The Billionaire's Bauble

by Ann Montclair

  He lifted her in his arms. Light as goose down, she reposed for a moment, before whispering, “I need to get back to work. You can carry me to my car if you want.” David shook his head no, as he strode with her into the drawing room.

  “I can’t wait any longer. Two years is too long,” he growled into her upturned, angelic face. Her eyes flashed as green as the summer pines. David had never encountered such jeweled orbs, and they mesmerized him.

  Sloane leaned her head against his chest and giggled. “Five hours is too long to wait? I need to go. Please.” Her final entreaty buckled his resolve.

  He groaned into the top of her head, his mouth tasting the delicate strands of her perfumed hair, “As you wish, sweetheart.”

  He carried Sloane through the drawing room and down the hallway to the front door. He easily maneuvered the door handle without losing his grip on her. He carried her to the car as she snuggled against his chest.

  When he reached her vehicle, he set her down gently beside it. His arms felt so empty without her fulsome form. He opened her car door, and she slipped into the driver’s seat, smiling into his desire heavy eyes.

  “See you at seven . . .” She hesitated before she spoke the word he had waited years to hear. “David.” She blushed prettily, and David could swear his own heart nearly scudded to a halt.

  “Oh, and before I forget, thank you so much for the flowers. I loved them.”

  As the little vehicle drove away, David stood and watched her go. When she was out of sight, he turned and walked back to the empty house. He would see her soon, but that did little to tether his unleashed emotions.

  He had told her he was her guy, that she was his girl. Where had that pithiness come from? The woman undermined his composure, made him say what he thought rather than what he intended to say. Exposed by his own emotions, David slammed the door behind him. Testy. Pent up. Hungry. All that and more roiled through his hot brain, his tense body.

  Yet underneath it all, David also felt relief. He hadn’t been honest with anyone about his heart in too long. Heart? There was that word again. David chortled to think he might actually have one. Had the little farm girl all done up for corporate America actually unearthed that long lost muscle?

  No.

  Impossible.

  He chalked it up to horny, and flew up the stairs to his home office where he planned to immerse himself in anything, anything at all, not Sloane related.

  Within minutes of arriving at his desk, he heard a loud, disturbing noise. He immediately felt a sickening twinge in his stomach. He bolted to the large glass window nearest his desk and peered down the driveway. He couldn’t see a disturbance, but something inside his body, instinct maybe, made him turn and run down the stairs. He took them two at a time, pausing at the foot of the stairs to yell, “Did anybody hear that sound?”

  No answer.

  Where was the staff?

  David didn’t waste any more time. He exited his home, suddenly terrified when he smelled smoke.

  “Sloane!” he shouted, panicked. “Sloane!”

  He ran toward the black whorls of smoke now wafting up the long drive.

  Chapter 4

  David couldn’t believe his eyes. He ran toward Sloane’s car. It was bent against an oak tree a hundred feet from the iron gates. David’s legs felt like lead. Useless. But he kept running despite the fear that clawed his chest.

  “Sloane!” he yelled again as he got to the wrecked car and saw she wasn’t inside. “Where are you? Sloane!” The terror in his own voice overtook him. He froze.

  “I’m over here,” a small voice from the other side of the tree finally shook him back to where he needed to be—at Sloane’s side. She sat on the forest floor, clearly dazed but seemingly unharmed.

  “My God, are you okay? What happened? Are you hurt?” He rushed to feel her arms and legs, to lift her to her feet. She collapsed against him, shaking, but she didn’t cry or speak. Sloane held him tightly, and he rubbed her back, her shoulders, and as he took her face in his hands, she whispered, “I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. It was an accident. What happened? Can you tell me? Do you remember?”

  “A moose stepped in front of my car, and I swerved. I didn’t strike it,” she said, her voice soft but steadier.

  “Thank God, Sloane. Had you hit it—” He stopped, unwilling to imagine that outcome.

  “I know. Hit a deer, but don’t hit a moose. He’d have been in my lap, my very dead lap.”

