Ruthless Heir (Ruthless Billionaires #5)

Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Harper

The sun dips below the horizon, casting a warm glow over St. Barts' pristine white sand beach and turquoise sea.

Asher and I walk along the beach barefoot, holding hands while we admire the picturesque scenery and listen to the gentle crash of the waves.

Behind us is our beach house. An exotic three-story villa that looks like it was pulled from a travel magazine.

I breathe in the salty sea air, excited to be here with him. I can’t believe we get to stay here for two weeks.

Two weeks of us being together. Alone . Every time I think about it my body warms and thrills of excitement race through me.

We arrived half an hour ago, dropped our bags off and headed out here to bask in the scenery.

“It’s absolutely gorgeous here.” I look from Asher to the sparkling sea. “St. Barts is one of the places I’ve always wanted to visit.”

He gives me a worried glance but attempts to mask it with a smile. “You’ve been here before.” His voice is a low rumble.

I look up at him and my breath catches. That’s clearly another thing I don’t remember.

“Oh God.” I shake my head at myself. “When?”

“For your fourteenth birthday. It was a few months before you lost your mom. We went on one of our joint family vacations.”

My steps slow and we stop. “That would have been the last vacation I had with my mother.”

He nods with a dull look in his eyes. “It was strange. She never looked sick while we were here. Your mom was the life of our group. Every day was an adventure.”

“That sounds like her.”

“Sounds like you too.”

“Yeah.”

When people tell me I’m like my mother, I believe them. I just wish I could remember all the years we spent together. It always feels unfair that I can’t access those memories given that I had so little time with her.

“I think she’d be happy to know we came back.” He smiles. “And she’d want us to have fun and do something spontaneous.”

I laugh. “Spontaneous? Like what?”

That sexy mischief I love lights up his eyes. “Like this.”

Asher suddenly scoops me up and tosses me over his shoulder. I shriek, then I start laughing as he runs toward the sea and keeps going until he’s waist deep in the water.

“Asher, you are so crazy.” I laugh out loud.

“Looks that way.”

“We still have our clothes on.”

“Yes, we do. Haven’t you ever wanted to do that? Just run into the sea?”

“Yes.”

“Well now we’ve done it together.”

With a deep chuckle he ventures further until we’re both immersed in the warm soothing water, then he lets me go so I can swim.

“My clothes are stuck to me.”

“Yes, baby. They certainly are.”

He looks down at my breasts, which are entirely visible through my white tank top. You can see everything . From the shape of my breasts to my soft pink nipples poking through.

We look at each other and start laughing.

I slip my arms around his neck and we frolic in the sea with our clothes on, as if we don’t have a care in the world. A little while later we head back to shore for lunch.

Asher hired a chef to cook us gourmet meals. He explained that he’ll come by twice a day to have our food ready. We also have two maids who will clean.

Outside of that we have the house to ourselves and the beach is private. Meaning we can get up to all sorts of sexy fun.

And we do.

We return to the beach at night and swim naked, then we have sex on the beach right there under the stars.

I feel like I’m in heaven and I don’t want to leave.

The next few days are amazing. The only break we have from each other is when Asher has to go off on his business assignments, which will end the following week.

We’ve been here long enough for me to feel like I live here. It’s hard to believe that we’ll be heading back to New York in a few days. Back to life.

I love Asher’s idea about us being a normal couple without the stipulations of an agreement keeping us together. At the same time, it’s hard not to think about the requirement for him to get married to get his position in the company.

I want him to choose me but I know we have to take baby steps.

We’ve only been real for the last three weeks. It’s not a long time at all, but I’m aware he doesn’t have much time. He has a little over four and a half months before he has to make the big choice. I worry that he’ll be forced to be with someone else. That would crush me.

Then there’s the whole matter of Josh.

Honestly, I’m still processing everything Asher told me about Josh and the past.

Josh has been on my mind a lot. More so than ever because in my last email I felt like I lied to him. Lying by omission is still lying. I talked about everything except the most important thing—Asher and me.

I know Asher did the same thing.

I feel bad that I don’t feel bad when I probably should. Josh and I have always been honest with each other. Well… for the most part. There are many things that happened to me that I should have told him yet kept to myself.

This doesn’t feel like one of them. Especially given what I know about Josh’s warning to Asher. It was wrong of him to blame Asher for his ex’s death. I can’t begin to imagine Josh being so insensitive. Then again I know his rules seem to change when it comes to me.

