Dangerous Deception (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series) (9 page)

The elevator door opened and she stepped out.  The pep
talk she’d given herself hadn’t really worked but now she had to put on a brave
face and a smile.  Storm was right there in the lobby and now he was walking
toward her. Her fake billionaire fiancé was painfully handsome as usual, in
hip-hugging jeans and a close-fitting black shirt that clung to every cut of
his muscles.  Painfully handsome was the only way she could describe him
because he looked so good he made her mouth water…and yet she could not touch
him.  And it was all because of her own stupid rules.  Okay, so maybe the rules
actually made sense but she just wasn’t liking them right now.

Storm was right in front of her now.  He gave her a
bow.  “Very nice,” he said, his voice low and almost seductive.  But not
quite.  He was probably being very careful, making sure not to cross any lines.

“Thank you,” she said with a smile and her heart
soared.  She’d better get a hold of herself.  All the man had said were two
words, two very simple ones at that, and she was over the moon.

Storm held out his hands.  “After you, madam.”

She walked ahead of him and when she got to the door
the sunshine was so bright she pulled up short as the glare hit her eyes.

Storm ran into her back, nearly knocking her over. 
His arms shot out to grab her and before she could react she’d been dragged
back against his hard body.

Just as suddenly his arms dropped away, leaving her
bereft.   “Sorry,” he said quickly.  “Just didn’t want you to topple over.”

“It’s okay,” she muttered and stepped out into the
sunshine. 

He didn’t have to draw back from her quite so swiftly,
retreating as if she were some kind of leper.  She’d wanted his arms around
her, wanted the outdoorsy smell of him and the solid feel of him just a moment
longer, but he’d dashed away.  She was being unreasonable, she knew, but she
couldn’t help her feelings.  Rules or no rules, her body wanted Storm Hunter’s
touch.

As they stepped out into the sunshine he pulled a pair
of sunglasses from his pocket and slid them on.  If she’d thought he looked
sexy before, that was nothing compared to what he looked like in dark glasses. 
Now he looked both hot and mysterious, making her nipples peak in futile
anticipation.

Oh Lord, this was not working.  They hadn’t even
reached the car yet and her body was preparing for love.  She almost laughed
out loud.  Talk about pathetic.

Storm stopped in front of a fire-red Ferrari
convertible with the top down.  He reached down to open the passenger door for
her. 

“Very nice,” she said, copying his words as she looked
at the car with appreciation.  “She looks like a fast one.”

“She is,” he said proudly.  “Clocks zero to a hundred
in four seconds.”

She slid into the seat then eyed him.  “I hope you’re
not planning to demonstrate.”

He laughed.  “No, not this time.  I’m working hard to
stay in your good books.”

She could see that.  He’d practically run away from
her just seconds ago when their bodies touched.  If that was what it meant to
be in her good books then she’d throw out the darn books.  Being a good girl
was getting tired.

Storm went around to the driver’s side and slid into
the seat then they were off, his long-fingered hands holding the steering wheel
and handling the car expertly.  They were out of the city traffic and onto the
highway in less than half the time it would have taken her to get there.

“You drive like a racecar driver.”  Dani watched in
admiration as he handled the gears, revving up and shooting past so many other
cars on the highway.  She hadn’t even seen a stick shift car in years but she
remembered when she used to drive one.  She’d actually liked the feel of the
clutch and the shifting of the gears.

“Used to be one,” he said casually, glancing over to
give her a mischievous grin.

She looked at him through narrowed eyes.  “You’re
kidding.”

“Nope,” he said and his smile was so smug she knew he
was telling the truth.

“You, the first born of one of the wealthiest families
in America, and your parents let you race cars?  What were they thinking?”

He laughed out loud.  “It’s what I love, Dani.  Fast
cars, fast motorcycles and-”

“Fast women?”  She finished the sentence for him.

“Wrong guess,” he said with a chuckle.  “I was going
to say rock music.  I love rock music.”  He reached down and switched on the
radio and the music of Hootie and the Blowfish, ‘I Only Want To Be With You’,
blared through the speakers.

