by Elle James
Otis took care of business and returned to the cottage, lying down on the rug in the living room.
Eager to get back to Roxi, Decker hurried to the bedroom. Roxi sat propped against the headboard, the sheet pulled up over her breasts.
Decker’s cock twitched in his shorts, hardening as he took in the way her blond hair tumbled about her shoulders, brushing the swells of her breasts.
Roxi stared at him across the room and slowly lowered the sheet, exposing her chest.
The shorts couldn’t come off fast enough and Decker dove for the bed.
Roxi chuckled and threw back the sheet, rolling into his arms. They made love, taking their time, exploring each other’s bodies.
When at last they lay back, Decker nuzzled Roxi’s neck. “You know we could be stuck here for days.”
“Mmm,” she murmured. “And that’s a bad thing?”
“Not at all.” He slid his hand down to one of her nipples and teased it into a tight little bud. “I like having you all to myself.”
“Greedy much?” Roxi wove her fingers through the hairs on his chest.
“Where you’re concerned, hell yeah.”
“What happens when everything returns to the way it was? What then?” she asked.
“Frankly, I don’t think it ever will.” He moved his hand to her other nipple, stroking it and tweaking until it budded into a tight little knot. “I don’t know what’s happening between us, but I don’t want it to stop.”
“Me either.” Roxi cupped her hand over his on her breast. “I like this…what you do to me…how you make me feel.”
“And I like the way you feel in my arms.” He stared into her eyes. “Is it love?” He shrugged. “If it isn’t yet, it soon will be. Are you willing to give it a shot?” Decker held his breath, waiting for her response.
Gone was his reluctance to move on with his life, his survivor’s guilt fading in the light of the sun after the storm. He wanted this chance to get to know Roxi better, and maybe fall in love again. For the first time since Allison’s death, he believed in the possibility.
Roxi snuggled closer, resting her cheek against his chest a smile curling her lips. “I’ve never been in love, but if it’s anywhere near as intense as I feel when I’m with you…I want to give it a chance.” She pushed up on one elbow and stared down into his eyes. “Count me in.” Then she kissed him, and Decker held on with both hands.
Epilogue
“Hey, Hank, you got a minute?” Decker rested his foot on the deck railing and pressed his cell phone to his ear.
“For you, Decker, I have all the minutes you want,” Hank Patterson said into Decker’s ear.
“About that job you talked about with the Brotherhood Protectors…”
“What about it?” Hank asked.
“Any possibility you could use a guy who bases off the east coast?” Decker asked. He looked out over the calm waters. He’d spent the week cleaning up the beach front outside his cottage and making repairs to the Gone Fishin’ Bar and Grill with Roxi. Now that he had a minute to spare, he’d decided to get on with the rest of his life, doing what he did best.
“I hadn’t considered setting up an office on the east coast, but I have had inquiries about providing protective services for big shots with money out there. Are you telling me you want to be a Brotherhood Protector?”
Decker nodded, though he knew Hank couldn’t see him. “I am. With the tourist season dying down, odd jobs on the Cape will be few and far between.”
“Why don’t you come out to Montana? I have plenty of work out here.”
In the distance, Roxi and Otis walked along the sand, on their way back from a walk.
Decker’s chest swelled with all the love he felt for the woman. “No, I need to be able to come home to Cape Cod. Montana would be a little too far for that. It’s okay if you don’t think it will work out.”
“No, no. Wait. I think it’s a great idea. I could use someone I trust out there to set up shop. I gotta tell you, I was approached while Sadie and I were on the Cape to provide services for the area and parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut. I didn’t seriously consider it because it was so far from Montana, but with you there, I don’t see why we can’t set up an east coast office.”
“I’d be glad to head it up, or even just be one of your agents. I just need to get back to work before I get too rusty to be of any good.”
Hank snorted. “I’m not buying that. You know the saying, Once a SEAL, always a SEAL.”
