The Billionaire's Betrayal (Highest Bidder Book 3)

by Carmen Falcone

  “What’s wrong?” Jackie asked. “You look sad.”

  “I’m not sad. I’m subdued and in a café.”

  Jackie wrinkled her nose, like she didn’t buy her excuse. “You left a lot behind, Alexa. Make it count.”

  “I am,” she said, injecting some enthusiasm in her voice. “I’m doing good work to help save the world, I’m walking everywhere, and oh, I’m also going to museums. A lot of them.”

  “By yourself?”

  “Yes.” A couple of volunteers had taken her out once, but she hadn’t really wanted to open herself to new relationships. Not yet. Not when she was still healing from one. Healing from Brooks. A knot formed in her stomach. She hadn’t expected to get over him quickly, but their memories playing back in her mind every waking hour didn’t help.

  “Sounds like you could use some company,” said a deep Texan accent she knew too well. She glanced from the phone to the man standing in front of her, and every part of her froze for a moment. Her stomach dropped, and when her heart beat again, it throbbed all her pulse points at once.

  “I’ll talk to you later. Gotta go,” she managed to say to Jackie before turning off the call.

  He pulled out a chair and sat in front of her. He wore a casual shirt with jeans, but what caught her attention was the gleam of resolution in his eyes. How is he here? Jackie. Jackie must have told him about the café she usually went to.

  She squared her shoulders. “Maybe I’m on my own because I want to be.”

  He tilted his head to the side, like he wanted a good look at her. His gaze heated her flesh, but she managed to stay still. “Then you’re stronger than me, Madam. Because the last month has been hell.”

  She caught her bottom lip between her teeth. His words echoed in her ears a few times until they made sense. He’d missed her. Was it possible he’d come all this way for her? She shifted in her seat, heart drumming in her ears. “Has it?” she managed to say, afraid she’d make a fool of herself.

  “I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

  She meant to swallow, but her tongue got stuck on the roof of her mouth. Ripples of excitement moved through her, and she leaned in, finding it difficult not to move. “How’s your mother?”

  “Alive and well. Asked me about you a couple of times.”

  “What did you say?”

  “I called her on my way here—after I talked to Jackie and found out your address—to say I’d be going out of the country to be with you.”

  Be with me. Sweat slicked her palms. For so long she’d been afraid of experiencing happiness and having it taken away—and now, the man who could show her a slice of heaven was here in front of her. For her. With her. “What did she say?”

  “She gave me her blessing and said she was proud of me for going after what I wanted.” He dragged his chair close to her until he was within a breath of her.

  “I know, but you have other family members and friends who might not share her enthusiasm,” she said, teetering between hope and caution.

  He stroked her cheek, and she sighed. Her stomach sank, and she focused on the intensity of his gaze to keep from jumping into his arms. “Anyone who thinks our relationship is wrong isn’t worth my time. I doubt anyone who sees us together will have those thoughts, but if they’re petty and old-fashioned, then fuck them.”

  Her mouth dropped a notch. “Brooks—”

  “I love you, Madam. I’m sorry I wasn’t one hundred percent upfront. I love the woman you are, and your past made you that woman. I promise I’ll never take you for granted. If Spain is your home, I’ll move here to be with you. I’ll leave everything behind if that means building a life with you. I also—”

  She didn’t let him finish.

  She pulled him to her, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him with all she had. Fire ignited in her blood. She caught his manly smell, and touched his hair, reveling in having him so close again. Her tongue meshed with his, caressing his and challenging at the same time.

  When she wrenched her mouth from his, she could feel the eyes from other patrons of the café, but she didn’t care. “When you asked me if I loved you, I didn’t answer. I wasn’t ready.”

  She cast her eyes downward, then cleared her throat. When she faced him again, tears pricked behind her lids. “I came to Spain because I wanted to start a new life, but as the days turned into weeks, I realized that a new life without you in it isn’t worth living.”

  “What are you saying?” he asked.

  A couple of tears spilled from her eyes, falling down her cheeks. “I love you, Brooks, with all my heart. I want to be Alexa with you, if you’ll have me. I’ll move to Texas. You already have a home there and I’d like to be part of it.”

  He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks with his fingers. “Are you sure? What about living in Spain and—”

  “I’ll find other ways and places to help and can travel more often to check on how my donations are helping. But I know I’m asking a lot. If I stop running, if you’ll have me—”

  He caressed her cheek, and she trembled under his touch. “You’ll be my Alexa. Former Madam of House of Alexa. The most magnificent woman who’s ever walked the earth.”

  “Will you be okay with that?” she breathed. “With everything?”

  “Yes,” he answered quickly, staring deep into her eyes.

  She nipped his chin. A warm sensation spread through her. From now on, the sense of belonging that Brooks provided would no longer be a fantasy. It would be real. It is real. “Remember when I struck the deal for the male virgin auction with you? I told you I’d keep you around until I got what I needed from you.”

  He thrust his fingers into her hair, smiling.

  “Yes.”

  A bubble of affection burst inside her. She stroked the back of his neck and lifted her chin to stare at him. “Well, even then, I was right. I’m keeping you around until I don’t need you anymore.”

  “Forever,” he whispered.

  “Forever,” she agreed.

  Epilogue

  Two years later…

  Alexa finger combed her hair and glanced at the mirror one last time. Her husband would come home at any moment, and if she wanted to take full advantage of the child-free afternoon, she couldn’t be too picky about her looks. Though she smoothed her hand over her blue sundress, she looked all right for a mother of one who’d kept a few extra pounds since giving birth—not that Brooks seemed to mind.