I love that he’s protective and that I know I can always count on him but sometimes he acts more like my father than my brother. I understand why but we’ve reached the point in my life where I just need him to be my brother.

On Saturday night Asher and I eat dinner on the terrace. We sit at a beautiful candlelit table. Before us is a glorious exotic feast the chef prepared for us of grilled chicken, lobster, and vegetables.

I enjoy the meal and looking at him. He’s allowed his hair and his beard to grow out while we’ve been here. With his sun-kissed skin he looks like a bronzed god.

“I’m going to miss this place like crazy when we head back to New York,” I say, piercing my last piece of chicken with my fork.

“Me too. It’s always hard when I leave paradise places like this and get back to the hustle and bustle of Wall Street life.” Asher smiles.

“I can just imagine. You’re always so busy.”

“I need to be. We should come back when I don’t have business here.”

Dare I hope for such a chance? “Really? You’d bring me back here?”

“Of course, I want to come back here with you.” His smile melts my heart.

“Then I can’t wait.” I sound like an excited child, because that’s exactly how I feel.

“What were you thinking about earlier when we went to the market?” Asher reaches across the table and takes my hand. “You looked worried.”

“I’m okay. I was just thinking about stuff.” I saw some newlyweds and it made me think about Asher and I.

“What kind of stuff?”

“Life.” That answer sums up everything . “Is it bad that I don’t want to go back even though I get to finish my last year of college?”

He smirks and takes a sip of his wine. “Definitely not. In fact, you’re allowed to feel like that.”

I smile back at him. “Thank you.”

“You’ve come a long way. I think it’s impressive that you’ve reached this point. Next year at this time you’ll be a graduate.”

My heart lifts at the thought and I savor the feeling. That feeling inside me is what has kept me going all this time.

“I’m really hoping to get a placement with the New York Ballet or the New York Strings Orchestra. Daniella thinks I have a good shot.” One thing I can trust about Daniella is that she’ll always be honest with me. She’s not the kind of teacher who sells her students false hope.

“I believe her. You have a good shot.”

“I worry about the things I don’t remember. I feel like I wasted time when I was with Nick in more ways than one. Life was hard when I was with him.”

Asher’s expression hardens, but his eyes remain warm. “I wish I could have done something more about him. It felt like he got off too easy.”

“I know but I’m glad he doesn’t have a hope in hell of early release. He’ll be behind bars for the rest of his life. That’s some compensation for me.”

Asher nods. “Life will get better, I promise.”

“It’s already better. You’ve given me so much.” Including himself.

“Doesn’t feel like much to me.”

“It’s everything.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

“I do. And I’m excited we get to work together.” I keep forgetting that part. My training has finished now so Layla will allow me to take charge of all the projects that come in.

“Forgive me in advance if I become the office grump when we get back. Nolan is going to be around more than usual.” He frowns and clenches his jaw.

“You really don’t like him, do you?”

“I guess that’s no secret.”

“Not even a little bit. What the hell did he do to you?”

Asher sits back and relaxes his shoulders. “It’s not just him. It’s the whole Fairchild family.”

The only thing he’s told me about the Fairchilds is his father’s idea for him to marry Portia.

“They were as close to your family as mine was.” I always thought it was odd that we never mixed but figured it was because my mother was his mother’s best friend and Nigel Fairchild was his father’s best friend.

After being around Nigel and Nolan over the last few weeks I’ve had the impression that they kept up that line between us because they came from old money. My family’s money wasn’t new but it wasn’t old enough. Now we have no money.

“Nigel and Nolan want to be part of the board at Le Blanche Global. I don’t trust either of them. I never have. Right now, they’re pissed that I don’t want to marry Portia.”

I like hearing him say that but I wonder whether he would marry her if he had no choice. The one constant I know about Asher is that he’s a Le Blanche through and through. He won’t allow anyone to stand in the way of his legacy.

“According to my grandfather’s terms of inheritance, if I marry her she’d be entitled to half of everything he left me, including my shares in the company. That would benefit her and her family greatly.”

“That’s one hell of a deal.”

“It’s not going to happen. I also found evidence that suggested it was Nolan who paid off my publicist to get dirt on me.”

My mouth drops. “Why didn’t you tell me it was him? There’s no way I would have ever spoken to Nolan if I’d known.”

“I was trying to keep the peace. Especially because we both have to work with him. However it’s become obvious that he’s trying to push me out of the company, or at least away from the leadership, so he can take my place.”

