Billionaires Dollar Series

I frown at her over the fringed hem of a pillow. She’s still smiling, and her voice is teasing, but the words are true. They send another wave of guilt barreling through me. Throughout the years, I’ve always told myself that pushing her away was for the best. Not once had I really thought it through from her perspective.

One more deficiency to add to my ocean of flaws.

Blair reaches up for an uppercut but grimaces as her hand makes contact with the pillow. Dropping out of her stance, she clutches her fist to her chest, head bent. “Damn.”

“What happened?” I drop the pillows. “Did you hurt yourself?”

That’s when she strikes. Her not-so-injured-after-all hand strikes out and collides with my upper arm. It only smarts for a moment. “Aha!”

Her grin fades as she sees my expression. I’m keeping it carefully blank, knowing that my dark stare usually unnerves people.

I attack. I bend my head and wrap my arms around her waist. It’s no effort at all to lift her up and throw her over my shoulder.

“Now you’re in for it,” I say.

Her laughter rains down my back, her hands gripping at my skin. “It was an accident!”

“Like hell it was.” I throw her onto the couch and I’m on her a second later, tugging at the clasp of her robe. “This needs to go.”

She gives me a blinding smile as she arches her back to let me slip it off her. “I’m not objecting,” she says. “Naked boxing sounds so much more fun.”

“When it’s with you, yes.” I pause with her beneath me, my hands on her waist. “Launch your business,” I tell her. “When it’s right. And tell Cole. He’ll be overjoyed.”

“I will, in time.”

“Good.” Bending down, I press my lips to hers. She sighs against my mouth and I surrender to her sweetness. What’s a man to do, when confronted with this absolute goodness?

I’m kissing down her neck when the bell to her intercom rings. Someone’s downstairs.

I groan. “Did you order food?”

“No.” She presses a kiss to my cheek and slides out from underneath me. “Someone’s probably calling the wrong apartment. It happens often.”

“It does?” I watch shamelessly as she walks naked to the panel by her front door. Confidence now radiates from her.

“Yes,” she says. “My neighbor’s mother often visits. She’s seventy-eight. Wrong buttons get pressed.”

But when she presses down the answer button, the voice that rings out is alarmingly familiar to the both of us.

“Ready or not, I’m coming up, Lairy,” Cole announces. “I have a surprise, and it can’t wait.”

I’m frozen by the intercom. There’s no way I can refuse. No way at all, not convincingly. Illness? Wanting to sleep in? Cole won’t accept any of those. I’ve barged into his home enough times that he’ll want revenge.

His voice propels me into action. “Come on up!” I chirp manically, pressing the button to let him in downstairs.

“What the hell?” Nick is bending down to grab pillows, throwing them haphazardly back on the couch. “Why did you let him in?”

“What else should I have done?” I grab my robe and pull it tightly around myself, double-knotting the belt. “He drove me home yesterday! He knows I’m here!”

“Fucking hell.” Nick’s face is the picture of quiet fury. He strides into my bedroom and snaps up his clothing, balling it against his chest. “I’ll be in your study. Don’t open the door.”

“It locks from the inside,” I say. “But… do you have to hide? We’ll have to tell him eventually.”All content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.

Nick pauses with one hand to the door of my study. His eyes tell me everything I need to know about his emotions on this score. “Never would be too soon,” he says darkly, shutting the door behind him. A second later, I hear the sound of a lock turning.

Right.

Splendid.

The doorbell rings. “Hurry up!” Cole calls.

“I’m coming, I’m coming…” I open the front door. “What was the hurry? Is that-oh! Cole!”

He laughs at my expression and gives the floppy-haired puppy in his arms a little bounce. The dog looks from him to me, black eyes roaming. “He couldn’t wait.”

“Oh, he’s adorable. Come in, come in.”

Cole sets the small Golden Retriever puppy down on the center of my carpet, and he instantly starts sniffing around, tail wagging.

“You bought a puppy?” I can’t keep the happiness out of my voice. Sitting down cross-legged on the carpet, I put my hands out for the dog to sniff. He instantly pounces, giving small, puppyish nips.

“It’s a surprise for Skye. I just went to pick him up and I thought I’d stop here first. I figured you’d like that.”

“You figured right. Oh, stop it, you.” The last is to the puppy, who is now on his back and clawing at my hand. I pull it away only to return to his tummy, stroking the soft fur.

“He’s beautiful.”

“Eight weeks old,” Cole says. “He was the runt of the litter. I think Skye will like him.”

“I think she’ll love him. But… have you spoken about this with her? Are you sure she’ll be happy?” There’s no bite behind my words. It’s impossible to keep up any form of resolve in the face of a puppy, especially one so cute as this one. He’s given up his attack on my hand and is now crawling into my lap instead, sniffing at my robe, my hair.

“She’ll be convinced as soon as she sees him,” Cole says. “She mentioned wanting company while she writes from home. The house is big, as is the property. Besides, we have staff that can help look after him if she’s busy.”

I smile into the soft fur. That’s so like Cole-big gestures and zero thought behind it. It’s a trait we share. “She’ll love it.”

Cole’s answering grin is tinged with just a bit of relief. Perhaps I was the first test, then. “Why a Golden?” I ask.

“She saw one on the street once and said it was cute.”

“That was your sole data point?”

“Yes. It’s a good family dog, too.”

We watch the puppy as he leaves us to explore. He laps around the living room table twice, sniffing at every nook and cranny.

“He’s making me want to get a dog, too.”

Cole chuckles. “Right, with your lifestyle?”