Persuading the Billionaire (Sweet Billionaire Romance Book 3)

by Eliza Boyd

  “Here,” he said, tangling his fingers with hers. “Just squeeze if you’re scared. I’ll be right here.”

  Alexis wasn’t sure what was going on with him, and that confused her. She couldn’t read him that day. He’d been cold most of the morning, but now, he was offering his hand while she was terrified of what they were about to do. It wasn’t the warmest he’d been, but she’d take it anyway. She had a feeling she’d be more than scared when they took off. So she gratefully squeezed back and gave him a warm smile to combat his earlier chilly attitude.

  “You two lovebirds ready to go parasailing?” the captain asked, his thin, dark hair blowing in the wind. He practically had hearts dancing in his eyes as he spoke about the two of them.

  “Oh, we’re not—” Alexis started, correcting the man.

  But Maxwell spoke over her. “Yes, we are.” Then he turned his attention to her and that warmth was back. Only for a moment though before he lowered his sunglasses over his eyes.

  The hot-and-cold routine was very strange, but she didn’t have much time to think about it before the captain and another man on the small boat set them into the chilly waters of the salty ocean. She managed to put her sunglasses on too. Then the speed of the boat picked up and the parachute caught the wind, which floated them up into the air before Alexis could take her next breath. That very breath got stuck in her chest as they flew up, up, up into the sky, the boat getting smaller and smaller beneath them.

  With her braid blowing all around her, she could barely speak. She wanted to scream, but no sound came out. All she could do was shut her eyes, tears edging out the sides from all the wind. When she realized Maxwell was still gripping her hand, she squeezed his fingers with hers. And when the wind died down a bit and they dipped in the air, her stomach pitched, so she squeezed harder. She feared she was going to break his hand with how hard she was grasping him, so she cracked an eye open to peek at him. But he didn’t look like he was in pain. Not at all.

  Instead, he was looking straight at her and full-on smiling.

  “Have fun!” he yelled over to her. “Open your eyes!”

  She pried her other eye open, if only to see that smile with both of them. Then she blinked to clear her vision just in case her eyes were playing tricks on her. They weren’t—he had the most gorgeous smile on his face. And if she ignored the way her stomach swirled and dipped as they rose and fell in the air, she could almost smile just as widely. In fact, when he squeezed her fingers back, she did just that.

  Then she glanced around, noticing how high above the boat they were. That should have scared her, but she had Maxwell’s hand around hers. Just like she had in his arms, she felt safe. Anything could have happened while they were up there, but she’d told him the day before that he wouldn’t be able to experience this place in the back seat of a car. She wouldn’t be able to, either, with her eyes screwed shut.

  So she kept them wide open, appreciating the feeling of being so free and amazed at the view. Not just the different side of Maxwell she was seeing, but the landscape of the mountain cliffs in the distance as the waves crashed against them. As the boat turned, she could see the resort a mile or two away, which meant Gabe was that far. If he couldn’t reach her, she had to be happy. Kicking her legs around, she laughed and smiled so wide that her cheeks hurt by the time they hit the water at the end of their ride.

  She screamed in delight, the ocean cool against her skin. Salt hit her taste buds as she swam to keep her head above water. Instead of breathing normally, she coughed as she choked on a little water. But Maxwell came to her rescue, swimming up next to her and wrapping her up in his arms to keep her mouth away from the water.

  “I got you,” he said as she spit water out. His hand smoothed over her back. “I got you.”

  As soon as she could breathe properly again, she laughed. Hard. The adrenaline rushing through her system from that glide in the sky and the subsequent ease back to Earth had her doubling over in laughter while he held her to him. Soon, he was laughing too, and their bodies shook together in the salty Hawaiian ocean.

  It reminded her of how they’d laughed at the food the night before. She’d loved laughing that hard with him. Having fun with him was easy even though he was more uptight most of the time. Even when he was trying to be cold with her, kindness snuck through and he found a way to break his walls down. When they both eased up and enjoyed the moment, it felt natural. Like they’d been enjoying moments like these all of their lives together.

