The Shameless Billionaire Series: Billionaire Romance Box Set (An Alpha-Male, Billionaire, Bad Boy, Bad Girl, Romance)

by Michelle Love

  Her hand I give a quick kiss and smile even though I’ve lied. Silas is notorious for suing performers who break his contracts. His threats are anything but idle. The last guy who broke contract lives in a van on the beach in California.

  Star Bursts

  An Alpha Billionaire Romance

  Book 7

  By Michelle Love

  Peyton

  Sterile air circulates around me and my family as we wait in a small waiting room for the surgeon to come and tell us the details of Tyler’s surgery. We’re packed in here like sardines as Levi brought his wife, Tanya and Blake brought his wife, Abby. Of course Tyler’s girlfriend, Samantha, is here and my parents.

  Kip ran out to get me a tea and I assume to call Silas as the man has threatened him with all types of things if he doesn’t make it to Denver tonight for the concert. I’ve told him to go on without me, but he refuses. I have to say I am glad he’s here though. Never did I think I’d actually feel a real need for anyone, other than my family.

  A monster sized clock ticks out the seconds on the wall, and I find it moves agonizingly slow. It’s been three hours since we arrived and still no word about Tyler. My stomach hurts as I think about him maybe being paralyzed.

  Kip appears and motions for me to come to him outside of the waiting room. I get up and go to him in the hallway. He hands me the cup and I can tell by his drooping mouth he had words with his manager.

  “I talked to Silas,” he says and fidgets with the lid of his cup of coffee.

  “You should go, Kip,” I say, but hate the fact I don’t really mean it.

  I’m not a person who usually says things that are untrue, but I don’t want to cause Kip trouble in his financial life. Although he has tons of money, the blow to his career if he’s taken to court over this would affect him for years to come.

  “I don’t want to, but I’m afraid he’s booked a private jet, and I have to be on it in four hours.” He takes my hand and holds it to his heart. “After the concert I’ll get back on the jet and come back to you. I’ve set you and your family up in a hotel, and I’ll be back around five in the morning. Then I don’t have to leave again for a couple of days. I’ll take the jet out to Cheyenne then and right back to you, once the concert is over. It’s the best I can do, love.”

  My heart is pounding at the thought of him doing so much flying back and forth for me. “Kip, that’s crazy. Just go on the bus with them. I’ll catch up to you once I know Tyler will be fine.”

  The words I’ve said kind of stick in my throat as I think about the fact Tyler may not ever be fine. The fact is he could die on the operating table or come out of there paralyzed.

  My knees buckle and I fall back against the wall. Kip’s strong arms go around me, holding me up as I begin to cry into his chest. “God damn it!” he says in a whisper. “I don’t want to leave you like this, baby.”

  “Get me away from the waiting room. I don’t want my crying to have a domino effect on the rest of my family,” I say quietly.

  Kip runs his arm around my shoulders and takes me down the hall until he sees another small, empty waiting room. “Here, love. Let’s sit down in here.”

  He takes the cup from my hand and puts the cups down and sets me on his lap. I bury my face in his neck and throw my arms around him. “He could die, Kip,” I say as I let it all loose. “Or he may never walk again.”

  He pats my back and hugs me tight as I cry. “Don’t think like that, love. He’s a tough guy. You have to try to think positive right now.”

  “What if I do and it hurts me even more if something horrible happens?” I ask through my sobs.

  His silence lets me know he has no answers and I don’t even know why I’m asking him anyway. Quietly he shushes me as he runs his hands over my back. “It’s going to be okay,” he says and then his lips touch the top of my head and I pull back and look at him.

  This is too much for how early we are in this relationship. I’m asking too much from him. I choke back my sobs and try hard to stop crying. “I’m sorry, Kip. I’m so damn sorry. You barely know me and I’ve grabbed onto you like a drowning person, pulling you under with me. This isn’t your problem, and it’s making you have issues with your job. I’ll be fine, I have my family. Go do what you have to and don’t worry about me.” I try to get off his lap, but he holds me tight.

