Making Out with the Billionaire

by Swann, Marcella

  “No! Dad, you didn’t do this.” She used the bed controls to lift herself into a sitting position, then reached out for his hand. He gave it to her, scooting closer to her bed. “It was just…stupid relationship stuff.”

  She didn’t want to go into it too much, not until she sorted out her own feelings about what Gia had told her. She needed time to think.

  “The father? Who is it? Eric?”

  “No. I’ve been seeing someone else the last few months.”

  “Tell me about him.”

  Back in high school, her dad had been the protective type, which was tough when all three of his girls were teenagers. He’d been unhappy about them dating, but not naïve enough to think he could stop it. So, he resolved to be overly critical of the boys they brought home. Well, that and setting a strict curfew. But it had been easier to sneak around in the days before cell phones. Her sister Avery lied about staying at a friend’s house nearly every weekend of her senior year when she was really in her college-aged boyfriend’s dorm room.

  Kerry half-expected her dad to bring out some that judgmental protectiveness now, so she hesitated.

  “What?” he asked, with a small grin. “He’s not a weirdo, is he?”

  She couldn’t help but laugh. “No, he’s not a weirdo. He’s a great guy.”

  It was true, she realized. She’d thought of him as an asshole when they first met, but the more she got to know the real Dorran, the more she realized that there was more to him than that. It was clear in the way he cared for Bobby and sought to end his marriage before committing to a relationship with her.

  “Do you love him?”

  “Yes.”

  She didn’t even have to think about it. Of course, she loved him. The real him, not the version of him she tried to create. Kerry had set out to turn Dorran into the man of her dreams, only to find that he already was.

  No one was perfect. She couldn’t help looking at her dad and thinking about his marriage to her mom. She’d always thought that they were an ideal match, but now she knew better. You couldn’t mold someone into who you wanted them to be, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t love them just the same.

  She loved her dad, flaws and all. And she loved Dorran, now that she knew the real him.

  “I’m sorry for how I reacted to your news of the divorce,” she said. He looked startled, and she knew that the subject must have seemed to come out of nowhere.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart. I know it must be hard to understand, but we’ll both be happier this way. Eventually, you’ll have to speak with your mother.”

  “I know. And I hope you are . . . happier this way,” she said sincerely, giving his hand a squeeze.

  “And you? Are you happy, Kerry?”

  She thought about her unborn child and her hopes for the future. She thought about Dorran.

  “Yes,” she said, with a small smile. “I really am.”

  “Good. Now, tell me about this man of yours. I need to be sure that he’s good enough for my little girl.”

  And Kerry did. She told her dad all about Dorran. As she talked, she decided that she would forgive him for keeping the truth from her. It didn’t matter why he’d started seeing her or what silly idea she’d had in mind for molding him into her idea of a perfect guy at the beginning of their relationship.

  This thing between them was real, she just knew it.

  But would Dorran still want to be with her when found out about the baby? Sure, he needed to get married, but the responsibility of fatherhood might be too much for him to take on. That thought made her heart hurt, but she had to be prepared, just in case.

  She’d leave here tomorrow and head back to San Francisco. Then, she could meet with Dorran, telling him the news of her pregnancy. When her dad left an hour later to check into his hotel, she was happy that they had reconciled. She hated the friction between the two of them after his divorce announcement, and she especially needed their relationship back to normal now. Her family’s support was going to be essential for the next few months.

  When she fell asleep, she dreamed of a future with Dorran, one that she wanted to see become a reality.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Dorran was frustrated. Nevermind that Kerry hadn’t called him herself when she collapsed and was hospitalized and he’d had to hear it from her friend Roxanne, who had called him late last night; but his path to her side had been full of obstacles.

  First, he didn’t have access to his private jet. Stan had started a charity in Atlanta years ago, back when he was still playing for the Renegades, and he had borrowed Dorran’s jet to fly to Georgia for a big fundraising event they were holding. It was a great cause, benefiting aspiring athletes from low-income families, giving them opportunities they might not have otherwise. So, Dorran had been happy to help out by keeping his brother from flying commercial.

