The Billionaire's Con

by Mackenzie Crowne

  She yelped at his unexpected presence.

  “Where’s Meggy?” he demanded.

  “Do you always sneak up on people and scare the crap out of them?” She snatched the bags from his hands. “Or am I just today’s lucky victim of your inconsiderate tendencies?”

  “I’m sorry,” he grumbled, and he was. He knew his temper was a bad one, and Meggy’s best friend was the last person he wanted to alienate. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I just thought you’d know where Meggy ran off to.”

  “Aren’t you the clever one?” Her big green eyes sparkled like cold emeralds and her voice was a slicing purr. “It just so happens I do know where Meggy ran off to, but I wouldn’t tell you, even if you offered me, oh, let’s say...three quarters of a billion dollars!”

  “Cara.” He sighed, his shoulders slumping. “I know the way I handled things looks bad, but…”

  “Bad?” Fury was evident in the stiffening of every curvy inch of her body. “What you did stinks! I don’t like what you did, and if we’re being truthful here, I don’t think I like you either!”

  “I was protecting my grandmother, Cara. And Meggy isn’t completely innocent in this situation. If she’d come to the farm and been honest with us, none of this would have happened.”

  “She didn’t go down there, lie to you, and make you fall in love with her, you son of a bitch.”

  “No, she didn’t. But she wasn’t the only one to fall in love. Do you know how difficult it is to discover you’ve fallen in love with someone you consider a thief? Believe me, that wasn’t in my plans.”

  One of the shopping bags slid to the crook of an elbow when she lifted her hand to her temple, rubbing. “You hurt her,” she growled.

  He took a step closer. “I hurt her. I did. I’m sorry about that, and I’ll make it up to her as soon as she calms down enough to let me close again. I love her, Cara, and I mean to marry her.”

  A frown appeared on her stunning face, and she blinked suddenly. She braced her free hand against the truck beside them, the contents of the second bag thudded against the driver’s door. “If you used that silver tongue on her, I can see why she fell in love with you.”

  Her unexpected acknowledgement of Meggy's feelings eased some of his panic. “She told you she loves me, huh?”

  The frown turned to a scowl. “That’s your one freebie, Trevor. If you hurt her again...well, you won’t like the consequences. She’s special to me.”

  “She’s special to me, too. If I can ever get her to calm down and talk to me, I’ll prove that.” A thought occurred, and his gaze sharpened. “She seems as scared as she is mad. Do you have any idea why that would be so?”

  “You already had your freebie, Trevor. Don’t push it.”

  “Cara, I can’t fix things with her if I don’t understand the problem.”

  She stared at him.

  He could see her loyalty to her friend bumping up against her desire to help.

  The fingers of one hand continued to rub at her temple. Finally, she sighed. “Did you know that after going to the farm, she couldn’t decide if she really wanted to make contact with Elizabeth?”

  “Why?”

  “The money. It scared her.”

  Her answer made no sense. “Again, why?”

  “She believes that kind of money warps people. She couldn’t understand why Rachel would choose adoption over going to her family for help and figured Elizabeth must have been the problem.” She glanced up at the main house. “Palmer House is her dream, Trevor, a dream she’s been working for her whole life. She won’t let anyone endanger that. With the resources at her disposal, Elizabeth Ashford could destroy that dream.”

  Trevor would have scoffed at that, but she’d suddenly gone sheet white. “Hey, are you okay?”

  She nodded, but then she swayed and her voice grew garbled. “Oh, hell.”

  “Shit!”

  He caught her just before she hit the ground. Completely limp, with the bulging shopping bags dragging at her arms, she threw him off balance. He landed on his ass right there in the driveway, doing his best to cradle her in his lap.

  His heart in his throat, he patted her face, with no results. His gaze darted about in search of help, finding none. “Don’t do this to me.” He patted her face again and jumped at the ring of a phone coming from the purse still draped over one of her shoulders. It took some doing, but he finally managed to free both the purse and the shopping bag from her arm. Fishing out the phone, he jabbed at the button to connect.