That’s even worse. “Can he actually do that?”

“He is doing that. My father likes his ideas. Nolan has already infiltrated a deal that I’ve been working on for years. He would have gotten his dirty hands on the Hong Kong project, too, but the clients specifically asked for me.”

“My God. I didn’t know all of that was happening.”

“Unfortunately, it is. It shouldn’t be but Nigel and my father have this bond of friendship that makes my father blind to everything he should see. Because of that both Nigel and Nolan get away with all sorts of shit.”

“Now I understand why you wanted me to stay away from Nolan.”

“That’s one reason.” He leans forward and gives me a seductive smile. “The other is that I don’t like to share my things. I don’t like anyone touching what’s mine or even looking.”

“You sound like a very possessive man,” I tease.

“I am when it comes to you.”

I stare at him and wonder how in the hell I went through all the years of my life without him.

“I hope that won’t be a problem.” He searches my eyes then his gaze drops to my breasts.

“No. Not at all.”

“Good.” He meets my gaze again. “I think I’m ready for dessert now.”

“Me too. Do you want the cake or the ice cream first?”

“I was actually hoping to eat you.”

My skin flushes and arousal claws through me, making my nerves scatter.

“Me?” I try to bite back a smile but fail.

Asher stands, looking like the god again and guides me to stand. Then he clears a space on the table and sets me on top of it.

“I want you, Harper St. John.” He husks. “I want to eat out your pussy until you come and you’re aching for more.”

My pulse leaps at the rawness in his words and the greedy look in his eyes. “Then take me, Asher Le Blanche.”

With a wicked smile Asher slides my skirt and panties down my legs then he takes off my top, leaving me naked on the table.

He picks up a strawberry from the basket of fruit, parts my legs, and places it inside my pussy.

I gasp at the cool sensation which is swiftly replaced with the heat from his mouth when he starts nibbling at the strawberry. He eats it and licks me at the same time. Then he’s eating me out and it’s glorious.

He grips my hips and feasts on me as if I’m the only meal he’ll ever eat for the rest of his life.

It’s not long before I’m moaning and coming in his arms, rubbing my pussy against his face as I climax.

Once he’s drunk my arousal he stands, leaving me lying on the table, breathless.

"Ready for more?" he asks, undoing his pants.

“Always,” I pant.

He takes off his pants and his shirt, showing off his masterpiece body, and my mouth waters. I’ll never get enough of looking at his perfectly-sculpted body with all those artistic tattoos that enhance his perfection.

Lord, he is beautiful. A fantasy come to life.

My fantasy.

He grabs his fully erect cock and guides it to my entrance then slides into my body, consuming me.

“You’re mine, Harper,” he husks, his voice thick and coarse with desire. “You are all mine.”

“You’re mine, too.” I search his eyes, getting lost in the wealth of desire I see filling them.

“Always.”

He speeds up his pumps and pounds into my body as if he wants to brand me from the inside out. Making sure I know I belong to him.

We spend the rest of the night indulging in each other, as well as the remainder of our days in St. Barts.

On Tuesday, as the jet takes off and we head home, I pray that we really do come back. And that when we do I don’t have the worries I have now on my mind.

I wish for happiness with the man I love and the freedom to be with him.

The first few weeks back are hectic. But in a truly exciting way.

I get off to a great start at NYU and Layla assigns me the task of arranging Asher’s appearances for an interview and fundraising event with Finance Magazine .

I finally feel like I have a balance between everything. And like I have my head screwed on.

When I think back to only months ago when I sat in that jail cell in Massachusetts, I feel like a new person.

Back then everything was full of doom and I couldn’t see my way out. Honestly, I didn’t even know if I was going to live to finish college let alone afford college.

Vito and all the money I owed him plagued my mind day and night. But thanks to Asher I got my life back.

And I have him, too. Of everything that I have he’s the best part of my new life.

The universe waved her wand in all the right ways and gave me everything I wanted.

On Friday, Layla and I decide to close the week by doing all the high priority admin work that has to be completed before next week.

We plan for a long day so, in typical Layla style, we head to the spa first thing in the morning. She maintains that we’ll be less stressed if we enjoy a good back massage and some pampering. I can’t argue because she’s right.

We get back before lunch and work straight through until five.

“We just have these files left.” Layla points to a stack on her desk. “But they could take up another two hours. I have to take some stuff down to the mailroom. Are you good to start without me? It’s the same error checking task.”

