Tempting The Billionaire (The Sherbrookes of Newport Book 13)

by Christina Tetreault

  Somehow he heard the chime when the elevator doors opened despite his heartbeat throbbing in his ears. If Courtney heard it, she gave no indication. Tearing his mouth away, Josh nodded toward the open doors once she opened her eyes.

  Without saying a word, she reached for his hand and stepped out of the elevator and into a living room larger than his entire suite. While furnished in a similar manner, it was obvious the room contained a lot of personal touches, meaning only members of the Sherbrooke family used this part of the hotel. Hell, since it was where Courtney was staying, the suite might belong to her. She had mentioned earlier that Hawaii was one of her favorite places to visit. Maybe he’d ask her later.

  “Do you want to order dessert now or later?” Much like downstairs, a hint of uncertainty lurked in her voice.

  Let her set the pace. You’ve got all night. Despite his discomfort, he wanted her to enjoy their time too, even if it meant letting her take control.

  “Whatever you want.”

  She didn’t answer with words. Instead, she pressed her lips against the side of his neck and slowly seared a path up. When she reached his earlobe, she ran her tongue across it before closing her lips around it and sucking. Instantly the images of her doing the same on another part of his body filled his head, and he groaned as he cupped her breast in his right hand. Through the thin fabric of her sundress, her nipple pressed into his palm. He let his hand linger there for a few moments as he learned the shape and feel of her breast before he slipped his finger inside her bra.

  Releasing his ear, Courtney’s lips came down on his as her fingers worked to undo the buttons on his shirt. When she finished, she pushed his shirt off his shoulders and pulled away, dislodging his hand.

  The words “one of us is overdressed” were almost of out his mouth when her eyes met his, and she reached for the zipper of her dress. Although he wanted nothing more than to assist her, he kept his arms by his side and waited. Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait long. Once the zipper was down, she slipped the straps from her shoulders and let the fabric fall to the floor before releasing the clasp of her bra and tossing it aside. His eyes dropped from her eyes to her shoulders and then to her breasts. He allowed his gaze to linger there while thinking about all the ways he’d pleasure them before moving on. This time he allowed his hands to travel with his eyes. He felt her sharp intake of breath as his fingers made a path down her ribs and over her stomach toward the edge of her lace panties. Josh paused for a moment, giving her the opportunity to tell him to stop. When she remained silent, he traveled lower, pushed the material aside, and slipped one finger inside her.

  “Do you prefer white or red?” Courtney sat up and looked over at him.

  “Let’s go with white.”

  Leaning over, she kissed him before standing up. Rather than leave though, she pulled open the glass doors leading outside. “I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. Do you want me to order room service or just get us something from the kitchen?”

  After all their physical activity since coming upstairs, he was ready for an entire meal, never mind a snack. “Whatever you have in the kitchen is fine.”

  Grabbing a short bathrobe from the closet, she slipped it on and, much to his disappointment, tied it closed. Then she stopped alongside the bed and leaned down. “Be right back,” she promised before kissing him again.

  Unable to help himself, Josh reached under the robe and touched her. At first, she closed her eyes and allowed him to tease her. He was about to pull her back into bed when she stepped away. “Food first.”

  He watched her leave the room before flopping onto his back and staring at the ceiling as the ocean breeze cooled his heated body. Based on the way she’d invited him upstairs, he’d expected her to be a passive lover. There was nothing passive about the way Courtney made love. She knew what she wanted and let him know. Not only that, she knew exactly how to push him to the brink and then pleasure him even more before finally sending him over the edge. He’d slept with a lot of women, and it might sound clichéd, but she’d rocked his world like no other woman ever had. He didn’t know how long she planned to stay in Hawaii, but he hoped it was for at least several days, because one night with her would not be enough. Not by a long shot.

  Is that the best of ideas? the annoying, responsible voice in his head once again asked him. It had spoken up during dinner as well and reminded him that this was his friend Trent’s cousin. While Josh had numerous acquaintances, the list of people he considered friends was short, and he’d like to keep Trent on it. Sleeping with his buddy’s cousin might make things between them awkward.

  On the other hand, what were the odds he’d ever find out? The guy didn’t spend his time reading tabloid magazines, and Josh sure as hell would never tell him. He didn’t think Courtney would either. And if Trent found out, it might not bother him. After all, they were all consenting adults.

  Courtney entered the room carrying a tray and put an end to his thoughts. “I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I got an assortment of things.” After setting the tray on the nightstand, she handed him a glass of wine and sat down next to him.

  Josh took a sip and considered his words. He wasn’t looking for anything long-term. He’d tried that once, and it hadn’t ended well. At the same time, he didn’t want his time with Courtney to be just a one-night thing either.

  “I’m not fussy.” He glanced over at the assortment of foods. He didn’t know how long she’d been there, but she had a well-stocked kitchen. Reaching around her, he grabbed a strawberry. “Do you have any plans for tomorrow?”

  “My goal for the next two weeks is to just play it by ear.” She sipped her drink before setting it aside and adding grapes and cheese to a small plate.

