Baby By The Billionaire - A Standalone Alpha Billionaire Secret Baby Romance (New York City Billionaires - Book #3)

by Alexa Davis

  “I’ll come with you,” I replied on impulse. “I don’t know Florence at all; it would be good for me to get to see some of it now, so I can find my way around by myself.”

  “Well, it isn’t huge,” she replied, coming back into the room. She’d thrown a massive sweater over her head, and it had swamped her. She was a lot shorter than me, and it made me want to rest her head on my chest, just to see how well she fit. “But that sounds good. Shall we go now?”

  ***

  As I sat at the dining table, waiting to be served the meal that Eliza had been slaving over for the last hour or so, I thought back to our time in the town. Every single person stopped to talk to her, acting like she was their best friend in the world. It showed a stark difference between the two of us. Not only was I much quieter and less outgoing, but I also didn’t have people making a point of speaking to me.

  Well, unless they wanted something. When it was at a party or at the casino, maybe, but not for no specific reason.

  It made me realize how lonely my life was. Why didn’t I have loads of friends? I was nice enough, wasn’t I? A little sharp sometimes, and I’d been told that I came off as aloof on first meeting, but deep down, I was a good person. Why can’t anyone else seem to see that?

  Anyway, it didn’t matter. Tonight was going to be a good night. I wasn’t going to ruin it by getting all up in my head.

  “So, let me know what you think.” Eliza beamed at me, setting a plate down in front of me. “I haven’t cooked for a while now. I don’t usually have the time, so I hope it’s okay.”

  “Mmm,” I moaned in pleasure. I would have lied and said it was good anyway, but it actually was. “This is the best home-cooked meal that I’ve had in ages.” I didn’t finish that off by telling her that I was much more used to takeout or restaurant food. It didn’t seem necessary.

  “Oh, wow, thank you.”

  I loved the way her cheeks flushed excitedly when she got good news; it made me want to take her face in my hands. I had the weird urge to kiss her, and I had to literally force myself to resist. What is it about Eliza that I find so irresistible? Why do I feel so magnetized to her?

  “So, Milo…” She shot me a look. “Please tell me, because I can’t work it out. What exactly are you doing in Florence?”

  I decided against telling her all my messy history, with the illness and everything, because it always left people a little awkward around me. Plus, I was bored to death with it – it was behind me now. I desperately wanted to move past it. I wanted to act like it had never happened because I hoped that soon enough that sensation would start to feel true.

  “My friend recommended an investment opportunity to me,” I told her blandly. “I’m here to check it out.”

  “Ooh, sounds fascinating.” She grinned. “Please, tell me more.”

  I couldn’t quite tell whether or not she was winding me up, so I blew past it just in case. “I don’t know too much about it at the moment, but it’s something fishing related. What is it you do? Or do you make enough from renting out this cabin? It is beautiful.”

  “Actually, you are my first customer,” she admitted, which actually made a lot of sense. She did seem a tad bewildered by the whole process. “I run my own hair salon in town.”

  “Wow, that must be why you have such nice hair,” I blurted out without even thinking. “I mean, I will have to come and check it out. Maybe get a cut while I’m here.”

  Ugh, cringe. What is wrong with me? Why aren’t I being smooth? Why am I acting so crazy, like someone who has no idea how to act around women? That isn’t me at all.

  “Sounds great.”

  Once we’d finished and put our plates in the kitchen, I washed them quickly while my brain buzzed with all sorts of thoughts – most of them inappropriate. Eliza had me all tied up in knots, and I wasn’t sure what to do. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all...

  “Well,” she eventually said, a little morosely. “I better go to bed.”

  All the easygoing atmosphere was gone; we were both tense and confused, as if we didn’t quite know how to act around one another. “Yep,” I said stiffly, wishing that I could find a way to make all this right. “Goodnight.”

  As she stalked off, I watched her hair swishing around her shoulders and her hips shake. She was so sweet, so cute, with such an adorable personality. I liked her. I liked her a lot, and I wasn’t sure what to do about that. I couldn’t act upon it, even if there were slight clues that she might actually like me, too.

