Bad Boyfriend: Billionaire’s Club #7

by Elise Faber

  “It’s going to bruise.”

  A shrug. “Not like I haven’t had one before.”

  “The wedding is Friday.”

  A brow rose. “I’m aware.”

  “You’ll be bruised for the pictures.”

  His eyes danced as clarity dawned. “Well, lucky for the couple, they know a pretty good photographer who can easily make a bruise disappear.”

  Oh. There was that.

  She bit her lip and heat replaced amusement in his expression. But he didn’t kiss her as she’d half-expected. Instead, he just leaned close enough to rest his chin on the top of her head. “Were you looking for more medicine?”

  “No. I feel fine. I was searching out dinner.”

  “How about I order a pizza instead?”

  “I can cook,” she started to protest.

  “Show me that some other time, okay?” he murmured. “I’m guessing you’re going to work tomorrow?” She nodded, and his arms went a little tighter. “So, at least take the rest of today off.”

  Kels hesitated before stepping out of his arms. Then she studied his face, looking deep into his eyes and hoping to figure out what the hell was going through his brain. “Why’d you come over yesterday?”

  “Your brother texted me to ask if I was the reason you were sick and if you were playing hooky from work,” he said. “That’s not your style, and when I called and texted, you didn’t reply.” A shrug. “So, I came over to make sure you were okay.”

  That tracked. Or was at least close enough to what she’d expected.

  She supposed the bigger question was, “Why’d you stay?”

  His chest expanded and contracted on a deep breath before he said, “Because I’d already left twice, and am not going to make the same mistake again.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah,” he murmured. “Oh.”

  “You know, before the car ride on Saturday, I’d convinced myself that I was done with you.” His jaw clenched. “Then ten seconds in your presence, and I knew it wasn’t done, that I’d never been done.”

  Tan nodded. “I feel the same. I ran. I tried to shove it all down, but you were always there in the back of my mind.” A beat. “And in my heart.”

  She sighed. “So, why did you leave then?”

  “I had myself convinced that I could never be good enough for you,” he said. “Fuck, it’s still hard to believe that I’m going there with you now. And I was scared that losing you . . .” He trailed off, probably thinking that she’d be hurt if he admitted what she already knew.

  “You were afraid to lose my parents, my brothers.”

  He looked away. “Yeah.”

  Okay, so she’d been thinking that, wondering on it, and the things her friends had said, and . . . all of it was so beyond dumb that she didn’t hold back.

  “How could you be so fucking stupid?” she snapped.

  He jumped. “What?”

  Maybe it was the bug she’d had—though probably it was more her impulsiveness—but she didn’t have it in her to go easy on him in that moment. Not when he’d hurt them both so badly. Not when he’d stolen years from them.

  “Never have I ever felt for another man what I felt for you at eighteen.” Her finger went up even as she jerked out of his embrace. “Never! But you decided to be an idiot and take it upon yourself to deny us that—and don’t tell me you didn’t feel the same exact way, because you wouldn’t have run for so long or so far if you didn’t.” She spun around then spun back, her finger waving as she ranted. “And you wouldn’t be right back in my life the moment you did get back.”

  “You’re right.”

  “And another thing,” she growled. “Have I told you how fucking stupid it was for you to leave?”

  She paced away then back, her irritation growing with every step. Kelsey didn’t even fully grasp why she was upset, other than this vague notion that he denied them something they’d both wanted, and he’d done it for a long time.

  “What if Bas hadn’t invited you to the wedding? Huh?” She got in his face, shoved her hands against his chest, but when she went to pace away again, he kept them trapped there. “And another thing! How could you have been—”

  “So stupid?”

  His lips were twisting upward, as though he were valiantly fighting back a grin.

  Ugh.

  Even when she was furious, he was still beautiful.

  “For a brilliant woman,” he murmured. “Your arguments can use some work.”

  She opened her mouth to argue that statement—or more realistically, probably to call him stupid again—but then Tanner lowered his head and kissed her. Suddenly, there were other things on her mind aside from stupidity. Namely, how good it felt to be in his arms, his tongue rubbing against hers.

  Eventually they had to do something stupid—aka breathe—and so Kels pulled away.

  Tanner cupped her cheek, their lips only a hairsbreadth apart, hot, rapid breaths brushing each other’s skin.

  “Stupid,” he murmured. “I know.”

  She chuckled.

  “I love you.”

  She stiffened, reared back. “What?”

  “Since forever,” he said, hand sliding to her nape. “You know my parents,” he said. “Know what they were like. They never told me they loved me.” She sucked in a breath. She’d known they were selfish assholes, but she hadn’t known they were that cruel. “Not once did I hear they were proud. And it took me a long time to understand that I’d taken that inside me, thought that it meant I wasn’t worthy of love rather than realizing that they just weren’t capable of giving it.”

  Her heart pounded in her chest. “How did you learn that?”

