Tempted by the Billionaire Next Door

by Therese Beharrie

  She was carrying his niece or nephew and she hadn’t told him.

  Did it matter that Anja had asked her not to? Maybe. But it still felt like a betrayal, that she’d broken his trust. Which was ridiculous, considering that he hadn’t even known her long enough to trust her.

  Logically, he knew that. But, just like he’d thought before, nothing about the situation with Jess felt logical. It hadn’t been logic that had softened, warmed in his chest when she’d shown him her sympathy and told him he needed to talk about his problems. It hadn’t been reason that had pushed him into kissing her. There was something more there that had nothing to do with logic, and it terrified him.

  And maybe that was why he felt the way he did.

  Or maybe it was all a distraction to keep him from thinking about how coldly his sister had greeted him. Or how stilted their interactions had been. They hadn’t spoken about anything other than the baby since Anja had told him she was too tiredfor anything else.

  He couldn’t argue, considering she’d travelled eighteen hours to get home. But he knew it wasn’t the travelling that had tired her. It was the first of many difficult conversations they were going to have.

  It was going to be a process, he thought. One he couldn’t speed up merely because he wanted to. He needed to give Anja time to process. Hell, he needed to give himself time to wade through all his thoughts, all his feelings. About his family, yes. But also about the woman who whimpered so softly in her sleep.

  So he stayed in Anja’s house for a while longer and, when he was ready, did what he’d offered to do. He closed all the windows and then lifted Jess into his arms and carried her to the house next door.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  WHEN SHE WOKE UP, Jess wasn’t entirely sure where she was.

  It took her a while to figure out that she was in a bed. And that that bed was the one she’d slept in for the second time now...in Dylan’s house.

  So much for getting a hotel room, she thought. And then realised that being there meant someone had brought her there the night before.

  She didn’t want to spend too much time thinking about who.

  Because though she knew Chet could easily have carried her the short distance to Dylan’s house, he would have more likely woken her. Which left only one other option...

  Pushing away fanciful thoughts of how sweet, how romantic it must have been, Jess got out of bed and had a shower. She hadn’t brought another set of clothes with her, so she pulled on the tights from the night before—ignoring the way her heart sank at the memory of how different things had been when she’d worn them then—and her woollen oversized jersey with boots. It wasn’t entirely new, but she hadn’t worn this combination before.

  Besides, who was she trying to impress? Certainly not the friends who’d seen her with her legs in the air while she’d been impregnated with their child. And certainly not the man who’d brushed her off so completely the day before.

  With that in mind, she pulled her hair into a bun at the top of her head and began packing. Fifteen minutes later, she walked with her suitcase to the kitchen. She was surprised to find no one there, but she heard the deep rumble of male voices from the dining room. Leaving her suitcase in the kitchen passageway, she made her way there.

  It was strange seeing Dylan and Chet there, talking as though there hadn’t been a boulder of tension that had descended on them the day before. They stopped when she walked in. Chet smiled at her, but Dylan’s face immediately soured before settling into a blank expression. She nearly rolled her eyes.

  ‘I’m not sure how I ended up in bed here last night, but I’m willing to bet it was one of you.’

  ‘Hey, you are carrying my child,’ Chet replied with a wink, and she felt her mouth curve.

  ‘Though, let’s be honest, that wouldn’t have kept you from waking me up and telling me to walk back to the house.’ Her eyes went to Dylan and she felt the amusement waver. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘No need,’ he replied smoothly.

  She clenched her jaw. ‘Well, I think there is, so I’m saying thanks. Also for letting me stay here while everything was happening next door.’

  ‘You’re welcome.’ His eyebrow quirked. ‘Better?’

  ‘Much,’ she replied, and then turned her attention to Chet. ‘Where’s Anja?’

  ‘She went for a run. Said she’d see you when she gets back.’

  ‘Well, she can see me next door. I’m going to head over, make sure everything’s okay before the cleaners arrive in an hour.’

