This is Love (High Stakes Billionaires)

by C. J. Thomas

  “Shit,” Travis laughed. “You like her.”

  “I don’t know her.”

  “But you know enough.” He pushed his head through his t-shirt, his arms quickly following. “And I know she’s your type, too.”

  “C’mon. Let’s pack up and get out of here.” I stepped over his toolbox and opened the fridge, double checking all the appliances while I was here.

  Travis shook his head and chuckled. “It’s okay to admit it, you know?”

  Suddenly, Travis was quiet and I knew something was up, because him being quiet happened so rarely.

  And when I turned, I found Sophia in the doorway watching both of us. “Is it fixed?”

  “You shouldn’t have any problems,” I said, cutting Travis off before he could open his mouth and say something stupid, which he was sure to do.

  Travis lifted his toolbox, glanced at me, and then whispered something to Sophia on his way out to get her to giggle.

  My body temperature spiked as I waited to hear the front door close. Then I rolled my gaze over to Sophia’s and felt my fist unclench. “Forgive me for my younger brother. He thinks life is a party. He’s an immature trust fund that nobody really likes.”

  “I don’t know.” Her hands dove into her jeans pockets. “He’s kind of cute.”

  “As long as cute is the adjective you would use to describe him.”

  “And I might like him better than you,” she said way too easily.

  Her nose did a cute little scrunch that made my knees go weak. “Now you’re just being mean.”

  She smirked.

  Stepping to her, I handed her my business card. “Nolan Foster. Call me if you need anything.” Our eyes met. “Anything at all.”

  4

  Sophia

  I pinched his business card between my fingers, still smirking from ruffling his feathers, and heard the front door click shut a moment later.

  My gaze cast to his name.

  Nolan Foster.

  Then I flipped the card over and saw that he had handwritten his personal cell on the back.

  Of course.

  Now I knew what he meant by anything at all.

  I glanced over my shoulder to the door, shook my head, and flicked the card on the counter.

  I should have known the chances of seeing the man who’d nearly collided into me on my arrival were good. It wasn’t like the town was all that big to begin with. But twice in less than an hour? And he owned this condo? Sienna would say that it was a sign of the universe conspiring to bring us together.

  I, on the other hand, would say that it was pure coincidence.

  Padding over to the dishwasher, I opened it up. Water dripped from the test the boys had run. I lifted my gaze to the counter and laughed.

  They had forgotten to take the women’s underwear with them.

  There was something about those boys that I liked. Travis was young and easygoing, but Nolan…Nolan was the responsible elder that got under my skin and made me want to challenge him at every turn. And he took it well, with a calm grace that I could appreciate. And God knows that I needed it after my day—and after having to deal with the narcissistic men I worked with.

  Spinning around, I opened the fridge.

  The corners of my mouth curved the moment my eyes landed on the bottle of merlot from Sienna. It was the only item in the fridge and it looked beautiful.

  Reaching out, I wrapped my fingers around the bottle’s neck and swiped it off the shelf. Closing the fridge, I began my search for a corkscrew. Two drawers later, I had the top off and was drinking straight from the bottle.

  It didn’t matter; I was alone. And I sure as hell didn’t need a glass. This was my mini-vacation away from the men who’d screwed me over and taken what was supposed to be mine. I could do whatever I wanted.

  A minute passed and I found myself holding Nolan’s card in my fingers when my cell chirped with a message from the back room. Setting the bottle and card down on the counter, I scampered to retrieve my phone. It was a message from Sienna saying she hoped that the bottle she’d gifted me made it into the fridge. I told her it had, suddenly feeling selfish for ditching her on our planned weekend. The next message she sent choked me up and nearly brought me to tears.

  You’re amazing. Don’t forget that. Everything happens for a reason. Maybe now is the time to start that business you’re always telling me about? We’ll talk more about it later, but first, go ENJOY yourself and forget the bullshit at work. I’ll make sure to save you some wedding preparation for when you get home :-)

  I told her I loved her but I couldn’t keep my thoughts from drifting back to work.

  Work was my life. The office was the once place I poured all of my creative energy into. It was the institution I sacrificed my life for. And it—they—betrayed me.

  My body temperature rose as my jaw locked.

  I was so angry at how I was deceived into thinking that position was mine. But now I knew. Knew that I’d been lied to and that I was surrounded by a bunch of two-faced assholes. Worst of all, I felt used.

  Stomping to the kitchen counter, I caught the bottle inside my hand and tossed it back.

  The liquid was warm and sweet, and I was already getting a nice buzz thanks to the high elevation. My blood was thin and I was feeling empowered by Sienna believing in me.

  I knew she was right.

  I could break out on my own.

  Become my own boss and hire only female employees.

  Feeling my smile spread to my ears, I snickered as I moved to the big windows and stared up into the deep shades of greens coating the ski hill. My mind raced with possibility as I soaked up inspiration from the wildflowers, grasses, pines, and aspen trees that were beautiful in their natural state. The sun was shining across the valley and it made me believe in a brighter future.

  Together, in perfect harmony, I knew that would be the culture I would create if I had my own business.

