Seduced by the Billionaire

by Alyssa J. Montgomery

  ‘They do.’

  His gaze didn’t wander away from her face. ‘This is why you had the reaction to the car backfiring.’

  ‘Yes,’ she admitted on a long exhalation.

  He waited while she sipped her beverage, hoping she’d tell him more.

  ‘A loud noise like that acts as a trigger. I find it difficult in crowds.’ She lifted a hand and smoothed her hair back at her temple. ‘I’m much better than I was. I can pretty much tolerate being in a market place or walking along with a lot of people on the street. But being indoors with a large group of people affects me badly. Having to be in airport terminals was the absolute worst thing for me but I do so much travelling I’ve learned to cope.’

  ‘I’m not surprised.’

  ‘I know it’s a form of obsessive behaviour but I always need to know where the nearest exit is. This coffee shop isn’t crowded but I can tell you, without turning my head, that our best way out of here is the exit behind me in the left corner.’

  Geez. ‘I can only imagine.’ Again he was uncertain what to say to support her.

  ‘It was like a stampede, Nick.’

  ‘It must’ve been sheer pandemonium.’

  She bit down on her lip and nodded. ‘It’s the reason I stayed away from the catwalk for so many years. I didn’t want to be in a room full of so many people.’

  No wonder. ‘Why did you decide so recently to tackle the fashion shows?’

  Her gaze fixed on the serviette dispenser on the table between them and a line appeared between her brows. ‘I didn’t tell Ryan about my fears because I figured they were nothing compared to what he’d had to deal with.’ She paused again. ‘I discovered he has an uncanny knack of seeing right through me. He came right out and challenged me about my refusal to take to the catwalk. I hedged a bit but eventually admitted to my fears.’ The corners of her mouth pulled upwards into a faint smile. ‘Ryan was pretty hard on me. He told me if he could overcome his physical disabilities, get himself a tertiary degree and a swag of gold medals, I could commit myself to some hypnotherapy and get my butt on the catwalk.’

  ‘I like your brother.’ He’d met Ryan and Helen before he’d flown to Australia. They’d had a meeting about the country estate that Extend was purchasing on the recommendation of Nick’s staff. Nick had been so impressed with Sarah’s brother and the Extend Foundation that he’d committed some of his personnel to help Ryan organise the renovations required to make the property wheelchair accessible.

  ‘He liked you too. In his words you were in his A-list category of people.’

  ‘What did I do to get there?’ he asked with a laugh.

  ‘You didn’t talk down to him. You weighed his opinions and gave him credit for his first-hand knowledge of the requirements of people with disabilities. You looked him in the eye when you spoke to him.’ She moved her hands ticking off each point as she made it and almost ran out of fingers. ‘In short, he felt you treated him with respect.’

  ‘I’m appalled to think that’s not normal behaviour for anyone who interacts with him.’ Appalled but hardly shocked.

  ‘I think some people are embarrassed,’ Sarah explained. ‘A lot of people haven’t had to interact with people who are wheelchair-bound and they are so self-conscious about doing the wrong thing or saying the wrong thing that their communication comes across as stiff and awkward.’

  Nick was interested in Ryan but more interested in Sarah. ‘Do you think you’ll ever tell people about your physical injury?’

  ‘Absolutely not.’ Her tone was adamant. ‘I live my professional life in the spotlight but I like my personal privacy. Rose once suggested that I might talk about the scars I have at the end of my career, but I’m not prepared to go there.’ She shook her head. ‘It’s one thing to help Katie overcome her concerns but it would be an entirely different matter to face a press conference and make a statement and face public scrutiny.’

  No. He didn’t want that for her either.

  He’d never liked the paparazzi. He’d liked them even less when they’d intruded on his life after Mandy had died. They’d cast all types of aspersions before the coroner’s report had been released.

  Reporters and photographers were ruthless and relentless. They’d hound Sarah until a more sensational story came along but when things got quiet they were just as likely to return to unearth the story and try to pursue it from a different angle.