  “Peyton, stop,” he says and pulls me back into a hug. “I want to be here for you. I don’t care about anything else. I won’t go.”

  The knot in my stomach grows even bigger and I cry a lot harder. This isn’t what I want. Not one bit. I don’t want to be that girl who has to have a man by her through every little thing. I push hard on his chest and I suppose the suddenness of it has him letting me go.

  I stand up and run away. Down the hall, away from my family and Kip. I need to be alone. I’ve become too dependent on others. I should be able to stand on my own two feet and deal with this on my own.

  I can barely see through the tears and I run into something. A large hand grips my shoulder. A deep voice says, “Aren’t you with the Reed party? Isn’t Tyler someone to you?”

  I blink back the tears and try to stop crying as I look up at the blurry man in light green. “He’s my brother.” Just the mere words make me break down again and I feel an arm go around my shoulders.

  “You got her, son?” the man asks.

  Kip’s voice I hear. “I do. Do you have news on Tyler?”

  “I do,” the man who now I know is the surgeon who was operating on my brother says. “Come with me, I like to only say things once.”

  I lean against Kip as he follows the doctor. He hands me some tissues and I blow my nose and wipe my tears away. Back into the waiting room with my family we go.

  All eyes go to the doctor. “Hello, I’m Doctor Baker. I was one of the attending surgeons for Tyler. He is in ICU at this moment. He’ll be in there for most likely a week. He had a ruptured spleen which we repaired, a couple of cracked ribs and the compression fractures on the last two vertebrae. We took a bone graft from his left hip and used it to make a spinal fusion.”

  My mother gasps and starts to cry. Dad puts his arm around her and says, “That’s a lot of things, isn’t it Doc?”

  “It is, but I’ve seen worse. We’ll know in a few hours once the anesthesia wears off if he can move his legs. We know the upper part of his body is working, so that’s something.” The doctor pauses as he searches around the room. “And who is Samantha?”

  She raises her hand like a school kid. “That’s me.”

  The doctor pulls something out of his pocket and walks over to her. “Before we knocked him out he asked me to give this to you. He said he’ll do it right once he can ask you in person, but he’d like you to wear this until then.” He hands her a black box.

  We all watch as she opens it and pulls out a diamond engagement ring. She bursts into tears and my brother Levi takes her in his arms and hugs her tight. “It’s all going to be okay, Samantha. You’re family now, we got you, kiddo.” He pulls back and his wife, Tanya, hands her some tissue.

  Tanya helps her put the ring on her finger and smiles. “Welcome to the family, sis.”

  My mother sniffles then asks, “When can we see him? I really need to see him.”

  The doctor turns to her. “You can go in two at a time in about two hours. My advice to you is to go get something to eat and return here with a lot of strength and hope. He needs you guys more than ever. I’ve noticed in other patients the ones with solid family strength do so much better than those with a bunch of weak family members who come in crying. So get it together and be strong for him. Remember that the most important thing is that he’s alive. The rest can be dealt with.”

  I nod in agreement and run my arm around Kip and lean into him even more. The doctor is right, Tyler is alive, and that’s what counts. Then Samantha breaks into sobs and Levi holds her up as she says, “I’m pregnant.”

  Everyone looks at her in stunned silenc
e. Then Kip says, “Well, congratulations!”

  And here I go crying again!

  Kip

  I hold Peyton tight as I wait for the cab to come and pick me up to take me to the airport. Never have I ever wanted not to leave someone behind in my entire life.

  “I’ll be okay,” she says as she holds onto me. “You’ve made sure my family and I will be together at the hotel and it’s only a few minutes away. I can’t thank you enough for that.”

  “I’ll be back around five in the morning so make sure to answer your phone when I call so you can let me in.” I kiss the top of her head and hold her like I never want to let her go.

  The cab is pulling up and I cup the back of her head and pull her in to kiss me. Our lips touch and a heat spreads through me like wildfire. Her arms wrap tighter around me and mine her.

