Billionaire: Billionaire Romance: Billionaire Tiger (A Billionaire New Adult Shifter Contemporary Romance) (26 page)

“Maybe I’m just imagining things,” she sighed.

Blair soaked a few minutes more and got out to dress and meet Mr. Haines for dinner. They had a lovely supper of seafood curry and discussed what Blair should do with the house.

“You could sell it,” he suggested. “We’d handle everything.”

“I don’t know if I should,” Blair sighed. “She left that house to me for a reason. Maybe she wanted me to take care of it, or something.”
“She
did
love that old shack,” Mr. Haines chuckled. “If you decide to stay, you might want to rent a cottage. You can’t stay there.”

“That’s a good idea.” Blair wiped her lips with her napkin. “I suppose you’ll go back to London?”

He nodded. “It’s only temporary. I can assist you with the contractors if you want an estimate on renovations or assessing the value in case you want to sell.”

“Can you get me a cottage?” Blair inquired. “Something small. Nothing too expensive.”

“I can do that. And you’ll need a car.”

“Well,” Blair grinned. “I leave that to you. I think I’ll stay for a couple of weeks. Research the place and take in the sights.”

“Now that’s a good idea.”

She sliced into her chocolate pie and felt for the first time in her miserable life that things might turn out okay.

****

“What is your name?” she gasped as he thrust gently into her. Blair kissed him hungrily unable to get enough of him. He growled and bit down on her lip. 
“Seth,” he groaned, slipping his hands beneath her. “Call me Seth.”

Her head fell back beneath his bruising kisses. “Seth,” she breathed. “Fuck me,” she pleaded shamelessly, digging her nails into his back. “You’re so big,” she moaned.

“And you’re so tight,” he gasped. Blair’s eyes flew open and his face appeared before her in all its darkly chiseled glory. She opened her mouth to scream and his tongue filled the void. “No,” he whispered against her cheek “Don’t be afraid. You were meant for me. For this.”

He was here. In her bed and giving her inexplicable pleasure. Blair cried out his name and clung to him. “Harder, Seth!” she panted, covering his face with greedy kisses. “Fuck me harder.”

He grinned above her and his face swam before her eyes. She had a vision of some ungodly creature with scaly skin and horns. Blair wanted to scream but Seth shook his head and lifted her thighs over his hips. He plunged in and out and she arched against him wanting more. She was begging him for it and felt no shame.

Seth laughed against her throat and gave in to her demands. Blair whimpered as excruciating rapture pierced her body. She fought the urge to scream and Seth pulled out to the tip.

“Scream for me, dearest Blair,” he rasped. “Scream and loudly.”
 “No!” she gasped, wincing as he slammed back into her. “I don’t think I can bear it!”

Seth’s head swooped down and ravished her mouth in a hot kiss. Blair shuddered and let go. Her scream was cut off with his tongue and she clutched and scratched at him. He caught her arms and held them over her head and rode her hard until he howled with pleasure.

Blair lay limp beneath him as he kissed and stroked her body soothingly. “What are you?” she whispered, sliding her hands over his powerful back. “And why do I want you so?”

He pressed soft kisses over her face and hair. “No need to know who I am,” he breathed. “Let us just have this.” He slid his hand down and massaged the tender mound. “I want you always like this.”

“Oh,” Blair moaned, biting her lip. “It was you in the cottage that day, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” he hissed, delving into the damp folds and thrusting his fingers in and out. “I’ve wanted this since the first moment I saw you. I knew you would be mine.”

“Yours?” she panted, arching her hips eagerly. “And are you mine?”

He chuckled and swirled his tongue over her nipples. “As long as you want me, dearest Blair.” Seth suckled and drew the throbbing peak into his mouth. “I will follow wherever you lead.”

“Oh, Seth.” Blair mewled and cradled his head to her breast. “Suck me harder.”

Seth let out a primitive growl and sucked hard, nipping and biting with his teeth. Blair arched her back and spread her thighs wide. His fingers felt amazing, but she wanted his cock deep inside her. He seemed to sense her desire and withdrew his hand, catching her whimpering protest with his tongue and sliding between her thighs. He threw his head back as he sheathed himself in her delicious heat. Blair screamed and wrapped her thighs around his hips.