  Unfortunately, that meant that he was now stuck booking the first available flight to Las Vegas, where Kerry was in the hospital and not answering her damn phone.

  Okay, so it was two in the morning, and she was most likely asleep. That didn’t mean it wasn’t driving him crazy.

  The flight was two hours long, and he spent the whole time driving the person next to him crazy by tapping his foot constantly. He couldn’t help it. He was too keyed up. It didn’t matter that it was the middle of the night, and he was running on very little sleep. He didn’t know what was wrong with his girl and he couldn’t relax until he did.

  By the time the flight had landed, and he’d secured a car rental, which took forever as the person running the counter was clearly in no hurry whatsoever, it was nearly five in the morning. Finally, he was on his way to the hospital, navigating through the traffic with ease, despite the many people heading toward their early jobs. It helped that the Mercedes-Benz he had rented was a smooth ride.

  Then, he hit a pothole. The damn thing wasn’t wide, but it must have been deep, because it popped his right front tire.

  “Fuck!” He shouted, slapping the dashboard in frustration.

  Flipping on his hazard lights, he pulled over to the side of a busy road and got out. He’d make quick work of changing the tire and be on his way. Except there was no spare in the trunk. Dorran couldn’t believe it. He had lifted the bottom out of the trunk, exposing the space where the spare should have been, but there was only a jack.

  A lot of good that’ll do without a tire.

  He pulled out his phone and ordered a Hail car, which was apparently what he should have done in the first place.

  He left the rental on the side of the road, uncaring about what happened to it. That was a problem that could be dealt with later.

  His Hail driver was a young girl with braces.

  “Hello! Are you Dorran?”

  “Yep,” he said, sliding into the backseat. “I need to get to the hospital, and I’m in a hurry. So, if you could step on it, that’d be great.”

  “Sure thing. My name’s Stacy, by the way.” Pivoting around, she held her hand out to Dorran. He suppressed an irritated scowl and shook it. He was getting that antsy feeling again, feeling that he should be at Kerry’s side.

  “You should buckle up.”

  Dorran ignored this, but soon regretted it as she took his words to heart and slammed her foot down on the accelerator, the force of their forward momentum sending him flying backward against the seat. “You know, you’re my very first client. Isn’t that so cool?”

  “Great. Welcome aboard. I own this freakin’ company, and I need to get somewhere fast. So you’re doing just fine.”

  Dorran gasped as Stacy whipped around a slow-moving station wagon, nearly clipping a jogger in a sports bra. He fumbled for his seat belt while she prattled on.

  “Wow. You own Hail? That’s so cool. My dad wanted me to take an internship at his accounting firm, even though I’ve told him a thousand times that I have no interest in it. I wanna be an entrepreneur.”

  “Stop sign.”

  “What?” S
he started to turn her head to look at him, making his heart jump into his throat.

  “Stop sign!” He pointed ahead, making her whip back around to the front.

  She slammed on the brakes, and the seatbelt in his hands locked up before he could buckle it. His body went tumbling off the seat and into the back of Stacy’s before he hit the floor.

  “Oops.” Stacey had a broad smile and didn’t sound all that concerned, and as he lifted himself back into his seat, she took off again.

  “I might have been rash before. You can go a little slower.”

  If she kept up at this rate, he might be going to the hospital in a body bag.

  “You said you’re in a hurry and I’m here to get you where you’re going. That’s our slogan, right? ‘We get you where you’re going.’ So we’re good. No worries. Sit back and re-lax.”

  Don’t worry about it?

  Was she crazy?

  “There’s a cooler at your feet. Help yourself to a beverage if you’d like. I believe the customer always comes first.”

