The Billionaires’ Prize (The Heiress Merger #2)

18. Alex

18

ALEX

I check in with Roman to see if Katherine’s available. He said she hadn’t had lunch yet, so I grab some sandwiches on my way over. But when I step off the elevator and stride past the row of offices and cubicles, I see the jerkoff from the auction.

Roman stands next to a door, his hands loose at his sides, watching the man out of the corner of his eye.

I quicken my steps. Not because I don’t trust Roman with Katherine’s safety—I one hundred percent do—but the urge to be near her, to protect her, is a fiery dragon breathing down my neck.

“It’s lunchtime. Surely she has a minute,” Jerkoff says.

“Her lunch hour is already booked,” I say, coming to stand between him and Roman. The woman at the desk looks me over, her eyes widening with surprise.

Thankfully, she doesn’t disagree with me.

Jerkoff grunts.

“Would you tell Katherine I’m here, please? Thank you.”

The woman gives a quick nod and picks up a phone. Jerkoff stands a little straighter.

Does he really expect her to turn me down?

His chin lifts. Of course he does. Such a cocky prick. I know his type. Born with money. Rarely told no. It must really piss him off that Katherine turned him down.

“Of course.” Katherine’s assistant nods and puts the phone back in its cradle. She beams up at me. “She said she’s ready for you.”

Then her gaze flicks back to Jerkoff, and her smile fades. He takes a step toward her, and I follow.

“Look. Five minutes. I’m not leaving until I’ve seen her.”

“I can put you on her schedule,” she says.

“Fuck her schedule.” He spins around, and I can see it in his eyes. He’s prepared to toss all professional courtesies aside. I doubt Katherine locks her door, and he’s probably betting on that.

“Take the appointment,” I say, stepping into his path. It’s a slow step. Measured. But I don’t have to move quickly to outmaneuver a hot head.

His eyes narrow, and his nostrils flare as he rocks back on his heels.

“I don’t need an appointment to?—”

I cut him off. “Take the appointment.”

“Why? Worried I’ll cut into your lunch date?”

Every time I deal with a smarmy asshole, I wonder if someone like him was the last thing my sister saw. It’s a dangerous game. A test of my willpower.

Can I keep my cool, or will I snap?

For his sake, he’d better hope I can keep it in check because him breathing the same air as Katherine makes my fist itch to hit something. Preferably that pretty boy face. I’d love to knock the polish right off his shoes.

“I don’t worry about you in the slightest.”

He searches my face and whatever he sees makes him swallow.

“Last chance. Make an appointment and leave.”

He rolls his eyes and scoffs. My heart rate accelerates as he steps to my right, trying to go around me. I toss the bag of sandwiches at Roman and grab Jerkoff by the back of the neck.

“Let’s go for a walk.” A bit of pressure, and he’s falling into step beside me.

“Get your bloody hand off me.” He tries to shake me off.

“You’re being disruptive. It’s time for you to leave.”

“Fuck off.”

“No.” I lean in close. “I don’t know what your game is, but I will find out. I always find out. If Katherine doesn’t want to see you, she’ll never see you again.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“I’m telling you what will and won’t happen. We’re going to walk to the elevator like two pals. You’re going to get on and go to any other floor but this one. You see, my company has the security contract here, and I’ll be sending them your picture.”

I hold out my phone and take an usie.

He sneers. “Good luck with that. Lucinda Winthrope is a friend.”

“Is that right?” We reach the elevator and I hit the button. He shrugs off my hold, and I let him go. It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask him just how close they are, but I don’t want to tip him off that I suspect anything.

“Yeah. She will not be happy about your. . .” He throws a look over his shoulder toward Katherine’s office. “Intrusion.”

“She’s not my concern.”

“But Katherine is?”

The elevator dings, and the doors open before I can respond.

“I guess she must be if you’re willing to pay a million dollars for her.”

I don’t move because I won’t let him know just how much I want to toss him down the elevator shaft. “Have a good one. I won’t tell Katherine you stopped by.”

He stands there for a full second as if he’s not sure what to do. The doors start to close and I reach out, holding them open. God, he’s persistent; I’ll give him that.

The other elevator dings, and two of my guys step off. “Is there a problem, Mr. Hunt?”