  But, oh, God, how good would it feel to act upon it? It would feel incredible to kiss those plump lips, to run my hands through her hair, to hold her body close to mine. It turned me on just thinking about it. I actually had a stirring in my underwear.

  I quickly shook those thoughts from my mind and made my own way to bed. I needed some sleep; it had been a long couple of days – a long couple of years, to be honest. Once I rested, things would look much better. They had to.

  Chapter Eight

  Eliza – Sunday

  I rolled over onto one side, a big beaming smile already spread across my face. I felt like things had gone pretty well with Milo yesterday. I found myself actually liking him quite a lot. He was much easier to get along with than I’d first assumed he would be. He wasn’t as grumpy as he looked; he was actually quite sweet.

  Dinner was fun, although there was a definite atmosphere hanging over us, one that I didn’t fully get at first. Then it hit me: in a light, very breezy way, we were kind of flirting with one another. Not with our words, but with the way that we looked at one another and our body language. It was a subtle sort of flirting that I wasn’t used to at all, but found I actually liked.

  Of course, nothing could come of it. He was a client, paying to stay in my grandmother’s cabin. I shouldn’t have even been there, and if it wasn’t for my apartment issues, I wouldn’t have been, but it did feel flattering to have someone want to subtly flirt with me. It made me feel a whole lot better about the whole Josh thing, anyway.

  It helped that Milo was also about a million times better than Josh, too, in every way. Josh was good looking in a traditional, preppy sort of way, whereas Milo had a raw sexuality to him that I couldn’t help but be drawn to. He had a life for himself, too: money, a business, goals... Looking back, Josh was a bit of a deadbeat, content with his life because he didn’t care enough to try at anything.

  If Josh were to see me out with Milo, he would go nuts. He would be so jealous it would eat him up inside.

  Not that I cared.

  Well, maybe a little bit, but only for revenge purposes.

  A sudden crashing sound came from the kitchen, alerting me to the fact that Milo was already awake and getting himself a drink.

  Oh, God. That meant he was probably trying to work my grandmother’s ancient coffee pot, which wasn’t any fun even when you knew what you were doing. I raced out to join him, not even thinking about the baby-blue, bunny-print pajamas that I was wearing. I always wanted to be comfortable when I slept, which usually didn’t matter, but in front of this gorgeous, powerful, older man it made me feel a bit weird.

  “Erm, sorry,” I stammered, trying to discretely cover myself up with my hands. “I just thought that I would show you how to use the coffee pot. I didn’t think about it because I’m so used to it, but it can be a little awkward.” I took it from him and fiddled with the switches. “Maybe it’s a good thing that I’m here, after all.”

  “I agree,” he said deeply. “Thank you.”

  I glanced over at him to see him actually smiling at me. A real-life grin that he couldn’t seem to help. “I don’t think that there is anything in the fridge for breakfast, but we could go out if you like? There’s a nice place in town,” I asked on impulse.

  “Sure, sounds great.”

  We were acting a little like a couple, which was weird and made me even more confused about my feelings. I liked Milo, probably a whole lot more than I should, so this was strange. But
I’d asked. I couldn’t exactly take that back.

  “Great.” I handed him a mug and grasped my own tightly to me, trying to warm myself up. “I’ll just go and get dressed.”

  Once I had shut the bedroom door behind me, I let out a breath that I hadn’t even realized that I was holding. This was intense; I could feel myself going gaga over this guy, and that wasn’t what I needed. I was supposed to be moving on and improving my love life, not complicating it with some guy who was only in town for a couple of months. That was just asking for trouble.

  Although no one was asking anyone to get married. Maybe we could have a little fun...

  Shit. I accidently caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and realized just how terrible I looked. It wasn’t just the bunny pajamas – it was the messy hair and the totally makeup-free face. I couldn’t believe that I’d gone out there and let Milo see me like that!

