Falling For the Billionaire Read online

  Lifting her right foot, she kicked off her flip-flop, letting it land close to his shirt before kicking off the other one too. “Let’s see, what should you get rid of next?”

  “Wait a minute. The deal was you’d remove an article of clothing every time I did. You’re still fully dressed. It’s still your turn.”

  Paige held on to him for balance while she lifted one leg high. “My feet are now bare. I said I’d take something off. And I did. I never specified the something would be clothing or what part of my body it would come from.”

  Scott’s eyes narrowed, and he nodded. “So that’s how you’re going to play. Okay, I can play like that too, babe.” He reached for his belt and pulled it off. It hit the floor with a thud alongside her flip-flops and his shirt.

  “You’re going to play dirty.” This was turning out to be more fun than she’d hoped.

  He held up both his hands. “Hey, you set the rules. I’m just following your lead.”

  Well, he had removed his shirt for her. A little reciprocation might be nice. Inch by inch she pulled her tank top up. When she reached her breasts, she stopped and pretended to reconsider.

  “You’re torturing me tonight.”

  “Never. Just having a little fun.” She tugged the shirt over her head and then let it drift to the ground.

  He reached down and grabbed the sheet, pulling it over them. Since the moment she’d invited him, he’d thought of little else besides having Paige naked against him again. Even so, nothing from their previous time together had prepared him for her behavior tonight. She’d known what she wanted and had gone for it. Even after their joint striptease she’d stayed in control, pleasuring him with her hands and mouth until he reached the very edge before she let him touch her. He’d returned the sweet torture, not entering her until she begged him to.

  Yep, so far the weekend was surpassing his imagination, and it would only keep getting better.

  “Should we stay here all night or do you want to go out?” He trailed his fingertips up and down Paige’s arm as her chest rose and fell rapidly against him, matching his own breathing.

  “Let’s go for a walk along the boardwalk. I’ve never seen it at night. When I come, it’s always just for the day, and I leave before the sun sets.” She pressed her lips against his chest before darting out her tongue and licking his nipple. “Afterward we can come right back here.” She repeated the motion, sending messages to his dick that rest time was over.

  He’d prefer to stick with the second half of her plan, but he’d asked. “If you want to go out, babe, you better stop what you’re doing. Otherwise, I won’t be able to walk anywhere.”

  The grin she gave him could only be described as diabolical. “Really?” The hand resting on his stomach inched lower. “Maybe I better check on that.” Her fingertips burned a path past his navel, and all his blood rushed to follow. “Not too bad yet.” She maintained eye contact as her hand closed around him. “Let’s see if I can change that. A walk can wait.”

  Scott groaned and closed his eyes. He never argued with a woman.

  ***

  Light posts illuminated the boardwalk, allowing visitors to enjoy an evening stroll. Live music mixed with the sound of the waves filled the night air, providing the perfect summer atmosphere and giving visitors a small taste of heaven. Or in Scott’s case another taste. He’d already had two back in the hotel room. He’d expected Paige to be a more passive lover. Scott smiled as he thought of her in bed. She was anything but passive. Thank God.

  “This is gorgeous. I can’t believe I’ve never done this before,” Paige said as they strolled hand in hand along the concrete boardwalk.

  So far they’d walked from their hotel all the way past the Old Coast Guard Station in silence.

  “It’s almost magical in a way. Like the rest of the world doesn’t exist, and it’s just us.” Paige stopped at the railing separating the boardwalk from the beach. Behind them, couples strolled hand in hand while people of all ages rode bikes or sat on benches. “I’m glad you could meet me here.”

  He might be a guy, but even he got what she said about the area being magical. The atmosphere around them was different. Special somehow. “Me too. I wish we could stay longer.” Releasing her hand, he put an arm around her shoulders and watched the waves. “Next time we’ll take a longer vacation.” Scott didn’t know when or where but they’d go on a lot more vacations together. When he’d agreed to the auction, he hadn’t been looking for a relationship. He’d merely wanted to get it and the required dates over with so he could get on with his life. Thanks to Bebe Fleming’s interference, he’d found Paige. One of these days hopefully he’d get a chance to thank her.