  ‘You don’t want breakfast first?’ Chet asked.

  ‘I’ll make myself something at your place.’

  ‘You sure about that?’ Dylan interjected now.

  ‘Why wouldn’t I be?’

  ‘Just because I’ve tasted your cooking and...’ He let the words drift and annoyance stirred. Which was strange, since she was fairly certain that she would have been amused if it hadn’t come from him.

  ‘And yet I’ve survived for twenty-six years,’ she said wryly. ‘I’ll see you next door, Chet. And...’ she hesitated ‘... I guess I’ll see you around, Dylan.’

  She pretended that she hadn’t seen the questioning look Chet sent her and picked up her bag, giving Daisy a head pat before she left.

  It felt strangely as if she was turning over a new page. And perhaps she was, she thought, considering the plans she’d made the night before. Granted, it hadn’t worked out for her to sleep at a hotel the previous night, but perhaps that was a blessing in disguise. Now she could keep that money in her savings.

  When she got to Anja’s place she made herself something to eat, ignoring the way her stomach wished she’d taken up Chet’s offer to have breakfast next door. She could have had bacon and eggs instead, and tried to make up for the lack of it by making her single cup of tea for the day.

  She was curled up on the couch when Anja walked in.

  ‘Glad to see you’re having a good balanced breakfast,’ Anja said, flopping down on the couch opposite Jess. Her hair was still wet from her morning shower, the curls piled up on top of her head, much like Jess’s.

  ‘Eating for two and all that,’ she said, tilting her bowl of oats for Anja to see. ‘You can’t have had breakfast yet?’

  ‘I haven’t, and I’m starving.’

  ‘Why didn’t you eat something before you came over?’

  ‘Because it would entail spending more time with my brother?’

  Jess’s heart thudded at the mention of Dylan. ‘Well, you did come back to do that...didn’t you?’

  ‘I guess. I don’t know. I’m just so...mad.’

  Jess bit back the why? on the tip of her tongue and nodded. ‘You should tell him that.’

  ‘I don’t think it would go down particularly well,’ Anja replied dryly.

  ‘Actually, I think it might. He doesn’t know why you’re mad, Anja, besides the obvious reason. And it’s about time you stop carrying it around with you, too.’

  Anja narrowed her eyes. ‘Since when do you push for family reconciliations?’

  She choked out a laugh. ‘Since you came back from Sydney as soon as you heard he was back?’ A beat of silence passed. ‘You can’t tell me that you finished everything you wanted to?’

  ‘We finished the last of the work on the studio. I’d hoped to do more...but I wanted to be here. The rest we can do via email or video chat.’ Anja sighed. ‘I guess you’re right.’

  ‘As usual,’ Jess teased.

  ‘Ha ha.’

  Jess let Anja mull it over and finished her breakfast. She made some coffee for Anja and handed it over. Anja murmured her thanks, adding, ‘How do you know? That Dylan doesn’t know why I’m mad, I mean?’

  She should have worn her hair down, she thought, when she felt the tell-tale heat of a blush start in her cheeks. ‘We talked over the last f
ew days.’

  ‘About me?’

  ‘About him, mostly.’

  ‘And?’

  Jess struggled to find an answer that didn’t make her feel as if she was betraying Dylan’s trust. ‘He’s come back to make things right. I know,’ she said when Anja opened her mouth. ‘I know that things are messy and painful between you two. But he’s come back, and so did you. For the sake of your child, his niece or nephew, and for your sake, you should at least try to talk to him about it.’

  Anja rolled her eyes. Then threaded her fingers together. ‘Low blow, Steyn.’

  ‘I know,’ she said sympathetically. ‘But it wouldn’t hurt if it wasn’t true.’

  They sat in silence after those words, and then Anja said, ‘He did take time off work to be home. He hasn’t since—’

  ‘Since he left.’