  It didn’t matter that she’d known him for only a couple of days. It didn’t matter that she was supposed to be his assistant. It didn’t matter that Gabe was somewhere on the island. The rush of what she’d just experience pulsed through her, and being that close to Maxwell, in his arms, with so much of his bare skin surrounding her and his eyes locked on hers, she couldn’t help but want to finish what had almost happened the day before. On the beach, in his arms, she might have kissed him then. She couldn’t name what might have come over her, and she didn’t care to in that moment, either.

  She started to close the distance between them, feeling reeled in by his gravitational pull. When he leaned in too, she knew he was feeling this as well. The heat of his breath bathed her lips as their chests rose and fell rapidly. He was so close, and as the scent of salt and sand enveloped her, she closed her eyes, prepared to seal this fun morning with a kiss.

  But they were yanked apart when the boat returned and the captain started pulling them out of the water by their harnesses.

  Maxwell jolted away from Alexis, though that had nothing to do with the boat or the captain. He swam over to the boat and climbed in, reaching for his towel the moment he could. Confused, Alexis made her way back to the boat too, using the captain’s hand to hoist herself inside.

  “I hope you two had a good time,” he remarked once she was steady on her feet.

  Both she and Maxwell stayed silent though, not answering his implicit question. So it seemed he was returning to his standoffish state. The one where he pretended they weren’t both feeling some kind of attraction to each other.

  Fine. She understood. They were supposed to be working together this week. Her ex was in town. It wasn’t a good time. And maybe it was way too freaking soon.

  But Alexis knew what she was feeling, so as the blazing April sun dried her wet skin, she felt more puzzled than ever.

  10

  Had they almost kissed? Maxwell’s heart was still pounding as they walked up the beach after parasailing. He’d almost kissed his assistant for the week.

  Again.

  While in the water with her, he’d realized he would have kissed her when they’d been on the beach, too. He’d felt that same draw to her, that same unmistakable pull that hadn’t been there with any other woman, including his ex. That could have been because he’d kept himself closed off and, for some reason, he couldn’t do that with Alexis. Her fierce personality didn’t allow for it.

  He willed his heart to slow to a normal pace, but with her in her bathing suit, it was hard to even think, let alone control what his blood pumper was doing. He appreciated her curves, and he couldn’t help but wonder if Gabe had taken them for granted. He must have or they wouldn’t have been in this situation.

  The sun shone down on them, sizzling on his wet skin. Sand scratched against his toes in his designer sandals, but he was getting used to that feeling now. That made him more interested in buying this resort—so he could come here any time he wanted to feel the sand beneath his feet. To take a much-needed breather of salt-tinged air.

  He could have done that back in Malibu. He wasn’t far from the ocean at home, yet this felt more appealing to him. The thought of doing those things alone made the ideas much more unattractive, but that was the life he’d resigned himself to. Dating was too hard when he had as much money as he did. It was too hard to trust. He never knew anyone’s ulterior motives for why they were with him. So he just didn’t.

  Which was why he need
ed to get his feelings for Alexis under control.

  Halfway up the beach, the resort’s most popular bar appeared before them. It had a pool that connected to the ocean, and guests could swim up to order drinks from bathing-suit-clad bartenders wearing leis. Lots of guests frequented this part of the resort, so he made a mental note to have Alexis check it out and get her thoughts on it.

  As he started to pass the place up, her voice stopped him in his tracks.

  “What in the world?” she grumbled right next to him. When she froze, she whipped her gaze to him and then back to the bar area. Then she pointed her finger. “Do you see that?”

  When he followed her arm, he did in fact see what she was referring to: Gabe.

  And he wasn’t alone.

  “Seriously?” she screeched. Opening her hand, her palm flat and facing up, she thrust her arm in that direction again. “He’s flirting with other women and trying to get me back?”