  “Oh, thank God,” he said to the unknown caller.

  A moment of silence ensued. “Who is this?”

  “It’s Trevor Christos.” He patted Cara’s face again.

  “Why the hell are you answering my wife’s phone?”

  “Finn?” He was too rattled to soften the blow. “Finn, you’re wife just fainted.”

  “What?” Finn’s bark exploded through the phone.

  “Jesus. She went down like a ton of bricks!” He knew he sounded panicked, but he couldn’t help it.

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m sitting on my ass in the driveway of Palmer House.”

  “I’ll be there in two minutes.”

  “Make it one,” Trevor said to the dead line. “Cara, honey,” he crooned after tossing aside the phone and freeing her other arm of the remaining bag. “Come on, sweetheart, don’t do this to me.” In the past three days he’d had two women faint on him. He never wanted to experience the phenomenon again.

  The sound of a vehicle turning into the driveway made him almost giddy with relief. He forgot all about wanting to strangle the man when Justin Cooper’s big SUV rumbled up the drive. Help had arrived and that was all that mattered. Gesturing frantically, he beckoned to Meggy and Justin as they scrambled out of the vehicle.

  “Cara!” Meggy dropped to her knees beside him. Her wild eyes met his. “What did you do to her?”

  “I didn’t do anything to her. She fainted.”

  “You must have done something.” She pressed her palm to Cara’s pale cheek.

  Justin crouched beside them and pressed a finger to Cara’s neck. “Have you called nine-one-one?”

  Trevor shook his head. He hadn’t even thought to. “Finn called a minute ago. He’s on his way.” He looked around for the phone he’d dropped. “Her phone is there, Meggy. Call nine-one-one,” he said a little desperately.

  She didn’t get the chance. Before she could scramble to retrieve Cara’s phone, squealing tires roared up the driveway.

  The luxury car was still rocking from the sudden stop when Finn vaulted from the driver’s door and skidded to a stop on his knees at Cara’s side. He looked as pale as his wife. “Baby.” He bent to brush his cheek against hers. “Baby, you’re scaring the shit out of everyone. Wake up.”

  When her eyelids fluttered open, four sets of lungs breathed a collective sigh of relief. Her gaze fastened on Finn’s. “I fainted.” She blinked at him.

  Finn met her confused frown with a relieved smile. “And took a year off my life in the process.” He looked at Trevor, who cradled Cara in his arms as gently as if she were made of spun glass. His laughter was a deep rumble. “From the look on his face, I’d say you cost Trevor at least a decade.”

  Cara tilted her head back to look up into Trevor’s sweating face. Her smile was wry. “Sorry about that, Trevor. Thanks for catching me.”

  “My pleasure.” He attempted a smile and failed. “But if you decide to do this again, do me a favor and call someone else.”

  She chuckled.

  Meggy leaned over her. “God, Cara, do me a favor, and don’t do this again at all.” She looked at Finn. “Should I call nine-one-one?”

  He shook his head. “No. Let’s just get her inside.” He scooped her from Trevor’s arms and stood as though she weighed no more than a child.

  Meggy scrambled to her feet, hurrying ahead of them to open the front door.

  Justin swept up the shopping bags and
held out a hand. “Women.”

  Trevor took the hand offered and rose to his feet, agreeing with the sentiment completely.

  Finn had settled Cara on one of the couches in the lounge when Trevor and Justin walked inside.

  At the bar, Meggy filled a glass with cool water, rushing to the couch to shove it into Cara’s hands. “What happened?”

  Cara sipped at the glass, but kept her eyes on Finn as he settled his hip on the edge of the couch and brushed at the dark curls at her temple.

  Meggy rounded on Trevor. “What did you do? You must have said something to upset her.”

  Trevor understood her anxiety, but he was getting pretty damned tired of being the bad guy in her mind. He opened his mouth to tell her exactly what they had been discussing.

