The Billionaire's Final Stand (5 page)

             
He’d
spotted Kinsey on the dance floor, her shiny lips open as laughter
spilled freely
from
her. He’d been instantly intrigued, deciding he had to meet the incredibly lovely bridesmaid. It was a wedding, after-all. The groomsmen and bridesmaids were expected to hook up.

             
He grabbed a couple
flutes
of champagne from a passing waiter, then approached her,
dripping with
confidence. He had no reason to feel anything other than on top of the world. Women adored him.

             
“Excuse me, but I noticed you looked thirsty,” he said, giving her his sexiest smile. She was worth his full bag of charm, after-all. He needed to thank his new sister-in-law because the dresses she’d picked were stunning, showcasing
the woman’s assets to perfection.

             
His groin tightened as he pictured
peeling
the satin fabric
off her.

             
“How nice of you, but no thanks.” Austin stood there as she turned and walked away. He knew his mouth was hanging open, but he was at a loss for words. His eyes were glued to the
sensual movement of her hips as she crossed the floor, before
a flood of
bodies swallowed her up.

             
He drained his glass, then smiled from ear to ear.

             
A challenge!

             
He spent the next two hours trying to convince her to dance. When she finally agreed, he felt like he won the lottery.

             
Pulling her onto the dance floor, her curves melted against him, sending his body into permanent meltdown. His hand slid low as he pulled her
close
so she’d have no doubt of his
desire. Her eyes widened as he pushed against her, a groan rumbling from his chest.

             
He knew they’d both had too much to drink. He knew something was off, but he didn’t listen to his conscious. After dancing for hours, laughing, talking, flirting, he carried her up the stairs to his guest room.

             
He’d never forget how it felt having their
bodies entwined.
Kinsey’s
curves
pressed
against his own. The sound of his name
gasped from her lips
as he
sank deep within
her.

              “Austin? Hey, earth to Austin.”

              Austin opened his eyes to find his brother standing next to him, but he couldn’t quite focus on what he was saying, his mind foggy as he tried to push the memories back where they came from. With Kinsey being so close, it wasn’t easy. Just seeing her made him ache.

              Their night together had been the most passion filled and satisfying night he could ever remember.

              The next morning he’d woken to find her gone.

              Not able to get her out of his mind, he’d called her, stopped by her house, even begged Cassie for information – all of it was to no avail. She avoided him like he was contagious – he didn’t get it. Normally, women were slipping keys into his pockets, phone numbers in his fingers, making it more than clear they were available for his pleasure, day or night.

              The one woman he wanted a second date with couldn’t seem to get far enough away from him. He finally found her at one of his family holiday parties. She’d told him she’d made a mistake, and she’d rather forget about the entire night.

              He’d managed to change her mind, though, once again getting her to dance with him, until they’d ended up sneaking off for a little privacy. He’d nearly taken her again on one of the private balconies. Someone had interrupted them, and the next thing he knew, she was gone again.

              The next time he’d seen her had been at Bree’s wedding, only a few months ago. She’d once again tried to ignore him, but then, their eyes met across the room, hers unguarded for just a moment, and the need he saw in her stormy brown depths nearly dropped him to his knees. He wanted to throw her over his shoulder, and find somewhere they could be alone, so he could love her until they were both fully sated. He’d managed to stop himself – just barely.

              “What stopped you in your tracks so suddenly? I thought you might be on a mission to carve a path in the floor. I’ve been trying to get your attention for like five minutes as you stare into space,” Trenton went on, his face looked worried. He probably thought his brother had finally snapped. Maybe he had.

              “Kinsey.” He didn’t need to say any more. His brothers had ribbed him endlessly after the wedding, then later, when he’d chased her at the Christmas party. They knew she’d made an impact on him, but since he hadn’t said anything about her in months, they’d laid off. From the look on his brother’s face, he was about to get another dose of brotherly goading.

              Trenton whistled as his head turned and he took in Kinsey’s petite frame. Scrubs normally weren’t known for their sex appeal, but she looked damn good in her light green cotton pair.

              With her hair pulled back in a sloppy bun and devoid of makeup, she looked like a teenager, instead of a woman, though he knew first hand she was no school girl. His groin tightened even more.

              “I can’t believe there isn’t a ring on her finger. What’s the hold-up, anyway? You obviously want her, so why don’t you do something about it?”

              “I’m not interested,” Austin lied.

              “You going to ever tell me what happened?”

              “Nothing to tell. I thought about it, but…”

              “So you wouldn’t mind if I told my friend, Mick about her…”

              “She’s not available,” Austin quickly interrupted.

              “You sound awfully possessive for nothing going on,” Trenton accused. Austin decided the comment didn’t warrant a response. He knew his brothers well and if he gave them even an inch, they’d have him by the scruff of his neck.

              For a few simple moments, the two brothers had something other than stress to focus on. Their father and uncle weren’t forgotten about, but the distraction was welcomed. It certainly saved the nursing staff from at least two of the Anderson men harassing them for an update every two minutes.

              Austin’s eyes shifted back to where Kinsey was in the middle of a heated debate about something. His curiosity was peaked.

              “Why don’t you go on over and play the knight in shining armor.”

              “Have you ever heard of minding your own business?” Austin finally said.

              “Hard to ignore a sexy brunette,” Trenton quickly replied.

