Billionaire Alpha 2: (A Bad Boy Billionaire Novel) (2 page)

A quick walk to the kitchen had her heart racing and her stomach turned into knots. Why couldn’t she have just responded like an adult to his accusations?

Simple. She wanted him to trust her without her having to put any effort into it. She was a trustworthy person and deserved the benefit of the doubt. Maybe with someone who hadn’t been crushed by lies and deceit as a kid wouldn’t have a problem with that. Damon was different and now he most likely thought she was seeing Philip too.

Were her and Damon seeing each other? No.

What about all of the other women in his life? Doubtful that they had been dismissed. Bethany felt anger burn in her chest again. She walked into the kitchen with her head held high. She hadn’t reacted exactly the way she would have wanted to, but he reacted pretty shitty to.

Her mother looked up from a magazine, a tall glass of tea sitting on the table in front of her.

“Well. You want to tell me what’s going on?” Her mom set the magazine down and tilted her head to the side.

“Just a fight over a few things from work.”

“You punched someone in the face?”

“Yes. They got into my records. The girl made sure to rub poverty and a druggie father in my face.” Bethany crossed her arms over her chest, the desire to fight with her mom rolling over her too. “What would you have done?”

“Punched her in the face.” Her mom stood and walked toward her.

Bethany’s eyes filled with tears again. Concern over Damon mixed with spikes of anger left her raw and emotionally beat.

“What happened with Damon, Beth?” Her mom pulled her close and kissed the side of her head. Bethany wrapped her arms around her mom’s small waist and rested her face on her shoulder.

“He’s mad that I didn’t call, which I understand. He’s pissed about me acting inappropriately with Philip, who’s a coworker.”

“That’s none of his business. I shouldn’t have mentioned it in front of the ass. Forgive me.” Her mom squeezed her again before moving back. “You don’t have to go up to Seattle if you don’t want to. I’ll just tell Kent that you’re not feeling well, that you’ve come down with something.”

She patted her mom’s hands before pulling out of her grasp. “It’s okay, mom. I’m going to go up there and show them how smart and mature I can be. It’s an opportunity to make things right between all of us.”

“Well, if you change your mind.”

“I’ll let you know, mom. I’m going to go have coffee with Philip. I’ll be home in time for dinner. I need to pack.”

Her mom nodded and moved back to sit down at the table. “If you’re going home with him, just let me know so I don’t worry.”

“Nothing to be worried about. He and I are just friends.” Bethany shrugged and turned, walking toward the door, her eyes scanning the house for Damon.

It wasn’t until she reached her car parked in the front of the house that she realized he was gone. She pulled out her phone and texted him before getting into the car.

I’m going with you to Seattle. You were wrong about a lot of things you accused me of, but I’m sorry for overreacting.

She dropped the phone in her purse, praying silently that she would hear the subtle ding of it, letting her know that he had responded. No such luck.

The strong smell of coffee beans washed over her as she entered the Starbucks. The place was packed with people of all ages, shapes and sizes. She found Philip quickly. He stood up and motioned for her to join him. His blue eyes were electrifying, the joy on his face was warm and welcoming.

“Hey. Don’t you look like a sight for sore eyes?” He winked and pointed to the table in front of him. Three small chocolate donuts sat on a large white napkin.

She laughed and dropped her purse in the seat, picking one up and taking a bite before responding. He watched her closely. His attraction to her was nothing to guess about, he made it obvious, but not in an overbearing sense like Damon had. She was a person, not an object, so why was she so smitten with the idea of belonging to Damon?

“You look good.” She nodded, reaching to catch a crumb that rolled down her chin.

“You look better. Go get you a coffee and come tell me of the drama you’ve been dealing with. I want a full report.” He winked again.

Bethany turned, a smile playing on her lips. Philip would be good for her - safe, but there wasn’t any chance. Her heart contracted painfully at the thought of Damon. Her lust reared to life at the bear whisper of him being close, at the possibility of tasting his lips or feeling his hands on her. Their night of passion hadn’t come close to all of the things she needed to do with him.

