Four Simple Words: A Badass and the Billionaires Contemporary Romance (The Sisters Quartet Book 4)

by Mary J. Williams

  Then, they would fly home to New York, enjoy the rest of their two-week affair. After, she hoped they could remain friends.

  Destry liked the big, blue-eyed Irishman. But love? Her heart fluttered, a feeling she easily dismissed. She was capable of the emotion. She loved her sisters. And Mrs. F. She even harbored a feeling close to love for her father, when she wasn't ready to kill him.

  And yes, she loved herself. She didn't have room for anyone else in her already full, complicated world.

  Truth was, Destry lived a self-centered life and, even if she could, she wasn't willing to change. Liam—any man—deserved a woman who would be there for him, not off to who knows where on a new adventure he couldn't understand because, well, he didn't understand her.

  Destry bent at the waist, shaking out her hair. At the same time, she shook some sense into herself. She overreacted, plain and simple. Back on an even keel, she opened the bathroom door, a genuine smile on her face.

  Liam looked up from his phone and returned her smile.

  "Well?" he asked.

  "Let's go to Ireland."

  ~~~~

  THE FLIGHT TO Dublin wasn't the first time Destry flew on a private jet. However, the last time was so long ago, she couldn't remember the exact date. One thing was certain. The other jet was chopped liver compared to Liam's.

  The food, served by a male attendant, was top notch. Waffles with whipped cream and strawberries were the star attractions. Crispy bacon and fresh squeezed orange juice were a stellar accompaniment.

  "Want another?" Liam asked after Destry cleaned every crumb from her plate.

  "Yes. But no, thank you. Since I can't go for a run, one is my limit."

  "I have another way we could work off the calories."

  "I'll bet you do." The tour Liam gave her included a cozy bedroom dominated by a king-sized bed. "Do we have time?"

  "An hour, according to the pilot." He took her hand and licked a bit of cream from her thumb. "What do you say? Want to join the mile-high club."

  "Sorry. That boat has sailed. Or should I say, the plane has landed." Destry shook her head. "Doesn't seem quite as evocative."

  "Trust me. Both work equally well." He moved out of her personal space. Picking up his coffee, he took a sip

  "Are you upset? Because I already had sex on a plane?" Rolling her eyes, Destry wondered why men always wanted to be a woman's first something. Women were happy if a man was clean, considerate, and his equipment worked in a timely fashion. "You know I've had sex a time or two before we slept together."

  "I didn't expect or want a virgin." Waited while the attendant cleared away their plates. "Thank you, Norris."

  "You were saying?" Destry prompted when they were alone.

  "How would you feel if I mentioned another woman before we're about to have sex?"

  "Not great."

  "There you go."

  "Where do I go?" Destry wished she recorded their conversation so Liam could hear how ridiculous he sounded. "I didn't mention a specific man. Do you want to know his name? His height and weight? The size of his—"

  "No!" Liam ran a hand over his face and chuckled. "God, no."

  "The experience wasn't great." She ran a teasing, appeasing finger up Liam's leg. "Pretty bad actually."

  Liam laced his fingers with hers.

  "Now, I'm interested. Did he own the plane?"

  Destry shook her head.

  "We met in the airport bar. The job I'd finished had been a bear, and all I wanted was to get home. Unfortunately, I also wanted some tequila. One single shot. He bought me a second. And a third." Destry knew better, but at the time she was barely twenty-one, and certain she could handle anything. Live and learn. "By the time our flight took off, I was a bit randy."

  "Tequila makes you horny?" As she hoped, Liam found her story amusing.

  "Too much tequila makes me stupid. As soon as the fasten seatbelts sign went off, I went to the bathroom. I passed my drinking buddy a few aisles up, and I handed him a note—an invitation for him to join me."

  "And?"

  "He joined me."

  Commercial airline bathrooms were not built for two people—they were barely built for one. Destry's joints were flexible, but she wasn't made of rubber.

  "Honestly, I'm not completely convinced we consummated our brief and rather sordid relationship. One thing's certain. He enjoyed himself a lot more than I did. If you know what I mean?"