  He ravished her any chance he could, and many times woke up at night with little Stella so she could rest to have energy for their steamy moments. Alexa had named their daughter after the old lady who had helped her when she’d run away as a teenager. Somehow, it seemed soothing to pay a small homage to the kind woman who’d taken her in.

  Brooks’s father had died of a pulmonary embolism about a year prior, and since then, Brooks visited his mother regularly. Claire Taylor enjoyed spending time with her granddaughter, and thankfully, remembered little Stella at all times. Her memory had gotten worse, but otherwise she was healthy and well.

  Downstairs, Duke barked, announcing Brooks’s arrival. Ripples of anticipation merged into a powerful tidal wave washing over her body. She glanced around their bedroom, which she’d redecorated after he’d reluctantly agreed. She loved his ranch, but now with her contemporary style, the place looked more like her. Her home. Their home.

  “Waiting for me, Madam?” he drawled, stalking into the room with a devilish gleam in his eyes.

  She bridged the gap between them, lust coiling in the pit of her stomach. “Yes. Jackie took Stella out for some sightseeing, but who knows how long they’ll be?” Even though Jackie had turned into quite the businesswoman, she still managed to check in with Alexa on the phone weekly and visited her and her goddaughter every few months.

  Brooks pulled her to him, snatching her in
to his arms, and enveloping her with his warmth. He lowered his lips to hers, capturing them in a hot, wet, urgent kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he lifted her off the floor, then carried her to their bed.

  “I’ve missed you,” he whispered.

  When he laid her on the bed, she scooted to the middle, unable to stop watching him. Her stomach fluttered, and she softened, sighing. “Me, too,” she said, running her fingers down his jeans to help him get rid of them. Every time he looked at her like that, with adoration, a light flicked inside her.

  “Good. Because all work and no play is no fun,” he said. He didn’t have to remind her how busy she had been—with Stella and checking in on the nonprofit organization she’d created in the past year, for women victims of physical abuse. He’d supported her each step of the way, confirming she’d made the right decision to take a chance and no longer run from herself. Rather than beginning a completely new life, she’d trusted him, and he’d made her life better.

  He tossed his jeans to the side and hiked up her dress, the fabric bunching at her waist. A breeze of air whispered over her sex, sending a flare of awareness through her. She hadn’t bothered wearing underwear, and now, as he rubbed the tip of his cock against her folds, she was grateful.

  He nipped her chin, then ran his tongue over her neck. The thrills of anticipation sizzled the hairs on the back of her neck, and she thrust her hips forward, needing to be connected with him on a physical level. “Fuck yeah.”

  “I didn’t take my pill today,” she warned him, a silly nervousness in her voice. They’d talked about giving Stella a sibling but had never made the plan official. “That okay?”

  He thrust inside her, powerful and rough, and they moaned in unison. She wrapped her legs around his ass, her inner walls clenching him tight.

  “It’s more than okay, baby. It’s perfect.”

  A smile danced on her lips, and she pulled him closer, to kiss him. “Good. Because why should we catch up on sleeping, right? Life would be too boring.”

  He kissed her, his lips teasing hers, his teeth grazing her flesh. Her heart expanded in her chest, and he caught her wrists and stretched them on the mattress, threading his fingers in hers. Excitement and pure euphoria bolted through her, partly because of his large cock fucking her, and partly because he’d just agreed on trying for another baby. When she reached her climax, fireworks popped behind her eyelids, pleasure drilling her from top to bottom.

  “With you, Madam, life will never be boring,” he said, after reaching his orgasm and taking her with him as he rolled on the bed.

  “I couldn’t agree more,” she said, chuckling.

  …

  Acknowledgments

  It’s so hard to say goodbye to Alexa… I’ve been waiting to tell her story since the first book in the series, Auctioned to the Greek Billionaire. I hope I did her proud :)

  I’m grateful to all who helped me in this journey. Thank you Erin Molta, for being a great editor, very professional and punctual, and also super easy to work with!

  Thanks to Christine Glover for always being there for me—as a critique partner, business partner, friend, and counselor.

  I really appreciate Carmen’s Crew, my Facebook Group. You guys always make me smile and support me.

  Huge thanks to all the readers and reviewers who take the time to read this book. I hope you enjoyed Alexa and Brooks’s story!

  About the Author

  Carmen Falcone writes sexy, edgy, addictive romance. She loves to create deliciously hot Alpha book boyfriends and the quirky, smart and sassy heroines readers relate to. Brazilian by birth and traveler by nature, she moved to Central Texas after college and met her broody Swiss husband—living proof that opposites attract. She found in writing the best excuse to avoid the healthy lifestyle everyone keeps bragging about. When she’s not lost in the world of romance, she enjoys spending time with her two kids, being walked by her crazy dog, reading, catching up with friends, and chatting with random people in the checkout line.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. References to actual persons, living or dead, is not intended or inferred.

  Copyright © 2020 by Carmen Falcone. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Publisher.

  Entangled Publishing, LLC

  10940 S Parker Rd

  Suite 327

  Parker, CO 80134

  rights@entangledpublishing.com

  www.entangledpublishing.com

  Edited by Erin Molta

  Cover design by Mayhem Cover Creations

  Cover images by Getty Images/korabkova and grapix

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  First Edition September 2020

 

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