“Goes right along with the other one The only easy day was yesterday.”
A chuckle filled Decker’s ear.
“That about sums up the life of a Brotherhood Protector, as well.” Hank paused. “You sure you want to do this? I can’t guarantee a cake walk.”
“I don’t like cake. I just want to be able to get home often enough to have a life.”
“Decker, I’m glad to hear it,” Hank said softly. “Allison would have wanted you to move on. I take it you have?”
Again, Decker nodded and smiled at Roxi as she and Otis climbed the steps to the deck. “I have my memories. I’ll never forget her.”
Roxi wrapped her arms around his waist and whispered in his free ear. “And I wouldn’t want you to.”
“She must be special,” Hank said.
“You have no idea just how special.” Decker pressed a kiss to Roxi’s forehead and then one to her lips. “I’ve gotta go. I left something burning on the stove.”
Hank laughed. “I get it. She’s there with you, right?”
Roxi leaned close and spoke into the phone, “Yes, sir, I am. Hi, Hank, Roxi here.”
“Holy hell, Roxi?” Hank’s bark of laughter sounded in Decker’s ear. “Should have known by the way you looked at her every time you ordered another drink.” A sound in the background on the other end of the line made Hank pause. “Sadie said hello.”
“As I was saying,” Decker took control of the phone. “I left something burning. I’m in. We can nail down the details later.” He clicked the off button and tossed the phone onto a chair cushion.
Roxi tipped back her head and smiled up at him. “What did you leave burning?”
He stared down into her eyes, his love for this woman threatening to overwhelm him. “You, baby. You’re the fire I left burning.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
“I sure as hell am not going to put it out.” He bent and scooped her up into his arms.
“Glad to hear it. I was thinking we might want to stoke the flames.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more.” Decker kissed her lips and carried her into the cottage. “I’m sure glad you saved my life that night on the beach.”
“I saved your life?” She shook her head. “If you hadn’t come back for me, I’d have drowned in that riptide.”
“I guess we saved each other,” he settled her on the couch, too turned on by her to make it all the way to the bedroom.
“Did you get the job?” she asked.
“I did.”
“In Montana?” She leaned up on her elbows. “Because if you go to Montana, I’ll have to follow you. You’re not leaving me behind.”
“You’d go with me to Montana?” Decker raised his eyebrows. “I thought you never wanted to leave the Cape.”
“I don’t. But I kind of like you. If staying with you meant going to Montana, I’d do it.” Her gaze dropped. “If you wanted me to come, that is.”
He chuckled. “Oh, babe, I’d want you to come.” He pulled her into his arms. “But you’re not going to Montana.”
“I’m not?” Her gaze shot back to his, a frown pulling her eyebrows together. “You don’t want me to come?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I want you to stay.”
“But I don’t want to stay without you.”
“What if you stayed with me?”
Her frown deepened. “What do you mean? You did get the job, didn’t you?”
He nodded. �
�I did.” Then he grinned. “But I’m setting up the east coast office of Brotherhood Protectors. And I’m thinking it will base out of the Cape.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Sweetheart, you’re stuck with me.”
She flung her arms around his neck and let out a little squeal.
Then they were kissing, shedding clothing and rolling into the sheets.
Otis woofed his own excitement and then settled on the floor as Decker made love to Roxi.
A cool breeze lifted the curtains at the open window, but Decker didn’t notice. The heat he and Roxi generated promised to burn well into the night.
He’d found his home in Cape Cod with a woman he could make new memories with and he had a job that fit his skillset.
Life was good, and he didn’t want to waste a minute of it.
The Billionaire Husband Test
Billionaire Online Dating Service Series Book #1
New York Times & USA Today
Bestselling Author
ELLE JAMES
Chapter 1
"Don't leave love up to luck. With the help of my firm and heavily tested computer algorithms, you will have a ninety-nine point nine percent chance of finding your perfect match." The attractive young woman, wearing a soft gray business suit and standing in front of the white board, clicked a hand-held remote control. A picture of a couple embracing at sunset on a beach materialized on the white surface. "What do you think? Willing to give my program a shot?"