The pleasure was indescribable as he ravished her swollen cunt. “Seth!” she sobbed, raking her nails down his back and drawing blood.

Seth’s eyes winced shut. He’d never get enough of her. Never.

Blair’s eyes flew open. Seth was gone. At first she thought it was a dream. But on further inspection, she could see her dream lover was indeed real. Her breasts were sore, her lips swollen, and a satisfied ache between her thighs told her all she needed to know.

Seth was real.

She was glad. Mr. Haines had rented her a cottage near the beach and it was isolated. Goodness knows Seth knew how to make her scream. Blair giggled to herself and took a shower. Sometimes she wished he were human so he could take her in the shower.

The next night in her dream, Seth did just that. He hauled her up against a shower wall and fucked her until she was screaming her head off. Naturally she was sore the next day. After a few nights of this, Blair decided to do some research at the local library.

She found out what Seth was and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

An incubus. That was her dream lover. Seth was a demon.

“And when were you going to tell me?’ she asked on his next visit. Her breath caught as his finger teased her nipple to a taut peak. “Seth!”

He grinned. “Is that a problem?”

“I don’t know,” Blair gasped as his tongue darted out to lick her breast. “Can this relationship work?”

“Do you want it to?”

“You know I do.”

Seth sighed in relief and suckled her breast. Blair threaded her fingers through his hair and cradled him to her. “I think I’m…in love with you,” she whispered.

His head shot up. “And when were you going to tell me this?”

“I thought you knew,” she giggled. “You’re always surprising me with things.”

Seth moved over her and kissed her tenderly. “You’re adorable. And I love you too.”

“I’m glad,” Blair sighed happily. “But I wish I could feel you for real.” Her hands slid over his sturdy shoulders and down his back. “I hate meeting you this way.”

“I know,” he breathed against her lips. “But it’s only for a little while, my love.”

“I want you inside me,” she begged, arching her hips wantonly. “Put it in.”

His eyes darkened and her mouth opened on a silent cry as he slid down and teased her with his cock. She gripped his shoulders, panting as he held off entering her and instead caressed her hungry clit. “That’s not fair,” she pouted, nipping at his chin. “You can’t make me wait.”

“I can try,” he whispered raggedly. “You’re so wet, love.”

Blair was growing impatient and reached down to take him in hand. He cried out and shuddered above her. His mouth swooped down as he plunged into her searing heat. “Seth!” she shrieked, wrapping herself around him. “Don’t stop,” she panted. “Don’t ever stop.”

“You feel so good.” Seth squeezed his eyes shut and rode her to the brink. Their screams shattered the quiet cottage and he sagged against her damp body. “That was nice.”

She curled against him and laughed softly. “Wasn’t it?”

“I can’t get enough of you, lovely Blair.”

“The feeling is mutual, sir.”

Seth nuzzled her ear. “And what will you do about the cottage?”’

“I haven’t figured it out yet, silly.”

“Want me to help?”

“Would you?”

He reached out and traced a long finger down her nose. “I want you to stay.”

“But the house needs work, Seth. I don’t know if I can afford it.”

“Eugenia left you the money. Use that.”

Blair smiled up at him. “And how do you know how much she left me?”

“It’s a secret,” he grinned.

Blair woke up missing Seth, but armed with a new determination to restore Pennhalow to its former glory. She got an estimate from the contractor and talked it over with Mr. Haines. He was dead set against it.

“You can’t!” he protested over tea. “I thought you meant the cottage.”

“But I thought you wanted me to restore the house and now you don’t?”

Mr. Haines turned bright red. “You’ll burn through all your money. I thought you wanted to go to school and be a chef.”

“I do.”

“If you restore the house you won’t be left with a shilling.”

“I’ll find the money,” Blair insisted. “I’ll have the house assessed.”

“They’ll tell you the same thing. The house isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on.”

“Since when?” Blair’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve been talking to Randall and his lovely wife, the Wicked Bitch of North London.”

Mr. Haines choked on his bread. “I have not!” he wheezed. “They barged into my office and demanded to know where you were.”

“And what did you tell them?”

“I told them you’d gone back to Tucson.”

“They didn’t believe that.”

“No,” he gulped. “They didn’t. They want the house.” He looked guilty. “I told them it belonged to you, but they wouldn’t listen.”

Blair swore. “So what does that mean?”

