Billionaire's Island Bride (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series) (9 page)

BOOK: Billionaire's Island Bride (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series)
2.77Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Within minutes
Dare was pulling into the visitors’ parking area in front of Erin’s apartment
building.  He switched off the engine and turned toward her.  “Let’s go,” he
said.  “We need to talk.”

Erin did not even
bother to object.  Before he could move to get the door she climbed out of the
car and marched toward the entrance.  If he had to run to catch up with her
then it would serve him right.

Unfortunately for
her, he didn’t need to.  Within seconds his long strides had him by her side so
that by the time she got to the entrance it was he who held the door open for
her.  They crossed the lobby then rode the elevator in silence.  Deliberately,
she kept her eyes averted, breathing slowly, trying her best to calm her
nerves.  It was not an easy task, not when she was so close she could breathe in
the masculine fragrance of his cologne.  There was no way on earth she could ignore
the fact that he was there, mere inches away from her.  The shallowness of her
breathing, the tautness of her nipples in her bra, were evidence of the effect
he was having on her.

As soon as the
elevator door opened Erin was out and away, eager to put distance between
them.  Her physical attraction was too strong, too disturbing.  She had to
regain control.

When he strode up
behind her she was still at the door fiddling with her keys, her palms slippery
with perspiration.

Calmly he reached
out and plucked them from her hand, selected the correct one and opened the
door.  Then with a mocking smile he dropped the keys back into her hand.  When
they stepped inside the apartment a wave of embarrassment swept over her.  Dare
was obviously a man of wealth.  He'd said something about being a billionaire. 
She seriously doubted that but she was sure he had some money.  He carried
himself like a man of means.  What would he think of her home, so sparsely
furnished that the living room didn’t even have a sofa?  She’d been meaning to
get one since moving in but that had been almost two years ago.  Now, under the
present circumstances, the chances of acquiring that piece of furniture were
slim to nil.

At least she had
the essentials - a bed to sleep on and a chest of drawers for her few pieces of
clothing.  And at least she could offer him a seat.  In the living room cum
dining room were a small table and two chairs.  It wouldn’t make for
comfortable sitting but maybe that was a good thing.  Making him comfortable was
the last thing she wanted to do.  She wanted him to state his business then get
the heck out of her apartment and her life.

Erin could feel
her anger return.  After Dare had used her and discarded her in the most
horrible way, what could he possible want with her now?

Except for the
baby, her heart whispered.  Apart from the baby there was absolutely no reason
why this man would have the slightest interest in her.  This was all about the
baby. 

Erin waved a hand
toward the table.  “Have a seat.  Please.”

She could see that
he was scrutinizing her home, his eyes roaming the apartment.  She could just
imagine what was going through his mind.  All she needed to see was the
expression on his face to know what he was thinking.  She wasn’t important
enough for him.  Now he was getting confirmation that he’d made the right
decision in throwing her out.

Dare walked over,
his height making her apartment seem too small and the ceiling too low.  She
was glad when he dropped his tall frame onto the chair.  Seated, he was a
little less intimidating.  Just a little.

“Aren’t you going
to sit?” Dare was looking at her as she stood several feet away, watching him. 
On his face was an amused smile.

What was there to
smile about?  "No, I’m fine,” she said and released the hand she’d just
realized she’d been wringing in agitation.  She tucked her hands into the
pockets of her skirt.  “Dare, what are you doing here?  And how did you find
me?"

He crossed his
legs and leaned back in the chair, somehow managing to look comfortable. 
“Finding you was easy, honey.  We’ve got all your details at the hotel.”

“At the hotel?"
 Erin’s eyes widened in shock.  "They let you see my personal
information?  Who did you bribe?”  She couldn’t believe the breach to her
personal privacy.  Sunsational Resort would be getting a letter from her and it
would not be pretty.

“Come off it, Erin. 
Stop playing dumb.  It’s not becoming.”  He gave a snort and crossed his arms
over his chest.  Gone was the look of relaxation.  Now he looked exasperated. 
“Why would I need to bribe my own employees?”

