Engaged to the Billionaire

by Cora Bell

  It hit me out of nowhere. I didn’t just want a contract or an agreement with Isabelle, I wanted her. Forever.

  I drove into her heat, making her gasp, and the groaned at how good it felt.

  “Yes, Nick,” she murmured, lifting her hips to meet mine.

  I reached out to capture her wrists and pin them to the seat above her while I pumped my hips against hers.

  “Fuck, Isabelle. You’re so tight.”

  She fit me like a glove, one I never wanted to take off. With her hands trapped in my grip, all she could do was shove her hips against mine with every thrust. The pleasure it gave her filled me with purpose, and I moved faster, a piston against her half-naked body.

  The urge for release built inside me, culminating to the point that I couldn’t hold back anymore. I released her wrists and leaned down to kiss her again while I thrust one last time.

  I caught her moan in my mouth as she came, letting myself go over the edge at the same time. Her body shuddered against mine. I wrapped my arms around her as the orgasm overtook me, both of our hearts racing together as we peaked.

  After another moment, she smoothed her fingers through my hair and kissed my lips. I was still inside of her, enjoying the warmth of her around me.

  “How do you feel?” I asked her.

  She smiled, eyes looking dreamy. “Better than I have in a while.”

  “Is that so?”

  “My mom is feeling better, I feel less stressed and that…” Her lips curved. “That was very nice.”

  “There’s more where that came from.”

  She laughed and then shifted on the seat when I moved off the top of her. I helped her fix her dress and pulled on my pants. I instructed the driver to head back home, loving that Isabelle was going there with me.

  Once we arrived, I took her hand in mine and walked with her inside and to the elevator. She looked so used, it made me want her again.

  But then guilt flickered. I wasn’t exactly telling her the truth about this whole situation, not to mention the fact that I hadn’t followed any of the rules of the contract—or at least not most of them.

  It was for the good of our relationship, though. I wanted Isabelle to want me for me. If she knew I’d made up what I had to get her to stay here or knew that the contract meant nothing to me because I wanted more than business with her, she might change her mind.

  And right now, with how things were going, I couldn’t risk it.

  “Hey,” Isabelle said, squeezing my hand. “You okay?”

  I flashed her my most charming smile. “I was just deciding whether I wanted a shower with you first or after.”

  “After?”

  My grin widened. “You really think you can stand there looking like that and I won’t want you again?”

  She blushed, relieving me because she wasn’t suspicious.

  “You do that every time I say I want you,” I told her. The elevator door opened, and I pulled her out. “Why’s that?”

  Isabelle shrugged. She glanced down at herself. “You’re…super-hot bachelor—the one every woman wants. And I’m…just me.”

  “Seriously? Have you been telling yourself that bullshit all your life? Because it’s not true.” I lifted her chin when she looked down. “Isabelle, you’re beautiful. So beautiful it hurts.”

  Her eyes searched mine, as if trying to figure out whether or not I was telling the truth. “It’s hard for me to believe. I’m usually the reliable one, the dependable one. Not the…”

  “Sexy one? The one I want to fuck over and over again because I can’t get enough?”

  Her eyes lit with amusement. “Not exactly the words I was looking for, but that works.”

  “Dammit. If anyone ever made you believe that wasn’t true, they’re shit for doing it. And to prove it to you, we’re going to kill two birds with one stone.”

  I tugged her hand, urging her to follow me to my bathroom. We were going to get our shower and I was going to fuck her there at the same time. And maybe afterward in her bed if she’d let me.

  I unzipped her dress and let it fall into a pool of red on the floor. Then I got to see her wearing that lacy black bra and panties, which made me hard again.

  “Fuck,” I hissed. “I can’t help myself.”

  I rushed to get out of my clothes and get her in the shower. Steam billowed around us, and I relished each moan she made as I kissed every inch of her body. Then I swiveled her so she was facing the wall of the shower and ran my hands down her spine and to her ass.

  I gave it a squeeze before pressing her back so she’d lean over just slightly. She gasped when I entered her from behind.

  “Shit, that feels good,” I told her, my hands slick on her body.

  “Nick…yes…”

  I smiled and rocked my hips against hers, letting one hand reach around to squeeze her tit. Fuck, this was hot. She was fulfilling every fantasy I’d ever had. And it was even better because she was mine. She was what I wanted for the rest of my life, even if I couldn’t tell her that yet.

  She cried out when the orgasm hit her, and I let myself go, pouring inside of her once more and holding her tight. This. This was everything, and I needed it more than I needed air.

  When we were finished, I gestured. “You want me to walk you to your room, or…”

  “Can I stay in here with you?” she asked, looking shy.

  “Fuck, yes. And you’ll stay in here with me from now on.”

  She climbed into bed naked, and I curled my body around hers. We were making progress. Soon I’d be able to rip up that ridiculous contract and tell her the truth.

  That I loved her, and I wanted her to be mine forever.

  Chapter 11

  I stayed busy the next several days. I’d visit my mom in the mornings while Nick was at work and continue walking dogs in the afternoon because it gave me a modicum of purpose. And the evenings and nights…those were filled with Nick. We talked about frivolous things, ate, drank, laughed, and made love. It was so perfect and so…not what I expected that I was starting to worry.

