Gambling With The Billionaire (Gems 0f Love Book 2)

by Agnes Canestri

  Bianca’s throat thickened. She needed to ask the question. The answer would probably change nothing, but still she was too curious to know. “Isn’t there somebody who might get upset that you keep on rescuing a woman you barely know through these gallant gestures?”

  There. It was now out. In a second Bianca would know whether her body was again betraying her like it always did when it came to men. Not that Ryan would be suitable for her even if he was single. No, he was way out of Bianca’s league.

  Ryan’s brows arched so high that his forehead creased deeply. He didn’t answer immediately but he observed Bianca with a somber glance. “No, there’s no one who would get upset with me. Don’t worry. I’m in command of my own actions, and my will is to help you. Does that answer your question?”

  Bianca licked her lip. “Yes, it does. And thank you for doing it.”

  Ryan smiled, and as Bianca took in the dimples that deepened on his cheeks, her breathing became shallow.

  Ryan isn’t in a relationship.

  Why did this discovery make her stomach giddy and her mood much better than it was supposed to be? Nothing had changed. Ryan was still here to destroy Bianca’s work from the past three years unless she had the audacity to convince him otherwise.

  But it was useless to repeat this phrase in her head. Bianca realized that it wasn’t true. Much had changed with this new information. The thumps in her ribcage were the proof of it.

  She folded her arms across her chest and forced a neutral tone. “Shall we go closer to check what your Dad is doing with Rusty?”

  Chapter 15

  Ryan followed Bianca’s slender figure to his father’s workplace. He gritted his teeth while in his head a tempest of thoughts circled.

  Why did he lie about Jenna? He should’ve admitted he was seeing someone. Even if his relationship wasn’t anything serious. He wasn’t going to marry Jenna. He couldn’t even be sure that she only dated him, as they’d never discussed exclusivity.

  But still. He wasn’t a cheater. And lying about dating made him feel like one.

  Bianca tapped his father’s shoulder as he got out of her car. “So what’s your verdict? Can Rusty be saved?”

  Robert winked at her. “Of course, my dear. Though it’ll need some work. But don’t worry, I can fix it by this evening.”

  Ryan’s breath got stuck in his throat. His father obviously liked Bianca. The warmth emanating from the old man’s expression was a clear sign of it.

  His dad didn’t have this look when he first showed him a picture of Jenna. No, Robert’s first reaction was to call Jenna a gold digger.

  As if to confirm Ryan’s thoughts, Robert stepped closer to his son while Bianca was studying his tools in the cabinet. “Ryan, this girl is really something. And she likes old cars. What are you waiting for?” His voice sounded conspiratorial, and he gave a short poke to Ryan’s ribcage.

  Ryan rolled his eyes. “Stop it, Dad. We’re in a strict business relationship.”

  His father shrugged then whispered. “Fine, whatever.” Then he turned back to Bianca to explain what the various tools were used for.

  Ryan observed them as they spoke. Yes, Bianca was the sort of woman his father probably hoped Ryan would end up with. Driven but centered. Beautiful but kind.

  His heart stuttered as Bianca smoothed a curl behind her ear. He would be lying to himself if he said that his father was wrong. But Ryan didn’t need a relationship, he already had one. Plus, he was only in this town to handle a business transaction. His life was focused on his company’s success. That was all that counted.

  “And that’s how I pulled that out,” Ryan’s father finished a story and wiggled his brows at Bianca.

  Oh, no. His father’d started with his old jokes. Ryan’s eyes drifted to Bianca, and to his surprise, her lips curled up.

  Ryan scratched his head. Did she find Robert funny? It was a first. Most people thought his father had a weird sense of humor. This was the reason he didn’t take his girlfriends to visit Robert. It was better to avoid embarrassing confrontations.

  Bianca’s laugh filled the room, and its jingle rang in Ryan’s ear for a moment longer than necessary. She threw back her head as she tried to get a grip of her giggles. Her delicate neckline revealed the soft skin that had remained hidden by her curls.

  She clapped her hands. “Oh, Robert. I can’t believe you actually did that. Are you playing me?”

