Page 4 of The Billionaire's Christmas Baby Surprise

“I just have a few emails to answer.” Max’s annoyance grew. He didn’t want to be here, and he wanted even less to be told off by his own PR manager. With a sigh, he got to his feet and put away his phone. “But I was just about to mingle.”

“I’m sure.” Stephanie didn’t look sure, but she stepped out of the way to allow Max easier access to the ballroom. He smiled politely, passed her, then swept his gaze over the room.

People were mostly talking in small groups of three or four, he noticed. It was easy to tell who the wealthy benefactors were and who the charity representatives were; the former were dressed in clothes that cost a small fortune, while the charity representatives wore more simple attire and, in some cases, held handfuls of business cards and fliers.

“You might want to speak to James Olson,” Stephanie suggested. She pointed to a man in a neat, if aged, navy suit who was talking to a small group of benefactors. “He runs a no-kill animal shelter that focuses on finding families for harder cases, like older dogs and pit bulls.”

“Actually, I have someone else in mind.” Max’s gaze had been caught by someone else entirely. On the far side of the room stood a woman in a long red skirt and black sweater that perfectly showed off her feminine curves. Her brown, curly hair was in a long braid over one shoulder, but a few curls had sprung free to frame her heart-shaped face. She was absolutely gorgeous and, if Max was going to talk to someone, he might as well talk to her.

Max bade farewell to Stephanie and crossed the room towards the beautiful woman. On the way, he took two glasses of wine from a passing waiter, thanking him politely. The beautiful woman was saying something to the man and woman she was talking to. They both laughed, and she handed over a business card before turning away. Max stepped in front of her.

“Hello. I seem to have picked up an extra beverage. Perhaps you’d like it?” He held out one glass of wine and the woman took it with a warm smile.

“Thank you. That’s very kind.”

“I’m Max Grayson.” He held out his free hand, and the woman took it. Her hand felt small and delicate in his own.

“Nice to meet you, Max. I’m Billie Stone. I don’t think I saw you here last year.”

“No, you wouldn’t have. This is my first year here.”

“Isn’t it lovely?” Billie nodded to the decorations, the food, and the guests.

“Well, some parts of the evening certainly are lovely.” Max grinned to let her know that he meanther. Billie smiled back, but it wasn’t the charmed smile he’d expected.

“Indeed. I too feel that the best part is the incredibly worthy charities here. Maybe you’d like to hear about mine?” Billie flashed a sweet smile, and Max found himself smiling back.

“All right. Let’s hear about it.”

CHAPTER 4

BILLIE

If Billie were being honest with herself, she didn’t really expect to get a donation from Max Grayson. Though this was the first time they had met each other, she knew plenty about him already. He appeared occasionally on her news feed, always in one of two contexts: either as an eligible bachelor who was both rakishly handsome and very wealthy, or as a ruthless businessman who stopped at nothing to make sure his company succeeded. Neither persona seemed very charitable.

And although Billie had to agree that Max was rakishly handsome, with his sandy-blond hair, sparkling blue eyes, firm jawline, and muscular physique under a perfectly tailored suit jacket, the rest of what she’d heard about him wasn’t particularly flattering.

Still, Billie had to give this her best shot. Summoning thoughts of kids like Chloe, and parents like her own mother, Billie dove into her speech.

“I run a charity called Sweetest Surprise.” Billie smiled at Max. “We do a lot of work with children in the Denver community, mostly children in low-income families or in foster care. Weoffer mentorship, afterschool programs, a food pantry, and clothing and school supplies to kids who need them. Best of all, every Christmas we offer my favorite program.”

“Your favorite program? I have to hear about this.” Max took a sip of his wine and grinned in a way that Billie could once again only describe as rakish. The tabloids had gotten that part right.

“Our Christmas program distributes gifts to children in need around the Denver area,” Billie told him. “Kids, or their parents or caregivers, submit Christmas wish lists. Our employees and volunteers buy and wrap all the gifts, then deliver them on Christmas Eve so that Santa can put them under the tree in time for Christmas morning. We also provide a special Christmas dinner.”

“So, you’re basically one of Santa’s elves,” Max suggested.

Billie chuckled. “I like to think of myself that way, but unfortunately, there’s a lot more to it than that. See, Santa’s elves don’t really have to worry about funding, and… Ido.”

It was always so awkward to bring up money, but that was why Billie was here. She summoned her mental image of Chloe cheering about her college acceptance and of the joy on kids’ faces on Christmas morning.

“Of course. I imagine that’s what brings you to the Grateful Gala on a frosty evening like this.”

“Indeed.” Billie leaned slightly closer and caught a whiff of masculine aftershave. One of the roving photographers stopped by, so Billie and Max stepped together to pose for a quick picture. The photographer moved on, but Billie and Max stayed close together. Despite the situation, Billie felt a shiver of attraction run down her spine at Max’s closeness. She wasn’timmune to the presence of a handsome man, even if he seemed more interested in her than in her charity.

“Well, no matter what brought you here, I’m glad we got to meet.”

“Right.” Billie bit her lip. “It’s been nice chatting with you.”

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