  He’d hired me to be professional. I’d even signed a contract saying I would be. This was just business.

  Which meant I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with Nick Holden. Kind of hard not to when he was everything I wanted in a man. Not only that, he filled that void in my life I’d been unable to fill for all these years. He meant so much to me, I knew I needed to do something.

  I needed… I wasn’t sure. But how I was feeling was wrong.

  I hadn’t even told my mom about our arrangement because I knew it was too good to be true. I couldn’t keep up the ruse much longer.

  But if I didn’t, then where would I be? I wouldn’t have the money I needed to pay off my mother’s surgery.

  Shit.

  It was a conundrum, for sure. And I was kind of getting used to being the sexy, unpredictable Isabelle Davis. Which meant it would be easy for me to keep pretending I was in this as a professional instead of falling in love.

  But that would be dishonest, and I wasn’t sure I could do that either. Not the real, true Isabelle Davis.

  I was leaving the hospital when my phone rang. I glanced at the screen. Nick. Fuck. We were supposed to go out to dinner tonight. A whole seven hours away. If I didn’t talk to him soon, I’d probably lose my nerve.

  “Hello?” I answered.

  His smiling voice came back to me, making my heart clench. “Hey, sexy. I just thought I’d check in. How’s your mom?”

  “She’s good. The doctor said she’s on track to go home soon.”

  “Oh.” He cleared his throat. “Good. I mean, that’s great. I’m glad she’s healing so fast.”

  “Me too,” I said, though my stomach clenched. What was that? He’d sounded almost…disappointed? Why would he sound like that?

  “We still good for dinner tonight?”

  I took a deep breath before answer. “Yes. I have something I want to talk to you about.”

  “
Oh,” he said again, sounding once more like there was something he wasn’t telling me. “I have a little time at lunch—”

  “No, it’s fine,” I said, getting into my car. “It’s no big deal.”

  “I always have time for you, Isabelle. If you’re already on your way out, stop by. Come up to my office. I’ll order something.”

  Shit. I mean, it made sense to just do this. Rip the Band-aid off and tell him how I really felt. Or at least tell him I couldn’t take the money. Was I really ready for that?

  I shook my head. It didn’t matter. It was the right thing to do. The honest thing.

  “Sure. Great. I’ll be there soon,” I told him.

  I focused on driving while mentally going over exactly what I was going to say. But none of it sounded right. Or rather, none of it sounded like something that was going to help the situation. If I told him to tear up the contract, I didn’t get the money. If I told him I was starting to have real, serious feelings for him, it voided the contract.

  Either way, it meant my mom’s surgery wouldn’t get paid for.

  But what was the other option? Lie? Convince myself and Nick that I could still be professional? Because I wasn’t sure I could. Not when his hands were on me. Not when he offered to walk dogs with me so we could spend time together. Not when I saw what a decent man he was.

  I was a ball of nerves by the time I got to Nick’s office. I’d gone back and forth about the contract, and now I wasn’t sure what to do.

  Mrs. Claybourne announced me when I arrived, and Nick told her to send me in. I gave her a wobbly smile before entering his office.

  Nick was already walking over from his desk, and once the door was shut, his arms were around me. He kissed me like we hadn’t seen each other in years instead of hours.

  “This,” he said, brushing his lips on my cheek, “is a good idea. We should do lunch more often. Hungry?”

  I glanced to the table where he gestured. There were several boxes of food, and even a salad. “Wow, you’re…quick.”

  “I bribed the restaurant to rush the food over. Did you drive here?”

  “Yes,” I admitted, already knowing he was going to chide me.

  He sighed. “That’s why we have Andrew. He’ll drive you to the hospital or wherever you want to go.”

  “I know. I just…needed time to think.”

  He smiled. “And driving helps you do that?”

  I nodded.

  “Well, obviously there was something you needed to think about today.” He gestured to the table again. “Sit. We can talk while we eat.”

  I wrung my hands but did as he suggested. My stomach was a ball of nerves, however. I didn’t know how much I’d be able to eat.

  “You’re keeping me in suspense,” Nick said, pushing a plate in my direction. “Tell me.”

  I swallowed hard. Like it was that easy. Just tell him how I felt about him. And risk my mom’s entire future.

  No, I reminded myself, she already got her surgery. She’s doing better. Things could be so much worse. If I had to, I could talk to the hospital about a payment plan. We’d figure things out. She was better—that was what was important.

  I opened my mouth, but it wouldn’t come out. My mom might be better, but what about Nick and I? I was falling in love with him. If I told him the truth, I’d risk losing him. All this might be over.

  Nick reached out and took my hand. His eyes crinkled with a smile. “It can’t be that bad, can it?”

  “No,” I said, shaking my head. I couldn’t do it. I had to lie. “It’s not bad at all. I was just thinking about the whole reason I came to your office in the first place.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Becca.”

  He angled his head. “Right. She was here for the interview.”

  I nodded. “The interview I got the job for.”

  He grinned. “Sorry, Isabelle, it was meant to be. You’re perfect for the job.”