“Crazy… fucking crazy,” she whispered to herself as she approached the counter.

The teenage boy taking orders chuckled. “Am I crazy or are you?”

“Hmm? Oh me, for sure. I’ll take a double espresso with milk and sugar.”

He took her order as she moved toward Philip, the handsome guy finishing one of the donuts and licking at his fingers.

“How long do I have you?” His eyebrow lifted as he sat back, picking up his drink and taking a tentative sip.

“I have about an hour. I need to pack and get ready for a trip.”

“Where you going?” He pointed to the seat. “Take a load off. They’ll call your name.”

Bethany looked over her shoulder at the counter for a minute before dropping her purse on the floor and sitting down.

“Seattle. Mr. Bryant wants me there for an audit the location is going through.”

“Damon?”

“No, Kent.”

“Oh, good. So how did they take the news about Sadie?”

“I didn’t tell them. I don’t know why I didn’t, I just hurried home and got lost in the problem. I spent the evening with my brother and just totally let the fact that I needed to call them slide.” She broke the last donut in half, sitting back to take her time enjoying her portion.

“That’s not good. Damon doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who’s okay with having news sprung on him.”

“Yep. He was rightly pissed. We had a big fight.”

“Are you guys a couple? I mean, you don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.”

“Yes. We were. Not sure what we are now. It was ugly.”

“My fault?” Philip leaned forward, pressing his elbows to the table.

“Not really. More my fault for not being clear with him about Sadie. I think you were just the cherry on the sundae.”

“How so?”

“He thinks we’re seeing each other behind his back.” She popped the last of the donut in her mouth and stood as her name was called. She thanked the barista and walked back to the table. A quick sip of her drink left her tongue burnt and curse words slipping from her mouth.

“Did you tell him that we’re not?”

“Yes, but he didn’t hear me. I think I did.” She took the top off of her drink and blew at the hot liquid, steam rolling off the top.

“Is there a chance that we might start anytime in the future?”

She smirked at his confidence. His voice was beautifully different, his features so handsome. Yet he wasn’t a playboy. He didn’t feel the need to lord over her sexually and make her crazy. Was he an option?

“No. As much as I wish it were a possibility, I’m crazy about Damon. I hate that I am. He sure as hell doesn’t deserve it, but I am nevertheless. I want to break into the core of his heart and steal his breath like he steals mine.” She set her coffee down, closing her eyes for a moment to stop the flood of emotion headed her way.

“If anyone can reach him, I bet it would be you.”

She looked up as the tears rolled over onto her cheeks. Philip offered her a napkin, laughing as he shook the donut crumbs from it first.

“I think it’s over between us. He’s damaged goods and I’m pretty close to it. He plays games with me and really every woman that he’s with, from what I hear.”

“Most guys that are hurt do. It’s a way to test the girl and save yourself another heartbreak.” Philip shrugged, breathing in deeply as he watched her closely.

“I don’t know how to pass these tests.”

“Sure you do. Just push and remain agile when he pushes back. Meet him in the middle and show him what he’s up against. He doesn’t want you to break, Beth. He wants to see how far you’ll bend with him. It’s natural.”

“Why are we having this conversation?”

“Because I was being honest when I said I wanted a friendship if nothing else.” Philip laughed and nodded toward the pastry counter. “More donuts?”

“Yeah, I think we need them.” She smiled as he got up. Her phone buzzed. Her mother letting her know that Kent had called and wanted to talk.

“Great…”

Chapter 2

The conversation the night before had gone much better than she imagined it might. Where Damon had been accusatory, Kent was understanding and willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. How Damon had turned out to be so different from his father would be a mystery if she hadn’t had a heart-to-heart with Matt.

She finished packing her things, the house quiet. Her mother was most likely at church. Not having heard from Damon, Bethany walked to her small dresser and picked up her phone, growling softly. She would have to get in touch with him to see when the flight was, if nothing else. She dialed his number, her stomach flipping in circles and pushing against her chest.