  “To be fair,” Maxwell said, “you two are broken up. You left him in the dust yesterday. The man can do what he wants.”

  He said that because he wanted to encourage the idea of them not being together. It wasn’t because he wanted to swoop in and have Alexis for himself. Okay, maybe some of him wanted that, but he wasn’t going to act on it. He had to keep his head clear and in the game. But he wanted her to move on. Clearly, the man wasn’t making her happy. He wasn’t sure how or why they’d broken up, but a woman in love wouldn’t have gone to stay with another man while she had the honeymoon suite with her fiancé.

  Unfortunately, Alexis didn’t take it that way. “You’re taking his side?” she spat at him, disbelief etched plainly all over her face. Both of her arms flopped against her sides as she stormed off toward the resort, her clothes dangling over her arm.

  Perhaps he wouldn’t have to worry about getting his feelings for her under control. The more he spoke, the less she liked him.

  That was one way to protect his heart.

  Twenty minutes later, they were seated in the restaurant for lunch. It was still early, so the place wasn’t packed. But the ambiance was pleasant. Romantic, even. Even with Alexis’s braid still wet and her attitude pointed clearly in his direction, he liked the feeling of eating with her, alone, in this atmosphere.

  He hadn’t realized until now that this place was geared mostly toward couples. But as a single man, he could see the appeal of going there alone and finding someone to hang out with for the duration of his stay. Who knew what could happen in a romantic paradise? When he owned this place, his guests could find love there. They’d go home with an entertaining and memorable story to tell their grandkids one day, and that idea did something strange to his heart.

  This same thing kept happening while he was at the resort. An emotion he’d never felt—or one he’d never allowed himself to feel—kept pouring over him. It was warm, inviting. Even soothing. But he didn’t have time for warm or inviting. Definitely not soothing. Not when his business’s future was on the line.

  Sure, there’d be other opportunities, but he didn’t want to miss this one. Or the Hartford deal. These felt like they were meant to be his. And he couldn’t lose sight of that. Even at a romantic lunch with his temporary assistant.

  “This is cozy,” she mumbled as she picked the menu up. “I’ll make sure to write that in my notes.”

  As Maxwell sipped his water, he felt a smirk spreading across his mouth. She was cute when she was irritated. But he didn’t want her to stay that way, so as he set his water glass down, he said, “I was thinking the same thing, actually. This place has a nice romantic quality, don’t you think?”

  The glare she gave him almost made him laugh out loud, but he managed to keep that inside.

  “I want nothing to do with romance,” she declared, staring at her menu. Then she flipped the page with a flourish, ending that conversation.

  But that made him recall his conversation with Phillip. Had Alexis only been with Gabe because he was wealthy? Did romance really mean that little to her?

  After their close calls, Maxwell didn’t think that was the case. In his gut, he felt she wanted that. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been upset by seeing Gabe with other women at the bar. And she wouldn’t have refused Maxwell’s money when he’d offered it to her in the resort’s drive. Plus, she hadn’t even wanted it in exchange for working for him. She’d only agreed if it meant he’d actually give her the job.

  Something wasn’t adding up though. He hadn’t been successful in the romance department by following his gut, so he pushed that aside. It wouldn’t matter once they left the resort anyway. He’d leave it at that.

  “Actually,” she said, setting her menu down, “speaking of romance…” She placed her elbows on the table, twined her fingers, and rested her chin on the tops of them. “I’m tired of talking about my disastrous love life. What about you? Where’s your girlfriend? Your”—her gaze slid to his left hand, which was bare—“wife? Is she at one of your houses in Malibu or Vail?”

  “No. No wife or girlfriend to speak of.”

  “Now or ever?” She tilted her head as if she were actually interested.

  He hoped, for both of their sakes, she wasn’t. “Now.” He dropped his gaze and scooted his chair in, hoping that ended the conversation.