  David crushed her to his chest.

  “You’re one smart and very lucky woman,” he soothed.

  “I grew up on a farm. One doesn’t hit cows either.” She tried to joke, but distress filled her eyes, and her shoulders slumped. “I don’t feel very lucky right now. Oh David, what will I do without my car? I’ll lose my job. Oh no. Oh, what will I do?” She seemed to check her hysteria. “I better call my insurance, and Forster, yes, Mr. Forster, too. I’ll also need to get a tow truck.”

  David silenced her litany with a soft kiss. He could feel tremors coursing through her body. “Sweetheart, I’ve got you. I’ll take care of everything. I promise.”

  David’s various staff arrived on scene. He could hear sirens approaching. Gratefully, he turned to an assistant and said, “Remember this is private property, so no laws have been broken. Take care of it.”

  David again lifted Sloane into his arms, and he carried her limp form toward the mansion. “It’s okay, sweetheart,” he pacified, and he kissed her forehead tenderly. “I have you now, and I won’t let you be hurt,” he consoled as he kicked the door open and carried her into the coolness of the front hall.

  Sloane breathed heavily, her body still trembling, but no tears spilled from her closed eyes.

  David carried her to a couch in the drawing room and placed her gently on its burnished surface. One of the maids followed closely and brought a small blanket to cover Sloane. “Bring tea. Bring a wet cloth,” he ordered, and it seemed only a moment later the maid reappeared with the requested items.

  Sloane sat up and sipped the tea, trying to smile, trying, it seemed, to reassure him that she was indeed not terribly injured.

  “I’m sorry, David. I never meant to disrupt your day this way.”

  “Nonsense.” He dismissed her apologies. “Your welfare is all that matters now. Did you hit your head? Does anything hurt?”

  “Just my pride,” she admitted and gave him a shaky, lopsided grin. David’s heart turned over in his chest. Her bravery, her remarkable honesty. They’d known each other but a couple days and already David couldn’t imagine losing her.

  He said, “Be proud that you were able to avoid colliding with a ton of bone and muscle. Be proud that you walked away from the scene and weren’t carried out in a body...” He stopped, painful memories flooding his mind of another accident, one that didn’t end as favorably. He forced himself to smile encouragingly.

  Sloane wasn’t buying it.

  “I’m fine, David. I am. What is it? What’s wrong?”

  David stood up from where he was perched next to Sloane’s reclined form. He turned away from her, not wanting to reveal any more.

  “If you’re sure you’re fine, I’ll leave you here for a minute and go see what’s happening with your car. Drink the tea. I’ll be right back.” David got up and walked briskly from the room.

  “David...” Sloane called after him, but he was gone. His steps were quick, and as she heard them fade down the hall, she worried she had inadvertently awakened a bad memory or two. Her accident had affected him, and she wished she knew why.

  When he’d found her near her destroyed car, his face had been as white as winter snow, despite the summer day. He seemed as shaken as she. And then the way he held her, it was as if he couldn’t let her go. She had seen dread, distress, maybe even tragedy written in his dark eyes.

  She stood up to follow him, but suddenly felt very dizzy. She took a few tentative steps, then the world tilted left.
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br />   “Oh, gee,” she announced to the room, “I’m a regular mess.”

  She wobbled back to the couch. The soft, supple leather beneath her, the smell of David’s after shave on her blouse, the cashmere throw he’d settled about her legs, and the lingering effects of his arms, his powerful hands, his adroit kisses became a comforting elixir. She would worry about Forster later. David had promised to take care of it anyway.

  The thought made Sloane sit up. She couldn’t allow herself to think that way. Yet she had to admit, it felt so good to have someone help her, hold her, kiss her. But wouldn’t David expect something, probably sex, if she let him take care of her? Sloane couldn’t let herself fall into that trap. Especially with the way her body responded whenever he touched her. She’d be his plaything, and then he’d be done. It would be a darn good time, she thought, but she couldn’t afford to tempt her heart.

