Page 22 of Billionaire in Disguise

“Win?” He rubbed his hands together. “What was the bet?”

“A new car or a two-week vacation in Hawaii?” she teased. “How about a million dollars?”

“Why not?” The urge to give her all that and more surged. What would she say if she knew he could easily afford it?

Her twinkling laughter proved she had no clue. She came up to him, splashing him again in her wake. “I suppose a luxury car might be a bit much to ask.”

Not really. He’d spent less on a Tuesday afternoon. “What else do you want?”

She wet her lips, and looked up and down his body. This time, he couldn’t stop himself from moving closer. “Do you want something from me?” he murmured.

She gave the slightest nod.

“A kiss?”

Another nod, so slight it was barely perceptible.

He couldn’t deny the winner.

He pressed his lips to hers, ever-so-softly. Yet she pushed into the kiss, molding that lithe, curvy body into him. She tasted like chocolate, sunshine and pure bliss. Emotion surged, desire, longing and so much more. Happiness, satisfaction,possessiveness.

He wanted this woman like none ever before. He held her nearly naked body along his length, softness to hardness, bare skin to bare skin. She was so petite and so curvy, and she fit against him in pure perfection.

And as they kissed in that sun-splashed pool, where coolness and heat swirled, something changed. All at once, their relationship didn’t seem so pretend. It brought a million unnamed emotions and a single question:

What if he never let her go?

Chapter 6

The sound of laughter woke her.

Still in the throes of a dream that involved a certain muscular man, a lot of water and not a lot of clothing, Adrianna shifted on the taut percale sheets, stretching muscles sore from yesterday’s activities. She opened heavy eyelids to a room brilliant with sunlight, illuminating unicorn and rainbow curtains and matching wallpaper in golden amber. The sun was already high in the sky, surrounded by nothing but blue, with the promise of a gorgeous day.

She breathed in sweet air, scented with her mother’s savory cooking. A unicorn-shaped clock showed it was well past her normal rising time, the sounds of distant conversation confirming her leisurely morning. She jumped out of bed, too quickly as sore muscles tinged, then moved slower as she donned a light yellow sundress and brushed her hair. Finishing the rest of her routine, she departed her room and strode to the dining room.

A dozen platters stood at the sideboard, gleaming silver with thick blueberry pancakes, crispy hash browns and French toast made from homemade challah, covered in creamy butter and powdered sugar. It smelled like heaven and home, yet despite the display, the table was empty save for one place setting. “Is anyone here?”

“There you are, sleepyhead.” Her mother emerged from the kitchen, wearing a bright yellow apron that said, “Proudest. Mom. Ever.” and an even brighter smile, and placed a hot cup of coffee in front of her, prepared just as she liked. “Everyone else already ate. We were shocked you weren’t here, since you’re usually the first up.”

Her stomach growling its approval, Adrianna grasped the silvery tongs. “It must have been all the physical activity.” Or a delectable man who occupied more and more of her time. He didn’t leave her mind as she filled her plate, or as she sat to eat, while dodging probing questions from her mother that stopped just short of a guest list for her wedding.

Adrianna took a bite of the savory French toast, moaning lightly at the soft, sugar-covered masterpiece. Yet even as she enjoyed the fare, unease surfaced. The mystery surrounding Nick deepened with every secret he tried to distract away with clever jokes and witty repartee. Of course, he wasn’t a criminal mastermind, yet increasingly frequent slips betrayed the secrets he hid.

She ate the meal quickly, then cleaned her dishes and travelled through the house, chasing the sounds of lively conversation and laughter. She emerged into the spacious living room, where a crowd had gathered around Nick and a row of computers queued in line like at an Orlando theme park. “Good morning.” She smiled.

Nick was typing furiously on her father’s laptop, an old device beleaguered by a vicious virus. That he would help her family came as no surprise, yet this time he would not be successful. She had done everything possible to save the dinosaur device, and was now searching for the best deal on a new computer.

He looked up and grinned. “Good morning to you.”

She came up behind him, touching his shoulder, only as a show for the family, of course. Not because it felt so natural, so right. “Thank you for trying to help. I already told him it’s impossi–”

“I fixed it.”

Wait, what?“That’s impossible. It’s not repairable.”

“Sure, it is.” He stepped back, revealing the screen. “I didn’t even have to reformat it. The data is still there.”

“That can’t be right.” Adrianna sat in the chair next to him, rolling closer to the laptop. She tapped the rickety keyboard. “I spent six hours on this last week.”

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