The Wrong Billionaire's Bed (26 page)

“What if I told you that I haven't been able to stop thinking about you?” He leaned in and grazed his lips against the shell of her ear. “What if I told you I keep comparing every woman I meet to you and they all come up lacking? What if I told you that I haven't even given the thought of another woman any consideration since I left your side?”

A wry smile touched her mouth. “It's only been a week. I'd say you're a normal man.”

“Ah, but I'm not a normal man. I'm the billionaire gigolo Reese Durham,” he teased. “Your words, I believe. And a week for me is an eternity, especially when it's a week without you.” He leaned in and lightly kissed her jawline. “And what if I told you that maybe I'd fallen for you the moment you kissed me like you wanted to make me never forget you? What would you say then?”

She shivered, leaning into his mouth. Her fingers curled at the lapels of his suit again, but she said nothing. She didn't want to break the spell.

“What if I told you,” Reese murmured, kissing along her jaw until he got to her mouth,“that I was willing to try a committed relationship with you? Just you and me against the world.”

A tremble swept through her. “I'd say not to lie about things like that.”

“Firecracker, you know I'm many things, but I've never been a liar.” He lightly kissed her mouth. “How about it?”

She twisted her hands in the front of his suit and kissed him hard. “I'd say let's go for it.”

He groaned and his hand slid to her hip, then he tugged her leg around his waist. “Ah, that's my girl.” The kiss became brutal and fierce. She wasn't quite sure who was leading—her or him, only that they desperately needed each other in that moment. She moaned with need, pressing her body against him, her leg locking around his waist. Her skirt was hiking up and she didn't care.

“So fucking sexy when you're dressed up all subdued like this,” he groaned against her mouth. “Do they even know how fucking hot you are when you get riled?”

“Only you,” she breathed. “Only for you.”

“Good,” he growled, and kissed her hard again, pressing her against the stairwell door.

A throat cleared, and Audrey and Reese broke the kiss for a moment to look around. A bellhop stood in the doorway, giving them a red-faced look.

“Can I help you with something?” Reese asked, his hand not straying from Audrey's hip.

“Sir, you're in the middle of the hallway,” the bellhop protested.

Audrey bit at Reese's ear, then whispered, “There's a storage closet on the thirtieth floor, across from the ballroom.”

“Now you're talking,” he told her. “Think we can make it up thirty flights?”

“How about we take the elevator this time?” She smoothed a hand over her bun and was thrilled when his gaze went there and got even hotter, as if she'd stroked his cock in public. Keeping a cool look on her flushed face, Audrey moved to the elevator and pushed the button, straightening her skirt. Reese followed behind her, and they waited, patiently. Quietly.

The elevator eventually dinged. They got in. No one else did. The door shut.

As soon as the door shut, they were all over each other again. Hands sliding under jackets, mouths locked, moans filling the air. Her hand stroked the front of his pants, feeling the hard length of his cock and glorying in it.

“Goddamn,” Reese growled when she did it again. “Fucking slowest elevator ever.”

“That's why I took the stairs,” she said with a giggle.

The doors finally opened and they stumbled out, hands still on each other. The hallway was blissfully empty, and Audrey headed down the hall in the opposite direction of the ballroom, toward a storage closet that held party decorations and cleaning supplies. Sure enough, the door was unlocked. She pushed it open and then gestured for Reese to follow her in.

“How'd you know this was here?”

She shrugged. “I usually have to keep an eye on the staff when there's a shindig, and there's
always
a shindig. You never know when someone's going to need an emergency mop.”

“You're so handy,” he said, and it sounded like the sexiest thing in the world.

She shut the door and locked it, a flush rolling through her body. “You say the sweetest things.”

He pulled her close and began to kiss her again, his mouth hot on hers. After a moment, he groaned and pressed his forehead against hers. “Fuck.”

“What is it?”

“No condom.”

“That doesn't sound like you,” she teased.

He chuckled in the darkness. “I wasn't planning on scoring. I just wanted to talk to you. Didn't give a shit about anyone else.”

Her hand stroked along the front of his pants again. “I'll take a chance. I'm feeling the need to gamble. I need you. Don't care how.”

“You sure?”