  He planned to stay for the next two weeks too before flying back to Maine and making sure everything was ready there before he picked up his four-year-old daughter, who’d be staying with him for a month. “Is that how long you’re staying?”

  Courtney nodded as she popped a grape in her mouth. “I want to be back in time for the election. My cousin is running for the Senate,” she added once she swallowed.

  He didn’t bother with politics. In his opinion, the people in Washington were a lot like preschoolers all fighting to get their own way. However, even he’d heard about the upcoming election involving her cousin.

  “A friend of mine keeps a sailboat here. I’m taking it out tomorrow.” Josh touched her knee and then ran his fingers up her thigh and under the hem of her robe. He didn’t stop until he reached the junction between her legs. He heard her sharp intake of breath and smiled as he teased her. “Do you want to join me?”

  Three

  January 2

  You’re meeting with his brother. Josh won’t be there. For all she knew, Josh might not even be in New England at the moment. He might have taken his daughter, who was staying with him until the end of the month, to the theme parks in Florida or California. Despite knowing this, the butterflies in her stomach refused to disappear. She hadn’t seen or talked to Josh since their last night together in Hawaii. Countless times though she’d pulled up his contact information, which was still stored in her phone, and considered calling him. But each time she reminded herself that Josh Williamson didn’t do permanent relationships. And although there’d seemed to be more between them than pure physical enjoyment, it had probably been all one-sided, since he hadn’t asked to see her once they returned to their real lives. The fact he’d never called her reinforced her assumption their time in Hawaii together had been nothing more than a fun way for him to pass some time.

  “What’s wrong?” Addie, her cousin Trent’s wife, asked. Since Courtney started her new position, they often had lunch together. Addie’s interior design firm was located in the same building as the Helping Hands Foundation. Today they’d opted for Ambrosia, the pastry shop and café on Benefit Street owned by Addie’s family.

  Shaking her head, Courtney reached for her hot chocolate and not
for the first time wished her family had settled someplace warm and tropical. When she woke up this morning, the weather app on her phone claimed it was ten degrees, but thanks to the windchill factor, it felt like negative two. Even now at one o’clock in the afternoon, the temperature only hovered around twenty-three, which was still a far cry from the seventy-seven degrees her weather app said Hawaii was experiencing today.

  “Could’ve fooled me. I’ve asked you the same question twice now.”

  Had she? Honestly, Courtney didn’t know. “Sorry, I zoned out there for a minute.” If thinking about Josh and their time together could truly be classified as zoning out, she did it way more than she should. “What was your question?”

  “I asked if you wanted to come by for dinner Saturday night. My brother Tom is going to be in town, and he’s staying with us instead of with my mom and dad.”

  The youngest of the family, Addie had four older brothers, and sometimes Courtney wondered how she’d survived. She had just one, and growing up, Scott could be the most annoying person alive, but at least she’d had a sister to help her annoy Scott right back. She’d only met Tom once, and it had been at Addie’s and Trent’s wedding. From what she remembered, he looked a lot like his brother Rock, who was engaged to her cousin Allison, but had been a little more easygoing.

  “At the moment I don’t have any plans for the weekend.”

  “Excellent, then I’ll see you Saturday night?”

  Something’s up. It wasn’t Addie’s words but her tone that suggested she was planning something other than a nice family get-together. “Who else will be there?”

  Suddenly the half-finished sandwich on Addie’s plate became the most interesting thing in the world. “As of right now, just Trent, me, Kendrick, and Tom.”

  Since Kendrick was Addie and Trent’s young son, he didn’t count. “Are you playing matchmaker again?”

  On two different occasions, Addie had played cupid, and in both instances, the couples had ended up engaged. If that was Addie’s intention now, Courtney appreciated the thought, but she wasn’t interested.

  “No.”

  In Courtney’s opinion, the denial came a little too quickly. “Really?”

  “Fine, maybe a little. But I did also invite Gray and Kiera as well as Derek and Brooklyn. Derek and Brooklyn can’t come; they already have plans. Gray’s going to let me know by tomorrow.”

  Courtney truly enjoyed spending time with her cousin, his wife, and son. Countless times since her move back to Providence, she’d spent time at their place. She hated to deny herself another enjoyable evening with them. “I’ll come as long as you promise not to force Tom and me together.”

  “Fair enough. It probably isn’t a good idea anyway. Tom will only be in town for the week.”

  Addie appeared deep in thought as she reached for the other half of her sandwich, and Courtney simply couldn’t resist. “Trying to decide on your next victim, Cupid?” she asked.

  Shaking her head, Addie laughed. “No, just trying to decide if I should ask you something I promised myself I wouldn’t.”

  Okay, a comment like that would get anyone’s attention. “Go for it.” It wasn’t like she had any secrets.

  “I was scrolling through the internet yesterday and came across an article about Josh Williamson. According to the article, he’s been keeping a low profile for the past few weeks and no one has seen him with anyone since you.”

  Delight snuck its way into her chest. Since her return from Hawaii, she’d gone out of her way to avoid any sites that might mention Josh and who he was spending time with.

  “And I wondered if that was because the two of you were together,” Addie said.