  Dorran could most definitely use a stiff one right about now, but he doubted that Stacy had stocked the cooler with the kind of liquor he’d need to take the edge off his terror at her driving.

  She turned right, the car swinging wide. It was a miracle that no one was on the road going in the opposite direction. On the plus side, he could see the hospital ahead, lit up in the early morning light like a beacon.

  He had to admit that they made excellent time.

  Dorran managed to buckle his seat belt, finally, and he clung to the grab handles in the ceiling of the Prius. This chick was out of control, but at least he was going to make it to Kerry in one piece.

  Stacy came to a hard stop in front of the hospital doors, drawing scandalized looks from a pair of nurses walking inside with purses over their shoulders, apparently about to start their shift. Dorran’s body was thrown forward, the seat belt cutting into his chest.

  “Thanks for using Hail. Have a great day.”

  Her smile was megawatt.

  “What’s your last name.”

  “Morgan. Why?”

  “Stacy Morgan. You totally kick ass.”

  He climbed out of the car and leaned over the driver’s side window.

  “I’m gonna see to it that we take care of you. Got it?”

  “Yes, sir!”

  As she sped off, Dorran hurried into the hospital and immediately stalled out. He had no idea where he was going. Roxanne hadn’t given him a room number or anything. He walked to a huge white desk with a bustle of activity going on behind it. Nurses were scurrying about, trading off charts and making phone calls. They seemed to be in the middle of a staff changeover.

  “Excuse me,” Dorran said to a harried-looking woman in white scrubs. She stopped but wore an impatient look on her face. “I’m here to see Kerry Donovan. Can you tell me which room she’s in?”

  “Visiting hours are seven to seven,” she replied shortly, then started to walk away.

  “Wait, wait.” Dorran held his hands out pleadingly. He glanced at the clock on the wall behind the desk. “I’m only twenty minutes early. Please.”

  “Sorry, rules are rules.”

  She didn’t sound remotely sorry.

  “Is there any chance I would change your mind with an obscene amount of money?” Dorran asked, falling back on old habits. Money always got him what he wanted.

  “Sure, buddy. You just run on out to an ATM while I wait here.”

  There was laughter in her voice, and she shook her head as she walked away.

  Damn it. It felt like there was a higher power that was striving to keep them apart.

  To hell with that. He wasn’t going to stop until he saw Kerry. All he could think about was wasting the last night he could have spent with her at a club, like a fucking idiot.

  Never again.

  Stomping over to a row chairs beside the elevators, he settled in to wait. He wasn’t going anywhere until he saw Kerry and made sure she was okay.

  * * *

  Kerry had just stepped out of the shower when she heard the door to her hospital room open, followed by a bang as it hit the wall and bounced off. She tilted her head as she wrapped a towel around her body. Who in the world. . .

  “Kerry?”

  Dorran’s deep voice was unmistakable, that southern drawl hitting her right between her legs. Shocked, she pulled open the bathroom door and peeked out, just to be sure. A cloud of steam preceded her into the room, and when it cleared, she saw him standing just inside the door. His eyes had dark circles, and his clothing was wrinkled, but there was an air of determination about him that overpowered everything else. He seemed powerful, despite looking like he hadn’t slept.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Instead of answering, Dorran ran his eyes over her body, from her pink toenails to her wet hair and everything in between. Heat spread across her skin, but she didn’t let it distract her.

  “Dorran? How did you know I was here?”

  Those words snapped him out of his ogling.

  “The real question is, why didn’t you call me when you fainted and ended up in the hospital? I had to hear about it from that hippie friend of yours.”

  “Roxanne?”

  “Yeah. She called me last night. Or, I guess it was technically this morning. Said the spirits advised her to let me know or some crazy shit like that. It doesn’t matter. I want to know why you didn’t tell me.”

  “I…it’s complicated.

  “Complicated?” Striding forward, he closed the distance between them and grabbed her hand. “Kerry, what’s going on? Are you okay?”