  “Where might you want to go next?” It might be time he took a page from his friend Dylan’s book and stopped letting his life revolve around work. It’d always be there. “Christmastime in Paris is beautiful. Do you ski? We could spend a week or two in France and then some time in Switzerland.”

  “Sounds great, but I get two weeks’ vacation a year. After this trip, I have one left.”

  “We’ll stay closer than. How about Musha Cay? If we fly out of either Boston or Providence, we can be there in about three hours.”

  “Never even heard of it. Where is it?” Paige pushed away from the railing and took his hand as they continued their walk toward the far end of the boardwalk.

  “The Bahamas. It’ll be just you and me on our own island for the week. Absolutely nothing and no one to bother us.” The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. Maybe they could do Paris in the spring instead.

  “Our own island for a week? Something tells me a vacation like that isn’t in my budget. If we go somewhere, it’ll need to be less extravagant. Maybe skiing in Vermont or Maine? There are some great ski resorts up that way.”

  When he’d told her about their reservations here, she’d brought up paying for half. He’d changed the subject and hoped to avoid it altogether. He should’ve known it would come back to bite him in the ass again. Other people might go for sharing the cost of dates and vacations. He didn’t. Half the fun of having money was spending it.

  “Our vacations are on me. All you need to do is tell me where and when, then pack a bag. I’ll handle the rest.”

  She stopped short, forcing a teenager on a skateboard to either go around them or plow into them. Thankfully the teen picked the first option and kept on going. “Don’t think so. If we go on vacation together, I’ll pay my half.” Shaking off his hand, she crossed her arms and waited for his reply.

  He had enough headstrong and stubborn women in his family to recognize the signs. Paige was prepared for a battle and no matter what he said he wasn’t going to win. “Let’s not spend our night fighting about this, please.”

  She shrugged. “Fine with me. That doesn’t change my mind. Maybe other women you’ve gone out with do, but I don’t expect or need you paying for everything.”

  Word choice was paramount right now. “Paige, I know, but —”

  “No buts. We’re not married or engaged. We haven’t even been together long. I can’t let you cover everything. It’s not who I am. If you don’t understand that, I’m sorry.”

  They’d be at this whole night if one of them didn’t give in. “How long we’ve been together doesn’t matter to me. I want to spoil you. Take you to private islands and on ski trips in Europe. Buy you jewelry or whatever else you want. Let me.”

  She should teach Uncle Warren to glare like that. It would come in handy when he ran for reelection again in a couple years. “Scott—”

  “Not all the time. But if I surprise you with a trip, let me worry about the price tag. Don’t whip out a calculator and start dividing bills in half. And if we plan something together, then we can do things your way.” The last sentence stuck in his throat. Giving in grated on his conscience, but he didn’t see an alternative. At least not tonight.

  Her expression softened, but her arms still remained crossed. “May
be. I guess so. But don’t do it often.”

  “Define often?” He wanted the Paige he’d walked out of the hotel with. Not the version that was pissed off at him.

  She uncrossed her arms and closed the small space left between them. “No more than once a year.”

  Bullshit. “Yeah, that’s not going to work because I love you and plan on spoiling you all the time.”

  Like the Fourth of July when the reporter stopped them, Paige did her imitation of a fish as her eyebrows got acquainted with her hairline. “You…. Wow, I didn’t…. You love me?”

  He hadn’t meant to tell her tonight, but he couldn’t take the words back. With a nod, he said, “I’d hoped for a different response from you.”

  “People say actions speak louder than words. When we get back to our room, I’ll show you again.”

  Wrapping her arms around his neck, she tried to kiss him, but he pulled away. A gorgeous woman wanted to take him back to her room and make love. Put in a similar situation months ago, he’d have them halfway to the hotel already. He wanted more than some hot sex. Scott wanted everything from their relationship, including the words from Paige.