  David had come into her life and turned it right side up. When she met him in that college dive, she’d been immediately entranced. He made all the bad lighting and loud music disappear. No matter where she turned, his eyes followed as he reeled her in slowly. It took her hours to approach him, but it had been inevitable from the moment her eyes met his.

  His dark gaze had filled her mind and her body for two years, had kept her hoping that Mr. Right existed, that maybe she had met him... And now they were together at last, and he was saying things like “my girl” and “I promise.” Those were dangerous words to a woman with her heart at stake.

  And it wasn’t only words that altered her body chemistry; his lips melted her mind and his fingers turned her skin to fire. If she let him stay too close, do too much, her resolve would be gone like a puff of smoke.

  Sloane determined she could let him help her, just a little, just this once. Settling back onto the decadent couch, she waited for him to return. She was dependent on David for the moment. She might as well accept it.

  Sloane gazed about the magnificent room, soaking up the peace and quiet that reverberated from the vaulted ceilings and found she couldn’t think about anything any longer. The sleep Sloane had lost the night before seemed to catch up with her all at once. She decided to close her eyes for one delicious moment.

  “Sloane, wake up now. My name is Dr. Traynor. You were in an accident. Do you remember?”

  Sloane jerked the coverlet to her chin, suddenly afraid, confused by the bright light and the stranger looming above her.

  “What the heck?” she started, but then she saw David’s concerned face over Dr. Traynor’s shoulder. She produced a tentative smile, but it must have reassured him because he smiled in return and nodded his head.

  “I called Maya to come take a look at you, Sloane. She’s a close friend and an excellent MD.”

  Dr. Traynor said, “Gee, David, what high praise.” The teasing lilt to her voice should have calmed Sloane’s nerves, but instead, Sloane eyed the beautiful woman suspiciously.

  “Don’t worry, Sloane, I won’t hurt you. I need to take a look into your eyes, make sure you aren’t sleepy due to a concussion. You were in a pretty bad wreck, and while the low speed at which you were traveling and a good airbag saved you from obvious harm, sometimes injuries aren’t always visible.”

  David leaned in closer, placing his hand on the doctor’s shoulder. Maya glanced up into his concerned face. “Don’t worry, David. I’ll take good care of her.”

  He put his hand to Maya’s cheek. “What would I do without you, doctor?”

  She rolled her eyes playfully. “Lucky for you, you won’t ever find out,” she rejoined with casual confidence.

  “I will leave you two girls alone so the doctor can examine you. Sloane?”

  Sloane nodded slowly, like a mute farm animal. Who the hell was this woman? Why did David touch her like he knew her intimately?

  Sloane couldn’t find her voice. Maybe she was hurt. She laid her head back on the couch, wondering what had happened to her car, her job, her date. The day had gone all wrong all at once, and Sloane wished she could indulge in a good cry.

  Instead, she sat obediently as the doctor performed the examination.

  Sloane could see Maya was exceptionally lovely with thick brown hair and lively brown eyes. Her small, thin frame seemed strong despite its delicate composition. Sloane felt like a big curvy bovine in comparison.

  “The good news is your eyes are clear, and you show no signs of any breaks or punctures. We should take this party to x-ray, though, just to make sure,” Maya counseled.

  “No. I don’t want to go to the hospital. I feel sore is all. Really. I have been in worse condition after a day riding horses.”

  “Well, this was no horseback ride, Sloane. May I call you Sloane?”

  “Of course.” She heard churlishness in her voice, and she tried to suppress her insolence.

  “Are you sure?” Maya asked, and Sloane discerned the woman was on to her.

  “Sorry to be rude. This accident was the last thing I expected or needed. I need to get back to work. I started a new job this morning. That’s where I was headed when that moose made mincemeat of my day.”

  “Well, I think you need to rest. In fact, that is my professional opinion. Let me give you a mild pain pill, and you can stay here on the couch for a few hours until you feel better.”

  “No, I need to go. I’ll lose my job,” Sloane argued.

  “How about I call your employer and explain what happened? No one in her right mind would expect you to return to work after such a violent crash.”