  Women’s voices would be heard.

  They would be more than a good piece of ass to flirt with.

  They would be empowered with confidence, skills, intellect, and, as a result, the business we would create together would flourish.

  It was such a nice idea. A pipedream…

  Closing my eyes, I dropped my chin and tucked it into my chest, laughing lightly.

  If only it was as easy as it all sounded. In reality, I knew that starting my own business wouldn’t be easy. I would need to get my hands on start-up capital and work my ass off—even harder than what I was already doing to make someone else rich. And if I thought my dating life sucked now, I could kiss any hopes of a relationship out the window for good.

  I turned back to the bottle of wine with a bent spine, smoothing down my clothing.

  This pipedream was exactly that—a dream. Something fun to talk about with my girls, but we all knew the life trajectory I was on. Single at thirty with no prospects for a happy ending. Though Sienna and Monica would never say it to my face, we all thought it.

  Loneliness crept up on me and took me by surprise.

  Taking another healthy pull from the bottle, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking that maybe I should have focused more on my relationship with Raymond when we were still together. Maybe I would be better off having a man instead of a career. My friends seemed happy and Sienna was psyched to be getting married.

  Suddenly, loud voices and yelling started coming from the front of the building.

  Needing to know what the commotion was, I hurried to the front window and quickly peeked out from behind the curtain. My heartrate quickly lowered once I saw that it was only Nolan and Travis. And though they were in each other’s faces, I couldn’t help but to laugh.

  They were comical, from start to finish. Everything about them made me feel good and it all started with the fact that I already knew, deep down, they were both boys trapped in men’s bodies.

  Pulling back the curtain further, my eyes followed them as they moved across the par
king lot.

  Both were tall and muscular with broad shoulders that were evenly proportioned to their heights and weights. And though both were well over six feet tall and two-hundred pounds, Nolan had his brother by an inch. But Travis had the tattoos.

  They continued to argue and I amused myself with thinking they were fighting over me.

  It was a nice thought, and though I could safely assume that I had nothing to do with what they were fighting over, I couldn’t help but want to hear for myself.

  Discretely, I reached up and unlocked the latch before twisting the handle to crack the window open. And just as the outside air came rushing in, Travis pushed Nolan in the shoulder and turned around and started walking away.

  I frowned as I watched him disappear into a tiny sports car. I had missed the action.

  Then I turned back to Nolan who was still standing there with his hands rooted into his hips. His strong jawline was set as he kept his gaze fixed on his younger brother. I couldn’t help but admire the look of concern he had in that moment. Something about that look made me believe that he was a good one—had a kind heart—and was a family man.

  He glanced up at me—as if feeling me watching him—and I quickly ducked to the floor with my heart racing.

  “Shit.”

  A few seconds later, I peeked over the ledge hoping he hadn’t seen me eavesdropping on his life. Because if he did, then he’d know that I was interested, and I wasn’t sure that I wanted my weekend to be filled up with testosterone. I’d had enough of that today, and, besides, I’d promised myself this weekend was to get away and reflect.

  Slowly, the crown of my head lifted further to the ceiling.

  I held my breath, hoping he wasn’t still looking up here.

  And when my gaze traveled to the spot I had last seen him, I sighed and my heart sank.

  He was gone.

  Standing, I watched Nolan Foster get behind the wheel of that very same pickup truck that had nearly run me over earlier this afternoon. Beside him, in the passenger seat waiting, was a woman. And she was beautiful.

  5

  Nolan

  Her long, jet-black hair draped over her front right shoulder as she combed her fingers lazily through it. Without taking her eyes off of me, she watched me slide behind the wheel and shut the door.

  I watched Travis back out and couldn’t stop myself from hating him for what he said.

  He slowed down in front of me, rolled down his window, honked to make sure I was looking, and then threw up his middle finger before hitting the gas and squealing out of the parking lot.

  “Asshole,” I muttered.

  “Nolan.” Her voice sounded annoyed that I hadn’t bothered to greet her, let alone recognize that she was sitting inside my truck, waiting. “Don’t you ignore me.”

  I glanced at her after Travis’s car disappeared around the corner. “I told you I could handle it.”

  She raised her brows then dove into her purse. “I need a ride to the airport.”

  “What?” My grip tightened on the wheel as I twisted my spine to get a better look at her. “Now?”

  “Yes. Now.” She flipped her cell over and fixed her gaze on the screen.

  I cast my gaze to the backseat where her travel suitcases were already stacked. “Couldn’t you have at least given me a heads up?”

  “Is it a problem?” She glanced at the clock on my dash. “My flight leaves in an hour.”

  Glancing back up to the condo, I wondered how long she had been sitting here waiting for me to show. “How did you get here?” I questioned.

  “The bus,” she spat like I had asked the most absurd question in the entire world. Then she turned her head away and mumbled, “Maybe I should have asked Travis.”

  “No. It’s fine,” I said, sticking my key in the ignition.

  “Really?” She spun her head back to me. “Because from the sounds of it, it doesn’t sound fine.”