“Your…employees?” 
What the heck was he talking about?  Erin shook her head.  The man was making
no sense at all.  “What employees?”  Then, like a light bulb that had just been
switched on something in her mind clicked.  “You weren’t a guest at the resort,
were you?  You actually work there.”

How could she have
been so stupid?  The man was probably one of the managers at the resort.  Now
she understood why his villa had looked so grand in comparison to all the
others.  The man was a big shot at his workplace. 

The realization
made her all the more angry.  “Do you realize I could have you fired?”  Her
voice was strong now as she realized the power she had over this man.  He was
an employee of the resort and yet he’d gotten involved with her, a guest, and
then he’d had the audacity to show up at her workplace.  And now he was in her
home.

Now it was her
turn to fold her arms across her chest.  “You’d better have a darn good reason
for being here or else you’re going to be in a lot of trouble.”  Feeling smug
at having the upper hand she gave him a smile but it was not a pleasant one. 
“What would your boss say if I told him that you’d slept with one of the
guests?  If I complain to your superiors you won’t be in your cushy job for
long.”

Dare’s eyes
narrowed.  Slowly, deliberately, he got up and then he was towering over her. 
“Are you threatening me?”  His voice was hard as the granite of the countertop.

Erin took an
involuntary step back.  Had she gone too far?  She was alone in the apartment
with a man who looked just about ready to wring her neck.  Goodness, she’d been
so stupid.  Why hadn’t she kept her mouth shut?

“N…no,” she
managed to whisper.  “It wasn’t a threat.”

A strange look
passed over Dare’s face and then the anger was gone.  His look was almost one
of regret.  “Look, I’m sorry,” he said and expelled his breath.  “I didn’t mean
to scare you.  You just annoyed the hell out of me with your pretense."

What pretense, she
wanted to ask.  Instead, she bit her lip and waited.  There was no way she was
going to incite his wrath again, not while she was still alone with him.  She’d
just let him have his say.

“You know I own Sunsational
Resort so all this talk about my boss and getting me fired is a waste of my
time and yours.  Let's just be adults here and-”

“What did you
say?”  Erin’s heart jerked in shock.  “You own Sunsational Resort?  Are you
serious?”

Dare gave her an
irritated look then he shook his head.  “Here we go again.  Will you stop
pretending?”

“I’m not pretending,”
she retorted.  “I had no idea you were…are… the owner of the resort.”

His eyes
narrowed.  “You had no idea?  So you’re telling me that when you spent the
night with me you didn’t know who I was?”

Eyes wide, Erin
shook her head.  Now that he’d said it out loud it didn’t sound good at all. 
Sleeping with a total stranger?  She cringed inside just thinking about it. 
How could she blame him for having a low opinion of her?

She could feel the
heat of shame rush to her face.  He would never respect a woman like her.  How
could he?  She had absolutely no excuse except for the fact that the night he’d
taken her to his villa Dare had so captivated her that she hadn't found the
power to resist him.

Mortified, Erin
could only stare up at Dare and what she saw in his eyes made her wince.  Was
it scorn or disgust that registered there?  Either way Erin knew she was lower
than dirt in his eyes.

“Why should I
believe you," he grated, “when you all but threw yourself into my arms? 
Twice.  Why would you have done that if you didn’t know who I was?”

“I don’t need to
explain myself,” she said with far more bravado than she felt.  “You wouldn’t
believe me, anyway.”

“Try me.”

She opened her
mouth to object but then she breathed a sigh.  What was the use?  She might as
well lay all her cards on the table and then he could do what he wished.  “The
first time I was just going to ask you out…as a dare, to satisfy my friends.  I
slipped and that was when I grabbed on to you.”

“You weren’t
trying to kiss me?’

“Absolutely not.”

“It sure looked
like it.”

“Well, I wasn’t,”
she said, glaring at him.  He didn’t have to look so pleased with the idea. 
“And the second time, in the bar, it was pure coincidence that I bumped into
you.  I was trying to get away from a most annoying man and saw you as my means
of escape.”