  “I’ll do it.” Sloane relented. “But my purse, my cell? I don’t know where they are. I must’ve left them in the car.”

  Maya was rooting around her black doctor’s bag. She pulled out a bottle and extracted a white pill, handing it to Sloane.

  “Swallow this and lie back. I will find your satchel for you if it didn’t go to the wrecking yard already.”

  “Oh no!” Sloane couldn’t imagine losing her tote.

  David must have heard her because he came back into the room, concern creasing his brow. “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing. Sloane is just worried her cell phone and her purse went to the impound with her vehicle.”

  “No, they’re here. I had my staff make sure all her personal belongings were removed from the car before the tow truck took it away.” He exited the room and returned with her large Vuitton tote. He brought it to the couch and set it beside Sloane.

  Maya said, “Now, let’s make that phone call.”

  “I told her I would take care of everything and I did. Tony already knows she’s out for the rest of the week,” David explained.

  “Is Sloane working at Forster?” Maya asked, a big smile lighting her face.

  “I was,” Sloane moaned. “David, why did you call him? That was my responsibility.”

  “Well, he is my best friend, and I thought the news would come better from me. He was completely understanding, worried even.”

  Sloane covered her face with the blanket. “Great,” she muttered, feeling like a five-year-old. She refused to argue with him in front of Dr. Traynor. Sloane wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.

  David laughed. “Maya, if you’re done here, I’ll walk you out.”

  “Sloane, it was a pleasure meeting you. Please rest. I think a few days off will put you right back in fighting trim. Take one of these pills every four to six hours as needed for pain.” Maya set a brown bottle on the chrome coffee table. “And if anything unusual occurs, if you feel any weird twinges or acute pains, please go to the emergency room for those x-rays, or at the very least, have David call me. He knows I’m always available to him,” Maya vamped.

  I bet you are, Sloane thought.

  “Yes, doctor. Thank you,” Sloane spoke through the fabric of the cashmere throw.

  She pulled the blanket away from her eyes and watched as David slung his arm around Maya’s shoulders, squeezing her tightly, while they exited the room. Sloane grit her teeth as she heard them laugh toge
ther. She wondered if he would kiss Maya goodbye. The thought made her stomach ache. Silly girl, she thought. So much for Mr. Right. He was clearly right for every welcoming woman he set eyes upon.

  David was gone but a few minutes. When he returned, Sloane was putting her heels back on, preparing to call a cab and get to her apartment where she could lick her wounds in private.

  “Wait a minute. What do you think you’re doing? The doctor said rest, and I’m here to make sure it happens.” He stood above her as she leaned over the couch, adjusting her shoes.

  “Forget about me.” Sloane said, meaning just the opposite. “I feel quite well. I can take care of myself.” She avoided his unswerving eyes and focused instead on his mouth. Bad choice. Those full, pink lips were too tempting.

  “I have no doubt you can take care of yourself, but the doctor said rest or x-rays. Which will it be?” His confidence might have disarmed her, but Sloane was too angry, too embarrassed and hurt to allow it.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not going to sue you, if that’s what this is all about,” she frostily declared.

  “Sloane, are you angry with me? Why?” His eyes darkened, and she could see genuine confusion in his face. This guy is something else, she thought. He really thinks I would be copasetic with him cozying up to me after he did the same with that doctor.

  “Of course, I’m not mad at you. I am perturbed about the situation. You’ve nothing to worry about. I’m no gold digger trying to negotiate a free fortune.”

  Her words hit their mark because David pulled back. He turned away from her and then turned back.

  “You wouldn’t be the first to try,” he said, and his eyes glinted, hard as stones.

  “I’m sure I’m not the first of anything for you. Too bad you’re so caught up in your money and your big deals to see someone sitting here who isn’t anything like anyone else you have ever known. My parents raised me to have character. I don’t steal, I don’t lie, and I don’t manipulate men into paying my way. I thank you for your hospitality. I’ll be leaving now.”