  "Poor baby." Liam didn't sound the least bit sorry for her. "Did you get caught?"

  "Give me some credit." Destry smiled as he kissed her fingers, lingering on each one. "By then, the effects of the booze had worn off. I sent Quick Draw McGraw back to his seat and for the next fifteen minutes, lectured myself on the evils of drinking and bad choices."

  "Nothing wrong with a little restraint, given the proper situation." Liam brushed a kiss across the back of her hand. Then one on her wrist and the inside of her elbow. "Selfishly, I'm relieved you haven't lost all your bad habits."

  "Saint Destry?" She hummed her pleasure as Liam continued his sexy journey up her arm, to her jaw, and the corner of her mouth. "Don't think I could ever live up to the title."

  Liam's hand slid between her legs. The material of her linen pants did little to protect her from his touch—as if she wanted protection.

  "What would I do with a saint?"

  "Not what you're doing now," Destry gasped

  "Let me help replace your bad plane sex memory with something to remember for a more pleasurable reason."

  Liam didn't have to ask twice. But instead of his outstretched hand, Destry jumped into his arms, laughing.

  "You can't walk ten feet to the bedroom?"

  "I can," she assured him as he lay her on the thick, downy quilt. She batted her eyes as he shrugged off his clothes. "But you're so big and strong."

  "Destry?"

  "Hmm?"

  "Shut up and kiss me."

  As if Liam asked her to perform the hardest task imaginable, Destry let out a loud, pitiful sigh.

  "If I must."

  "You must."

  Destry meant to say something clever and witty. Really, she did. However, the second his lips found hers, she didn't care about clever, or witty. She didn't care if they landed in Dublin or Timbuktu. When he touched her, the world faded, and for a little while, all that mattered was Liam.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  ~~~~

  LIAM RENTED A hangar at the Dublin airport. Practical, he told Destry, since he made the trip from New York as often as his schedule would allow.

  The jet taxied to a stop outside the large, metal building.

  "Give me a minute to speak with the pilot. Then we can head out."

  "Don't hurry on my account."

  Destry stretched her arms over her head. She was well fed, well rested, and the three orgasms Liam had gifted her with were enough to hold her—at least until the next time.

  Now she knew why her sisters walked around with a knowing little smile on their faces. Regular sex performed with someone who knew his way around a woman's body was better than chocolate.

  Luckily, Destry thought, popping a Hershey's Kiss into her mouth, she didn't have to choose.

  The trip through customs was a breeze. Twenty minutes later, they were on the highway headed away from the airport and toward Dublin. Buckled in, Destry felt a momentary burst of panic as a car came hurtling at them from the wrong side of the road. She gripped the seat, closed her eyes, and reminded herself she wasn't in the United States anymore.

  "Do you ever forget and drive on the right side?"

  "Takes a bit of concentration at first." Liam laughed. "You can open your eyes. I'm an excellent driver whatever country I'm in."

  Destry believed him, and her heart left her throat. Thoughtfully, she ran her hand over the leather bench seat. Liam never failed to surprise her—something she couldn't say about many people.


  "Interesting choice of conveyance, Mr. Stanton."

  "Interesting, Ms. Benedict? Care to elaborate?"

  "I thought you might want to show off. Local boy makes good. Last thing I expected was a bare bones truck. Where is the classic Jaguar, or the custom-detailed Porsche?"

  "In a garage in Vermont," he said with a shrug as if the subject were the weather instead of mind-boggling expensive automobiles.

  "Why Vermont? Kind of a long way to go just to park a car or two."

  "Twenty-three at last count."

  "Cars?" When Liam nodded, Destry sighed. "Men and their toys. But I reiterate. Why Vermont?"

  "The garage is on my farm."

  "You have a farm. In Vermont." News to her. "What do you grow?"

  "Peace and quiet." Liam grinned. "Might be a few apple orchards here and there."

  "Enough to harvest commercially?"

  "Ever heard of Minnie's Organic Cider?"