“Oh, so that’s all
I was to you.”

“That’s all.”

“And the third
time?” 

"What third
time?”

“Your going out on
the date with me, then to the villa.  What’s your excuse for that one?”

“I…” She
swallowed.  She had no idea how to explain that one away.  Finally, she said,
“You were the one who invited me.”

For a long time he
stared at her then he spoke, his look enigmatic.  “So it was.”  He nodded
slowly.  “So it was.”

Now what did that
mean?  Did he believe her or was she still nothing more than a groupie in his
eyes?

Well, groupie or
not, Dare was here in her apartment, thousands of miles from his resort and his
island, and she needed to know why.  He’d certainly not come all this way out
of love for her.

She was loath to
broach the subject but since he seemed intent on skirting around the real
reason for his visit Erin decided to take the plunge.  She’d always faced her
problems head on and she wasn’t going to stop now, even if it meant facing off
with the lion in her apartment.

“Dare, I’ve asked
you twice and you’ve not given me an answer.  Why are you here?”  She lifted
her chin and looked him squarely in the eyes.  “Is it because of the baby?  You
want to state your claim?”

Erin never saw
someone’s expression change so fast.  His frown disappeared.  In his eyes was a
look of shock that was like a slap to her face.  He hadn’t known.  Dare had not
had any inkling that she was expecting his child.

“Baby?  Are
you…pregnant?”

Erin bit her lip
and dropped her eyes.  Goodness, she’d said quite enough already.  Oh, Lord. 
She’d let the proverbial cat out of the bag and now she would have to face the
consequences.

“Erin, are you
pregnant?”  This time his voice was stern but the shock was replaced by a calm
that almost seemed more dangerous.  “Tell me.”

She swallowed but
still she could not speak.  Neither could she look in his eyes.  She did not
want to see the condemnation there.  This was her baby, and no matter what she
would not feel shame for carrying this life inside of her.  

In the end, she
just nodded.

He expelled his
breath.  “And the baby is mine?”

Erin’s eyes flew
to his and her mouth fell open in shocked anger.  “Of course it’s yours. 
What?  Do you think I make it a habit of going around sleeping with different
men?”

“How should I
know?”  His retort was quick and brutal.  “You fell into bed with me easily
enough.”

“Do you know
what?  Just leave my apartment.  Get out before I call the police.  I don’t
need to stand here taking your insults.”  She marched over to the door and
flung it open.  “Leave.  Now.” 

Dare gave her a
lethal look then strode toward her.  As she stepped back he gripped the door
and slammed it shut.

Erin gasped.  Who
did he think he was?  “What are you doing?  You’d better go."

“Listen to me,” he
said through clenched teeth, "you can’t drop that bombshell and then
expect me to walk away simply because you tell me to.  I need to know.  Are you
expecting my child?”

“Yes, Dare, I’m
expecting your child as I think you already know."  She practically spat the
words at him.  “But never fear.  I don’t expect a thing from you.  I’ve already
made arrangements for the baby so don’t feel you have to contribute anything. 
And,” her voice rose and she pointed an accusing finger at him, “if you came
all this way to try to convince me to get rid of my child you can just turn
around and go right back to Santa Marta because it’s not going to happen.”

“Get rid of…what
the hell?” Dare raised his hand and she flinched but he simply raked his
fingers through his hand.  There was a look of confusion on his face.  “I don’t
understand.  I used protection every time.” 

Seeing his
bewildered state Erin softened just a little.  “They’re not one hundred percent
guaranteed.  You should know that.” 

BOOK: Billionaire's Island Bride (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series)
2.77Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

The Husband List -2 by Victoria Alexander
THE GREAT PRETENDER by Black, Millenia
Dressed to Killed by Milton Ozaki
A Bait of Dreams by Clayton, Jo;
A Season in Purgatory by Dominick Dunne
HOMOSASSA SHADOWS by Ann Cook
Sanctuary of Mine by S. Pratt, Emily Dawson
Hunger: Volume 4 by Ella Price
Why Sinatra Matters by Pete Hamill