“I'm sure.” Her hand slid to the front of his pants and slid his zipper down.

“Think I can get up that sexy little skirt of yours?”

She laughed as he pinned her against the wall. “You mean this sensible beige knee-length skirt?”

“The one that clings to your luscious ass and makes me think of all the dirty things I could be doing to you? That's the one.” His hands dragged it upward, exposing her panties. “Ah, thank God you're not wearing pantyhose.”

“It's just me under here,” she agreed. She moaned when his fingers dipped into her panties and stroked her clit teasingly. “Oh, God, Reese, I need you so bad.”

“Then drop these,” he murmured.

She did, and then he was between her legs, his own pants around to his knees. She felt the heat of him nudge against her a second before he slid deep, and she cried out in sheer pleasure. “Oh, Reese!”

“Ah. Fuck. Firecracker, you feel too good.” He groaned and pressed his forehead against hers again. “I think I need to go bare into you from now on. You feel amazing.”

“I'll get on the Pill,” she assured him.

“Good thing we're in a committed relationship as of five minutes ago,” he told her. “Because I think I'm in heaven.” He thrust deep, shoving her up against the wall, and she cried out and clung to him. His strokes were hard and fast, and it was clear he wouldn't last long. And she wanted it to be as rough and wild as he could make it, because she needed him so badly.

So she slid her hand between them and rested her finger against her clit. Every time he slammed into her, her finger rubbed against it, making her moan.

“Damn, firecracker,” he groaned. “Touching you drives me insane. Not gonna last long.”

“No,” she breathed, and then bit back a scream when she began to come, her pussy clenching.

He growled her name and thrust again. Then she was coming too, jerking hard and rough against her. She felt the wash of his seed inside her, and she shivered again.

When she tried to slide her leg down his hip and back to the floor, he stopped her. His hand continued to hold her in place, locked around his hip. As if he wanted to stay there forever. That was fine with her.

He leaned in and kissed her again, slow and tender. “I might have just made you pregnant,” he told her. “That was irresponsible of someone who prides herself on responsibility.”

“What can I say? You bring out the wild side in me,” she said, pleased and dopey from his loving. “Plus, that would be really bad luck.”

“Doesn't matter,” he told her, and kissed her again, as if he couldn't stop. “I might bring out the wild side in you, but you bring out the responsible side in me.”

“I do?” That made her pleased, oddly enough.

“Yeah. Did Logan tell you that he and Hunter are investing in my cruise line?”

Her hands tightened on his jacket in excitement. “They are? You approached them?”

“I got some good advice from a very sensible woman,” he told her in a husky voice. “A very sensible woman who has a naughty side. And it's the woman I happen to love.”

“You do?” Her voice was even softer, as if she couldn't quite believe it.

“Yeah. Except she loses her head around me,” he said in a teasing voice, then pressed a kiss on the tip of her nose. “Which is why I think I'm going to have to marry her.”

Her breath stopped. “You . . . what?”

“I mean it, Audrey.” He kissed her again, this time coaxing her mouth open with a lick of his tongue. “Marry me. Be my wife. I don't want anyone but you. I love you. I love your spirit and your pride and that sexy figure of yours, and I can't stand the thought of you getting away from me again. And if we've made a baby, then I want to marry its mother.”

“Aren't you jumping the gun just a little? I thought I brought out your responsible side.”

“You do.”

“Proposing marriage after a few weeks isn't very responsible!”

“I said you brought out my responsible side,” he said with a chuckle. “I didn't say how big it was.” He leaned in and kissed until she was breathless. “Say yes, firecracker.”

She considered it a moment, then returned his kiss. “Tell me you love me again.”

“I love you,” he said, and it was husky and achingly sweet. “I love your good side and your naughty one.” He kissed her neck. “Especially your naughty one.”

She smiled. “It might be stronger than the good one from time to time.”

“That's what I'm counting on.” He nipped at her collarbone again. “Now tell me you'll marry me.”

“Yes.”

His hand clenched around her thigh, and he pressed his hips against hers. She felt his cock still buried inside her, still hard, and he began to thrust again. A moan built in her throat.

“I love you, Audrey,” he told her. “Wanna elope to Hawaii?”

