Текст книги "The Billionaire’s Obsession: Alpha Billionaire Romance "

Автор книги: L. N. Pearl

Соавторы: S. K. Lee
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Текущая страница: 2 (всего у книги 4 страниц)

3 – Jax

I hung up, a little worried that I might have pushed harder than she was comfortable with. I was used to getting what I wanted, when I wanted it.

My relationship with Kendra would be no different.

I was her new employer and if it took a little more manipulation than I was used to having to do, so be it. The minute I started to treat her differently from any of my other employees, I would be in deep shit. There was already a budding attraction to the sexy blond minx. How she pulled off sensual and cute all in the same moment was beyond me.

All I knew was that it was a dangerous mixture. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to pull her down for a night of snuggling and movie watching more than a good hard fuck, but I needed to watch myself closely.

I was grateful she accepted the job. I was more comfortable in five minutes than anyone else I’d ever met. She was different. Something about her and her story left me wanting to know more. Wanting to protect her and offer her more than she had ever had.

What if the story isn’t real? What if she made that shit up because she knew Tyson was an orphan too?

I moved toward my nephew as he swung back and forth in his newest toy. It had the power to keep him entertained and quiet for hours. Between Kendra teaching me to burp the baby and the mechanical swing he sat in... life was bliss. He had finally stopped screaming.

Guilt washed over me. How could I not know that he might have gas bubbles? Because I wasn’t a father or a family man at all.

“Am now, huh?” I asked Tyson and tugged at his little foot as he moved toward me. He smiled and I jerked up. “He smiled! Oh my God. He smiled at me.”

I turned around, half expecting someone to be there to share my joy with, but it was just us. The life I’d led up to that point made sure of that.

My heart contracted painfully, but I shoved aside feelings of loneliness. I didn’t want the burden of a girlfriend or a wife. They were far too needy and women were bitches as far as I was concerned. Tyson’s first smile could simply be mine.

“That was a great smile, little guy. You ready to eat something?” I tugged at his foot again and he smiled at me once more. A laugh bubbled up inside of me, the feeling of it clean and pure.

This new life might not be too bad at all. Especially with the chance to share some of it with a girl like Kendra. I could keep her at arm’s length and just pull her in every once in a while when life demanded it. Now to hope she would agree with my unconventional offering.

It’s a working friendship. Like I have with Judy and Margaret.

I ran my hand through my hair and walked into the kitchen. Everything I needed to make Tyson a bottle sat just beside the sink, and I busied myself getting it done. Having just learned how to get in front of a massive infant meltdown, I wasn’t ready to relinquish control and get behind again.

I could remain friends with Kendra, even allowing the relationship to morph into an intimate friendship. After a while of raising the little guy together, I would hope she would let me wrap my arm around the back of her shoulders while we watched TV. Maybe rub her back if she’d carried him around too much.

I’m fucked. It’s official.

I groaned and checked the temperature of the milk against my wrist. My back rubbing vision quickly turned into stripping her ever so slowly before dragging my lips and tongue down to taste every inch of her.

Why do you have to be so fucking fine, Kendra?

The women in my circle were beautiful as well, but fake. Nothing about them was authentic, from their fake eyelashes to their plastic tits. I growled softly and walked back into the living room as my cock jerked in my jeans. I reached down and tugged at it softly.

Sorry mister. You’re not going to get much time with the pretty girl who’s coming to watch the baby. She’s here for him, not you.

I moved to pick up Tyson and bent over as my body continued to harden. The thought of sinking down into Kendra’s soft body and working up a sweat with her almost consumed my thoughts. I couldn’t remember having wanted someone so fucking bad in forever.

I lifted Tyson in front of me, his fat little thighs spilling from his light blue onesie.

“She’s off limits for me. You can have at her and steal her heart, but not me. I don’t want to have to break it when I realize that she’s clingy or fake. Right, buddy?”

I moved to the couch and sat down as Tyson slipped his fists into his mouth and began to suck loudly. I tugged them down and smiled at the cute little tyke. “Here, buddy. Take this instead.”

He took the bottle and I studied his miniature features, getting a clear sense of which parts of Alice were represented in the baby’s face. A sadness ran through me like cold water. My sister and I hadn’t gotten along too well just before her passing, but it was my fault.

She was sick of hearing me bitch and moan about the trashy women in my life. She wanted me to do something about it.

“What am I supposed to do?” My question was focused at Tyson, but it was my sister I needed to talk to.

Alice had advised me on numerous occasions to move out of our circle and seek someone with a little more quality instead of quantity in her life. My mother would never go for it, but perhaps my sister was onto something. Her husband, Greg was from a poorer family and the few times I’d gone to visit them during the holidays, they left me feeling welcomed, and filled with a warmth that was fleeting nowadays.