  Destry wasn't up on the apple cider market, but she knew Minnie's was a popular brand. Bryce, in particular, was a fan. Naturally, Mrs. Finch always kept a bottle in the refrigerator for one of her girls.

  "You're Minnie?"

  "My mother."

  Liam named his company after his mother? Destry had her sentimental side, and Liam's loving gesture made her feel kind of warm and fuzzy.

  "What about Minnie's Famous Apple Pie?"

  Liam nodded.

  "Applesauce? Turnovers? Ooh. The gooey caramel apples available for only a short time during the fall?"

  "Somebody's a fan." He seemed pleased by her enthusiasm.

  "Minnie's is more than cider." Destry's interests didn't lie in the business world. However, she was fascinated by Liam's diverse empire. "What else do you own?"

  "I'll send you a list." Liam gave her a teasing wink

  A list. Suddenly, she remembered the list of Ingo Hunter's properties, meeting Trey, the reason she left New York, and her doubts about Liam. The list still mattered. Trey mattered. But her doubts? Gone, completely and without a trace.

  "Trey is lucky to have you in his life. Lucky he still has a life at all."

  Destry's transition between teasing awe over Liam's business acumen and the Ingo Hunter drama wasn't smooth. She wasn't surprised when he took a moment to gather his thoughts.

  Traffic grew thicker as they approached the city. Liam kept a watchful eye on the other cars as he merged left.

  "Trey made me out to be a hero." He glanced at Destry. "What he didn't mention was how much he helped me."

  "Tell me."

  "My parents sent me to New York as a last resort. The decision hurt them, but they believed the move would be best—for me and their peace of mind. I didn't have a choice. So, I made up my mind to hate every second."

  Smooth and sophisticated as he was, the image of Liam as a rebellious teenager wasn't hard to conjure.

  "Took awhile for me to see past the shy introvert. Once I did, Trey became my first American friend. He's the reason I pulled my head out of my backside and grew up. Without him, who knows where I'd be today."

  Another thing she and Liam had in common. Destry used to wonder how she would have survived without her sisters. Sometimes one person—or in her case three—could be all the difference in the choices a person made.

  "When did you and Trey decide to go after his father's money?"

  "The idea started as an exercise to keep Trey occupied while he recovered. A goal so he wouldn't think about—"

  "Suicide?"

  "Yes."

  Unable to imagine what he went through—she didn't want to try—Destry laid a comforting hand on Liam's leg. The breath shuddered from his lungs.

  "The longer we plotted, the less theoretical our game became. Trey and I realized we could actually take Hunter down in our version of a bloodless coup. Hit the bastard where he lived—in his bank account."

  "Twelve years is a long time. Why haven't you gone for the kill before now?"

  "The timetable was always in Trey's hands. Helpless for so long, he needed power."

  "And he didn't want the fun to end too soon?"

  "Trey had eighteen years of issues to work through." Liam shrugged. "He was entitled to savor his new position of cat to his father's mouse."

  Patience wasn't Destry's strong suit. She liked to get in, get her blood pumping, get out and move on to the next adventure. For someone with an in your face personality, Trey's method was foreign to her, but she thought she understood.

  "Bringing down a villain takes dedication," Liam continued. "I had other interests, and eventually, so did Trey. He didn't lose sight of our goal, he just—"

  "Got a life?"

  "Precisely." Frowning, a shadow entered Liam's eyes. "The fallout onto your family… I'm sorry, Destry."

  "You couldn't anticipate what happened." Her time in Athens helped get her thinking straight. "In a way, my mother and Ingo Hunter are a perfect match, much to my horror. I don't blame you, Liam."

  "And if Hunter gets his hands on your family's fortune?"

  "He may be a different breed of vulture, but my sisters and I have dealt with one predator or another our entire lives. We can take care of ourselves." Destry's spine stiffened. "Trey was almost destroyed by his father. We won't let the same thing happen to our brother."

  "I hope your definition of we includes me."

  "And Trey." Destry squeezed Liam's leg before she removed her hand. She looked at the passing scenery and realized they were still on the highway. Most of the city was in the rearview mirror. "Did you miss our turnoff?"