  His father winked. “Maybe a little.”

  A heat began to climb to Ryan’s skull. The fact that his father was making Bianca laugh suddenly disturbed him. What was the matter with him?

  He stepped forward. “Well, Dad. Wouldn’t you like to start working on Bianca’s car? If I know you well enough, your hands must be itching to open the bonnet.”

  Robert nodded. “Quite right, my son.” He blinked at Bianca. “As I said, I’ll make your car as good as new. But working on it is only fun for me. I wouldn’t want you to stand here and get bored. Ryan, why don’t you take Bianca to do something amusing while she waits?”

  Bianca’s cheeks became rosy. “Oh, that’s not necessary. Your son and I have a lot of work to get through. We can occupy our time with that.”

  Robert winced. “Nonsense. Who works on a Saturday? Don’t tell me you’re a workaholic like my son?”

  Ryan cleared his throat. “Dad, I’m not—”

  His father interrupted him with a move of his left hand. “Of course you are. Ever since your mom left us. You don’t even use your paraglide anymore!” He pointed at a huge backpack in the corner of the room.

  Ryan followed his finger and his heart leaped. His father kept his old equipment? Ryan had told him to get rid of it after the funeral.

  Bianca touched Ryan’s elbow. Her warm fingers sent a jolt up to his shoulder.

  “So Angie got that right? I thought it was just made up. You do paragliding?”

  Ryan furrowed his brows. “Did. As in the past. But not anymore.”

  Bianca’s mouth curled down. “Oh, that’s a pity. I always wanted to try it.” Her voice sounded truly sorry.

  Ryan raised his brows. “You did?”

  Another first. In all his paragliding trips he’d only met a handful of girls who actually enjoyed this sport. And most of them were tomboys. Nowhere near as charming and feminine as Bianca.

  He cringed inwardly. He had to stop coming up with these confusing ideas when he looked at this woman.

  But Bianca didn’t give him the chance to get his feelings under control, because she leaned forward and her warm coconut scent engulfed him.

  She flashed a bright smile and said, “Yes. My brother and his best buddy went once to do it. They raved about it for quite a while. They said it’s like free diving only in the air.”

  Ryan raised a brow. “Does your brother free dive?”

  Bianca nodded. “Our whole family does. Of course, none of us is as talented as Matteo. He opened a free-dive center on the Amalfi Coast a few years ago with his wife.”

  Ryan realized how few facts he knew about Bianca. Then how was it possible that he felt so at ease when they spoke?

  His father grabbed Ryan’s shoulder and gave him a quick squeeze. “What do you say, son? Wouldn’t it be a great occasion to show Bianca a good time? Your gear is in top condition. I checked it myself a week ago. You could take her to the Silent Valley.”

  Bianca’s eyes became larger. “What’s the Silent Valley?”

  The Silent Valley. It was the place Ryan had referred to at the auction. He’d promised to show his buyer a part of this region that was a well-kept secret. The area was only accessible through the air or a very bothersome hike, so most of the inhabitants didn’t even know it existed. Ryan planned to use his private helicopter to get there. But why not do it the old way?

  The rumble of the cascade resounded in his ears and the lush greenery surrounding the lake flashed in front of his eyes. An unexpected urge rose in his chest to share this magnificent scenery with Bianca. She
would surely appreciate it.

  He blinked at her. “It’s the place I offered to show to my buyer at the auction.”

  His father’s eyes bounced between Ryan and Bianca. “Auction? What auction?”

  Bianca cleared her throat. “It’s a long story. Not important.”

  Her green irises met Ryan’s and she bit her lip. Ryan knew by now that she did it when she felt embarrassed. Was she ashamed to admit to his father that she’d paid for Ryan’s company?

  Ryan kept Bianca’s eye contact while adding, “Yes, the story itself is irrelevant. The point is, I made a promise. After all, I might want to keep it. We can talk about the transactions concerning The Sapphire while we drive to the mountain.”

  Bianca jerked her head back and her lips parted. “Are you saying that we’ll glide into the Valley?”

  Ryan nodded. “Yes, if you agree.”