Kendra was from a poor background, her beginnings not even affording her a family. Was that type of tragedy necessary to really bring a person into a humble sense of awareness? Did it give them the ability to experience joy where all I had was fleeting bursts of happiness? Those were few and far between as of late as well.

Stop it. You’re making her into a saint that’s going to sweep in here and change your world forever. Stop setting the girl up for failure. Just let her do her job and learn all you can from her.

The chances of her leaving after three months were high. There was no way she wouldn’t end up getting a boyfriend sooner than later. She was far too beautiful not to have some poor schmuck fawning all over her.

Hell, I want to fawn over her myself.

Another thought dawned on me as I pulled the bottle from Tyson’s mouth and turned him to rest on my shoulder. Maybe she was lying about her past. No one really had it that bad, right? I could swallow the idea of her parents dying tragically and her being in foster care, but how no one could adopt a cute little blond haired, blue-eyed girl? That seemed a stretch.

Tyson burped loudly and I patted his back softer, smiling and kissing the side of his face. “Good boy. I’m proud of you.”

The easiest way to move past questioning her integrity was to call Hunter and have him validate everything. I had to be careful how I went about the conversation though. If he cared for the girl like a sister, like a boy would if her story were true, then anything negative would get back to her.

I moved Tyson back down and tried to give him the bottle, but he pushed it out with his tongue and let out a few baby sounds. Chuckling, I got up and walked back to the swing. I put him in it and he awarded me with another great smile. I tugged on his legs and smiled back.

“Such a good boy. Yes, you are.”

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I walked back to the couch and sunk down into the soft cushions. The image of Kendra naked and wet in the bathroom mirror reared to life in my head and I groaned softly as my body tightened. I needed to take care of myself soon. I’d been too tired the night before and had passed out on the couch.

Before I lost my desire to know the truth, I dialed Hunter’s number and worked to ignore the blood pumping through my arousal.

I’ll take care of you soon.

“Hey boss. What’s up?” The sound of water splashing in the background caught my attention, but I didn’t ask any questions. Getting invested in anyone, especially an employee, was bad news.

Remember that shit with Kendra.

“Hi, Hunter. Tell me something.”

“Sure. Anything.”

“I had Kendra over last night for the interview and you were right. She’s an incredible woman and the perfect fit for helping me with Tyson.”

I could hear the smile in his voice. “I told you she was. I’ve known her forever. I’d trust her with anything of mine, including my future children. Not that I plan to have kids, though.”

“How did you guys meet?”

“Er... we were childhood friends.”

He was being vague. Either the girl wasn’t being truthful or he was protecting her privacy. Sharing that someone was an orphan wasn’t exactly kosher. I wouldn’t have shared that type of information either.

“So you lived in the same neighborhood?”

Hunter was silent for a moment before letting out a long breath. “Look, I’m not sure she would want you or anyone to know this, but she was an orphan. Her parents were killed in a bad accident that almost killed her too. My father was an overseas missionary for years and after having me and my brothers, he decided to come back to the United States and start an orphanage. She was one of the first kids to show up. She and I have been close ever since.”

“Wow. What a story. So she’s like a sister to you?”

“Yeah. I wish she was more, but she’s very kept.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“She’s not the typical girl who’s interested in a good night of fucking or your wallet. She’s after someone’s heart.” Hunter laughed. “Not that you’re at all her type, but make sure you watch your heart, boss.”

“Not her type?” I couldn’t help but push a little. “How so?”

“She’s from poverty. She believes those with wealth are somehow missing key elements from their personalities because life didn’t force them to develop as much. Besides... she’s not your type anyway. She’s wholesome and sweet.” Hunter laughed and I responded in kind, the image of Kendra rushing across my vision again.

I’m not her type because I’m lacking due to my wealth?

Sadly enough, she was probably right.

4 – Kendra

The truck driver tried to make conversation with me as we drove across town, but I couldn’t seem to put two thoughts together. All of the new information about Jax and Tyson rolled through my mind and caused more emotion to rare up than I wanted to deal with. The afternoon of packing and talking with Brian left a kind of peace sitting on me. Too bad I seemed intent on destroying it with my worries.

“Here we are, missy. I’ll get everything unloaded and we’ll get it up to the penthouse. You go ahead and go up.”

“You sure? I don’t mind helping to carry stuff.” I pulled my purse from the floor and hesitated before opening the door.

“I’m sure. We’ll get it done for you. Tell Mr. Wilder that Fred said hello.” The older man smiled and parked the truck.

I slipped out of my side of the vehicle, dropping a ways to the ground, but thankfully catching myself. I grimaced as my hand slid over the tire, the result a long streak of sludge on my hand. I glanced around, not seeing anywhere to wipe it, as a few guys walked toward the truck.