  ‘Sarah, it took me years to date again after Mandy died.’ Great, Nick. What are you trying to say here? ‘My relationships haven’t run much past a few weeks or months.’ Bloody hell! That was even worse and he’d told her that once before so what was he doing highlighting his poor track record?

  ‘Are you trying to talk me out of having dinner with you?’ Sarah asked with a half-amused, half-perplexed expression.

  ‘No.’ Definitely not. ‘Katie’s going to be in hospital for a couple of days,’ he rushed. ‘I’m planning on sleeping in her room so our date is going to have to wait but I absolutely want to spend the night with you—er—stargazing.’

  Sarah laughed.

  Where the hell was the confident, super successful Nick Henderson? He’d never felt so tongue-tied.

  ‘Oh bloody hell, Sarah. I don’t think I’ve ever expressed myself so poorly. What I’m trying to tell you is that I want a relationship with you.’

  She drew her bottom lip in and bit down on it for a second as she grew serious. When she spoke, her focus was back on the serviette dispenser. ‘I’ve only had a handful of dates and I’ve never had anything that even came close to being termed a relationship.’ Her fingers pinched at the fabric of the tablecloth where it fell over the edge of the table. ‘There were three guys I trusted enough to introduce to Ryan but I knew once I’d seen them with him that there was no way I could have an ongoing relationship with them.’

  ‘If I’m on the A-list, I guess I’ve passed that hurdle?’

  Her gaze flew to his. ‘Yes.’ Her smile was tentative. ‘You’re also the only man I’ve ever felt comfortable enough with to risk revealing all my scars.’

  ‘The only guy?’

  She nodded.

  He frowned, recalling she’d said as much when she’d been talking to Katie. Did that mean she hadn’t been naked with a guy before?

  Not necessarily.

  She might’ve had sex half-clothed and not had to reveal her scars.

  ‘I can see the question playing in your mind, Nick.’ Her voice was a little breathy—her manner tentative. ‘I … um … I haven’t ever been to bed with anyone.’

  He felt his eyes widen. ‘You’re a …’ He lowered his voice and leaned forward. ‘You’re a virgin?’

  She nodded.

  Even realising she had scars that she’d wanted to hide, it took a bit of effort to compute. The world’s number one model—the woman considered by many, himself included, as the world’s most beautiful and certainly sexiest woman—had reached the age of twenty-eight and hadn’t made love.

  She reached across the table and covered his hand with hers. ‘I’m hoping that won’t be the case for much longer.’

  Nick felt his throat close over as his diaphragm spasmed and it was impossible to take a breath. In all that he’d lived through and all he’d experienced, what he was feeling right now was indefinable.

  It was huge.

  It was a massive swelling of emotion lodging in his solar plexus.

  ‘I understand though that Katie needs you to be by her side for the immediate future.’ Her blue eyes clouded. ‘When I was in hospital my gran had to divide her time between Ryan’s bedside and mine. Most nights she stayed with Ryan because he was younger and of course, he had spinal injuries.’

  Sarah was a virgin.

  Sarah wanted him to be the one to make love to her.

  Those two thoughts dominated his mind even as he tried to concentrate on … What was she telling him about?

  Her time in hospital as a kid.

  Respond, Nick!r />
  ‘They couldn’t have put you and Ryan in a room together?’ Yes, that was appropriate.

  ‘I heard Gran asking one of the nurses. She was told that because of the magnitude of the attack and the sheer number of casualties, the hospital was running at over capacity. Gran said years later that she was lucky Ryan and I both ended up in the same hospital. She said we could easily have been taken in the ambulances to different hospitals.’

  Nick remembered her remarks at the Leukaemia Foundation Fundraiser. ‘That’s why you were so passionate about raising funds so more parents could stay close by their children.’

  ‘Yes.’

  Sarah kept surprising him at every turn.

  Surprising him and impressing him. He wanted the right not only to make love to her but to champion her.

  ‘I think Olivia may have told you that her mother, Marjorie, flew on to Sydney to catch up with some friends?’ he asked.

  ‘She did.’