  ‘Since long before then, actually.’ Anja gave her a strange look. ‘Are you...is there something going on between you two?’

  ‘What?’ There was no stopping the blush now. ‘No, of course not. Why would you say that?’

  ‘Because my brother doesn’t just share how he feels with people. Hell, I lived with him for almost two decades and I still don’t know some of the things he felt then. That’s part of the problem.’

  ‘I was just there at the right time, I guess.’

  ‘Maybe.’ But Anja looked worried. ‘You’re not interested in him?’

  ‘No,’ she said immediately. Not any more, anyway. ‘I was civil with him because of you. And this baby.’ She didn’t have to mention the kisses. ‘I know it would be much too complicated, Anja.’

  ‘It would be,’ her friend agreed.

  ‘Good thing there’s nothing to worry about then, isn’t it?’ Jess replied, and ignored the sick feeling in her chest at the lie.

  Because she was worried. She was very worried.

  * * *

  Dylan saw her as soon as he got there, and was about to turn back—coward that he was—when she turned and saw him.

  ‘Oh,’ she said softly. ‘I’ll leave.’

  ‘No, you don’t have to,’ he replied immediately. Though he was still mad at her, Dylan hated that the easiness between them had been replaced by...by whatever was happening now. A mixture of tension and apology. Of words unspoken and words that had been said. ‘I’ll leave.’

  ‘No, this is your place.’

  She turned, and he could almost see her eyes taking in the magnificent view from the hilltop he’d taken her to a few days ago.

  His place of comfort.

  Where he’d opened up to Jess.

  Where he’d kissed her.

  He pushed away the memories when she turned back. ‘You shouldn’t have to leave just because I’m here.’

  ‘I’m not,’ he said in a short tone that proved exactly the opposite of what he’d said. ‘I just wanted to be alone.’

  ‘So I’ll go.’ She walked past him.

  The words were out of his mouth before he could help it. ‘Why were you here?’

  The crackling of leaves and sticks under her feet went quiet. ‘I wanted to think.’

  ‘About?’

  She gave a small laugh. ‘Why don’t you take a guess?’

  He didn’t reply. Couldn’t, when what he would guess sounded incredibly self-centred. There was no way she was thinking about him. Even if she was part of the reason he’d needed time outside, to think alone.

  After a moment he heard the crunching of leaves again, and he whirled around. ‘Jess.’

  She stopped, turned back to look at him. ‘Yeah?’

  ‘Anja and I...we had a conversation this morning.’ It had been one of those conversations that had picked his emotions apart and left them out to dry. Naked. Raw. ‘She told me you told her to give me a chance.’

  She shook her head. ‘I told her she needed to start thinking about her child.’

  ‘The child you’re carrying.’ As if he could forget.

  ‘Yes,’ she told him. ‘I see your opinion hasn’t changed despite the fact that you now know I’m carrying your niece or nephew.’

  ‘I have no opinion on this.’

  ‘You and I both know that’s not true.’

  ‘Your agreement with my sister has nothing to do with me.’

  He watched her face tighten.

  ‘I’ll remember that the next time I have to talk her into having a conversation with you.’

  ‘So you did tell her that.’

  ‘For her child’s sake.’

  ‘And yet she made it sound like it was for the sake of this family, too.’

  ‘What do you want from me, Dylan?’ she asked in an exasperated tone.

  ‘The truth,’ he growled.

  ‘Fine. I told her to give you a chance. For the child’s sake, for hers, and yes, for you, too.’ The admission cost her, he thought, taking in the expression on her face. ‘I care about... I care,’ she finished, and lifted a hand to brush at her face.

  ‘Why?’ he asked, caught by her now. Anger had flushed her cheeks, making the golden brown of her skin almost luminous. ‘Why do you care?’

  ‘I’m asking myself that very question right now.’

  ‘And what answer have you come up with?’