  Not as perfect as he thought. I shrugged. “Well, in all honesty, she’s very qualified. I mean, professionally. I…”

  He squeezed my hand. “I see what you’re getting at. You think she should work for my company?”

  I nodded, relieved. Good, he was believing it. Besides that, I owed Becca this. She really was qualified for a job here. She deserved it.

  “If she’s anything like you, she’ll be perfect,” Nick said, releasing my hand and opening one of the boxes of food.

  She was nothing like me because she wasn’t a liar.

  Nick smiled at me. “I’ll set up an interview with her soon.”

  I returned the smile with a thin one of my own. Dammit. This wasn’t going how I expected at all.

  You need to tell him the truth, my conscience whispered to me.

  I would. I just had to build up to it. Dinner. I would do it then. And hopefully he’d see where I was coming from or we could make it work. Because the last thing I wanted to do was lose Nick.

  We finished lunch and I told him I needed to go for another dog-walking appointment. I hated to rush out of there, especially when he was trying to kiss me and touch me, but I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to collect myself before I was around him even more.

  I practically ran from his office, only casting Mrs. Claybourne a short wave as I passed, and made it quickly to the elevator. When it opened on the main floor, I nearly ran into someone when I stepped out.

  “Excuse me,” I started.

  “Excuse—oh, Isabelle Davis?”

  I looked up, unable to focus for a minute. But then I recognized the man. “Yes, I’m Isabelle. You’re…Chase, right?”

  He nodded and smiled, touching my elbow and suggesting we move out of the flow of traffic. “Right. I’m Mr. Holden’s lawyer.”

  “Of course.”

  “How are you?”

  Confused. Conflicted. Falling in love. But I only said, “Well, thanks. And you?”

  “Just fine. To be honest, I wanted to speak with you. Actually, both you and Mr. Holden. About the contract.”

  My stomach clenched. “Is something wrong?”

  “No. No, sorry. I didn’t mean to imply there was a problem. We just need your bank information, and I had a few other things I wanted to make sure you saw.”

  Oh. Well, I hadn’t looked at any part of the contract except for the money. Which made me feel like shit now that I thought about it. I wasn’t a materialistic person but the situation I found myself in made me feel like I was. Like I only cared about money.

  “We could schedule a lunch meeting with Mr. Holden, or if that doesn’t work for you, I could stop by your apartment and talk to him separately,” he said.

  I shook my head. “It’s fine. I’m staying at his place so we can probably do it there.”

  He cleared his throat. “Staying at his place?”

  “Sure. I mean, the contract…what?”

  He broke eye contact, then shrugged, indicating there was something he wasn’t telling me.

  “What is it?” I asked more firmly.

  “Well…” He glanced around like he expected Nick to come walking up to us and yell at him. “The contract specifically states you both keep to your own residences. Failing to do so would be in breach of contract.”

  It was like my heart stopped. Breach of contract? Like…the contract wouldn’t be valid anymore? And maybe even worse, Nick had lied to me. He’d told me the contract stated that we had to share the same residence. What else had he lied about?

  “I think…” I focused and forced a smile. “I’m so sorry but I have to go. I—I…” I didn’t know what else to say. But one thing I knew for sure was that I needed to read that contract.

  And if Chase was right…well, then it didn’t matter how I felt about Nick. The contract was void anyway.

  “Sorry,” I apologized before turning and running out of the building.

  Chapter 12

  Something was wrong with Isabelle. She’d been acting strange the moment she got here. And
just as strange when she left. Maybe not strange…quiet.

  Different.

  It was unsettling. I’d invited her to lunch because I needed to talk to her, too. I wanted to feel her out and see where we stood. That night at dinner, I planned on telling her we should throw away the contract and start fresh.

  A real relationship.

  But with the way she was acting today, I wasn’t sure that was the best course of action.

  Dammit. What the hell was going on? I could have sworn she had something else to say besides recommending Becca for a job here. And when I’d kissed her, her body responded how it usually did. I knew she felt something—and it seemed like it was more than just physical.

  So why was she holding back?

  My phone buzzed. “Mr. Holden. Chase Peters is here to see you.”

  “Send him in.”

  I sighed and sat at my desk. I’d forgotten Chase was stopping by today. I knew he had some things to discuss with me—and maybe Isabelle—about the contract, but I’d been avoiding him. The less Isabelle knew about the contract, the better. After all, I was hoping the contract wouldn’t matter anymore after today.

  Chase entered the office and walked straight to my desk. “Afternoon,” he said, sitting.

  I grunted out a greeting, but I was already thinking about tonight and how I was going to tell Isabelle how I really felt.

  “I just ran into Isabelle in the lobby,” Chase said with a frown.

  I snapped my attention to him. “And?”

  Chase’s frown deepened. “She mentioned that she was staying with you at your place.”

  “She is,” I agreed. “So what?”

  Chase started to open his briefcase. “The contract specifically states that you both retain separate residences and, well, stay in them. She’s not supposed to be living with you.” He shuffled through papers.

  “I know what the contract said,” I snapped at him, making him stop going through the papers. “Did you tell her that?”

  “Tell her—”