The phone rang three times before he picked up. She almost assumed he was asleep or just unwilling to talk to her.

“Bethany.” It wasn’t a question of who was calling, but a declaration that he was all business with her.

“I need to know what time to be at the airport today.”

“Change of heart?” His voice was deadpan, the lack of any emotion toward her stabbed hard at her. She let out a soft, shaky sigh.

“Yes. I spoke with Kent last night. We both feel it’s a good thing that I continue on with the firm.”

“I agree. I’ll be there in an hour to pick you up. Be ready. I don’t like being late.”

The phone went dead. Bethany pulled it from her face and growled. He was back to being an ass. Memories flooded her - one in particular. Damon almost looked shocked the day before as he stood at the door, his face a mixture of emotions.

“You love me?”

Did he not think himself worthy of receiving love or had it just scared the hell out of him? Was he willing to love her back or was that proof that he was too self-absorbed to consider such a fallacy as love? She didn’t know, and part of her didn’t care. Emotions flying all over the place left her confused and feeling out of place in the middle of the large mansion, in the middle of this new life.

She focused on packing for the next bit and dressed in a comfortable, but business appropriate, cream colored dress. Damon would most likely be dressed to impress. Looking like a has-been next to him wasn’t going to fly. Bethany dropped her small suitcase in front of the door before walking to the kitchen in search of food. She ran her fingers through her long, chestnut locks, wanting him to notice how she had worked on her appearance to touch on the things he liked best about her.

The sound of the front door opening had her heart stilling in her chest. She reached up and brushed her fingers over her upper lip, a shaky breath lifting from her. Everything was fine. They were going on a business trip. He would treat her like an associate and she would treat him like her wicked hot boss. She looked over her shoulder as her stomach tightened. No matter how much she wanted to hate him, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

His blue slacks hugged his thin waist. The white polo shirt that slipped in just above his belt brought out the tanned creaminess of his skin, the darkness of his gaze. He reached up and ran his fingers through his hair, his eyes never leaving her face.

“You ready?”

“Yes. Just hungry.”

“We’ll grab a coffee at the airport. Let’s go.” He turned and walked from the room as Bethany reached out and touched her hand to the counter. She needed something to ground her, to pull her back into reality. Should she apologize? It seemed trite, and honestly he was as much at fault as she was for what happened between them the day before.

She grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator and walked into the hall in time to see him pick up her suitcase.

“I can get it.”

He looked over his shoulder and chuckled, the sound not joyous at all. “I have it.”

She shrugged as he walked out the front door, her eyes moving to the perfect curve of his ass. Remembrance flooded her. Watching him undress in the open door of his closet, his body the most beautiful she had ever seen. How badly she needed to connect with him physically even if they were miles apart emotionally.

Bethany walked to her side of the car, breathing in deeply as she passed him. He looked up and turned his head toward her as if questioning her actions. She chuckled and got in the car, rolling her eyes at herself when alone. Was she really going to use their physical attraction to heal whatever happened between them?

Yes.

Even if it didn’t assist in creating a long-term relationship and fostering love. The sensually delicious man getting into the seat beside her was every painfully good fantasy she had ever had. If he was slipping away, she wanted to create a few more memories before he was gone.

Was she acting bipolar?
Yes.

Did she care?
Fuck no.

Damon got into the car and closed the door, started the car and pulled out without so much as a grunt toward her. She reached up and turned on the radio and the air conditioner before settling back. If he thought the silence between them was going to cause her to choke up an apology, he was wrong. She would surely give up eventually, but she wasn’t near that breaking point just yet.

The drive to the airport should have been uncomfortable, but it wasn’t. Sitting in silence and simply listening to the sound of him breathing had almost offered relief. She was lost to him and no matter what stupidity she threw at him or empty promises of being
done
, she wasn’t. Her fingers ran along her thigh, her eyes closed as she contemplated reaching over and touching him.