  Of course it didn’t. “Maxwell,” she said, her hands coming to the table, her elbows splayed out. “You know all about what’s going on in my life, but I know nothing about yours. Just that you own homes and planes.”

  “Just one plane,” he corrected, a half smirk curling his lips.

  She raised a challenging eyebrow.

  He raised his hands in the air in faux surrender. “Fine. Yes.” After clearing his throat, he reluctantly answered her. “There was a woman once. A few years ago.”

  Alexis looked like she was waiting for him to say more, but he didn’t know what else she wanted from him. He’d given her the pertinent information. Luckily, he was saved by the waiter.

  She went first, ordering by pointing at the menu. That was the dish he was going to get, so he changed his mind so they’d get something different for variety. The waiter was courteous and accommodating, which gave him a very good impression of the restaurant, though anything could change once he owned the place.

  It was all starting to grow on him though—just the way it was.

  Alexis sipped her water. He could tell she was pretending not to care about their previous conversation. Even though it was clear she did, he liked how transparent she was. He could read her—in the moment, anyway. About most things. Maybe he’d get better at reading her about the others so he could decide if his gut was right about her.

  “Her name was Emily,” he said, unfolding his napkin and placing it on his lap. “We were together for two years before I discovered that all she wanted was my money. Not me.” Setting his hands on the table, he gazed at his water glass like it was super interesting. Anything to not see the pity on Alexis’s face. “So I had to end it, and I haven’t dated since.”

  Instead of pity, though, she said, “How come you didn’t just give her the money? That’s kind of your go-to solution.”

  When he turned his attention to her, he saw something he’d never seen in Emily’s eyes: honesty. That wasn’t the response he’d been expecting, but Alexis was nothing if not honest with her answers. Maybe she was hiding things or holding things back. Maybe those things hurt and she didn’t want to talk about them. But being honest was her default, and that meant a lot to him. Even if her answer had been harsh. He needed harsh truth in his life if he was going to make the right business decisions.

  “Just driving your point home, huh? I can’t throw money at everything to make it all better.” He chuckled to himself, but the humor wasn’t really there.

  Then a soft hand slid over his, and she squeezed his fingers like she had while parasailing. But this time, it was for his comfort, not her own. “Yes, but that’s because some things are better than money. Some experiences m
ean more than the numbers in your bank account. Some things money just can’t buy.”

  Love. She was talking about love.

  And if he wasn’t careful, he’d find that in her eyes too.

  11

  After a fitful night of sleep, Alexis needed a break. She and Maxwell had gone their separate ways after lunch, and she’d done her best to avoid running into Gabe. When she’d seen him with other women, she hadn’t been jealous. She’d been furious that he’d had the audacity—again—to try to dictate her life while doing whatever he pleased. She didn’t need the reminders anymore.

  She’d gone to Hawaii for a reason. She just wasn’t sure what that reason was at the moment. Not when the reason why she’d left had followed her there.

  Swinging her legs to the floor, she ditched the blankets and padded over to the dresser to retrieve her purse. If she wanted to take a break from everything, she’d need to leave the resort. Her best bet to do that was Jeff, the nice cab driver who’d brought her there. She dug his card out of her wallet, hoping he’d be her knight in shining armor and whisk her away from this place for a while.

  With one phone call, he was happy to meet her downstairs in ten minutes.

  Yet another morning where she barely had time to get ready. This time, however, she didn’t need it. A day of relaxing on a beach didn’t require much, so she put her bathing suit on, dry from the day before, and scooped up a towel and the sunscreen she packed. That was all she had to bring with her.

  No drama. No men. No heartbreak.

  Just sun, salt, sand, and water.

  It sounded heavenly to Alexis. She couldn’t wait.

  She slipped from the suite undetected, and Jeff arrived right on time. He helped her into the back of his car before getting behind the steering wheel. After he asked her where she wanted to go, she requested the best beach far away from the resort. Without answering out loud, he took off, pulling out onto the road and doing just what she’d hoped: whisking her away.