Jerkoff whips his head toward them, then tosses me a dirty look. Chin up, shoulders back, defiant to the end, he steps onto the elevator and hits a button.

“Mr. Albrecht was just leaving. See that he gets where he’s going.”

When I get back to Katherine’s office, she’s standing in the doorway, arms crossed loosely over her chest. Next to her, Roman smirks. Her assistant seems relieved to not have to deal with Jerkoff anymore.

Can’t blame her.

Katherine cocks her head at me, an amused smile curving her lips, and then she backs into her office. The look in her eyes draws me to her.

I shove a sandwich at Roman’s chest as I pass. “Don’t start.” And then I lock the door behind me.

This woman. . . How easily she’s taken my orderly life and turned it on its ear.

I take a quick look around. It’s a spacious office with high ceilings and an incredible view. Tons of tall windows let in natural light. I’m not at all surprised to see half a dozen plants dotting her space. There’s a modern couch to the left and a desk straight ahead with matching chairs in front of it.

But my attention is firmly on the woman in front of me. Her hips. Those fuck-me high heels. That incredible ass.

My chest goes all tight and achy, and I wish like hell that I wasn’t so happy to see her. But I am.

“What are you doing here?” she asks as she turns back to me. Her gaze sweeps over me in a long, thorough swipe. Like I’m a canvas, and she’s a paintbrush.

My gut tightens, but I remind myself that I’m here to check on her. To make sure she eats and that she’s okay.

I close the distance and shake the bag. “I heard you didn’t stop for lunch.”

Her eyes widen, and she glances past me to the door. “Those tattle-tales.”

I can’t let her think her bodyguard or her assistant doesn’t have her back. “Actually, I called and asked.” Then, because that doesn’t seem like enough, I add, “I wanted to see you.”

She holds out a hand toward the chairs, and I fold myself into the one on the right and put the bag on her desk. Damn, is she stunning. The way her hair falls in a loose wave around her shoulders. The morning rain washed away the smog, and now the brilliant light makes her hair shimmer like gold.

“You okay?” she asks, sitting next to me. Her brows are carefully arched.

“Yeah. . . Of course.”

She gives me a don’t-lie-to-me look and I’m secretly impressed with how well she reads me. It’s like she sees right through my bullshit. Gabe is the only other person who’s ever been able to scale the wall I keep carefully constructed around myself.

Dang it. This visit wasn’t supposed to be about me. “I wanted to make sure you’re okay. You had an eventful weekend.”

She slides a hand down my arm to my wrist. My pulse jumps against the pads of her fingers. “You mean we had an eventful weekend.”

I nod.

“I’m fine,” she assures me. There’s a flash of a brave smile. “I’m not going to break.”

Do I need to remind her about her panic attack? That she darn near collapsed in my arms?

Whatever she sees on my face makes her frown. I don’t want that. This woman deserves to be happy. Safe and content and adored.

She half stands and slides onto my lap, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. Her tight little ass perches on my thigh, and I bite back a groan as I curl an arm around her back and coast the other up her leg. Heat simmers between us as she searches my gaze. This isn’t what I had planned, but I’m certainly not complaining.

“Seriously. I’m good. I haven’t felt this strong, maybe ever.”

“Good.” That’s what I like to hear. But I study her closely to make sure she’s not lying to herself.

I know how tricky the mind can be.

“Are you okay?” she murmurs, watching me just as closely.

It’s like a kick to the stomach, knowing this woman is concerned.

“How were things at work?” she asks.

I shrug. “So far, so good. The phone’s been ringing. You?”

Her gaze drops to the knot of my tie. “I had two appointments cancel this morning.”

There’s no sign of sadness in her eyes, just annoyance. And her irritation isn’t misplaced. How incredibly unfair that the situation is bringing me more business while harming hers.

“That’s the thing about this job,” she murmurs, hand smoothing down my chest. “I could hand over a list three pages long of men I know who are actively cheating on their spouse, but heaven forbid I date two men. . . or three,” she smiles, “men at the same time.”

My fingers flex into her hip. The urge to protect her from all of it is damn near overwhelming. Like a beast ready to jump from my chest and lay siege to the world. Because how dare anyone second guess her? How fucking dare anyone not see how bright and sweet she is.

How dare the world make her feel unsafe to be who she truly is.

That’s the kicker.

“Fucking double standards.”