“Sure, I can do that.”

“Thanks. The first one is Nolan’s company’s financial assessment.”

I cringe inside on hearing Nolan’s name. I’ve seen him around a few times since we got back from St. Barts. Even though Asher warned him away, Nolan still flirts shamelessly with me as though he doesn’t care about the consequences.

“He’s supposed to stop by with some more files.” Layla rolls her eyes. “If he comes by while I’m away, just take them and don’t engage in any conversation. Hopefully he’ll leave if he sees you’re not in the mood to talk.”

We both laugh. Nolan flirts with her, too.

“Don’t worry, I’ve learned how to deal with him.”

“Perfect. See you in a bit.” She grabs the bag with the mail and heads out.

I sit at her desk and grab Nolan’s file. I’m supposed to go over them to see if the checks came back with any errors.

I make a start and become quickly impressed by how squeaky clean and profitable everything looks in the report.

It amazes me that these men make so much money. It’s unreal. The type of wealth they have is something I could never conceive of.

Nolan may be a creepy asshole but he knows how to do his job. The company I’m looking at is a subsidiary of his father’s company. Because he’s requesting a merger with Le Blanche Global’s tech company all his financials have to be checked.

I’m about to sign it off when I notice something.

A name.

Benjamin Deffort.

Why do I know it?

Oh God…. as soon as I think of the question, the answer comes to my mind.

I knew a Benjamin Deffort who worked with Nick back in LA. He was a broker. A shady broker. He used to arrange Nick’s backdoor drug drop deals before the two of them fell out.

It can’t be the same guy on this report. His checks have come back clean.

Maybe it’s someone with the same name.

I check out his details and my stomach squeezes when I confirm the address is indeed in L.A.

I decide to look it up on Google Earth and when I see the white brick building near the port, my insides tighten. It’s the same guy.

He’s passed all the checks but there’s no way he could.

“See something interesting in my file?” comes Nolan’s slithery smooth-talking voice.

I snap my gaze up to him and nearly jump out of my skin when I realize he’s practically right next to me.

How the hell did he get so close without me hearing him?

I can’t even pretend that I wasn’t looking in his file because he knows. He can see it open before me. And he said my file .

Quickly, I paste on a smile and think of something to say. “My God, Nolan, you scared me half to death.”

“Thought you heard me come in. I did say hello.”

I must have been so engrossed in what I was looking at that I totally didn’t hear him. “Sorry. I’m a little tired. I’ve been working on these all day.”

I can’t let him see the computer screen. If he sees it and knows the true nature of Benjamin Deffort’s work—which I’m sure he does—he’ll know that I know something’s not right with his report.

While holding his gaze I manage to slide my finger across the keyboard and click out of the Google search window.

Thankfully I manage to do it before Nolan comes closer, and the screen shifts back to the Chinese menu Layla was looking at earlier.

He glances down at the screen and smiles. “Hungry?”

“Famished.”

“We could grab a bite to eat when you’re done.” He looks me over, pausing to stare at my breasts before his gaze climbs back up to meet mine.

This guy really doesn’t give up. “No. Asher and I have dinner plans.”

“You know what?”

“What?”

“I feel that you can do a whole lot better than dear old Asher. I worry about him and that temper of his. You need someone more sophisticated. Someone like me.”

What a snake.

Since Asher told me about Nolan it’s occurred to me that Nolan might have been trying to break us up. If he did so at this stage, Portia would be Asher’s only option.

“I’m very satisfied with my man, thank you very much.” I smile back at him.

“Okay. But if ever you become unsatisfied you know where to find me.”

I don’t answer.

His gaze flicks down to the report but because it’s just a list of names there’s no way he’d know I singled out the one that mattered most.

Unless I outright told him I doubt he’d figure out that I noticed anything wrong anyway, because I’m me. The violin-playing college student who’s dating Asher and working for him part time.

“I needed to drop these off. Layla is expecting them.” Nolan hands me the manilla envelope he’s carrying.

“Thank you.” I accept the envelope and place it beside the file.

“See you later.” Nolan steps back.

“See you.”

He backs away then walks out the door. I release the breath I’m holding and glance back at Benjamin Deffort’s name on the file.

I need to tell Asher.

Even if everything is okay, this man worked with Nick. It’s guaranteed that something is wrong somewhere .

Because Nick was the devil.