"I don't know." Frank Cooper Johnson sat at the conference table with the other members of the Billionaires Anonymous Club. "Am I the only one who thinks this is a bad idea?"
"Mr. Johnson—" Leslie Lamb began.
"Call him Coop. All his friends call him that." Maxwell Smithson grinned.
“For the sake of argument, give my friend Leslie the benefit of the doubt.” Taggert Bronson rose to stand beside the presenter. "Think about it. Didn't we all make the same plans? Work hard, work smart, make our first million by thirty, start a family by thirty-five...We're all on track—only better–instead of millions, we made our billions by thirty." Tag pointed to Gage Tate. "How's that media empire going?" He nodded toward Sean O'Leary. "Your oil speculating has you sitting pretty, doesn't it, Sean? And Coop, you and I are making billions on our financial investments. Have any of you even thought about the next step in our plan? How many of you are even dating?"
Sean raised his hand. "I've been dating."
"The same girl more than once?" Tag asked.
"Using a computer to find a mate just doesn't seem right." Coop pushed back his chair and rose. "When I find the woman I want to marry, I'll do it the old-fashioned way."
Tag snorted. "And meet her at a bar?"
"Any of you have any luck lately going to a bar and not being slammed by the paparazzi?"
Gage sighed. "Though I hate to admit it, the man has a point. I can't step outside my condo without being hit by at least a dozen cameras, much less go to dinner with anyone without being bombarded."
Leslie smiled. "That’s the beauty of BODS—"
"Seriously?" Sean shook his head. "BODS?"
The woman drew herself up to her full five-foot-three inches and stared down her nose at Sean. "Billionaire Online Dating Service—BODS. It's an acronym, so sue me. As I was saying, the beauty of the system is that the communication is all done anonymously. You meet real woman, not money-grubbing, limelight-seeking gold-diggers."
Gage frowned. "They won't know that we're loaded?"
"Financial status is not one of the questions we ask on the online data collection system. I perform a background check on each entrant and the computer does the matching."
Tag spread his hands. "Don't you love it? And the match is all based on your own personality profile." He dropped his hands when none of the others spoke. "What have you got to lose?"
Shaking his head, Coop grumbled, "Our dignity. Participation is admitting we're hopeless at finding a date."
Leslie shook her head. "Not at all. The program gives you a better chance of finding someone who truly fits the life-style of your dreams. Tell you what. As my first customers—"
Gage shot to his feet. "Whoa, wait a minute. First?" He stared across at Tag. "I thought you said this system was proven?"
"It is…on volunteers." Tag held up his hands. "Leslie hasn't yet charged for her services. Calm down."
Coop crossed his arms, ready for the meeting to be over. "I don't relish being someone's guinea pig."
"You aren't." Leslie sucked in a deep breath and let it out. "Tell you what, how about I let you use my service free? If you find the woman of your dreams, then you pay me what you think the experience was worth."
"Can't get fairer than that." Tag grinned. "Who wants to be first to sign up?"
"I think you should be." Cooper pinned Tag with a challenging stare.
"I'm already in the system and aiming for a date next Friday." Tag's eyes narrowed. "How about it, Coop? Or are you afraid?"
Hell yeah, Cooper was afraid. What kind of loser would the computer match him up with? Then again, he wouldn't admit to any of them that the idea of dating was worse than public speaking...and he hated public speaking. That's why he worked the financial market and stayed behind the scenes. He lived on his ranch, raised his horses quietly—no fanfare and no paparazzi as long as he didn't step out on a date. So far, the arrangement had been very lucrative with no distractions. Lonely, but lucrative, about summed up his life.