“Fred driving this beast?” One of them asked me as I squatted and brushed my hand along the concrete.

“I sure am.” Fred moved from the other side of the truck and glanced down at me. “You alright?”

“Yeah. I’m good.” I stood and smiled. “Thank you again for your help.”

“My pleasure.” He winked.

I turned and walked toward the beautiful high-rise, trying hard not to touch anything, least of all my white dress. I could barely hear the muttering behind me, but the guys were talking about how pretty I was. “I bet Mr. Wilder’s going to have a hard time keeping his hands off her,” one of them said.

It’s not going to be him having a hard time, but me.

I smiled and greeted the bellman before moving to the elevator and getting in. The elderly man from the day before grinned at me.

“Good Afternoon, miss. How are you today?”

“I’m good. I need to go to the penthouse again.”

“I’m aware.” He pressed a few buttons and turned to smile warmly at me. “I heard the good news. Congratulations.”

“Wow. News spreads fast.” I laughed as the door opened to the top floor.

“It does, and with all the security measures we have here, Mr. Wilder just needed to get you added to everything. Makes life a lot easier.” He shrugged and tilted his head. “Have a great evening and we’ll be seeing more of each other, I’d imagine.”

“That we will.” I moved toward the door, repositioning the large bag on my shoulder. I couldn’t hear Tyson crying, which was a good thing. It was Saturday, so there was no telling how exhausted Jax might be. Surely he didn’t work on Saturdays, which meant he would have spent the whole day with the baby.

I knocked on the door. Now that I understood why the handsome bachelor had no clue how to burp Tyson, I found myself wondering about something else. Where was the rest of Jax’s family? It seemed a little odd that there wasn’t a grandmother or another aunt, or someone else in the picture.

Then I remembered. He mentioned his mother, but she was in too much pain. Which made much more sense now. Tyson’s mother was Jax’s sister, meaning that his mother had lost her daughter.

The door opened and I tucked my meanderings away for a more quiet time. Jax smiled and moved back, his white t-shirt and jeans making him look relaxed and so far beyond sexy.

“There you are. I was beginning to worry.” He smiled and licked at his lips.

I glanced down at his hands as he wiped them off on a kitchen towel. “Were you cooking?”

“Me? Hell no. I was washing a few dishes I had in the sink. Jani only comes on Tuesdays and Fridays. Would it surprise you to know that I’m a bit of a clean freak?” He closed the door and moved toward me, taking the bag off my shoulder. “I’ll get this.”

“You, a clean freak? Interesting.” I forced a soft laugh. “Can I use that towel? I got something on my hand from touching the tire of the truck outside.”

He handed it to me and smiled. “You got a little on your nose too.”

I groaned and lifted the towel to my face, wiping in random spots until he laughed, taking the towel back.

“Here. Let me do it.” He moved closer and I held my breath. His nearness left me needier than I could ever remember being.

Needing to divert my thoughts, I forced myself to ask a safe question. “Where’s Tyson?”

“He’s taking a nap. Seems your burping trick is magical. He’s not nearly as fussy as he has been in the last two weeks.” Jax turned and walked toward the stairs. “Come on. I’ll show you your room.”

I moved past the baby’s room and followed Jax down the hall past several doors. The need to ask what lay behind each one swelled inside of me, but I figured he would explain.

“I have you in the room next to mine. Hope that’s okay. It’s rather large, which will give you room to spread out a little.” He glanced back at me, his dark hair wet from what appeared to be a recent shower.

“That’s fine with me. I can set up my sewing room in there too, if you’re okay with that. I plan on working on my business during the day when Tyson is at daycare, unless you’ve changed your mind on him going.” Something about being in the room next to his was exhilarating and nerve racking. If he brought home a woman at night... I would have to listen to them having sex. Nothing sounded more heinous.

Get over it. He’s your boss. He’s going to bring home women. Look at him.

“He’ll still be going during the day. Do whatever you like. I’ll show you some of the other rooms in a bit.” He pressed the door open and moved back, letting me enter first.

My breath caught in my chest at the beautiful cream-colored bedspread, the light apple-wood furniture and the expanse of windows.

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered as I moved into the large room and slipped my shoes off. I wanted a chance to feel the softness of the enormous white rug that covered most of the floor. I wiggled my toes against it and turned as Jax chuckled.

“I take it you like it?”

“I love it.” I reached for my bag and moved to a large desk, setting it down on top of the solid structure and turning to Jax. “This is too much. I don’t need anything this big. Really. Surely this room could be used for when your mother comes to visit, or your future girlfriend’s family comes to stay, or something.”

He lifted his eyebrow at me and shook his head. “Yes, well, it’s yours for now. Make yourself at home and I’ll have everything delivered up here. Do you need anything right now?”

