The Protective Billionaire

by Christine Kersey

  Cameron walked over to the couch and sat just off-center. Was that his way of inviting her to sit beside him? Did she want to sit beside him?

  No. This dinner was a way to thank him for finding Maya. That was it. Nothing more.

  Ignoring the space beside Cameron, Aubree walked over to the recliner and sank into its softness, the gift bag in her hands.

  Maya had gone straight to Cameron, resting her head on his lap.

  “Is she bothering you?” Aubree asked.

  Cameron stroked Maya’s head. “Not at all.”

  Glad he didn’t think her dog was a nuisance, Aubree turned her attention to the gift bag, pulling out the tissue paper and setting it on the coffee table. When she saw what was inside, she was confused, but as she pulled out the box of her favorite cereal—the cereal she hadn’t been able to reach at the store—alarm bells rang in her head.

  What the heck? How did he know what cereal she liked? Why in the world had he brought a box of cereal to her? Was this some sort of new stalker thing? To bring a woman’s favorite cereal to her as if to say they should have breakfast together? Should she demand that he leave that very second?

  She lifted her gaze to Cameron’s face and saw a smile tugging up the corners of his mouth as if he was suppressing a laugh, but as she stared at him, the smile melted from his face.

  He tilted his head. “You don’t think it’s funny.”

  With her eyebrows bunched, she held the box up. “What’s funny about this?” Not a thing, as far as she was concerned. And how did he know what cereal she liked? Had he been in her kitchen? She’d never invited him inside before tonight. Has he been sneaking around in my home?

  She leapt to her feet, which startled both Cameron and Maya. “It’s time for you to leave.”

  Confusion swept over his face. “Over that?” He pointed at the box clutched in her hand.

  She slammed the box on the coffee table. “Yes, over this.” Straightening, she snapped her fingers. “Maya, come!” To Aubree’s relief, Maya immediately obeyed.

  “It was supposed to be a joke,” Cameron said. He couldn’t believe how rapidly things had gone south. What was her problem anyway? The woman was certifiable.

  Before he could say anything more, she said, “It’s not funny.” Then she picked up the cereal box and shoved it into his chest. “Now, go.” She punctuated the demand by shooting one arm outward with a finger pointed toward the door.

  If she had no sense of humor, she wasn’t someone he wanted to be around. Besides, she had a boyfriend. A man he now felt sorry for. Sort of. As he looked at her snapping green eyes, her implacable face, and her pointed finger, he silently admitted that she presented a challenge he’d never faced before. A woman he would have to actually work to attract.

  He’d always liked a challenge.

  He sauntered to the front door and twisted the knob, then he turned to face her. “If you need anything, you know where I live.” Then he stepped onto the porch and closed the door.

  Relieved that he’d left without arguing, she thought about his parting comment.

  The nerve! Know where he lives? The only good that will do is to tell the police where they can arrest my latest stalker.

  With a harrumph, Aubree locked the deadbolt, then peered out the window to make sure he was gone. Then she turned to Maya, who looked up at her with an expression that seemed to say What just happened?

  “Beats me, sweet girl.” Then she knelt beside her and gave her a hug. “I just know we need to steer clear of him.”

  That night as Aubree lay in bed staring at the ceiling, she thought about Cameron’s alleged joke. She remembered going to the grocery store and trying to get the cereal and how she’d fallen when a man had approached her. Then she thought about looking at all of the cars in the parking lot as she’d watched for any sign of Tyler. She’d seen a black Jeep there. A black Jeep that looked suspiciously like the one Cameron drove. When she’d seen it in the parking lot she’d figured it belonged to the man who had startled her enough to make her fall when she’d been reaching for a box of cereal.

  Cameron had to be the man from the store.

  Now she got the joke. And now she felt like a complete and total idiot for reacting the way she had.