  “He didn’t do anything, Meggy.” Cara spoke from the couch. Her gaze met Finn’s, and she smiled when he nodded. “I fainted because I’m pregnant. We’ve known for a few weeks, but we’d planned to wait a little while before making the announcement.” Her smile was luminous. “I’m going to have a baby, Meggy.”

  “Oh, Cara.” She laughed and shot Finn a smart-ass grin. “I’m impressed. I didn’t think you had it in you.”

  Finn smiled, his gaze on his wife. It was obvious nothing could shake his self-satisfaction at the moment.

  Meggy insisted on popping open a bottle of champagne to celebrate the news. Cara insisted on water.

  Ten minutes passed before Finn helped his wife to her feet and escorted her to the car. He’d send someone by later to collect the pickup, he said. Justin left close on their heels, but not close enough for Trevor, especially when he stopped at the door to sweep Meggy into his arms.

  Grinning at him over Meggy’s shoulder, he dipped his head to give her a smacking kiss on the mouth. “You know where to find me if you need me.”

  Trevor’s hands curled into fists.

  “I always do,” she answered with a smile in her voice. “Thanks for today.”

  “My pleasure, babe.”

  He left chuckling.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Where the hell have you been for the last three hours?” Trevor demanded the moment the door closed behind Justin. “And just what is Justin Cooper to you?”

  Meggy stepped to the coffee table and bent to gather the empty glasses. Justin was shocked and amused upon hearing the details surrounding her surprising connection to Elizabeth Ashford and had insisted on taking her to breakfast so that he could grill her properly. She’d dragged him along to the lab for the DNA test afterward.

  And she’d be damned if she would explain any of that to Trevor Christos.

  “The answer to both of those questions is, none of your business.”

  She didn’t hear him move, but suddenly his arm clamped around her belly from behind, and she found herself hauled up against a very solid body. The glasses she’d been gathering clinked against each other in her fingers.

  “Think again, Meggy,” he growled in her ear. “Everything about you has been my business since you gave yourself to me that first night.”

  His chest expanded on a breath at her back and despite her anger, she felt the rush of heat the contact produced in her body.

  “I told you there’d be no going back once that door was shut, and you agreed. I meant every word.”

  She struggled against his grip, to no avail. His arms remained around her, and when she couldn’t free herself she went still, lashing out with the only weapon available to her. “You haven’t meant a word you’ve said from the moment you arrived in Palmerton.” She started to struggle again. His breath heated her temple where he pressed his face to hers.

  “Stop, baby.” His tone lost the edge of anger to come out a gentle purr. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”

  “Let me go, and I’ll be fine.”

  In a gesture of weariness that was so unlike him, his forehead dropped to her shoulder. “I can’t.”

  The longing in his voice was palpable, and she struggled against the urge to turn in his arms and pull him close in comfort. He’s a liar and a manipulator, she reminded her weakening heart. “You mean you won’t,” she corrected. She suppressed a shudder when his cheek brushed against hers.

  “You accepted my heart, Meggy. Taking off my bracelet doesn’t change that. Can’t or won’t. I’m not going to let you go.”

  “You never had me in the first place.”

  His arms tightened about her, telegraphing his returning anger at her denial. “I had you, Meggy. I’ve had you in just about every way a man can have a woman.”

  She stiffened, which should have given him warning. The back of her head connected with his chin when she threw it back.

  “Ouch! Damn it, that hurt.”

  She jerked from his loosened arms. Spinning on him, she glared as he rubbed at his chin. “That wasn’t you who had me. That was a writer named Trevor Bryce. We both know he doesn’t exist.”

  It was fascinating, really, the way he physically expanded with fury. His hand dropped slowly and his chest rose on a slow, measured breath. His eyes blazed. She half expected his thick pelt of hair to stand on end. Her eyes widened at the sight, and she barely stopped herself from stepping back in defense.

  “That’s bullshit, and we both know it.”

  His voice was soft with menace and when he dipped his head closer, she did step back. He followed until they were nose to nose.

  “It was my love you demanded that night on Christos’ Chariot. Mine! And it was my heart you accepted. Whether my last name is Bryce or Christos, it doesn’t matter. The person you said you loved was me.”