“No.” I turned back to the room, inhaling deeply and searching for the scent of his cologne. It was nothing more than a subtle scent, but I pulled it in, greedy for more.

“Yell down to me when you’re done checking everything out. I want to show you one more thing.”

I turned and clasped my hands in front of my body. “Okay. Thank you again.”

The dark gaze of his eyes caught my attention as he leaned against the door frame. His feet were bare and his hair a bit of a mess. He was incredibly beautiful, something to truly behold. I must have stared a bit longer than was comfortable.

He let out a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair before nodding toward the door. “Um, yeah. I’m gonna go out here and...”

“Show me what you wanted to show me first.” I walked toward him as his eyes moved down the length of me. He might not be on the same scale as me, but he was a man nevertheless. My dress was one of my designs, the front a princess cut that allowed the top of my breasts to be seen. It was dainty and beautiful.

“Is this one of your designs?” He brushed his fingers down my shoulder as I stopped in the hall.

The softness of his touch caused me to shiver. “Yes. One of the first I did.”

“It’s gorgeous. Very feminine.”

“Thank you.” I glanced back down the hall. “How long has the baby been asleep?”

“About an hour. He should be moving around soon.” Jax moved past me, his shoulder brushing by mine. He stopped at the room across the hall from Tyson’s. “Come here. I’ve been busy today.”

I walked toward him, trying hard to banish the thoughts in my head. There was something so real about him, so down to earth and yet it was probably a scam. Most wealthy people weren’t interested in common people or ordinary places. I was a means to an end and I needed to remember that. He had to have help raising his nephew. That was my place in his world.

He opened the door and glanced back as a boyish smile raised his lips. “I love the idea of you working hard to start your own business. My father has a rags-to-riches story, not that you do, but his is inspiring. Anytime I can help out a fellow entrepreneur... well...”

I walked into the room and stopped short, which caused him to bump into me. He slid his hands over my arms to keep from plowing me down. His closeness set my blood on fire.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled and nudged me forward. “Well... do you like it? I had it put together for you this morning.”

The room was lined with various types of materials, several sewing machines that far exceeded anything I had brought with me, and a row of naked mannequins. I let out a soft yelp and moved toward the embroidery machine.

“Oh my God, Jax. This is like a dream come true.” I turned and shook my head. “Why? How? Shit. When?”

He grinned, looking pretty pleased with himself. “This morning, silly. I figured if you were willing to uproot your whole life to help me give Tyson a chance at a better one, then you needed your own space for your sewing.” He shrugged and I walked toward him, hugging him tightly before I realized what I was doing. It was a habit I had with Brian.

I jerked back as my eyes went wide. “I’m sorry. I just... I just... wow.”

Turning to scan the room again, I swallowed the hot ball of emotion that lodged itself in my throat. Even if he were simply my boss, no one had ever done anything so kind for me.

“Good. I’m glad you like it. We’ll put your stuff in here too. Feel free to make these two rooms anything you want them to be. I’ve ordered you a Visa card, but it will take a few days to come in.”

“A Visa?” I glanced back at him as my heart ached in my chest. I was going to fall head over heels in love. I could see it as clear as the man standing before me. His kindness and attentiveness to my needs melted me on the spot.

“Yes. I figured it would just be easier. It will be linked to an allowance of sorts that you can use for food, travel, supplies and such for Tyson and yourself.” He turned and smiled. “Speaking of.”

Moving out of the room, I half jogged as the sound of baby cries filled the space around us. “I’ll grab him.”

I had to work to catch my breath, not from the short jog, but from the overwhelming emotion at being given so much in such a short period of time. I’d fought hard my whole life for every small thing that I got. This was overwhelming.

I moved into the room and picked up Tyson, pulling him to my chest and kissing his little head. “Hi, sweet boy. Did you have a good nap? Time to change you and get you something to eat?”

Laying him down on the elaborate changing table, I glanced around and took in the plethora of supplies that lay about. There wasn’t much that Jax hadn’t bought for his nephew. Everything necessary to take care of the baby was at my fingertips.

I glanced down and rubbed my fingers over Tyson’s belly as he cooed at me. “That’s better? Handsome little thing.”

Picking him up, I turned as a tear rolled down my cheek. I needed a minute. I was overwhelmed.

Jax tilted his head as he watched me, his brow pulling tight. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying, Kendra?”

“I’m a girl. We cry a lot.” I smiled and lifted my hand to my face, wiping at the next round of tears.

“I’ll remember that.” He smiled and moved back from the door. “I want to take you and Tyson to dinner tonight. Are you free?”

I chuckled and nodded. “I’ll have to ask my boss.”

He stretched, his actions dragging his white t-shirt up over the swell of his abs. “I checked for you. He said to have a great time.”