  Bianca’s face lit up. “Sure. I’d love to.”

  At the sight of her sheer enthusiasm, a strong thud filled Ryan’s ribcage and vibrated at his throat. He’d managed to make Bianca happy. This thought made him proud in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time.

  His father rubbed his hands together. “Excellent. Ryan is a great paraglider, you’ll be more than safe with him, Bianca. By the time you’re back, I should have your car ready.”

  Ryan walked to his glider gear and lifted it. As the familiar weight distributed on his shoulders, he sighed.

  Wow, he’d missed this feeling. The anticipation before a glide. His pulse picked up speed, and his palms became slightly moist. And this one was going to be special, as he was doing it in tandem with Bianca.

  He turned to Bianca. “We’ll need to pass by your house so you can get changed. A pair of trousers is safer than a dress, if we’re up in the air.”

  Bianca peeked down at her skirt and her face became crimson. “Do you need a hand carrying the gear?” she asked without looking at him.

  Ryan shook his head. “No, I can handle it.”

  Yes, he could handle the heavy package. What he might not be able to do was hold Bianca close, strapped to his body as they dove through the clouds.

  Chapter 16

  Bianca stared down at the straps. She tried to ignore the heat emanating from Ryan’s body to her back. “How come you have a tandem thingie—”

  “Harness, it’s called a harness.” Ryan’s breath tickled her earlobe. A shiver ran down Bianca’s neck, raising the soft hairs on her skin.

  “Fine, harness. Did you take a lot of people with you in the past?”

  Ryan chuckled. “Some of my buddies and once my dad. But mostly I went alone.”

  Bianca craned her neck around as much as she could. She managed to catch Ryan’s eyes. “Are these strings going to hold?”

  “Sure, don’t worry. Just close your eyes and follow my lead. I’ll tell you when to re-open them. I’ll take care of the rest.”

  He sounded so confident. Maybe it was best to trust him. She shut her eyelids but it didn’t help with her pounding heart. Was she nervous about the glide or was it the intoxicating proximity of Ryan that made her knees weak?

  Ryan’s hands closed on her waist and he pulled her tighter to him. “Are you ready? On my count, step forward.”

  The wind caught her locks and twirled them around her face. The paraglide’s wing inflated as the air streamed into it, curving it upwards.

  “Good, now we just need to exploit the lift. One, two, three. Let go.” Ryan’s words echoed in her ear.

  She moved her feet, and they landed in a void. Bianca’s eyes sprang open, and a squeak escaped her throat. Her gaze darted downwards, and she saw the mountain on which they had just been standing get farther and farther away from them as they whirled high in the afternoon breeze.

  Ryan’s body moved behind her, probably adjusting the glide to compensate for the air flow.

  “You opened your eyes a bit too soon.” His voice was amused, but held a faint tone of worry. “Are you okay, Bianca?”

  Bianca swallowed and scanned the countryside underneath them. The red stones of the rock from which they’d started their journey glistened in the sun like a small fire. A weird exultation coursed through her limbs. She was flying, flying together with Ryan.

  “I’m more than okay.” She sighed. “This…this is amazing. It’s so beautiful I can’t even find the words to describe it. I feel like a bird, light and free.”

  The valley Ryan steered them toward came into sight. The blue water of the cascade circled down the stone wall like a delicate vein on the arm of a grey giant. The lake reflected the beams of light with tiny sparkles.

  Bianca’s mouth opened in awe. Great heavens, the view was only comparable with the Great Reef’s quietness.

  Ryan chuckled and pulled on a rope, which made them dip a bit toward the lake. “Yes, it’s a unique way of experiencing life, isn’t it? I can’t believe I stopped doing this for so many years.”

  Bianca furrowed her brows. The earlier comment about Ryan’s mother’s death hadn’t escaped her attention, but she didn’t want to intrude by asking what’d happened then.

  Now, however, the occasion offered itself. “Ryan, may I ask why you stopped practicing something that provides you so much joy?”

  The regular flow of warm breaths that had been reaching Bianca’s nape since they strapped themselves together stopped for a few seconds.