  For some reason, his concern caused tears to fill her eyes as guilt twisted in her chest.

  “I’m pregnant.”

  She didn’t mean to just blurt it out like that, but there was no taking the words back now. Dorran went utterly still, the only thing identifiable in his expression was surprise. So, she plowed on, unable to stop speaking now that she’d told him about the baby.

  “I thought I might be a few days ago, but I didn’t tell you because I wasn’t sure and then I took more tests, and I knew. I was going to tell you as soon as I got back from the book tour, but I got so stressed and had a panic attack, and I could’ve lost the baby, and I’m so sorry.”

  By the end of her rant, she had two trails of tears streaking down her face. Dorran looked at her for a long moment, then brought both hands up and cupped her face.

  “You’re pregnant with my baby?”

  She nodded.

  Dorran attacked her lips in a rough kiss, but it didn’t last long. She was suddenly wrapped in a hug and lifted off her feet. Dorran’s happy laughter rang in her ear.

  “I’m going to be a daddy? You’re really sure?”

  He didn’t wait for a response before he set her on her feet and knelt before her, parting her towel. Kerry suddenly remembered that she was practically naked, but there was nothing sexual about what Dorran was doing. He placed his big hands on her hips and pressed a light kiss to her stomach, just beneath her belly button.

  “Hi, there. I’m your daddy,” he said in a gentle voice, full of reverence.

  And there were more tears. A mixture of relief and guilt. Dorran stood and used his thumbs to wipe the tears away.

  “Why do I have the feeling that these aren’t happy tears?”

  “They are. Kind of. I’m so relieved that you’re happy about the baby. But I also feel terrible because I let myself get so worked up and could have hurt him.”

  “Him? It’s a boy?”

  “I don’t know, I think it’s too soon to tell. I just picture a boy when I think about it.”

  In truth, she pictured a baby that was the spitting image of his father. The idea warmed her heart.

  “The baby’s okay, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then, you have nothing to feel guilty about. We live and learn from our mistakes. Trust me, I’m an expert on this. W
hat got you so worked up, anyway? We can make sure to avoid triggers for the next nine months.”

  “Well…” Kerry hesitated. She had been upset about Dorran keeping secrets from her, but she had a different perspective on things after talking to her dad.

  “What is it? You can tell me.”

  “Gia showed up at my book signing. She said all these things about you being forced to marry or losing everything…”

  Dorran’s face was murderous. She’d never seen him angry like this.

  “That bitch. How dare she come to harass and upset you like that.”

  “So, it is true then?” She had a good idea that it was, but now she had confirmation. Dorran’s expression softened, and she could see worry lining his face.

  “Yes, it’s true,” he said, but hastened to add, “but it’s not like that. It hasn’t been for a long time. In the beginning, yeah, I thought you’d get my family off my back. And it didn’t hurt that you were hot as hell.”

  A ghost of his flirty smirk flitted across his lips, but he got serious again quick. “I need a wife, but I don’t want just anyone, not anymore. I want to marry for love this time.”

  “Are you saying…”

  “Kerry, I love you.”

  Happiness exploded inside of Kerry until she thought she might burst. Forgetting about the need to hold up her towel, she flung her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. She whispered into his ear the only thought she could think.

  “I love you, too.”

  Dorran pressed his lips to hers and a fire ignited in her bloodstream. Kerry opened her mouth immediately, allowing him to thrust his tongue inside and taste her. The towel had fallen to the floor when she hugged him, pooling at her feet, so Dorran’s hands roamed her naked flesh, caressing and squeezing. When he cupped her ass, Kerry let out a low moan into his mouth.

  Bending down, he gripped her thighs and lifted her into his arms without breaking their kiss. She let out a squeal, startled and turned on by his strength. Kerry wrapped her legs around his waist, and he carried her to the hospital bed, depositing her onto it. When he finally pulled his mouth from hers, she could see raw hunger in his eyes. It sent a shudder running through her body.