  “You, babe.” His fingers squeezed lightly. “Your mom. Your brothers. Your dad.” Her eyes burned as he kept talking. “Do you know the first person who told me they loved me? Your mom. The first who said he was proud of me? Your dad. The first person to make me feel like I wasn’t the most pathetic lost cause in the world and might actually be worth something? You.” The tears spilled over. “So yeah, I panicked when I realized I had all these big feelings and didn’t know how to cope. I was so fucking stupid to not have talked about it with you or your parents or your brothers. Instead, I ran and kept contact to a minimum, thinking that at least if I had them and you in that limited way, even I couldn’t fuck it up.”

  He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks.

  “I was wrong. I missed—”

  Kels rose on tiptoe so she could press her mouth to his. “You’re here now,” she said, dropping back down and taking his hand in hers. “Also, I’ve loved you since you helped me patch up my knee when I was eight years old.”

  She’d begun leading him over to the couch, but at her words, he froze. “What—?”

  “Later,” she murmured. “Right now, it’s time for pizza.”

  He blinked. “Pizza?”

  Kels nodded, knowing the admissions had rubbed them both raw and they needed time to process. “Pizza. Then a movie. Then you’re going to hold me again while we sleep.” She ticked off the orders on her fingers. “Think you can handle that, Pearson?”

  “You okay?” he asked.

  She nodded again.

  “Then yes, I can handle it.”

  So they ordered a pizza—of which, Kelsey ate way more than she’d expected considering how sick she’d been just a day before.

  Then they watched a movie—an older superhero one that Tanner had missed out on while in the wilderness somewhere.

  Then she went to sleep with Tanner’s arms around her.

  It was the best rest she’d ever gotten.

  Sixteen

  Tanner

  When Kelsey’s alarm went off, he half-expected to have succumbed to the flu that had taken her out. But he woke with a clear head and no fever in sight, feeling more rested than . . . well, ever.

  He especially liked the part where Kels rolled over and pressed a kiss to his mouth, leg slipping over his hips to get
even closer. They kissed for a while, and he got a glimpse of blue lace under her pajama bottoms when he slipped his fingers between her thighs. She was so wet and hot and responsive that he almost came in his boxer briefs as he stroked her.

  But then she toppled over the edge, and he got to kiss her as she found her way back down to earth.

  Best morning ever.

  Especially when he held her afterward and they talked about nothing for a bit, the movie, television shows she apparently needed to educate him on, his favorite place he’d visited. Eventually, she asked where he’d gone the previous day, and when he told her he went to get clothes from his hotel room, she shyly suggested that he get the rest of his things and stay at her place until he figured out what he was going to do apartment-wise.

  Some might say too soon.

  Tanner would tell them they’d waited nine years.

  That was long enough.

  Now, he was walking her to her office, his camera in his hand and the sun just rising over the hills in the distance.

  “Text you later for lunch?” he asked.

  Kels winced. “Can’t. I’ll have too much work, so I’ll order in and eat through lunch.”

  “Dinner then.”

  “I might be really late.”

  He dropped a kiss to her nose. “Then we’ll eat really late. Do what you need to do, sweetheart. I’ll be waiting when you’re done.”

  She nibbled at her bottom lip, and that meant he had to kiss the small hurt better, and so it was several long minutes before they came up for air and he watched her walk into the office building.

  She waved from behind the glass windows, and Tan’s heart squeezed.

  Yeah, best morning ever.

  His plans for a late dinner didn’t materialize, mainly because he’d ordered takeout around nine, then jetlag had reared its ugly head, and he’d barely managed to stay up for its arrival.

  He’d left it on the counter, along with plates and forks, then retreated to Kels’ couch to watch a show and wait up for her.

  Which had worked about zero percent.

  She’d woken him up whenever she’d gotten home then left him early that morning with a soft kiss. The wedding was that night, and she had a full day’s work to get in before heading over to Rachel’s.

  Tanner understood, just as he understood Bas and Rachel’s reasoning for a wedding on a Friday night. Their jobs were intense, projects were vast, and they wanted to make the most of their honeymoon by sandwiching it between two weekends. But thinking about not seeing Kelsey until she walked down the aisle that afternoon for the rehearsal stung. Plus, he wouldn’t even be allowed to be alone with her after. The girls would all be swept away for hair and makeup while he did “guy stuff” with the male half of the Scott contingent.

  Normally he liked “guy stuff.” Or at least he had before it encroached on his time with his girl.

  Then it sucked.

  Still, he’d dealt with being apart from her for nine years, so he could deal with one more day.

  In the meantime, he was going to call Tom, tell him he’d be sending him some photos to shop around for publication and that he’d take some jobs, but only so long as they were near the city.

  He knew that some of the Hollywood types had big houses up in the hills around San Francisco, so if they wanted to hire him for some shoots, he was game.

  His agent picked up his phone on the first ring. “Tanner,” he said. “Let me guess, you’ve finally come to your senses?”

  Tan chose not to touch that one. “I’m sending you some pictures. Shop them.”

  A beat then, “That’s it?”

  “No.” Tanner sighed. “I’m at my friend Sebastian’s wedding in San Francisco tonight and busy this weekend, but starting next week, if you have any inquiries for the Bay Area, I’ll begin considering them.”

  “You’re in California?” Tom asked. “How about coming to L.A.?”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “I said the Bay Area.” Tanner tried to moderate his tone. Tom was great at his job, but he was also good at steamrolling his clients into doing what he wanted them to do . . . and sometimes forgetting what they wanted.

