Page 1 of A Billion Secrets

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**Dear Reader, this is just a quick note to inform you of the rather—naughty nature of the story that follows. If stories with erotic content aren’t your thing, that’s cool. But this story is HAWT. I wanted to warn you before you went any further with our sexy billionaire, Nick. He’s got certain tastes that aren’t for everyone.**

Eve

“Then can you tell me when his arraignment is?” I asked, going absolutely out of my mind with panic. I couldn’t even be sure how I got here. But my keys were in my hand, so I must’ve driven.

Somehow.

“Ma’am, like I’ve repeated to you three times already,” the officer behind the counter said in her nasally, annoying voice, “Mr. Hayward needs to be fully booked into the system before I have any of that information for you. If you check back in around noon, I’ll have an answer for you.” She chewed on the end of her pen. “For sure by five o’clock.”

Five o’clock?

Was she for real?

I wasn’t letting Asher sit in a cell for twelve hours.

“Is there anything you can do to speed up the process?” I practically begged as I leaned forward on the counter, desperate to get my brother out of jail.

Her head cocked to the side, and she lowered her voice. “Look, hun,” she said, placing her hands on the lower counter, “it’ll give your boyfriend some time to think about what he’s done. It’s his first offense? He should be home for super tonight.”

Oh my gosh, was she for real? What a condescending witch.

I opened my mouth to tell her exactly what I thought of her, when I heard—and felt someone come up behind me.

“I’mher boyfriend,” I heard Nick say over my shoulder. Next, I felt a warm hand on my back. “Can you please inform me of what exactly is going on here?”

The heat from his hand traveled up my spine and throughout the rest of my body. It gave me enough strength to continue standing.

“Sir, I’ve explained things several times already to Ms. Hayward. Why don’t you and your girlfriend,” she said, looking me over and frowning, “go sit down and have a chat?”

Nick’s arm went around my shoulders. “Why don’t you and I have a chat, Lieutenant—” he said, bending forward to peer at her nametag, “Nichols?” His tone was quiet and menacing. And to be quite honest, it gave me shivers through my body to hear him speak like that.

Lieutenant Nichols gave in with a sigh, then spouted off the whole story for Nick.

All I heard was—drug charges and intent to distribute to a minor.

My brain swam, mixing up everything else that came out of her mouth.

“I see, thank you,” Nick said, straightening up as he moved me away from the counter.

I resisted and tried to get out from under his arm. “No, no, I have to get to Asher,” I said, trying to walk back to where I’d been standing for what felt like forever.

“Eve,” Nick said in a hushed tone, “come with me and sit down for a minute.”

I gazed up into his face, confused at what he was doing and why he was removing me from the only person who knew where my brother was. “I can’t, I have to get to him,” I said, trying again to shift out of his hold.

He wrapped his arms around me and stared into my eyes. “I’m going to handle this. Can you trust me?” His big, warm arms hugged me tight to his body. “I know what to do.”

Those words, “I know what to do,” floated around in the air and I grasped onto them nearly as hard as I held onto Nick.

“You can help Asher?” I asked, feeling a momentary sense of relief before reality set in. “No, you can’t.” I shut my eyes, willing the burning sensation behind them to stop.

I would not break down in a police station at five o’clock in the morning.

Nick’s hands landed on my shoulders, making me open my eyes. “Yes, I can. Let me make some calls. But first you need to sit down and stop harassing the officer behind the desk,” he said with a small smirk on his face.

“You harassed her more than I did,” I said angrily, poking my finger into his chest.

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