  He must think she was nuts. First, she’d trespassed onto his property and skulked about before threatening him with a branch, and now, after she’d invited him over to thank him for finding Maya she’d thrown him out of her house for bringing a gag joke. She hadn’t even given him a chance to explain.

  Don’t forget that you lied to him. About having a boyfriend.

  Groaning at the way she kept overreacting, she squeezed her eyes closed and tried not to think about all the terrible things Cameron must be thinking about her.

  Chapter Eleven

  The next morning, as hard as she tried, Aubree couldn’t push away the mortification she felt every time she thought about Cameron. And she admitted that she thought about him a lot. Too much. She shouldn’t be thinking about him at all. Not when she was trying so hard to stay away from all men. Although she had to admit, if she didn’t have the whole stalker thing hanging over her like a black cloud, making her wary of every man, she would want to date Cameron.

  With a barely suppressed frown, she went out back and sat in front of her easel, this time putting Maya on a leash. She put the loop of the leash handle under the foot of her chair. She wasn’t going to chance Maya taking off again.

  Despite her attempts to keep her focus on her work, as she painted her thoughts kept drifting to Cameron—the barely suppressed laughter when she’d taken the cereal box out of the gift bag, the pleasure on his face when he’d delivered Maya to her after searching for her, the way the sleeves of his t-shirt emphasized his powerful biceps as he wielded the chainsaw, the look of confusion on his handsome face when she’d demanded he leave before she’d even fed him dinner.

  With a soft sigh, she set her paintbrush down, wiped her hands on her jeans, then looked at Maya, whose head was resting on her paws.

  “I’m going to bake him some cookies,” she said. “To apologize.” She grimaced. “Again.”

  Maya lifted her head and looked at her with an expression that seemed to say It’s about time you figured that out.

  “I know, I know. Give me a break, okay? It’s been a rough week.”

  Maya’s chin went back on her paws.

  Cameron leaned back in his desk chair, pleased with the progress he’d made. This app was going to be more popular than his last one, and that one had exploded in popularity. Grinning, he stood, then he walked to the kitchen. His office was on the main floor of the spacious cabin so within moments he was standing in front of his fridge grabbing a can of soda. He carried the drink into the living room and stood at the front window, taking in the view of the forest that surrounded his house.

  A late model Honda Accord came into view as it approached his house. He immediately recognized it and his gaze slid to the driver. Aubree. And there was Maya poking her head out of the backseat window.

  Staying where he was, Cameron watched as Aubree climbed out of her car and opened the rear door to let Maya out, then she walked around to the passenger side and opened that door. Maya sniffed the ground near the car before trotting over to see what Aubree was doing.

  Cameron was curious too. He was also wondering what had brought her over after the way she’d demanded he leave the night before. He kept his gaze glued to her every move. It didn’t hurt that he found her extremely attractive.

  She lifted something from the passenger seat, and when she straightened, Cameron’s gaze slid over her body, head to toe. A pulse of desire swept over him but he immediately forced himself to cool down. Aubree was a tough customer. He had to tread carefully with her. She’d already proven that.

  She turned and faced his house, a plate in her hands. Her gaze swept upward to the second floor before going down to the front window. To him.

  He’d been spotted. With
a smirk, he set his soda can on a nearby table and went to the front door, opening it and stepping onto the front porch. “Good afternoon,” he said with what he hoped was a welcoming smile. He didn’t want to scare her off before she’d even approached his house.

  “Hi, there,” she said with a smile he could only classify as chagrined. She took two steps toward the house, then held up the plate. “I made you cookies.”

  One side of his mouth tugged upward. “They don’t have cyanide in them, do they?”

  The shocked look on her face made him burst out laughing.

  “No!” Her face showed obvious outrage. “Of course not.”

  His laughter died down. “Just checking.”

  Maya raced up the porch steps to greet him and he knelt beside her. “Hey there, beautiful girl.” Cameron lifted his gaze to Aubree, who was still standing where she’d stopped, ten feet from the bottom porch step. He stood, then motioned for her to approach. “Come on up.”