That put an end to any further conversation so Dani
leaned back and closed her eyes, the better to enjoy the song and the feel of
the breeze whipping through her hair.

At that speed, in no time they were pulling off the
highway and onto a local road.  The closer they got to their destination the
tighter Dani gripped the side of her seat.  She had no idea what to expect. 
Would they be snooty and mean, immediately sniffing out her ordinary working class
blood?  Would they quiz her on things only rich people knew?  She could just
picture it - a discussion on quality wines, one in which she wouldn’t even be
able to participate because she didn’t have a clue.

Before long they made another turn, this time onto
what looked like a country road at the end of which stood a majestic mansion
nestled among huge trees which had begun to sport the colors of autumn - yellows,
golds and reds among the green leaves.  Storm pulled up in front of it and
hopped out to come around and open the door for her.  Then, as if he knew she
needed the support, he took her hand and they walked up the steps together.

Storm pushed the door open and as they entered the
foyer he called out, “Mom, we’re here.”

“Finally.  How are you, Storm?  You need to come home
more often.”

Dani turned to see a tiny woman with short-cropped
black hair coming down the hallway, her arms open wide.  Storm stepped away
from her and walked right into his mother’s hug.  “How are you doing, Mom?" 
He towered over the petite woman and had to bend over to hug her.

“Always better when I see you.  You need to visit more
often."  She gave him a playfully accusing look.  "Are you trying to
avoid me for some reason?”

“Aw, come on, Mom,” Storm said, looking almost
guilty.  "I come when I can.” 

Mrs. Hunter’s hrumph told him what she thought of
that.  She did not respond to her son’s defense.  Instead she turned to look at
Dani.  “And who do we have here?  Aren’t you going to introduce me, Storm?”

“Of course.”  Storm took Dani’s hand and pulled her
forward.  “Mom, I’d like you to meet Danielle Swift, my best kept secret.”

“Secret is right,” Mrs. Hunter said softly as she
stared up at Dani.  “Welcome to Hunter’s Lodge, Dani.”

“Thank you,” Dani replied, almost feeling like she
should do a curtsy.  Although small, Mrs. Hunter was intimidating with her
piercing gray eyes and regal posture.  She looked like she should be sitting on
a throne in England rather than presiding over a house on American soil. 

“Mrs. Johnson has prepared a special meal to celebrate
your spending the afternoon with us.”  She gave Storm a pointed look.  “It’s
been such a long time.”

Storms lips tightened but he said nothing.  He simply
put his hand under Dani’s elbow and directed her down the hall after his
mother.

Dani was beginning to understand the challenge Storm
faced.  Just by observing his mother who was obviously a strong woman she could
sense that a lot was being demanded of him and he was expected to deliver.  She
could almost imagine Mrs. Hunter as a matchmaker-mother intent on selecting the
perfect bride for him.

As tiny as she was, if Mrs. Hunter was such a powerful
force what was her husband like?

Dani found out soon enough.  Before she even got to
the end of the hallway a booming voice shattered the cool quiet of the house.

“Storm, my boy, what breeze finally blew you our
way?” 

Edgar Hunter was a big man, both in size and
personality, and when he came up to them and wrapped Storm in a huge bear hug
Dani almost feared for his safety.  As tall and muscled as Storm was, he was
about half the size of his father.  The man looked like he could easily snap
his son’s spine with that hug.

When they parted both men were smiling so Dani relaxed
and smiled too, then Storm turned to her.

“Dad, this is Dani, the friend I told you about, the
woman who’s stolen my heart.”

“Ah, ha.  So this is the special girl you’ve been
hiding all this time."  His blue eyes twinkled in his weathered face and
he opened his arms wide.  “Welcome, my child.”

Dani’s eyes widened as she stared at the smiling man. 
There was no way she was going to step into that hug.  He’d crush her like a
bug.