  I grabbed some much nicer clothing and pulled up my hair into a quick style off my face before applying some makeup to highlight my best features. I didn’t want to take ages and seem diva-ish, but there wasn’t any way I could continue looking so fresh-faced.

  As I raced back into the front room, I found that Milo had changed, too. He now had a nice shirt on, which he’d combined with jeans. Although it was just a casual look, my heart pounded like crazy. It felt like he’d made all that effort just for me.

  “Erm, shall we... Shall we go?”

  I had my car keys with me, but Milo wanted to go in his car. As soon as I slid into the passenger’s seat, I noticed a massive difference – an embarrassing difference. My car was uncomfortable and boxy; this car had soft leather seats, and it felt like there was plenty of room. And a million gadgets, too. I was lucky if my car started, never mind anything else.

  “Are you cold?” he asked me with a smile.

  “A little.” Then I felt a blast of something warm under my butt, which made me squeal excitedly. “Oh, my goodness, you have heated seats? That’s incredible! I love this.”

  It was obvious that Milo had a lot of money. I had ascertained that from the fact that he was willing to triple the fee for the cabin, but now I was starting to wonder if it was so much more. How rich is this guy? Why isn’t he in a flashy hotel? Is that just because of Veil? I glanced into the backseat of the car, where he was sitting, thinking that Milo must love the dog. He might have acted grumpy with me about his dog, but he adored him.

  “So, you’re an investor then?” I asked, curious as to how he made his money. I didn’t like him for that reason, there was something much deeper about him, but I wanted to know if there was some quick trick that only millionaires knew because if I could find out what that was, then maybe I could save my business, after all.

  “Actually, I own a couple of casinos in Las Vegas,” he replied casually, as if he’d just told me that he liked white bread. “Investment is something that I did in the beginning, and I’m trying to get back into it.”

  “Wow, that’s something.” I didn’t know what to say; I was blown away by him. He just seemed so cool about the whole thing.

  “You know, the money didn’t just happen, if that’s what you’re wondering.” He glanced at me from the side. “Everyone asks me that. I inherited some when I was young, and I got some advice. I invested it well. After that... Well, I worked hard.”

  “Yeah, I can imagine,” I replied, shocked. “That’s impressive.”

  “The casinos pretty much run themselves now,” he continued as if he hadn’t heard me. “So that’s why I think I need to go back to the investing. I need something to do with my time.”

  “Well, then, I hope the fishing thing works out for you.” I didn’t know how it worked, but maybe if he was investing in a company in Florence, he would be visiting occasionally. If he did visit, maybe we could... hang out or whatever. “Here is the place; come on, let’s go.”

  ***

  Breakfast was amazing, incredible actually. Milo and I got along like a house on fire. It was so strange to find myself getting along so well with someone who I had nothing in common with, but that was exactly what had happened. It was also clear that the more he loosened up, the brighter his face became.

  Maybe he was just shy, and it took him a while to get used to people. I didn’t mind that; it was kind of sweet that he was letting me in.

  But now we were back at the cabin, and everything felt weird again. It was as if we were both experiencing some very strange feelings and neither of us knew what to do about them. I could have just tackled it head on, of course, but even the idea of that made me all nervous inside.

  “I’m going to go and call my landlord again,” I told him with a regretful look on my face. “See if anything is happening with regards to my pipes. I don’t want to become any more of a bother than I already am.”

  “You are a happy bother, if anything,” he told me happily. “I like having you around; you make the place brighter.”

  I staggered into my room, wondering how to take that. Is he confessing something to me? Telling me feelings in a roundabout way? Oh, God, am I reading things into stuff that isn’t even there?

  Instead of calling the landlord like I said I was going to, I called Laynee. I needed her advice in this situation. She would know what to do...

  “Hey, there,” she answered in a sing-song tone of voice. “What’s going on?”

  “Laynee,” I hissed back, not wanting Milo to overhear me. “I need your help. I don’t know what to do.”

  “All right, calm down, what is it?” She sounded a little too concerned, which suggested that I’d probably oversold the issue a bit.