“But let’s not talk about that.” She cups my cheek and turns my face to hers. “I’d rather plan our next trip out to the beach.”

I huff a laugh at her enthusiasm. “You didn’t get enough of that crappy old mattress?”

“Hey, it did okay. We survived.”

Profound awe sweeps through me like a tidal wave. Katherine is so different from the women in her circle. Any woman I’ve ever met, actually. Delightfully down to earth. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed she would really camp out in a partially renovated house on antique sheets.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

My throat tightens, but I push the words out anyway. For her.

“You’re amazing.” I tug a tendril of her hair.

She grips my tie.

“Do you remember that benefit where Mrs. Doyle cornered you?”

“How could I forget?”

Her eyes smile up at me. “I walked by and here was this octogenarian demanding details for how to keep her computer safe because she heard you were the best when it comes to security.”

I huff a laugh. “She didn’t care that I am not a cyber security specialist.”

“Not the least little bit.”

Katherine presses a tender kiss to the corner of my mouth. Then she looks up at me with adoration in her eyes. “You were so patient with her.”

“I had to pee.”

That earns me a grin. “I never would have known. You were so stoic.”

She grazes my cheek with a fingertip, and I turn to kiss it.

“You’re good with people,” she muses.

I want to be good with her. For her.

She nestles against me, content to snuggle. I love the way she fits in my arms. How she leans into me as if there’s nowhere she’d rather be.

The tender moment doesn’t stop my cock from waking. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to be near her without getting a hard-on again. Hell, I might not be able to think about her.

Especially after that BJ in the kitchen last night. I suck in a sharp breath and mentally tick through all the items on my to-do list for the week.

“Have you already eaten?” she asks a few minutes later.

“Not yet.”

She peels herself away from my chest with a sexy little moan. “I guess I should feed you then.”

Her words send a bolt of desire through me. Forget the to-do list.

My nerves sizzle with the need to strip her out of this cute little outfit and lick her all over. Find every spot that makes her gasp. Eat my lunch off her smooth skin. Or better yet, I’ll just dine between her thighs.

“You should,” I agree.

She scoots off my lap and opens the paper bag I brought. I lean forward and pluck it from her fingers, moving it out of the way. She turns, putting her hands on my shoulders, her brows raised in question.

Taking her by the hips, I position her in front of me and push her gently against the desktop as I stand.

The air charges between us. I rub my thumbs up and down her hips, then slowly drop my hands to her thighs. “But I’m not hungry for a sandwich.”

She makes a sound somewhere between a hum and a purr, then tightens her arms around my neck. Her breasts press tight to my chest, and I lean over her, lining up my hips to hers. My cock nestles against her belly, wishing we weren’t separated by all these layers.

“I know I shouldn’t find that so hot, but. . .” She waves a hand toward the door.

“If I hadn’t gotten rid of him, Roman would have,” I assure her.

She presses up on her toes and peppers a kiss against my chin. “But I like it when you do it,” she whispers.

Fuck me.

Ducking my head, I nibble a path from her shoulder to her ear. Her meaning isn’t lost on me.

“Are you wet for me, Beauty?” I nip her earlobe, and she shivers in my hold.

“Mmhmm.”

Of course she is. She likes it when I’m protective of her.

I slant my lips across hers, and she moans, sliding her fingers into my hair. My hands glide down her gorgeous body, memorizing every dip and curve. Her ass fills my hands, and I pull her tight against my erection, letting her know just how much she turns me on.

What I pour into the kiss but don’t dare say out loud is just how possessive I feel. How I wish I could bar everyone but Roman and her assistant from this floor. Or better yet, take her back to my place and keep her there, high above the city, safely away from prying eyes.

If only Gabe’s Hamptons house hadn’t turned into such a disaster, we could take her there. . .

She tugs my lower lip between her teeth, and my patience snaps. Everywhere is too far away. I press a hand to the desk on either side of her and give its soundness a test shove.

“It’ll hold,” she murmurs, trailing her lips down my jaw to my throat.

“Fuck, that’s hot.”

“What is?” Another round of kisses.

“It’s like you’re reading my mind.”

She hums, and the sound shoots straight to my dick. “I try.”

“What am I thinking right now?” It feels good to be playful with her. To relax enough to tease. Everything is better with her in my arms.