  But so long as Tan was explicitly clear with his agent, Tom seemed to get the message.

  “No Los Angeles. Or Seattle. Or New York,” he said. “Not right now, anyway. I’m not saying I’ll take the jobs you offer because I need the break, but I will say that shooting in the city has reminded me of why I like photography again.”

  “Oh good. That’s good.”

  “So, make some inquiries about the photos I send you, put together a job list, and I’ll let you know if any of them interest me enough to pull me from my break.”

  “Consider it done,” Tom said then hesitated. “Just to be clear. No L.A.?”

  Tanner rolled his eyes and hung up the phone.

  Then he grabbed his camera and headed out the door. There was an entire city to photograph, and he intended to find every nook and cranny.

  Seventeen

  Kelsey

  She poked her head outside of the bride’s room, made sure the coast was clear, then tiptoed down the hall. Her heels were still inside, along with the bride, Kelsey’s mom, and Heather, the maid of honor.

  The wedding was starting in less than an hour, but she’d gotten a text from Tanner, telling her it was urgent that she come and meet him.

  Fuck. Her brother better not have gotten cold feet.

  “Psst!”

  Kels turned, saw the shadowy figure in the open doorway. “I swear to God, Tanner, you are asking for a matching bruise on the other side of your jaw.”

  He tugged her into the room and slammed the door shut.

  Then had the inane thought that she was glad she hadn’t put on her lipstick yet because Tanner’s mouth came down on hers, and he somehow kissed her like it was the first time all over again.

  Heart threatening to pound out of her chest by the time they finally broke apart, she looked up at him curiously. “What was that for?”

  “I missed you.”

  Now her heart skipped a beat, but she played it cool.

  “Meh.”

  He grinned. “Meh? That’s all I warrant?”

  She floated closer, her breasts rubbing his chest. “I’ve had you around a few days now, I’ve over it.”

  Tan snorted and reached for her hair.

  Kels jumped back. “Don’t you dare!”

  “What?”

  “The wedding’s in less than an hour,” she exclaimed. “I barely have time to put on my lipstick, let alone fix my hair.”

  “An hour, you say?”

  “Tanner,” she warned.

  His fingers brushed along the sweetheart neckline of the lilac bridesmaid dress she wore. Her previous supposition that Rachel had already purchased the dress had been right. It was also gorgeous and fit like a glove. “I like this.”

  “Because you can do that?”

  A nod. “But also because I can do this.”

  This meaning slipping his hand beneath the skirt.

  “Tanner,” she said again. Okay, moaned. It was definitely a moan.

  “I like baby better.” His fingers slid beneath her panties. “Please, tell me these are the purple ones.” He flicked up the skirt and groaned when he saw that she was indeed wearing a dark violet lace thong. “Thank you, God.”

  “How did . . . you know I had . . . purple underwear?” she asked, and it was punctuated with gasps as his fingers moved along her dripping pussy.

  “Because I looked.”

  “Not now.” She groaned when he circled her clit. “You knew before you looked.”

  “Because I looked in your underwear drawer.”

  She gasped.

  He grinned.

  “Perv.”

  “You like it.”

  If it got his fingers inside her like this, then, yes, she had to admit she liked it. Very much so. But she also had to admit that she’d com
e prepared for just this eventuality.

  Reaching for the side zip on her dress, she slid it down, releasing her hold on the fabric so it puddled around her.

  Tan had jumped back when her clothes had started falling off, probably thinking he’d broken something, so she took the chance to scoop it up and hang it on the doorknob, thus preventing the wedding photographer from having to do more work by editing out wrinkles alongside bruises.

  “Baby?” he asked.

  She reached into her bra and pulled out the condom she’d stashed there earlier.

  Of course, she’d been planning on a coat closet or similar post-wedding, but this was even better. Bad bridesmaid etiquette, but she figured Rachel would understand.

  She unhooked her bra.

  Tanner didn’t run.

  She took a step closer.

  He took one toward her.

  She reached for the waistband of her panties.

  “You’re never going to let me undress you, are you?”

  Kelsey burst out laughing and when Tanner’s mouth hit hers, he was laughing, too. The amusement wasn’t long-lasting, however, because his tongue drove in, rubbing alongside hers at the same time, his hand shoved down the dark purple lace. She was naked and he was fully clothed, and so she began unbuttoning his shirt as quickly as possible.

  Not an easy task when she was holding the condom and he was still kissing her, his hands cupping her breasts.

  She cried out when he rolled her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers, moaned when he broke off the kiss to suck one deeply into his mouth, forgot about his shirt altogether when his fingers slid back between her thighs.

  Then it was all about his pants.

  Wrestling the button open, yanking the zipper down, freeing the glorious hot length of him.

  She tore open the condom with her teeth and rolled it over his cock.

  “Baby,” she panted, looking around frantically for any place he could take her without ruining the hairstylist’s work. Table. Bad idea. Wall. No good. Well, good, but not for her hair. A counter would work or a chair or—

  Tanner sank to the ground, shoving his pants down to his thighs as he went.