  ‘Marjorie will be joining us in Palm Cove in a few days.’ He was thinking aloud, trying to work out the soonest he could make a date with Sarah. ‘By then Katie should be out of hospital.’

  Sarah tilted her head as she listened.

  ‘Once Marjorie’s here to provide extra support, and providing Katie’s feeling okay, I’ll ask Luca and Olivia if Katie can sleep in Christiana’s room again,’ he suggested. ‘We could have our date night then.’

  ‘It will be a date?’

  Will you sleep with me Nick?

  The vulnerability in her expression told him what she was really asking.

  ‘Definitely.’

  Her smile was as relieved as it was excited. ‘I’ll look forward to it.’

  ‘Do you realise this is the second time you’ve asked me out for dinner?’ he teased.

  Even though she kept smiling, her words were serious. ‘I hope it’s the second of many.’

  Nick was seeing it. ‘I hope so too. You’re very special, Sarah.’

  ‘You make me feel special.’

  He’d be counting down the days until their evening under the stars. He longed to prove to her just how special she was and it was going to be difficult to wait for them to become lovers.

  Chapter 14

  Sarah was falling in love with Nick.

  The quickening of her pulse and the way her attention was pulled inexorably to him each time he was in the same room, spoke of feelings far more profound than acute physical attraction and combustible chemistry.

  It couldn’t only be primitive lust at play because Nick was far more than a clichéd tall, dark and handsome man. He was far more than a pin-up image of high, well-sculpted cheekbones, intense blue eyes, the sexy shadow of five-o’clock stubble on his strong jaw line and a thoroughly athletic and broad frame.

  Nick was smart, funny and compassionate and he’d captured her heart.

  It was the reason she’d been able to trust him with the secret she kept hidden from the world. Although she’d wanted to reassure Katie, Sarah had also been testing Nick’s reaction. She’d wanted to make sure he knew about her scars way before they ever reached the bedroom.

  She wanted him to know the real Sarah.

  She wanted him to want the real Sarah.

  While Nick said she’d gone up in his esteem for sharing the evidence of her past injuries with Katie, he’d definitely reached hero-status in Sarah’s eyes for his easy acceptance of the ugly marks she bore.

  ‘So how’s it going with Nick?’ Ryan had asked as they’d Skyped.

  What could she say? Despite a very hectic week of filming the documentary and a photo shoot for some of Jocelyn’s designs, Sarah hadn’t been able to keep Nick from her thoughts.

  ‘The short version is that he’s an amazing father to Katie—fun, sensitive to her needs but still firm.’

  ‘Good father material,’ Ryan had commented. ‘That’s a plus.’

  Sarah hadn’t bothered to hide her feelings from her brother. ‘I can’t believe the wonderful relationships he has with his friends, their wives and children. They’re all so close.’ It was a closeness she craved to be part of forever. ‘Then, there’s the way he treats everyone around him with respect—the hospital and resort staff are a perfect example. Not once has he acted in an arrogant way that even hints at all the wealth and power he has at his disposal.’

  ‘I told you, he’s an A-lister,’ Ryan had said. ‘Don’t hold back with your usual reserve, Sarah.’

  After raving about Nick with such glowing commendations, it was no wonder Ryan kept dropping very unsubtle suggestions every time they Skyped that Nick would make a brilliant brother-in-law.

  Now, Nick held her hand as he led her along the pathways that wound through the gardens at the Palm Cove resort. Awareness fizzed through her and all her senses were on high alert because this was their date night.

  ‘Stop there.’ He came to a halt in front of her and reached into the pocket of his trousers.

  When she looked at him in enquiry he said, ‘Take off your shoes.’

  ‘What are you up to?’ She did as he bade but wished she had the nerve to ask if there was anything else he wanted her to take off.

  ‘Now, I’m going to blindfold you.’

  Wow. Way to send a woman’s heart into overdrive.

  ‘Okay.’ She couldn’t help her nervous laugh of anticipation.

  ‘Give me your shoes,’ he commanded when the blindfold was firmly in place. ‘And your hand.’

