of them and their boat was the last to leave. He, Logan, Samantha, Joy, Jennie, and Chad were all on this raft, along with their guide perched at the back to steer.

  The guide shouted at them. “Alright, people! Listen up. My name’s Rick. We’re going to go through some comm
ands and steering and all that jazz. Some of you are going to get a little wet. Most of you will get a lot wet. A couple will get the whole dunk, spin, and rinse cycle.” He paused. “But only if you’re lucky.”

  He went through some directions for what they should do when he yelled certain things as they headed down river, mostly coasting along for the start of the trip.

  “Who’s ready for this?” he yelled.

  Most of them yelled back.

  The guide shook his head. “Come on people, you weren’t born to work and work and work and then die.”

  “I wasn’t born to breathe under water, either,” Joy said and Kaeden couldn’t help but laugh.

  He did notice, though, that she was laughing a little now and didn’t seem to be as worried now that they were out there.

  “We’re coming up on some nice low flow here people. We’re going to take the line right down the middle of it. Gonna be a bit of a wave train, but I know you’re going to love it!”

  Joy looked over at Kaeden from her side of the boat. “Do you understand what the hell he’s saying?”

  He grinned back at her, loving this. “He’s saying you’re about to have fun, Joy Wilson.”

  And when he saw her dig in and paddle with the rest of them, he knew she was going to put her all into the run. She might not have picked this as her first choice for Colorado activities, but he had a feeling she was competitive with herself and wouldn’t half-ass anything in life.

  “Woo!” Jennie yelled when they came out of the rapid succession of whitewater flows.

  Her husband Chad shot her a look. “I don’t think you paddled during any of that.”

  Jennie only shrugged. “He said they were low flow thingies. We’ve got you on one side of the boat and Logan and Kaeden on the other side. I’m pretty sure you won’t actually need anyone else doing much paddling for most of this.”

  Chad barked out a laugh while Kaeden and Logan shook their heads.

  Samantha grinned. “I mean, she’s not wrong.”

  She really wasn’t. Chad was an Army Ranger, Logan was a Navy SEAL, and Kaeden a Marine. They could probably take this raft down the river without the guide or anyone else on board.

  The guide interrupted the debate. “Coming up on Hollywood Hole. It’s a great little play hole. We’re going to do some fun flat spins and then pop on out of that and head into Sunshine Rapid.”

  “Still no idea what he’s saying,” Joy groused.

  “But you’re having fun, aren’t you?” Kaeden asked.

  She smiled. “Yeah, I am. I didn’t think I would, but I am.”

  As soon as she said it the water from the river dumped on her, splashing her right in the face as she yelped. But when she stopped sputtering, she was grinning at him again, those big brown eyes dancing.

  And then the guide was yelling “lean in!” and they all ducked toward the middle of the boat as it hit a hard spot and bumped high in the water.

  And damn if he didn’t have the urge to reach for her and hold her tight.

  Chapter 14

  Turner stepped out of his rental car, handing the keys to the hotel valet. The town probably wasn’t as packed as it would be in the winter, but it seemed to have a pretty decent summer tourist business. He supposed the location was pretty and there were hotels that offered spas and plenty of hiking and things to keep visitors busy.

  Not him. He had one goal and one goal only during this trip. To find the woman who’d taken his wife from him. Who’d made his wife believe she could be anything without him.

  He’d booked a room for a week, not knowing where to start looking for his stepdaughter.

  Marilyn Seaver had told him she’d seen Jane walking around the quaint town one evening. It wasn’t much to go on, but he wanted to get his hands on the lying bitch who thought she could take his wife from him. It would be worth taking a week to hunt her down.

  He would let the bellman put his things in his room and head out to find lunch somewhere and maybe an outdoor café where he could sit and people watch.

  And wait. He wasn’t a patient man but he could wait this once if it meant finally finding his wife and bringing her home where she belonged.

  Chapter 15

  Joy probably stayed in the shower longer than she should have but the hot water felt delicious. Which was odd since she’d spent the day being wet.

  It was horrible that her internal monologue wanted to crack a joke about being wet in more ways than one. It was Kaeden and his damned hands. He’d spent the day touching her whenever he had the excuse and she couldn’t honestly say she had minded.

  Bah! The internal voice said.

  So, she was lying to herself. She not only hadn’t minded, she’d leaned into it wholeheartedly. She liked the teasing flirtation they had going and she was really tempted to ask him how he felt about a fling while he was here.