  His back was turned to the view he’d returned to for solace, the beauty in front of him now much more appealing. He shouldn’t have noticed what a lovely picture she made. Standing in the woods, tall, dark trees around her, dull brown leaves at her feet. She looked like a woodland creature, though he couldn’t blame it on the plaid shirt and jeans she wore.

  He did blame it on the way she carried herself. The ease, the natural rhythm of her. Even when she was standing there, looking at him in annoyance, she looked as if she belonged there. As if her selflessness, her kindness, belonged in a natural setting.

  ‘That I’m crazy.’

  ‘You’re not crazy.’ If she was, then so was he.

  But then, maybe that was the answer.

  ‘No? Then how do you explain what’s been happening over the last few days? Because you might not have known just how off-limits I was, Dylan, but I did. I knew the moment I found out the sexy guy living next door was my best friend’s brother, the uncle of the child I carried. I knew that I shouldn’t have got involved with you.’

  She threaded her fingers together, as though she didn’t know what to do with her hands. ‘And yet, when you brought me here, when you told me all of those things about your family... I felt... I don’t know, attracted to you.’ She said the word with a disgust he struggled not to feel offended by. ‘And, you know, because of all that—’ she waved a hand at his body, and amusement coloured the insult ‘—and so I kissed you. And I went on a date with you. And none of that nonsense about us being friends,’ she added, ‘because we both know that wasn’t a friendship date.’

  He didn’t know what to say. But he’d asked for it, he knew. He’d pushed her, and he couldn’t be upset that she was giving him the information he needed. That he wanted.

  The only problem was that nothing she was telling him turned off whatever it was that he felt whenever he saw her. It didn’t matter how angry—or how raw—he was, his heart ached and his stomach flipped every single time he saw her.

  ‘You know what the worst part is?’ she asked. ‘That I got in the middle of whatever’s going on with you and Anja. I ran right in the middle of your family drama while running away from my own.’

  ‘You’ve helped,’ he said softly.

  ‘Have I?’ She lifted her brows. ‘When you came here, your question was more accusation than gratitude.’

  ‘I’m...sorry about that.’ The apology was a surprise. As was the sincerity he felt as he said it. ‘The conversation with Anja... It was tough, and I came out here to deal with...everything.’ He shrugged, wishing
the pain was as easy to shake as the words. ‘I’m glad you asked her to talk with me.’

  ‘She wanted to,’ she replied after a moment. ‘She just needed a shove in the right direction.’

  He almost smiled. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Sure.’ Silence pulsed between them, and then she said, ‘I’m going to leave before we get into another argument that tempts me into shoving more literally.’

  He nodded. Told himself what he wanted to ask her wouldn’t be worth the turmoil her answer would no doubt bring. And then he asked it anyway. ‘Why didn’t you tell me, Jess?’

  ‘Anja asked me not to.’

  ‘And it was just that simple for you?’ Anger stirred, and then burrowed into him. ‘It was just that simple to keep something I should have known from me?’

  ‘Yes,’ she replied quickly, and then exhaled sharply. ‘That’s what you want me to say, isn’t it? That it was simple for me to keep this secret from you?’

  ‘I just want the truth.’

  ‘No, you don’t, Dylan. You want another reason to be angry with me.’

  Disbelief made him splutter his words out. ‘You think I want to be angry with you?’

  ‘Yes, I do,’ she replied. ‘Because it would be easier to be angry with me than with your mother. With your father. With...’ she hesitated ‘...with yourself.’

  ‘No,’ he denied. ‘I trusted you, Jess. You broke—’ his voice went hoarse ‘—you broke my trust.’

  ‘Because I was being loyal to the only person who’s ever been loyal to me?’ she demanded. ‘Because I was keeping Anja’s trust?’ She shook her head. ‘She’s like family to me, Dylan. She is my family. And you know why that’s so important to me.’ She paused. ‘Whatever you and I shared these past few days—’ She broke off and he nearly protested, desperate to hear what she was going to say.