  Without sight, the warmth and male strength of his hand was magnified as it closed around hers with possessive confidence.

  ‘Now, my lady, I’ll lead you to your dinner.’

  The concrete surface of the path was gritty with grains of sand that had been walked up from the beach by the guests.

  A subtle hint of his spicy aftershave mingled with the salt air and carried to her on the gentle ocean breeze. Sarah breathed in more deeply to savour the scent. It was a divine combination.

  Sea and man.

  Salt and spice.

  How heady would it be if they threw sex into the mix?

  Just thinking about it made her core clench.

  Behave! she admonished herself.

  Why should I? the rebel argued. This is going to happen. Tonight.

  Rather than continue her internal debate, Sarah tried to create a visual picture of her surroundings. She knew they were getting closer to the ocean. The breeze picked up and played with her hair, fanning the strands across her cheeks.

  She could hear the waves caressing the shore before the ocean receded, then the flurry of them racing back again. Other than that and the sound of her own breathless excitement, there was no other noise, not even a seagull.

  Soft, cool sand cushioned her steps now. ‘I hope you’re not going to lead me into the ocean.’

  ‘Have faith.’ There was amusement in his tone.

  A few more steps.

  ‘Okay. You can take your blindfold off.’

  As soon as she did Sarah gasped. Her gaze swept from the scene in front of her to Nick and back again with wide-eyed awe. ‘Oh, Nick! How amazing!’

  In front of them was a small marquee with a back wall of tulle and silk fabric and a roof shaped something like a minaret. The structure resembled a Bedouin tent or something that was straight out of A Tale of Arabian Nights.

  Fairy lights winked at her from along the edges of the marquee. Tall wrought iron stands were wreathed with flowers of hibiscus, fragrant frangipanis and a whole lot of other tropical blooms she recognised but didn’t know the names of. On top of the stands, candles flickered inside glass holders, casting a soft glow on the twilight scene.

  Tears pricked at her eyes because she’d been to this part of the beach before and knew this setup wasn’t a fixture. Nick must have organised this.

  ‘It’s perfect!’ So romantic. ‘Nobody has ever done anything so special for me.’

  ‘Tonight, I want everything to be perfect for you.’ He led her on to a run of red carpet t
hat led to the marquee. ‘Perfect for us.’

  Sarah’s heart beat so fast at his words, any moment it would surely break free from her chest. There couldn’t be anyone on the entire planet who was as happy as she was tonight.

  She wasn’t sure where to look there were so many gorgeous little details to absorb, but in the end she allowed her eyes to focus where they most wanted to—on her incredibly handsome date. ‘Thank you. I can’t tell you how much this means to me.’

  He dropped her sandals onto the carpet and was about to pull out a chair at the table for her when she wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.

  It had been way too long since they’d kissed.

  Sarah thrilled at the way he took control. His hands were at her spine and he leaned her backward in the strong bracket formed by his arms as he increased the pressure of his lips against hers.

  She lost herself in Nick, mind and soul. Completely oblivious to everything but this deep physical yearning between them which bombarded her senses, she moaned against his mouth.

  He made a needy, guttural sound of his own and the intimacy of their kiss went to a new level when his tongue sought hers.

  Oh, he was the most wonderful teacher. He led her into this lingual play with sensuous glides and tiny flicks, introducing her to an erotic dance that was completely beyond her limited experience. Her legs weakened and she needed the support of his arms around her to keep her from falling.

  While the fingers of one hand speared through the thickness of his hair, she lowered her other arm so that she could tug his shirt out of his trousers and slip her hands underneath the fabric. Those fingertips found a heaven of their own, rejoicing in the contrast of his smooth skin over tautly packed muscles.

  Oh gosh. She wanted to undress him right there and then and claim the right to explore every inch of his body with her hands, with her mouth and to commit every wonderful inch of him to her tactile and visual memories.

  Need—more intense than she’d ever known—speared through her.

  It made her slick with arousal at the juncture of her thighs.

  It made her aware of an aching emptiness there.

  It made her nipples strain against the silky fabric of her dress.