  “Not sure I agree with that old expression, but I’ll let you try anyway.”

  A young woman in shorts and sports bra rollerbladed past them, and Paige waited until she’d passed before she spoke again. “By tomorrow morning you’ll either know I love you or will be too tired to get out of bed.”

  Chapter 10

  A rumbling overpowered the sound of the waves, and Paige glanced up as a fighter jet came into view. She followed it across the sky until it got too far away, then gazed down at the beach again. It was still early; only a handful of people dotted the pristine sand and even fewer appeared in the water. Later the beach would be full of vacationers in bathing suits, and beach umbrellas would be everywhere, but for now most of the people down there were employees getting the area ready for the day. Regardless of what else they did today, she hoped to spend some time on the beach and in the water. Even though she’d been in the area for several days, her and Scott’s walk on the boardwalk last night had been the closest she’d gotten to the sand since she arrived.

  Down below a couple walked along the boardwalk holding hands, and memories of her and Scott’s walk surfaced. Nothing had prepared her for his announcement even though she’d already realized she loved him.

  He loves me. And I never would’ve met him if not for Aunt Bebe’s interference. Perhaps she’d apologize for giving Aunt Bebe a hard time after the auction. She’d have to think about it. The last thing she needed was Aunt Bebe interfering in her life again.

  “I didn’t hear you get up,” Scott said, stepping out onto the balcony dressed in only running shorts. “What are you doing out here?” He pressed his lips against her cheek and put his arm around her.

  “Taking in the view and enjoying the quiet.” After waking up, she’d lain there enjoying the view of him naked until her bladder threatened to explode. Rather than risk waking him, she’d sneaked out of the bedroom, made herself a coffee and stepped outside. “Later I’d like to spend some time down there. It’s one of the nicest beaches I’ve ever visited.”

  “We’ve got the whole day to ourselves. We can do whatever you want.”

  “Well, not really all day. My brother wants us to come over before we leave. I thought we could do it today and get it out of the way.” Since he wanted her to meet his family, he shouldn’t mind doing the same. “Do you mind?”

  “I’d rather not share you, but it’s okay. What time?”

  “Not sure. I’ll call him and see what works for him and Trish. We can keep the visit short. It’s not like I haven’t spent time with them all this week. And they’re coming up to Rhode Island soon anyway, so I’ll see them again then.”

  “What else should we do today? I saw an advertisement for parasailing last night. I did it down in the Caribbean a few years ago. It’s a lot of fun. Are you interested?”

  She hated telling him no, but some experiences she didn’t want to repeat. “I’ll pass. I tried it last summer when I came down to visit Joe. Discovered very quickly it’s not for me, but go ahead. This is your vacation too.”

  “Nah, some other time. I’d rather do things we’ll both enjoy.”

  Another fighter jet screeched overhead, and she again followed it until it disappeared from view. “Every time one of those goes by, I wish I was on board flying it. Or at least a passenger in it.” She turned, her back rubbing against the railing.

  “You and probably a lot of other people. I’ve flown planes and imagine controlling one of those is amazing.”

  The simple statement reminded her of just whom she was standing next to. He loves me, she told herself. Nothing else mattered. Especially not who his family was or how much money he had in the bank. “I didn’t know you had a pilot’s license. I pictured you being more into boating since you have a house in Newport. Maybe scuba diving too.”

  “Enjoy both those things a lot, but there’s something about being up there. It’s nothing like when you travel on a commercial jet. I’ll take you up sometime.”

  A warm breeze blew around them, sending her hair in every direction. “Stupid hair,” she muttered, reaching for the elastic on her arm so she could pull it up.

  Scott’s fingers closed around her wrist before she got it secured. “It’s gorgeous.” He trailed his fingers through it much like he had the night before in bed, and her body took it as a cue to wake up. “I’ve never felt hair this soft.” He wrapped some around his fingers. “You should wear it down like this more often.”