  As I put the truck in drive, I thought how ridiculous it was for my baby sister Charlotte to be flying back and forth to Denver when it wasn’t that far to drive. “You know the drive isn’t that bad. You should try it sometime.”

  “It’s over two hours, Nolan. I don’t have time.”

  I chuckled as I pulled out, taking one last glance up at the apartment where I was certain I saw Sophia spying through the window. Sophia came across as a tough cookie, but I could see through the layers. And, besides, I kind of liked having her challenge me. It was a nice change from the usual where women fell at my feet because of who I was and what family I came from. I could use something different in my life, something not so predictable.

  I wondered if Sophia could be that something.

  “What were you two arguing about, anyway?” Charlotte asked.

  I drove through the center of town, away from the ski mountain, as I glanced over at my sister. I’d do anything for her. And I knew she knew that much me. That was really why she came to me asking for a lift to the airport; because she knew I would never say no. And we both knew, of all the brothers, that I was the one she could count on most.

  “Don’t want to talk about it?” She gave me a hard glance.

  I kept my eyes forward, knowing I couldn’t tell her the truth of what Travis and I were pushing each other about. Not that I didn’t think she couldn’t handle it, because I knew she could. Really, I had to keep it a secret because if found out the details for herself, I would never hear the end of it.

  “It was about the dishwasher,” I lied.

  She flashed me a skeptical look before rolling her eyes back to her phone.

  I was a horrible liar, and my baby sister knew it better than anyone. Truthfully, Travis and I were getting in a pissing match about our guest, Sophia Monroe. And that was something worth fighting for. I didn’t give a flying hoot about the stupid dishwasher. But Sophia…she had my head spinning.

  Warmth flooded through me at just the thought of saying her name.

  But my muscles were quick to tighten when thinking about what it was Travis was threatening to do. I couldn’t allow him to even try to put the moves on Sophia. And not just because of the way she made my knees go weak, but mostly because she was our guest. A paying guest. And, besides, I’d seen her first and was the first to know just how insanely attractive she was.

  I turned to look out my window after feeling my face flush. I didn’t want Charlotte to see, because then she would only have more questions that would demand more answers.

  I turned the wheel and settled into my drive thinking about my asshole younger brother.

  Travis was busting my balls. I knew it. He would never do such a thing, but what he’d said got to me. And just the idea of him flirting with Sophia had me clenching my abs, preparing to battle.

  If anybody was going to show her a good time this weekend, it was going to be me.

  “It’s fixed, though, right?” Charlotte asked about the dishwasher.

  “Yeah. It’s fixed.” I brought my eyes back around and told her the problem.

  “You know that was probably from one of Travis’s parties.” She shook her head.

  “No doubt.”

  “Travis doesn’t get it. That condo is a rental—a place of business, not fun—and isn’t meant to be used as a place to party.” Her slender hands jerked through the air as she talked.

  I checked my mirrors and slowed to a stop at the sign. “That’s what I was telling him.”

  “At least you showed up to see what the actual problem was.” She typed away on her phone. “Because if you didn’t, I’m sure we would have heard a different story.”

  “Travis does good work,” I reminded her.

  “But he’s still too young to understand this is our family’s livelihood.” She set her phone down and lifted her gaze out the front windshield.

  Turning right, I smirked at the intersection where I’d nearly plowed into Sophia. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. How her beautiful and curvy body heated my core, how independ
ent and feisty her personality was. Everything about her made me want to see her again. It was so unlike me to be instantly attracted to anyone.

  But she was different.

  “Ugh, I can’t wait to get back to the city.” Charlotte fell back into the seat and moaned. “My schedule is a nightmare and taking these last couple days off to be here only set me further behind.”

  I sped up the onramp and merged onto the highway. “Mom really liked having us all here for her birthday.”

  “I know,” she sighed.

  Speeding through the valley, I knew the mountains were really never her thing. Charlotte wasn’t one to slow down, even for family birthdays which were always a big deal. No, she liked to stay busy with work—with meetings and gatherings—and was never into skiing or mountain biking like my brothers and I were. We were all into the outdoors from an early age, and now that we were older with Dad passing more of the company responsibilities on to each of us, we had to carve out time to pursue our passions—which wasn’t always the easiest thing to do. Well, except for Travis. He was perhaps the most passionate about being on the mountain as much as possible and managed to make it happen, too, often at one of our expenses.

  “Have you spoken to Audrey?”

  I gagged at hearing Audrey’s name. She was my on-again-off-again girlfriend and the one woman my family seemed set on seeing me end up with. “No.”

  “Don’t forget, we have the fundraiser scheduled for tomorrow and Dad expects us all to have dates.”

  I watched Charlotte pull the mirror down and check her makeup. I couldn’t help but judge her appearance against my own. She was always so put together, dressed to impress no matter the occasion. I, on the other hand, liked these days away from the office and routine of meetings and deals to close. I could wear my boots, have my ball cap pulled down over my eyes, and just be me. But Charlotte, she was a city girl, through and through.

  “I’m not planning on taking Audrey, if that’s what you’re asking.”