  She stared at him a moment, then she closed the distance to the bottom step before climbing the three stairs, but once she reached the top, she stopped. Cameron stepped back to give her plenty of room.

  She thrust the plate of cookies toward him. “I’m sorry for last night.”

  He kept his hands at his sides. “Sorry? About what?”

  She pulled the plate back as a blush raced up her cheeks. “For…well, for telling you to leave when you were just trying to be funny.”

  Slowly nodding, he said, “Ah. You finally got my joke.”

  “Yes. You were there. At the grocery store, right? You’re the one who…well, who startled me.”

  His eyes narrowed and his head tilted. He wasn’t going to let her off that easy. Giving her a hard time was too much fun. “Are you saying it was my fault you fell on your butt?”

  Her chin lifted a fraction of an inch. “Yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

  His eyes went to the plate and he held out one hand. “I accept your apology.”

  This wasn’t going at all like Aubree had imagined. What apology was he accepting? She’d just told him it was his fault she’d fallen. He should be apologizing to her. She held the cookies against her stomach. “You accept my apology?”

  His eyebrows rose. “Yeah. That is why you came, isn’t it?” He gestured to the plate in her hands. “That’s why you brought the cookies?”

  How did he manage to always make her feel off-balance? Audibly sighing, she handed him the plate.

  Time to go.

  With a forced smile, she said, “I hope you enjoy them.”

  “I’m sure I will.”

  Aubree looked at Maya, who was stretched out in a patch of sunshine near the edge of the porch. “Let’s go, girl.”

  Maya lifted her head, but she didn’t look like she wanted to leave. What was it with her lately? She was usually much more obedient.

  “Don’t think she’s ready to go,” Cameron said, his voice a lazy drawl.

  Annoyed, Aubree frowned. “It’s not up to her.”

  Chuckling, Cameron said, “Whatever you say.”

  What was he doing? Getting on my nerves, that’s what. “Maya, come.” Aubree’s tone was commanding. Maya stood, then came to her side. Relieved, Aubree placed her hand on Maya’s head. “Good girl.”

  “Hold on a sec,” Cameron said.

  Now what?

  Aubree stayed where she was while Cameron disappeared inside his house. A moment later he was back, the box of cereal in his hands. He held it out to her. “In case it’s still out of reach.” A smirk pulled up one side of his mouth. “I wouldn’t want you to fall on your butt again.”

  Without pausing to think, Aubree said, “I wouldn’t have fallen in the first place if you hadn’t startled me.”

  “About that. Why were you so jumpy, anyway?”

  Because I thought Tyler had found me. “I wasn’t jumpy. I just…I wasn’t expecting someone to approach me like that.”

  “Approach you like what? You mean someone offering to help?”

  Why was she standing there listening to his almost-insults? “I’ve gotta go.”

  He stepped closer and pressed the cereal box into her hands. “This really isn’t my kind of cereal.”

  She refused to take it from him. Not when he was implying that she was paranoid or something, which she totally was. Which is maybe why it bothered her so much. But she had good reason to be paranoid. He had no clue.

  Maybe she should tell him.

  But that wasn’t an option. That was too personal. And getting personal was something she had zero desire to do.

  “Keep it,” she said. “You might like it.” Then, before he had a chance to answer, she spun on her heel and hustled off of the porch and to her car. Moments later she and Maya were on their way.

  Cameron watched her go, the box of cereal in his hands. He looked at it, then with a shrug, he carried it inside and tucked it into his pantry.

  Eventually he’d win that woman over. He had to. It was a matter of pride now.

  Chapter Twelve

  It had been three days since Aubree had given the cookies to Cameron, but she hadn’t heard one word from him. He had her cell number, he knew where she lived. Why hadn’t he stopped by, or at least texted, to say thank you? That he’d enjoyed the cookies? What was wrong with him?