“They hired another solicitor.”

“And…?”

“They’re going to contest the will.”

She drained her glass of wine and asked for another. Blair staggered back to her little cottage thoroughly wasted. She fell asleep and told Seth. He was livid.

“They’ll regret this,” he swore. “Wait and see.”

Four

Randall and Heather contested the will. Mr. Haines told Blair to let them have it. “They’ll tie this up in ligation for months if not years. All your money will be gone. Let them have the bloody house.”

Blair figured he was right. “If I let them have the house, will I still have money for school?”

“Sure,” Mr. Haines said brightly. “You could always go to school here.”

“I don’t know about that,” Blair said sadly.

In the end, Randall and Heather got Pennhalow, and Blair got two thousand pounds and a ticket back to Tucson. Josie was there to greet her.

Blair burst into tears. “I lost the house,” she wept.

“I hope they choke on wood rot.”

“They might. The whole house is full of termites.”

“No!”

“Uh-huh.” Blair laughed a little. “And mice.”

“See? Revenge from beyond Eugenia’s grave, I like it.”

“I don’t. I liked that house.”

“Well, at least you got the money.”
“No, I didn’t.” Blair retrieved her suitcases. “They paid me to go away.”

“You still have enough for school.”

“Sure.”
“Or will you be planning a funeral?”

“I might as well,” Blair said sullenly. “I feel dead.”

And Blair’s life went on just as it had before. Josie had moved to Phoenix and she returned to the diner having found out she didn’t have enough for school. She’d still have to take out a loan and that was the last thing she wanted to do. Randall and Heather had beaten her.

Just like the bullies in school. She decided she couldn’t possibly be related to miserable pieces of shit like Randall and his dear wife. She’d lost the house, her inheritance, and Seth.

He no longer visited her at night. Blair was heartbroken. But she supposed he came with the house. She wondered if Heather could be smothered in a dream.

Blair didn’t know what to do with the money she had left. An apartment was out of the question. She could barely afford the trailer she rented behind the diner. And Al owned that. She decided to pop it into the bank and let it collect interest.

“It’s something anyway,” she told Al over her lunch break.

“I’m sorry, kid,” he said consolingly. He gave her another slice of apple pie. “I’d give you a raise, but I can’t afford it.”

“That’s okay,” she croaked. “I hated England anyway. It’s like a wet sponge!”

“Sure, kid,” he laughed. “Take an extra five on me.”

“Thanks.”

Weeks passed and Blair tried to forget Pennhalow and her demon lover. It was difficult to go back to the seedy trailer and know she’d never see Seth again. After working twelve-hour shifts, she’d collapse on the hard mattress and see nothing but darkness.

As she flipped burgers and pancakes she couldn’t help but wonder why Randall and Heather wanted that old scrapheap. She also wondered if Mr. Haines was in on it. Wouldn’t be the first time she was betrayed by those she trusted.

Blair didn’t like to rehash bad memories.

One day in late spring, she was frying eggs and trying not to splatter herself with grease when a strange man came into the diner. He was dressed like an undertaker. She didn’t think anything of it. Most of the customers were strange. Al barked the man’s order of a medium rare burger without onions and Blair was the one crying.

“What’s wrong with you?” Al yelled, snatching the plate and shoving it in front of the customer. “Cry later.”

“It’s the onions,” Blair lied.

“Well, splash some water on your face and hurry back.”

“Okay.”

She fled to the bathroom and washed her eyes out. It didn’t help.

The diner was packed full with tourists and a busload of cheerleaders on their way to a football game in Phoenix. Blair was on her feet all day, and limped to the trailer when her shift ended. She thought of soaking her swollen members but was too tired to do anything but kick off her sneakers and fling herself across the bed.

When sleep came there was no Seth. Blair had given up on ever seeing him again. She did have a dream about Pennhalow. Randall and Heather were laughing and counting Eugenia’s money.

A frightful pounding roused her from a fitful slumber, and Blair turned over and covered her head with a pillow. “Go away,” she groaned. “Come back another day.”

“Blair!” Al cried. “Open this door. The police want to talk to you.”

That did it. Blair sat up too quickly and fell on the floor. She crawled on all fours and cracked open the door. Two grumpy-looking officers stood next to Al. “Whatever it is, I didn’t do it.”