  Not that she’d be here much longer. She was supposed to be leaving in two days.

  Part of her was starting to think she should stay for the next week. Was it really necessary for her to move every six months?

  Not to mention, she would really love to stay and help Carl and Evelyn get through this next week.

  What could it hurt?

  A lot, she reminded herself. A hell of a lot. She had too much at stake here to mess up.

  Still, she would stay another week. She knew she would. She was too tempted by Kaeden and too committed to Carl and Evelyn to stick with her plan to leave in two days.

  She stepped from the shower and toweled off before wrapping one towel around her body and using a smaller one to dry her hair.

  She was startled by the knock on her cabin door. She didn’t exactly get visitors.

  She went to the window next to the door and looked out the crack in the curtain to see Kaeden standing on her porch. Her heart sped up as butterflies danced in her belly.

  She looked down at herself wrapped in a towel. He was probably just here to ask her something about his plans for the retreat for the following week.

  Or maybe he was wondering if she was planning to come up to the main house for dinner.

  Or maybe he was here because he’d been flirting hard with her all day and he was just as interested as she was in taking that to another level.

  She went to the door and called out. “Hey Keaden. Hang on a sec. I have to throw some clothes on.”

  “No you don’t.”

  His words came through the door, stopping her heart for a split second before it sped up again and the butterflies whipped into a whirlwind.

  She second guessed herself for the briefest moment before opening the door, one hand holding up the towel at her chest.

  Kaeden cursed low and harsh under his breath when he saw her and his gaze trailed down and back up before meeting her eyes.

  The appreciation in his eyes was an utter turn-on and she felt her body start to heat at his perusal.

  “Kaeden,” she whispered. She didn’t mean it to come out as a whisper, but there it was.

  He stepped in and closed the door behind him. He reached out and ran a single finger over her shoulder, swiping at a bead of water there in a way that was completely erotic and had her feeling tingles in all the places.

  “Joy,” he said, his own voice rough. “If you don’t want this, tell me to go.”

  Oh hell no. “I don’t want you to go.”

  His eyes seemed to darken even more at that and he trailed his finger up the side of her neck. “And you understand it won’t be anything but sex? Really amazing, no inhibitions, only in it for the fun sex that ends when I leave next week?”

  She might have choked a little at that. She nodded. “Nothing more.”

  Then he was on her, pulling her tight to him as he tugged the towel off of her and let it drop to the floor. There was something so stimulating in being naked while he was dressed. In the way he looked at her body and she could almost see all the things he wanted to do written on his face.

  She put
her hands to his chest while he ran one of his hands slowly down her back, cupping her ass before letting his hand slip between her legs from behind. He teased her as he watched her face. There was no distraction that a kiss might offer. Instead he watched her face and she leaned in closer, wanting that touch more than she realized.

  A moan escaped her when he found her wet for him and his other hand came around to play with one nipple. She went slicker still at the touch.

  He bent then, taking her breast in his mouth and sucking gently and she was lost as her body responded to him, damn near melting into his touch.

  A low rasping laugh said he knew what he was doing to her.

  “You’re so damned gorgeous, Joy.”

  His words made her flinch. Not because she didn’t think she was attractive. The erection she had felt pressing into her when he pulled her to him moments before told her how attractive he thought she was.

  It was the way he used her name. Or her not name, as it were. She hated that he was calling her Joy, but what else would he do when that was the name she was using now?

  She was glad he hadn’t seen her flinch so she wouldn’t need to answer questions.

  Instead she began to tug at his shirt. “I want to see you. Touch you.”

  He growled and stepped back, pulling his shirt over his head in a fluid easy movement.

  She reached out to touch his chest but he kept going, undoing his pants and shucking them off with his boxers. He’d kicked off his flip flops at the door and now stood as naked as she was.

  Her mouth literally watered at the sight. He was incredible. Taut muscles defined in places she didn’t think they could look like that. At least not unless it was on some air brushed model in a magazine.

  Now she stepped close to him, putting her hands to the smooth expanse of his chest. She would swear even her fingers were aroused at the feel of him and she was almost embarrassed at the way she was so wet.

  He grabbed his pants and took a few condoms from the pocket before coming back to her. He put his arms around her and walked them to the back of the studio style space to where her bed was at the back.