  "We aren't staying in Dublin proper. Someplace a bit more rural."

  "A country inn? With a brook?"

  "Not an inn. But there is a brook. And cows. And plenty of space for long walks or a brisk jog if you prefer."

  Destry liked the idea. She always enjoyed a run in the country.

  "My parents' farm isn't large. But they built a new house big enough for when the entire family visits."

  The entire family? Destry lost interest in the view outside her window and turned her suspicious gaze Liam's way.

  "Am I about to meet your family?"

  The sun decided to pop out from behind a bank of clouds and shine directly into Liam's eyes. He slid on a pair of dark glasses. A convenient shield for his expressive blue eyes. His move was so quick, Destry wasn't sure if she saw a flash of guilt or sly humor.

  "My parents would be upset if we didn't stop for a visit."

  Humor, she decided when Liam cleared the chuckle from his throat.

  "A visit? Or do they expect us to stay with them?"

  "Didn't I mention tomorrow is my father's birthday? Naturally, I want to be there."

  "Naturally. And no, you didn't say a word."

  Destry kept her expression neutral. She didn't mind Liam's subtle subterfuge. A short visit with his family would be a nice change of pace. She wondered, though, if he realized the implications to their newfound intimacy.

  "Where will we sleep?" she asked in an innocent tone.

  "My room, of course." Liam didn't hesitate, unaware of where her question was headed.

  "Have you brought a woman to your family's home before? To stay the night?"

  "No."

  "You really think your mother will want her unmarried son—her baby—to cavort with his female companion under her roof?"

  "Cavort?" Liam snorted. But, as Destry's words sank in, his smile disappeared. "I'm sure she'll be fine with the idea."

  "I'm not."

  Liam's mouth fell open, then shut with an audible snap.

  "Thought you could drop your little parent bombshell on me and miss the fallout? Sorry." Destry felt a smug sense of victory. "I look forward to meeting your family. However, for the duration of our stay, you have effectively put the kibosh on any and all sexual high-jinx."

  "Oh, come on. You aren't serious."

  Liam didn't seem to fully grasp
the gravity of the situation.

  "When invited to someone's home, Mr. Stanton, I am the perfect guest. I don't make a mess, I eat whatever is served. And, I do not have sex with my host's son."

  "You're killing me." Liam knew when he was beaten, but, an excellent businessman, tried to negotiate a compromise. "What about the barn? The hayloft is cozy and well away from the main house."

  "Do your parents own the barn?"

  "You plan to be a stickler?" Liam sighed. "Yes, they own the barn. And the surrounding twenty acres."

  "Don't look so glum. Two or three days out of our agreement isn't so much."

  "Our agreement?" He slid his glasses down his nose until he could look her directly in the eye. "You don't mean…?"

  "Our two-week relationship has started, Mr. Stanton. No going back now."

  "Surely a brief pause is allowed."

  Slowly, with a sad sigh, Destry shook her head. If Liam found a secluded spot on the edge of his parents' property, perhaps under a pretty tree, she was open to seduction. However, she saw no reason to let him know. He had to find the loophole on his own. If he didn't? She might give him a nudge in the right direction.

  "Wicked," he muttered.

  "Excuse me?" Destry cupped a hand over her ear. "Did you say something to me?"

  "I said you're wicked, Ms. Benedict. Wicked and I suspect, heartless to boot."

  "Heartless? Hardly." Destry batted her eyelashes. "Want to put your hand on my chest and feel the beat?"

  Liam's eyes fell to her breasts, exactly as she planned. She didn't experience the slightest twinge of guilt when obviously tempted, his fingers tightened their grip on the steering wheel.

  "Wicked," he growled. "Definitely wicked."

  But not heartless. Destry sent him a satisfied smile. She watched the landscape turn from concrete and steel into rolling green hills. Yes, a few days in the country was exactly what she needed.

  Liam really was a darling to bring her. She would coax him to take a walk. When she found just the right spot, she would to erase the frown from his brow with a proper and thorough thank you.