She bit her lip, moaning with pleasure. “Is this a ploy to get me to agree to anal again?”

“Mmmm. Now that you mention it, we can save that for the honeymoon.”

She giggled.

“Now don't distract me, woman. Do you, or do you not wanna elope to Hawaii?”

He was kissing her and his hips were rolling against her own in a way that was driving her to distraction. “I . . . I'll have to ask for the time off.”

“I'll talk to Logan,” he told her. “Or you can ask him at poker night.”

“Poker night?” she echoed, confused.

“Yeah. I'll explain some other time, but it involves a non-disclosure.”

She was going to ask him exactly what he was talking about, but then he began to stroke deep inside her again, and Audrey found she didn't care much about poker night or any other night at all.

As long as she was in Reese's arms, it didn't matter.

Epilogue

3 months later

Despite their closet declarations, they held off on any sort of commitment for several months.

It had been Audrey's idea. Reese had been totally gung-ho about heading out to Hawaii the next morning on his private jet and dragging Audrey into a makeshift wedding. Except there had been Daphne to look after, and she didn't feel comfortable leaving her twin while she was still in intensive care.

And then a few days later, she'd gotten her period, which eliminated any fear of pregnancy. After that, there'd been no need to rush, so Audrey had asked Reese if they could postpone for a little while. He'd agreed . . . as long as she'd move in with him.

So she did, and their lives returned to normal.

Well, for the most part,
Audrey amended with a wry smile, looking out the small window of the jet at the clouds below them. There were some things they still didn't see eye-to-eye on. She looked over at Reese, sprawled on the leather chair in the private jet, and extended her hand. “I'm going to close my eyes and count to ten, and when I open them, my phone had better be back in my hand.”

“No.” And he wiggled his eyebrows at her, that infuriating man.

“Reese Durham,” she said in a warning tone. “I need to check my email and make sure there's nothing that requires Logan's immediate attention.”

“You told me yourself that Logan hired two additional assistants. Let one of them handle it.” He put a finger to his goatee, as if coming up with a brilliant idea. “Or, I know. You could quit and spend more time with your soon-to-be husband.”

She rolled her eyes at him and got up from her chair. “Don't make me search you.”

“What a terrible prospect,” he said in a dry voice, and put his hands behind his head. “Do with me as you will, firecracker.”

“You are a frustrating man,” she told him, and began to pat him down, searching for her phone.

“And you're a frustrating woman,” he said, dragging her down on top of him and ignoring her squeal of protest. “I told you that you work too hard.”

She flailed against him for a moment, but when his hands went to her breasts, she made a soft sound of pleasure and slid down next to him on the couch. “I'm not working too hard.”

“You are. Look at how exhausted you've been lately.” His fingers stroked her cheek absently. “Last night when I came home, you were asleep already.”

She yawned at the thought. “Your poker game ran late.”

“Not that late,” he told her. “I told Logan he's working you too hard and I'm going to fuck him up if he runs you into the ground.”

Audrey groaned, burying her face in his shoulder. “You did not. Reese, he's my boss!”

“I can be your boss.”

“No, you're going to be my husband, remember?”

“All the more reason for you to quit.”

“You're trying to get me all pissed off so we can have angry sex, aren't you?”

His hand caressed her breast, idly teasing the ultra-sensitive nipple through the fabric of her top. “If I was trying to get you angry, firecracker, I'd show you that white bikini I got for you to be married in.”

“Reese,” she said in a warning tone. “I'm not wearing a bikini on a public beach.”

“It's a good thing it's a private beach, eh?”

She should have protested. Pitched a fit. She knew he'd bought it purely to get a rise out of her. It was probably ridiculous—something with a string for a strap and a thong in the back. He seemed to think she was some sort of nubile ubervixen . . . not that she minded, really. But laying against him made her sleepy, and his hands felt so good on her breasts that she didn't even complain.

“See?” he murmured, kissing her hair. “You're exhausted. That does it. I'm letting Logan have it when we get back to New York.”

“No, you're not,” she said softly. The reason for her exhaustion had nothing to do with her job.

She was pregnant.