  Releasing the strands around his finger, he pulled her hair forward and over her shoulders his hands running across her breasts in the process. Beneath her thin cotton top, her nipples hardened and pressed into his palms. Memories of him using his tongue and lips to tease them in bed rose up, making her heart race faster, and she leaned into him.

  “Looks like I’ve got someone’s attention.” His mouth curved into a knee-melting grin. Before she could respond, he inched his palms lower until he reached her waist. With painstakingly slow movements, he pushed her shirt up until her breasts were bared to him and she said a silent prayer her back faced the beach.

  “Missed seeing these when I woke up. I think they deserve some TLC.” Scott held the shirt up with his left hand while he cupped one breast with his right and lowered his head. “Yeah, they need some extra special attention.”

  His warm breath blew across her breast moments before he closed his lips around her. Scott took his time teasing and licking one nipple. Once satisfied he’d teased her enough, he switched to the other breast and repeated the sweet torture.

  Paige closed her eyes, her head falling back. “That feels so good,” she said, her voice somewhere between a moan and a sigh, her entire body on fire.

  Scott released her breast and pulled her just inside the room. With the sliding glass door still open, the curtain fluttered against her bare legs. Then he tugged her shirt off. “Wait. I’m just getting started.” He dropped to his knees before her and hooked his fingers under the waistband of her shorts. Once again he moved slowly, inching her pajama bottoms and her panties down over her hips. When he reached her ankles, he lifted one foot then the other, leaving her standing there naked.

  With her eyes still closed, she didn’t realize his intent until his mouth came down on her.

  “You’re already wet,” he said, removing his mouth and dipping one finger inside her.

  She groaned and gripped his shoulders. A sudden loud rumble permeated her sex-muddled brain, and another light breeze sent her hair dancing as it blew across her hypersensitive skin. “Scott, stop. We’re in front of the door.” Heat filled her face. “We need to move.”

  “No one can see us well up here, and the curtain’s closed babe.” A second finger dipped inside as he spoke.

  They were up on the twentieth floor, and the curtain was more or less closed, but it could blow o
pen at any second, so neither guaranteed no one could see what they were doing. Since it didn’t appear he planned on stopping, she clamped her hand around his, making it difficult for him to move it. “Someone might. Let’s go inside.” In case he needed a little more incentive, she bent down and rubbed her hand across his erection. “I promise you won’t be disappointed if we do.”

  ***

  By the time they emerged from bed again, it was well past nine. Rather than waste time with a leisurely breakfast, he grabbed them some muffins from the hotel café before they walked down Atlantic Avenue to the Sunset Surf Shop and School. While he’d surfed several times and Paige had kayaked a lot, neither had ever tried paddle boarding. The surf school offered both one- and two-hour lessons followed by a guided tour on Rudee Inlet. Even though he guessed an hour lesson would be enough for him, Paige suggested they go with the longer option. Four other people joined them for the lesson and Scott found himself behind Paige as the group made its way down the inlet. Since numerous times he found himself paying more attention to Paige in her bikini rather than the instructor, it probably wasn’t the best place for him. He didn’t ask anyone to switch with him though, because then one of the other two men in the group might end up behind her and they’d be able to ogle her all they wanted, something he couldn’t allow to happen.

  After their lesson, they headed toward Thirty-Fourth Street and Paige’s favorite Italian restaurant in the area. While he polished off his entire meal, he wasn’t surprised she left more than half behind so she could order dessert. Today, she went with a large slice of chocolate seduction cake.

  “You don’t know what you’re missing.” She licked the frosting from her fork and he watched her tongue, remembering how it’d moved against his dick earlier. Damn, the woman knew how to pleasure him.

  Looking for a distraction, he stabbed at the mixed berry pie on his plate otherwise, it’d be a long and uncomfortable walk back. “I disagree. This pie is delicious.” He chewed the forkful of food before he spoke again. “You can keep your chocolate cake. Pie is far superior.”