  The truth of his statement ate at her pride like acid, and her own temper flared. “You lied to me.”

  “You said you loved me,” he pressed, his eyes hot with frustration. “Were you lying?”

  She forced herself to take a calming breath and held her ground. “Don’t turn this back on me. You’re the liar here.” He looked so disappointed that she felt a lash of guilt. He’d lied to her. How dare he look disappointed when she called him on it?

  “Yes, I lied. As did you, coming to the farm under the pretense of looking for a position. I did what needed to be done to protect Elizabeth, and I’ve apologized. Though I’d do it again if I thought such action was necessary.” He shoved a hand through his hair, further messing his already mussed locks. “I don’t understand what’s got you so scared, but I meant every word I said that night. I love you. If you think I’ll let you go after you admitted loving me in return, you don’t know me at all.”

  His words should have thrilled her, did thrill her if she was being honest with herself, but he was right. She was scared. She was terrified because she didn’t know him. She’d thought she had, but that had been when he was a simple, though wealthy, writer. The billionaire lawyer who stood before her, bristling with anger, was a stranger. One she didn’t trust.

  Lifting her chin, she met his intense gaze. “You’re right, I don’t know you. I fell in love with a charming man who doesn’t exist. In his place, I found a cynical, distrustful man, willing to play the romantic to get what he wants. My love was an illusion, just...like...you.”

  Reaching out, he pinched her chin between thumb and index finger. He didn’t hurt her, but he held her firm when she tried to jerk away. “The only illusion around here is yours, thinking I’ll let you go. You know me, Meggy, and you’re right. I will do what I have to, to get what I want.”

  She didn’t fight him when he lifted her face until he could close his mouth over hers. She couldn’t. Even now, when her pride demanded she find some satisfying uses for Cara’s machete, she found the taste and feel of his mouth moving over hers irresistible. She knew she should fight the wild response her body clamored to give him. Instead, she felt herself falling headlong into the swirling heat branding her as his. Helplessly, she pressed close to the hard angles of his body.

  His tongue sank deep, taking her mouth in a thorough claiming before he lifted his h
ead. Smoky gray eyes glittered with satisfaction as they smoldered inches from hers.

  “Whatever it takes. Remember that.” Stepping back, he set her free. “I have some business to attend to in Virginia. It’ll take me the better part of a week. That’s all the time I’ll give you to get over your anger. When I get back, we’ll settle this once and for all.” He turned and walked out the door.

  ****

  “Nobody tells me anything!” Erin burst into Shan’s kitchen with a pout pulling at her lips.

  “Bitch. Bitch. Bitch.” Cara met her frown with a grin.

  Meggy said nothing, sipping at her iced-tea. Her day had already been a long one, the meeting with her parents this morning embarrassing and exhausting. They were hurt and concerned, not understanding why she hadn’t informed them of what had been happening in her life.

  She’d put their concerns involving Elizabeth to rest at least. Her feelings for Trevor were more difficult to explain. She’d ended up giving them a carefully edited version of events. Hours later, it still bothered her that, when filtered through all the facts, he hadn’t come across as quite the bastard she’d named him.

  Erin harrumphed, bringing her attention back to the present. “I shouldn’t have to stop by the Bluebell to find out what’s going on with my own family.”

  “Like what?” Shan set a pitcher of iced tea on the table and sat.

  Cara smiled into her water glass.

  Meggy just shrugged. It wasn’t her place to tell Cara’s sisters they were going to be aunts. Still, she wondered how the grapevine had gotten wind of it so fast.

  Erin slumped into the last open chair and glared at her in silence.

  “Why are you looking at me? I just found out myself.”

  “You just found out?” Erin parroted. “Please!”

  “We weren’t going to say anything just yet,” Cara interjected. “The only reason we told Meggy is because she was there when I fainted.”

  “You fainted?” Concern flooded Shan’s eyes.

  “Well, yeah. But I’m fine. My doctor says that’s not uncommon in the first trimester.”