  Someone clears their throat. “Excuse me, did you call for a ride to the airport, sir?”

  Reluctantly, I release her lips and her body. “I’ll be back soon, love. Stay strong.”

  She nods and steps back. “Bye, Kip.”

  Her eyes are swollen and red-rimmed. I reach out and take her hand. “You know what? I can’t leave you yet. Ride with me to the airport and then the cab can bring you back here. Come, love.” I pull at her and she stands still.

  “I can’t leave, Kip. It’s about to be my turn to go in and see him. I won’t leave.” She pulls her hand out of mine and I feel alone. Completely alone even though she’s standing right in front of me. “Call me when you land safely, will you?”

  I nod and feel a lump forming in my throat. Something about this feels so wrong. “Peyton,” I say as she turns away to walk back inside the hospital. “I love you, baby.”

  She turns back and gives me a weak smile. “I love you too, Kip. Now go do what you have to and I’ll be here. See you in the morning unless you change your mind.”

  “I’m not changing my mind, love. See you then.” I get into the cab and feel like complete shit. The very first time she needs me and I have to go. My life is running me and I’m not happy about it.

  My cell rings and it’s Silas. “Yeah,” I answer not stoked at all to be talking to him.

  “Hey, man, you on the way to the airport?”

  “Yes, boss. My girl is crying and at the most critical part of her life so far, but I am on my fuckin’ way. You got what you wanted. Now leave me the fuck alone. I’ll be there in time for the precious show.” I hang up and wish I could throw something.

  After the doctor informed us of how Tyler was, we all went out and ate. The looks Levi and Blake gave me when Peyton told them I got them all rooms near the hospital, but I would have to leave, showed the disappointment they had in me. Levi even came to me afterwards and asked me if there was no way I could make other arrangements so I could stay with Peyton.

  When I told him I had tried everything I could he let out a sigh that told me he saw how this would all end. I’m not a man who is available for her. I can’t always be around. Emergencies can’t stop my schedule. And I am not a person he thinks can be counted on.

  I’m not, it seems. Peyton deserves so much more. She deserves a man who can help her through the tough times in her life, and I can’t be that man. Maybe I should go on and do the tour and leave her alone. Maybe she’s better off without a man who can’t be there when she needs him.

  My father’s face runs through my head and I pick up my cell and give him a call. His voice sounds cheerful as he answers. “Hey there, son. How’s it hanging?”

  “Not so great, Pop.” I hesitate as that damn lump moves up in my throat. “Peyton’s brother was in an accident and he’s in the hospital.”

  “That’s awful. Is he going to be okay?” he asks.

  “He’s alive, but they aren’t sure if his legs are going to work. They won’t know for another few hours. The doctor had told us it would be sooner, but he couldn’t move them when they checked.”

  “How’s Peyton doing?” Pop asks.

  “Not well. And I had to leave. She and her family looked at me with such disappointment, Pop. I can’t really take it. I think she might be better off with someone who can be there for her.”

  “And why can’t you be there, Kip?” he asks.

  “The damn tour. Silas is holding me to the contract. He actually told me her family is really none of my concern. If it were you or Mum then he could cut me a break, but since it’s not a member of my family he can’t let me out of the concert tonight, or any of them.”

  “I told you not to sign with that jackass. So, you left her there?”

  “I had to. What else could I do? She has to be there for her family and she wants to be nowhere else and I don’t blame her. It’s sinking in really fast just how out of control my life is and I’m realizing it’s not a life I should involve anyone in.” Even as the words leave my mouth my heart tells me to stop thinking this way, but my brain tells me I have to.

  Pop sighs and says, “Maybe this is all happening too fast, you know? Maybe it would best for you to do what you have to and if she’s the right one she’ll be there in the end. Your life is complicated, and she needs to know that and see if it’s something she even wants. The life you’re leading right now isn’t a life everyone wants.”

  “I need to let her have a choice, don’t I?” I ask, but I know the answer.