              “Maybe I’ll go ahead and tell Jennifer you’re ogling other women,” Austin threatened.

              Trenton held his hands up in surrender. He knew when he was beaten.

              “I can appreciate an attractive woman because no one comes even close to comparing to Jennifer. She’s beautiful, incredibly sexy and makes my head spin. I can’t imagine not having her in my life.”

              “You’ve gone soft,” Austin mocked, but there was no heat behind his words. He loved his sister-in-law and was glad his brother had been lucky enough to find someone so special. She was a true gem. Surprisingly, all his family members had been lucky in marriage. He was the only holdout at this point. It was starting to feel a bit lonely at family gatherings as he watched his brothers and cousins finding corners to neck in. They all seemed so much happier than when they were single…

              “When was your last serious relationship? You seem more of a bear than usual. Maybe if you got a girlfriend, you wouldn’t wake up all hot and bothered, taking your bad mood out on the rest of us.”

              “Considering that’s none of your business, I’ll just choose to ignore your asinine comments,” Austin replied. He felt like taking Trenton’s head off, but that would only prove the man right.

              He didn’t think he’d been grumpy. Maybe he did need to find a woman for a night of no-holds-bar-pleasure. The thought turned his stomach, though. His eyes automatically went back to Kinsey. It seemed she was the only one who was causing a stir in his incredibly tense body.

              “Wow, that long, huh?” Trenton said with a whistle. Austin glared at him while Trenton continued. “Truth hurts, brother.”

              Kinsey shifted and Austin’s stomach clenched. She ran her slender fingers across her cheek, capturing a few tendrils of escaped hair, before tucking them behind her ear. He could see her dark brown eyes glittering with agitation as she gestured to the doctor. He could just make out the sprinkling of freckles across her pale nose, the combination all adding to her unique beauty. She was stunning, which helped his desire, but certainly didn’t define it.

              His eyes ran down the column of her neck, to the slight ‘V’ of her scrubs. His fingers itched as he imagined holding the weight of her perfect breasts in his hands. He knew her nipples hardened at the slightest touch.

              She was so incredibly responsive.

              “I need a drink,” Austin said too loudly.

              Trenton looked at him, then at Kinsey, then back to him again with a knowing expression on his face.

              “I don’t think they serve what you need, here. I’ll take you to the bar as soon as we get information,” Trenton promised.

              “I’m fine. This has just been a stressful night,” Austin said, making himself calm down.

              “So, are you going to talk to her, or are you going to torture yourself more?” Trenton asked as the two men watched the doctor walk away. Kinsey’s head was bent down, either in frustration or defeat. Austin was surprised by the surge of overprotectiveness coursing through him.

              “I’m just going to find out what’s going on, not that it’s any of your business.”

              “Sure…”

              “Why don’t you go harass some of our other family members?” Austin snapped. He knew Trenton was trying to push his buttons. Well, congrats, he’d done it.

              “Okay, okay, I get it. I’ll mind my own business. Just remember the saying about honey, vinegar and insects. Whatever mom used to say, though I still haven’t figured out why anyone would want to catch flies.”

              Austin ignored him as he moved forward. It was time to talk to Kinsey. His heart rate picked up as he stepped closer. She hadn’t noticed him yet. He liked having the element of surprise on his side. She’d managed to avoid him for months. Well, she was at work now, and couldn’t run away.

              How he wanted to play games with her. Very, very adult games, where they both walked away fully satisfied winners.

◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊

              Kinsey allowed herself to sag next to the wall for just a moment. The idiot doctor wasn’t going to rest until he had her head on a platter. She’d been right, him wrong, and his huge ego couldn’t deal with the fact.

              He was heading to her supervisor with a list of grievances against her. She may not have a job by the end of the day. She didn’t care. It would be worth it if Joseph pulled through.

              After a few seconds, she lifted her head, squared her shoulders and decided she wasn’t going to be a victim. The new doctor could try and get her fired, but she wasn’t going down without a fight. If he wanted to throw out accusations, then she’d be there to defend herself.

              With fire burning in her eyes, she took a step toward the corridor. Before she could get far, a man’s voice stopped her in her tracks.

              “Looks like you’re having problems.”

              Kinsey stopped with her foot still in the air. She slowly turned her head and came face to face with Austin. She knew he’d be at the hospital. After all, his father and uncle were both here, but she’d really hoped to avoid him. She desperately worked to compose her features, not wanting him to know how his presence affected her.

              She never had one night stands.

              Never!

              For some reason, though, she hadn’t been able to resist him at her best friend's wedding. He’d been suave, romantic, and funny - the perfect guy. Knowing she’d made a mistake the second she awoke the next morning, she’d slipped from his bed and ran as fast as she could. Regret nipping at her toes the entire way.

              Each time she’d seen him since, her stomach fluttered and her body heated. She’d ended up coming close to a repeat performance of what had happened at Cassie’s wedding. She’d come to the family Christmas party at Cassie’s insistence, then practically made love to him on the Andersons balcony. After that incident, she knew she couldn’t trust herself to be alone with him without somehow losing articles of her clothes. He was no good for her, she knew that, but convincing her body was a whole other matter.

              Leaning against the wall, looking as striking as ever, even in the blaring florescent lights of the hospital, he had her speechless. Her eyes traveled down his fitted shirt to the worn jeans covering his impressive build. A shudder traveled down her spine and her mouth filled with moisture.