  “Okay, well you know how that guy called to book the cabin?” I started, but she jumped in right away.

  “Yes, I didn’t clean the damn place for nothing!”

  “Well, he’s here, and I’m here...”

  “Why the hell are you there?” Of course, she didn’t get it; I barely understood it myself.

  “My pipes broke again, and he offered me the room. Anyway, so I’m here, and we’re hanging out—”

  “Wait,” she interrupted sharply. “You’re hanging out? Define hanging out.”

  “Just eating together, that sort of thing.” I screwed up my nose in shock – did she think that I would be sleeping with this guy? I barely knew him, even if I secretly did want to a little bit. Or a lot. “And it’s confusing me. He’s... He’s nice.”

  “Good looking?”

  I rolled my eyes; of course, Laynee would go for that point first. “Yes, but not in a Josh way: in like a raw, sexy way.”

  “Ugh, thank God. Josh was too dull!” She’d never liked Josh, even when we were together, so this was hardly surprising. She described him as plain looking all the time. “So, are you going to jump his bones?”

  “Calling you was a mistake,” I jumped in decidedly. “I should have kept this to myself.”

  “Tomorrow at work, you will have to tell me everything. And until then, make sure you’re good, okay? Or if you can’t be good, then at least be careful. Also, remember every gory detail, because I want to know them all.”

  I hung up the phone on her, rolling my eyes before flopping back on the sheets. Just because Laynee didn’t seem to see anything wrong with this situation didn’t make it right. I’d half expected her to yell at me, which was probably what I needed to get my head back in the game, but she hadn’t.

  I just needed to keep things professional and aboveboard, just for a little while longer. Just until I could go back home.

  I grabbed my phone and dialed another number, this time determined to find out when I could go back. “Happy bother” or not, I couldn’t stay here forever.

  Chapter Nine

  Milo – Monday

  As I woke up the next morning, I was hopeful that Eliza would be in the kitchen, making me another cup of coffee. That stuff from that relic of a machine tasted a little thick and mud-like for my taste, but when she was making it, I didn’t mind. I would drink just
about anything she gave me.

  Especially when she was wearing those adorable rabbit pajamas. They weren’t sexy or lacy or anything, but I liked them just the same. To me, they just screamed “Eliza.” Not that I knew her too well just yet. She didn’t care about what others thought about her, not in the way that I was used to, and I found that incredibly refreshing.

  There was something about Eliza, something inexplicable that made my heart race faster, that left me with a skip in my step. She made me feel younger and more carefree than I had in a very long time. I felt a sizzling chemistry between us, an addictive hum flowing all the time. While I knew that it was wrong and I had to behave, I couldn’t stop myself from wanting more of it. Quite frankly, I was obsessed.

  But unfortunately, I found the kitchen very empty. It felt colder without her in it, and the colors were duller. She just made everything that much better, and she didn’t even have to try.

  Hi, Milo, just letting you know that I’m at work. You know, just in case you were worried or something. I’ll see you later. Eliza.

  The fact that she wrote in the same fast, bumbling way that she spoke made me hear her voice in my head. She was so much chattier than the sort of women I’d become accustomed to, but I guessed that was because they were putting on a front, that they only wanted one thing from me. Even Veronica hadn’t been much of a talker; she only said the words that needed to be said, but I guessed that was to make it easier for her to keep track of her lies.

  “Okay,” I muttered quietly to myself. “I guess that it’s just me and Veil for the day.”

  It made sense to use my time wisely, to try to get to know the town that I was going to call home for the next couple of months a little better. I’d seen some of it when I went to the grocery store with Eliza, but it wasn’t enough. If Justin was right and this was the sort of place that produced businesses worth investing in, then I needed to know more.

  I glanced over at Veil, who was sitting by the window, as if he wanted to be let outside, so I unlocked the door for him. I went to step out myself, to enjoy the fresh air, but my dog just waited by my feet. He looked like he was waiting for someone, as if he was expecting someone back at any moment.