"Look, Leslie is in a situation no different than we were when we started out." Tag continued, "Give her business a chance. One date. That's all she's asking."
"Fine," Cooper said. "Anything to get this meeting over with."
Leslie's face bloomed with a huge smile. "I'll take you in Tag's office, one at a time to enter your data and show you the ropes. The process won't take long and you'll have your match. You won't regret your decision. I promise."
Cooper was already regretting his agreement, and he hadn't even been matched yet.
Emma Jacob's cell phone vibrated, indicating a text message. Sitting at a stoplight, she glanced at the message and sighed.
Set an extra plate at dinner. The message was from her oldest brother, Ace. More than likely, the guest was another attempt at fixing her up with a man. For the past month, all four of her brothers had taken it upon themselves to find Emma a husband.
Great, that's all she needed, more husband candidates forced on her by the worst matchmakers ever in Jacobs family history. Granted, her four brothers meant well, but really? If she'd wanted another man in her life, she'd have gone out and chosen one herself.
Truth was she was happy just the way things were. Well, almost. She'd have been much happier if the love of her life had lived long enough for them to be married, have children and grow old together. But that hadn't been in the cards. Not once Marcus was deployed, got hit by an improvised explosion device and died before being transported back to the states.
Her throat tightened and she twisted the diamond engagement ring on her finger. For two years, she'd been mourning his death. You'd think her brothers would let it be, instead of telling her she should get back in the saddle.
Emma slipped the ring from her finger and tucked it into her wallet. Maybe removing the ring would lead her brothers to think she was ready to move on, even if she wasn't. That and her trip to Dallas and a meeting with the one friend, Leslie Lamb, she'd made in her grieving group would set her plan in motion. Emma had a special favor to ask of her friend. One she hoped would solve all her problems with her brothers.
"You want what?" Leslie leaned across her desk an hour later, tapping her pen against the notepad she'd been scribbling on.
"I want you to set me up on a date with a man that will completely fail to impress my brothers." Emma ticked off on her fingers. "He has to be nice looking. That fact will throw off the boys. Preferably someone who makes his living sitting behind a desk." She'd pictured a pasty computer geek, but didn't want to be that
crude in front of Leslie.
"Let me get this straight. You want this date to fail?" Leslie shook her head. "I'm building a business, not tearing it down. How will that look to the guy I'm setting you up with if I match him with someone totally wrong for his preferences?"
Emma sat back, frowning. "Hmm, sorry. That's pretty narrow-minded, thinking only of myself." She chewed on her lip for a moment. "I guess I could go find some other online dating service and play Russian roulette." She sat up. "I'm sorry, Leslie, the idea was stupid. Just forget I asked. I know how hard you've worked to put together the business plan and line up investors for your dating service. I wish you lots of luck." Emma gathered her purse and stood. "I have to get back to the ranch before feeding time."
"Wait." Leslie left her chair and rounded her desk, laying a hand on Emma's arm. "Do me a favor first and fill out a form on my computer. Be honest, don't fudge the data and let's see what happens."
Already shaking her head, Emma backed toward the door. "I don't want to set you up for failure. I'm really not interested in finding love. I had it."
Leslie squeezed her arm. "I know. Thinking of loving anyone else is hard, isn't it? I know exactly where you are. I haven't even tried, yet."
"Yet. At least you might some day." Emma shook her head, pain pinching her throat. "Not me. I had the love of my life. I don't want second best."
"At least, give the system a chance to find a match that closely suits you. Give him one date, and maybe your brothers will get off your back."
"I don't know. I don't like leading someone on when I don't want it to go anywhere."
"Just do it and keep an open mind. We screen our clients and do background checks. At least, you know you won't be getting an ex-con or child molester. You won't regret it, I promise."
Emma chewed on her lip. Leslie's proposal might do the trick. She just didn't want her friend's matchmaking business to suffer the consequences. "The date is doomed to failure. Are you sure you want to take the hit?"