Unfortunately, that decision was taken out of her
hands when he took one step forward and gathered her into his arms.  He
released her a second later but she could honestly say that for that moment in
time he had her fearing for her life.  Okay, maybe she was being dramatic but
goodness, how did a pixie like Janet Hunter manage with a giant of a husband
like him?

“Now come, let's have dinner and get to know one
another.”  Edgar led the way until they came to a majestic dining room with a
table that looked large enough to seat forty.  The room reminded her of the
great halls in the castles of medieval times, it was so huge.  Unlike those
great halls, though, this room was bright and airy and the table was decorated
with vases filled with a variety of flowers that graced the room with their
fragrance.

To Dani’s surprise dinner was not the elegant fare she
was expecting - poached salmon or beef tenderloin in wine, caviar, and other
foods of that nature.  Instead, and much to her delight, they were served a
salad with barbecued chicken, string beans, cornbread and macaroni salad. 
Dessert was her favorite - strawberry shortcake.

“How did you know?” Dani asked when the dessert tray
was brought to the table.  She looked over at Janet, as she’d now come to think
of her.  After the light banter during dinner she was no longer intimidated by
the diminutive queen of Hunter’s Lodge.  “Can you read minds or something?”

Janet laughed.  “Not at all, dear.  When Storm told us
he was bringing a special friend to meet us he demanded that we have strawberry
shortcake for dessert.”

Dani turned to Storm, still confused.  “But how did
you-”

“Our quilting session, remember?  We talked about our
favorite things.”  He shot her a warning glance.

“Oh, yes, that’s right.” She reached for her glass and
pretended to take a sip of water, but she’d done it to hide her face which
might be turning pink right at that very moment.  She’d almost given the game
away.  They were supposed to know each other intimately so her expression of
surprise would raise questions, to say the least.  Thankfully, the Hunters
didn’t seem to notice her blunder.

By the time tea and coffee were served Dani was a bit
more at ease, feeling like she’d passed the worst.  The conversation was
flowing and she was actually enjoying the company of Storm’s parents.  Edgar
was so unlike her mental image of a billionaire.  Somehow she had expected
stuffy and serious, someone who might even look down his nose at her.  He was
the total opposite of that.  Talkative and jovial, at one point he had her
laughing so hard there were tears in her eyes.  Janet, too, seemed to have
softened toward her and they were soon engaged in an animated discussion about
quilting techniques.  Storm sat watching them, his lips curling in obvious
amusement.  He must be thinking what she was thinking - who would have known
she’d find something in common with his mother?

The tea things cleared away, Storm reached over and
took Dani’s hand in his.  “Mom and Dad, there is something I…Dani and I would
like to tell you.”

Janet straightened her back and her eyes brightened. 
Edgar cleared his throat.

“I think you may have already guessed.  Dani and I are
engaged.”  He gave her hand a slight squeeze, probably to reassure her.

Dani held his hand tight.  He’d probably seen the
nervousness in her eyes and felt the slight tremble of her fingers.  The moment
of reckoning was here.  The Hunters had been friendly enough when they thought
she and Storm were friends but how would they respond to the announcement that
she might become a part of their family?  “That’s wonderful, honey," Janet
said, beaming.  She reached over and took Dani’s hand.  “Congratulations,
dear.” 

They all turned to look at Edgar and he was grinning
from ear to ear.  “Well, thank God,"  he said in his booming voice. 
“Miracles do happen.  I’ll see Storm wedded and settled in my lifetime.” He
leaned forward to shake Storm’s hand.  "Congratulations, son.  You’re
making a big step but it’s the right one.  A man’s got to have a wife to be
taken seriously in life and in business.  Good move.” 

Dani released her breath in relief.  Well, that had
gone well, a lot better than she’d expected.  She’d thought Storm would have to
defend his choice, get his parents to accept her.  She’d expected questions,
lots of them - where was she from, what was her family background, what kind of
business was she engaged in - but none of those came.  Instead, they seemed so
open and welcoming that Dani relaxed in her chair as she turned to look at her
new husband-to-be.