It was, in retrospect, a bit of a nightmare. After that initial torrid interlude in the closet, she'd gotten on the Pill. Unfortunately, she hadn't gotten on the Pill quick enough, and by the time her next period had rolled around, it didn't happen. She blamed it on stress and the Pill itself because her life had been turned upside down. Stress from moving in with Reese, Daphne's enrollment into rehab, juggling her job—all of it would have driven a normal person insane. But when she missed her period for the second month in a row, she went back to the doctor. Sure enough, she was pregnant.

And she didn't know what to do. She hadn't told Reese yet. Part of her was utterly terrified that he'd look at it as her trying to entrap him into a long-lasting relationship. She wondered if he'd blame her because she was supposed to be on the Pill. And she was, but she'd still somehow managed to get knocked up.

She had to tell him. Before they got married, so he could still get out of things. But she'd put it off. She'd meant to tell him before they'd left for Hawaii, but it had never been just the right time. Reese had been busy with plans for the new Durham Industries cruise line, along with the investment into an exclusive line of high-end luxury cars he'd partnered with Jonathan Lyons on. Once his billionaire buddies had heard about his financial issues, they'd leapt in with both feet to assist him, and Reese was doing better than ever.

Busier than ever, too.

She hugged him a little closer, resting her cheek against him.

“Why so sad, baby?” Reese ran his thumb over her lower lip, caressing her. He constantly touched her when they were together, something she found she enjoyed quite a bit. It was as if he couldn't help himself and had to be touching and caressing her at all times. “Is it Daphne? Are you regretting our bet?”

She gave his abdomen a light smack. “You know I never back down from a bet.”

Dares and bets had become their thing. It was a fun way to get the other riled up, which led to passionate sex and then even more sex. Audrey dared Reese to invest in something he didn't want to. Reese dared Audrey to wear something low cut. The stakes changed frequently, from kisses to public makeouts to anything and everything they could think of.

One stake frequently ended up on the table, though: anal sex.

Audrey was pretty sure Reese brought it up constantly as a trump card. But he hadn't won a bet in which anal had been brought into play. They hadn't explored that part of their relationship yet, but she had a bottle of lube in her carryon that she hadn't told him about. They'd joked that they'd save it for the honeymoon and it was here.

Today's bet had included anal, too. Reese had bet her that she couldn't go without calling Daphne while on their honeymoon. She bet that she could. If she lost, they would have anal sex. If she won, he owed her a full body massage every day for a month.

She was dangerously close to losing the bet already, and the plane was still somewhere over the Pacific. Because right now? She desperately needed to talk to her twin. Despite being in extended on-location rehab, Daphne had been allowed a private cell phone that only had one number programmed into it—hers. It was her only condition on going into rehab, and one that all parties had given into gracefully. The twins talked on the phone daily, sharing secrets and discussing how Daphne was doing, how Audrey's relationship was going, and everything in between.

Audrey had her sister back, and it was the best thing in the world.

She stroked a hand down Reese's flat stomach. Well, tied for best thing in the world.

“You hungry?” Reese asked her, still running his hands over her body.

“Mmm, I could eat.”

“You lay here and I'll let the attendant know we want lunch.” He slid off the couch and headed to the front of the private jet, where the attendant and pilot were located.

She waited for him to disappear, and then as soon as he did, she jumped up and ran to the bedroom and shut the door behind her. Since he still had her phone, she'd have to use the one in the bedroom. She had time for a quick call, too; Reese was good friends with the pilot and often stopped up to the cockpit to chat with him for a few minutes.

Audrey quickly dialed Daphne's number.

Her twin picked up on the second ring. “I was wondering when you'd call. How's it going?”

“Reese bet me that I wouldn't call while we were on our honeymoon,” Audrey said with a sigh. “So I have to make this short.”

“That's fine. I have group in about ten minutes anyhow.” Daphne's voice was cheerful and strong. Gone was the thready uncertainty, the shaking, and the sullenness. The rehab seemed to be working, but Audrey wasn't going to get her hopes up too much. She'd give it time. If Daphne could stay clean for a year, then maybe this had a chance. Three months made her optimistic, though. More than that, Daphne herself seemed to be changed. For the first time she truly, genuinely seemed to want to get better. She'd cut ties with her label, citing that she needed a career vacation. She still had two albums under contract with them, but since she'd been clear that she wasn't interested in the money or fame any longer, they'd negotiated down to a remix album and a greatest hits album—for a much smaller price tag. Daphne hadn't minded it at all.