  She’d known going in that she’d be just another woman as far as Josh was concerned. Unfortunately, that didn’t change the fact she wished the opposite was true. “Nope. We haven’t talked since I was on vacation.”

  “You could always call him, Courtney.”

  She could, but she wouldn’t. “Did I miss the memo that said I wanted to talk to him?”

  “No.” Addie drew out the word before continuing. “But I saw the pictures of you two together. I know you. Regardless of how good the sex was, you wouldn’t have spent so much time with him if you didn’t like him. Maybe your sister would have, but not you.”

  How did she respond to that? “We had fun together, but we’re not compatible long-term. Besides, he’s too much like Trent was before he met you. Even if I wanted a relationship with him, he wouldn’t be interested.”

  “Key word there, my friend, is before Trent met me. Maybe you’re the person Josh needs to settle down.” Courtney opened her mouth, a rebuttal prepared, but Addie didn’t give her a chance to speak. Instead, she held up her hands and continued. “I promise not to bring up the subject again, but think about what I said.”

  Addie’s words bounced around in her head throughout the rest of their lunch. Even as she prepared what she needed for her meeting with Evan Williamson, Josh’s older brother, they haunted her. Trent had been like Josh in almost every way. It had taken meeting the right person for him to change and settle down. The same might be true of Josh—not that Courtney believed she was the one for him, but they did have a lot in common, and they’d had a lot of fun together both in and out of the bedroom. Maybe she should call him and just see what happened.

  Later, when she wasn’t about to head off to a meeting with his brother, she’d give it more thought. Right now she had her meeting at Epic Gaming to focus on.

  Rather than have his assistant call and set things up, Evan had called himself. He claimed he wanted to partner up with the foundation and help with its charity programs. She’d agreed to the meeting immediately, even though the idea of sitting across from Josh’s brother unnerved her a bit. The chances of Evan not knowing about her little fling with his younger brother were virtually nonexistent.

  Josh listened to his attorney and once again wondered what the hell his ex-girlfriend, Naomi, was thinking. For the past three and half years, they’d shared custody of their daughter without any problems. They even made an effort to spend the major holidays and Adalynn’s birthday together whenever possible so she could celebrate with both of them. Well, they had until Naomi moved in with her fiancé. Still, not once in all that time had Naomi suggested she would file for sole custody someday. Yet, she’d done just that right before he arrived home from Hawaii last month. So rather than arriving home and spending a few days making sure everything was ready for Adalynn’s visit before picking his daughter up the day after Christmas, he arrived home to a letter listing the date and time to report to the courthouse. Unfortunately Judge Dennis Wilkins, who’d heard their case, had a known track record of always ruling in the mother’s favor regardless of the facts. Between that and the fact Naomi’s lawyer claimed things that were not true, it hadn’t surprised him when the judge awarded Naomi temporary sole custody until either their next court date or, as Josh hoped, Naomi changed her mind, because the last thing he wanted was the media to learn about this. If they did, they’d drag his daughter into the limelight. Unfortunately, that had been weeks ago, and so far, Naomi hadn’t dropped her suit.

  “If anything changes, I’ll be in touch,” David Kensington, Josh’s attorney, said.

  “Thanks.” Ending the call, Josh resisted the urge to hurl the cell phone across the room and instead placed it down on the conference table.

  “Any new updates?” Evan, his older brother, asked.

  At the moment, they, along with Pauline Carten, Josh’s publicist, were seated inside Evan’s downtown Providence office. While Josh had taken after their mother and her love of acting, Evan had inherited their father’s entrepreneurial spirit. His most recent endeavor was a video and computer game company. It, like all of Evan’s previous endeavors, was doing phenomenally well.

  Shaking his head, Josh reached for his coffee, but rather than take a sip, he set the cup back down. Right now his stomach was so much of a mess, he
wasn’t sure adding anything to it was a good idea. “Just more of the same.”

  Frequently movie roles forced him to pretend to be in love with a woman. He regularly kissed costars and appeared in intimate situations with them while the cameras rolled. It never caused him sleepless nights or upset stomachs, because it was his job. What they planned to propose in this meeting was something else entirely, and he’d been having second and third thoughts about it all week.

  Courtney’s perfect for the role. For at least the tenth time since he agreed to the plan, he reminded himself of this fact. Her reputation was without a single blemish, and the media had already circulated several pictures of them together in Hawaii, making it easier for them to pull off the charade. Perfect or not, his conscience kept jabbing him, urging him to rethink the plan.

  They’d been almost inseparable while in Hawaii. While they’d spent every night together in either her suite or his, they’d spent their days outside doing everything from surfing and sailing to lounging by the pool. And for the first time in longer than he cared to admit, he’d felt connected to a woman. He’d not only enjoyed making love to her, but he’d enjoyed talking and spending time with her. Despite their different personalities, they had a lot in common. When he’d left her suite his final night in Hawaii, he’d considered asking if she wanted to continue their relationship once they returned home. He’d kept his mouth shut though, because she’d said nothing to make him think their time together was anything more than a fun fling while on vacation.