  Annoyed, Aubree set down the script she was reading. Her agent had emailed over two new scripts and she was really excited about one of them. It was for a film—a film that could be her chance to break-out. To make a name for herself.

  Her part in Love & Lies had been small, insignificant. Obviously. Otherwise it wouldn’t have been so easy for the producers to kill off her character.

  Frowning, Aubree stared at the wall. If Tyler hadn’t disrupted her life, what would she be doing right then? It was early afternoon so she’d be on set. She would be working steadily, earning a good income. But no. He’d come along and had completely messed things up.

  Dating him had been a mistake, but he’d been so attentive, so focused on her. She hadn’t been able to resist. Well, she was resisting now. Resisting any and all possible romantic relationships. Too risky. She couldn’t take a chance.

  A knock sounded at her door, sending her heart slamming against her ribs.

  “It’s not him,” she whispered. It wasn’t as if thinking about Tyler could summon him. Right?

  Maya had raced to the front door and now stood there whining. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? She did that when someone she liked came over. She’d liked Tyler.

  Aubree picked up her phone and punched in 911, but before she sent the call, she stood and tiptoed to the living room window and peered out. A black Jeep was parked out front.

  Cameron. It was Cameron.

  Exhaling a sigh of relief, she backspaced the numbers she’d punched in, then tucked her phone in her pocket before opening the front door. He was wearing a blue t-shirt that set off his eyes and hugged his biceps.

  Forcing her eyes to stay on his, she said, “Hello.”

  He held out the plate she’d brought the cookies on. It was clean but empty. “The cookies were delicious. Thank you.”

  Finally. He’d finally come over to thank her. Glad she didn’t need to be annoyed at him any longer, she opened the door wider. “Would you like to come in?”

  He glanced past her shoulder. “That depends.”

  “On what?”

  “I don’t want to interrupt anything.”

  “You’re not. I was just reading scri…” She let the word scripts trail off. She wasn’t ready to tell him her profession yet. “I was just reading.”

  “All right.”

  She stepped back and let him enter. Then a memory of the last time he’d been inside her home filled her mind. She’d invited him to dinner then thrown him out before they’d even sat down to eat.

  She was a terrible hostess.

  You thought he was a stalker, she reminded herself as she quickly gathered the scripts
from the couch before Cameron could see what they were. She put them in a nearby drawer, then she sat on the recliner while he sat on the couch.

  “Been doing much painting?” he asked.

  “A little.”

  “I’d love to see your work.”

  “What do you know about painting?” Her tone showed true interest.

  He laughed. “Not a thing. Just what appeals to me, I guess.”

  She smiled. She liked his honesty, that he wasn’t trying to impress her. “What kind of paintings appeal to you?”

  He looked thoughtful for a moment, then, “I couldn’t really tell you, but I’ll know it when I see it.”

  She laughed. “Okay. That’s fair.” They were quiet a moment, and as they sat there, Aubree knew what she had to do. “If you’ll give me a second chance, I’d like to make you dinner.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “Are you sure you want to?”

  His challenge only made her more determined. “Yes. In fact, let’s do it tonight.”

  “All right,” he said, his tone showing uncertainty.

  “Would you stop it? I made a mistake, okay? And I’m sorry. I just…I overreacted…a bit.”

  Laughter burst from his mouth. “A bit?”

  He was totally right that she was downplaying all the strange things she’d done, but what else was she supposed to say? “Okay. Maybe more than a bit.”

  He stood abruptly, startling her, and she leaned back in her seat and threw her hands up. “What are you doing?”

  His eyes narrowed, like he wasn’t sure what her problem was. “I thought we could start over.” Then he held out his hand. “Hi. I’m Cameron.”

  Her heart was still pounding and she tried to be subtle as she drew in a slow breath before exhaling. Then she stood. “I’m Aubree.” She slid her hand into his. And felt a jolt of energy. Yanking her hand away, she turned to Maya, who had come over to see what was going on. “This is Cameron, Maya.”