She said she was done with music. Audrey didn't know if that was the case, but she liked this new aspect of her twin.

“So did you tell him?” Daphne asked, excitement in her voice.

“Not yet,” Audrey said, a trembling note in hers. “I'm scared.”

“Don't be a baby. Just suck it up and tell him. I . . . are you crying?”

“No,” Audrey said, and then ruined it with a watery sniff.
Damn it.
The pregnancy hormones were making her insane. She'd cried three times in the last week over stupid stuff.

“Well, you need to stop,” Daphne said sensibly. “Especially if you want to keep this a secret. If he sees you crying, he's really going to think something's up.”

“I just don't know what to do, Daph,” Audrey said, wiping away her tears. “What if he doesn't want it?”

“Then the two of us raise that baby with Twinkie power,” Daphne said stubbornly. “It can have two moms. Or just one. We can pitch-hit and switch out. I'll put on some boring clothes and re-dye my hair and the kid will never suspect a thing.”

Audrey gave a weepy giggle. “Great. Don't forget that you need to put on some weight, too.”

“This is true. You have bras bigger than the dress I wore to last year's Grammys.”

The comment made her think of the white bikini Reese had bought her, and she burst into new tears. A white bikini for their wedding. What if he didn't want to get married when he found out she was pregnant?

“Oh, jeez,” Daphne said soothingly. “It's going to be okay, Twinkie. Calm down.”

“Audrey?” Reese stood in the doorway of the bedroom, frowning at her.

“I gotta go. I'll call you later,” she whispered to Daph, and hung up.

“Why are you crying?” Reese shut the door behind him and strode across the bedroom to her, a black look on his face.

“It's nothing.”

His fingers swept over her cheeks, brushing away her tears. She looked up at him and the edges of his mouth whitened with anger. “It's not nothing. Is it your sister?”

“No, Reese—”

“I'm going to fucking kill her if she's pulling another one of her stunts. It's bad enough that she's stressing you out. What did she do this time?”

“Reese, she didn't do anything—” Her hands brushed his aside.

“I'm going to turn this fucking plane around and then I'm going to go choke her by her scrawny neck for making you cry again. Goddamn, I—”

“Reese! Shut up!” Audrey exploded. “I'm pregnant, okay? I'm pregnant and I'm freaking out.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she clapped a hand over her lips.
Oh, hell
. That wasn't how she'd wanted to tell him. How did he always manage to rile her so much?

“Pregnant?” Reese stared down at her, stunned. “You're sure?”

“That's why I'm tired,” she told him in a dull voice. “And that's why I'm crying. Hormones, for the most part. So yeah. Pregnant. I guess I didn't get on the Pill fast enough.” Her stomach was tying in knots of anxiety, and she had to force the next part out of her throat. “I wanted to tell you before we got married. So, you know, you had time to change your mind. I know we were relieved when—”

“Audrey?”

“Hmm?”

“Do me a favor and shut up.”

Her mouth snapped shut.

Reese leaned in and kissed her on the nose, his hand clasping the back of her neck. “A baby, huh?” A wide grin crossed his face. “Damn. I must have some incredible sperm.”

She snorted and gave him a light thwap on the abdomen. “Now you're just trying to make me laugh.”

“Is it working?” He leaned in and kissed her again, this time on the mouth, and this time with more excitement. “You know I can't stand to see you cry.”

“Well, I'm going to cry for the next seven months or so,” she said in an irritable voice. “So if you are going to stick around, you might want to get used to it.”

“Stick around? What the fuck does that mean?” He sounded genuinely offended.

Audrey sighed. “It means I won't force you to get married, Reese. I know this isn't what we wanted.”

“Audrey,” he said softly, and dropped to his knees in front of her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face against her stomach. “How can you think that I don't want you or our child?”

She started to get weepy all over again. Reese was being so sweet, so wonderful. “I don't know. It doesn't really match the playboy lifestyle.”

“Neither does getting married,” Reese pointed out. “But I've been bugging you to marry me for the last three months. You're the one dragging your feet.”