  “Ryan?” she said. “I’m sorry I asked. It’s none of my—”

  “No,” his deep baritone interrupted her, but it sounded more throaty than usual. “It’s fine. After my mother’s death, I couldn’t bring myself to do things that give me a thrill. I felt as if I didn’t deserve them.”

  Her stomach tightened. Ryan’s last words lingered around them in such a cruel contrast to the peaceful surroundings, that she felt they might actually materialize. Not deserving to do joyful things? Why? Only a broken person would contemplate such a self-deprecating idea. What’d happened to Ryan that he’d condemned himself to avoid his passions?

  She was about to ask when Ryan’s arm brushed against her ear. He pointed to a green clearing beside the lake. “Look, we’re going to land there.”

  Bianca squinted her eyes. From their current location, the landing space looked incredibly tiny. Was Ryan going to be able to conduct them to the spot?

  “It’s fairly small, isn’t it?” She hoped the fear wasn’t as palpable in her voice as it was in her throat.

  Ryan drew back his arm, but as it passed her cheek, he caressed her skin. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  His touch ignited a fire in Bianca’s blood, and she wished his fingers would have stayed on her skin, instead of moving up to the ropes.

  Oh, shoot. This physical closeness was definitely starting to take its toll on her self-control. She had to admit that Ryan O’Connor was becoming more and more attractive to her by the minute. The fact that she’d managed to peek underneath the confident businessman façade, even if only for a second, didn’t help the case. Now she was desperately curious to learn more about this man’s secrets and heartaches.

  She clenched her teeth and forced the quivers in her stomach down. They were just in a business relationship. Though the fact that they were floating together only inches away from each other in the sky above the most romantic scenery Bianca’d ever seen didn’t really coincide with this definition.

  Still, she couldn’t let the setting fool her. Ryan had taken her to this place because his father suggested it. He wasn’t trying to impress her. And why should he? She was but a small-town restaurant manager. And he? A handsome billionaire, for heaven’s sake.

  Ryan’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. “Here we go. Get ready to land.”

  They were descending rapidly but safely toward the exact location Ryan had indicated. In only a few minutes Bianca could see the trees and the lake becoming larger and larger. There was far more space to land than she’d estimated from above.

  It ha
d to be a learned skill, evaluating the actual sizes of things from above. Maybe if she were to fly more often with Ryan…Stop it. She snorted and scolded herself silently. She had to avoid fantasizing about going through this amazing experience again. It was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. At least in the company of Ryan.

  The ground came into immediate proximity, and as their feet approached the grass, Ryan called out, “Try to run.”

  It was easier said than done. The abrupt contact with the soil was so unexpected that Bianca forgot how to move. As her shoes slipped on the grass, she fell back against Ryan’s body. Ryan caught her, but couldn’t keep them both upright. They stumbled and rolled a few times on the ground. They stopped after a couple of meters, with Bianca on top of him.

  The paraglide’s orange fabric collapsed around them, covering them like a tent.

  Ryan started to laugh. “Wow, this wasn’t the type of landing I was aiming for.”

  The rhythmic movements of his ribcage sent shudders to Bianca’s chest.

  Bianca lifted her head up slightly and stared down at him. “I’m sorry, it’s my fault. I couldn’t get a hold of my feet. It was such a sudden change.”

  Ryan stopped his laugh and raised his neck slightly. His eyes captured Bianca’s and his pupils dilated. “You don’t have to excuse yourself. I should’ve explained better how to prepare for contact with the ground. I’m just glad I could soften your fall.”

  Bianca’s throat thickened, and she became aware of how almost every inch of their bodies were touching. She cleared her throat and rolled over beside him. “Sorry, I must be crushing your lungs.”

  Ryan turned his head. His expression was unreadable. “No, that wouldn’t be the first feeling I associate with your body on mine.”

  Heat rushed to Bianca’s face. What did he mean?

  She quickly withdrew her glance and sat up. It would be too dangerous to find out what Ryan hinted at. The way her cells buzzed around as if she had taken an intravenous caffeine shot was a warning that she was losing her grip on her feelings for this man. There was no reason to push the situation any further.