  “It’s something I think is the right thing to do. If she wants to be there for her family, she can’t go on the road with you. You shouldn’t pull her right now. Let her do what she feels she needs to, and I bet that’s being there for her family,” Pop says.

  “You’re right. I’ll talk to her about things tomorrow. I have a couple of days to spend with her and maybe things will work and maybe they won’t. I can’t take her away from those she loves and love her at such a difficult time in their lives. Thanks for the talk, Pop. Love you, bye.”

  “Love you, son. Bye now.”

  My heart feels like it weighs a million pounds. We reach the airport and I go to the private jet and grab a stiff drink and lie back in the leather seat as we take off. I have to give Peyton rope. I have to let her go so she can do what she needs to, but why does it feel as if she may never find life with me to be anything she can take?

  Peyton

  The bed in the hotel room is one of the most comfortable beds I’ve ever been on, yet I still can’t seem to stay asleep. I drift off only to wake up as I realize Kip’s arms aren’t around me. His body is not behind mine, keeping me warm and safe.

  Too quickly I’ve become dependent on him. If nothing else, this has taught me I’m losing myself. I haven’t even begun my own life and here I am wrapped up in Kip so much his absence from my bed makes it hard for me to sleep.

  This is not healthy!

  My cell phone rings and I see it’s Kip. “Hi.”

  “Hey, I’m here, you want to let me in?”

  I get up and go open the door. He smiles, but he looks like hell. A little kiss he gives me then staggers towards the bathroom. “I need to wash this crap off then I’ll join you in bed, baby.”

  I make my way back to bed and feel happy he’s here, but sad that he had to go through so much to get back to me. How hard the long trip must have been for him. I feel like shit that he felt he couldn’t leave me on my own to handle this.

  He comes out of the bathroom looking beat. A dark stubble covers his face as he climbs in behind me. His arms go around me and he kisses the back of my neck. “I love you, baby,” he says in a hoarse whisper.

  “You losing your voice, babe?” I ask.

  “Shh. Let’s sleep. It’ll all be better after I rest for a while.”

  Within seconds I feel his body completely relax and small snores he makes against my neck. It’s killing me to know how much he’ll do for me. Risk his health and travel all over just for me. And now I’m pissed at my body for betraying me and find I’m falling asleep easily now he’s here with me.

  Kip

  A knock at the door wakes
me up as I hear a female voice on the other side call out, “Room service.”

  Why didn’t I put out the bloody do not disturb sign?

  I turn my head so I don’t shout in Peyton’s ear. “No thank you, come back later.”

  “Sorry,” the lady shouts back and I assume she leaves.

  My head falls back on the pillow and I realize it must be around ten or so in the morning and I’m sure Peyton wants to be back at the hospital. She’s dead to the world and I’m still tired so I lie my head back down.

  She moans and stretches in my arms. Her round ass backs up until it touches me and presses against my dick. My damn body reacts to hers even though I’m tired. I begin to grow hard and my hand roams over her breast, giving it a squeeze.

  A low groan she makes and leans even further into me. I run my hand down and stroke her softly along the folds and crevices of her southern regions. My dick hardens as I touch the edge of her vagina and find it damp.

  I kiss the back of her neck and whisper, “Wanna wake up for a minute or two, love?”

  She groans and runs her hand over mine, moving it up to her clit and pressing my fingers to it. I chuckle and kiss her neck again then give it a little nip. Moving her to lie on her back, I cover her body with mine. Her eyes never open as she runs her arms around me and I slide my dick into her wet depths.

  We both moan as I do and it hurts me how much I love this. I love the way her body and mine mold to one another’s. I hate the fact I couldn’t sleep on the jet as I kept waking up and wondering where she was. We’re too damn close and it’s seeping into my mind that it’s not a good way to live life, so dependent on someone you have to have them there even for something as simple as sleep.

  I thrust my dick deep into her cunt and with every stroke I feel more and more anger that I’ve come to need her entirely too much. I close my eyes and pound into her, fucking her hard.