This is Love (High Stakes Billionaires)

by C. J. Thomas

  “Did you bring me here to kill me?” Sophia said in a serious voice.

  I jerked my head around and said, “What? No.”

  She turned her head, her face serious as stone, and just when I thought it couldn’t get any more unsettling, her eyes popped and she started laughing. “Gotcha!”

  My head fell back as I closed my eyes. Blowing out a heavy sigh, I chuckled.

  “You should have seen your face.” Sophia shook her head.

  I rolled my head to her. “Not funny.”

  “Then why are you smiling?”

  “Because your laugh is contagious.”

  She locked her gaze with mine and it didn’t take long for me to get lost in the beauty of how her irises glimmered in the darkness of the night. When she licked her lips, I reached over and took her hand inside of mine. “Do you trust me?”

  “I want to,” she breathed.

  “What I want to show you is just right over there,” I said, pointing through the windscreen.

  Sophia turned her head and squinted into the darkness. “I don’t see anything.”

  “That’s why I’m here. To show you the way.”

  “What is it?”

  “You’ll see once I show you.” My thumb stroked the pulse in her wrist. “Are you ready?”

  She nodded.

  I opened my door, stepped out, and hurried over to her. She fell into my arms and I kept her close as we walked into the darkness. I knew that she wasn’t used to midnight walks in the woods by the way her blood swelled her fingers. We slowly worked our way further into the forest. Her palms sweated as the dry grass crinkled beneath our feet. But before I let us fall back into another round of awkward silence, I said, “It’s crazy to think that something could be watching us.”

  She clenched onto my arm tighter and dug her heels into the dirt, just as I’d planned. “What are you talking about?”

  “Wild animals.” My voice was barely a whisper.

  “What, like, bears?” she asked in a shrill voice.

  I turned to look at her with round eyes. “Big bears.”

  She melted into me, holding onto my arm as if her life depended on it. Looking around, I could feel her senses on high alert. And when I started walking again, she flinched at the rustle beneath my feet.

  “But it’s cougars you really have to worry about,” I murmured.

  Sophia looped her arm through the crook of mine, still looking around into the forest that surrounded us. “I know the town is flooded with them.”

  When I laughed, she joined me. Sophia had a way of surprising me when I least expected it. Her one-liner was enough to prove that she had the courage to go all the way. And as I led us further into the woods, I knew that it could be scary not knowing where we were going. But once the view broke through the trees and branches, it was completely worth the initial feelings of fear.

  “It’s incredible,” Sophia said as she stepped in front of me, soaking up the village lights below.

  Wrapping her inside my arms, she naturally fell back against my chest, letting me hold her as we stared into the depths of the valley below. She breathed easier and, despite us still not having all that much to say, it felt less awkward than before. I appreciated the fact that we could get past all the emotions we harbored from trying to make sense of my past relationship with Audrey and how we weren’t sure exactly how to properly express our feelings of doubt when it came to what came next.

  “This is where I come when I need to reset,” I said.

  Sophia squeezed my forearms, holding me tighter. I liked the way she fit against me. It felt right, and there was no doubt in my mind that this was meant to be. Looking up, the Milky Way clouded a path across the sky. “Hey, look there,” I said, pointing to the sky.

  Sophia lifted her gaze, following my finger to the sky. “What is that?”

  “It’s a satellite.” I smiled.

  It glided across the sky like a moving star. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.”

  “There’s a first for everything.” My arms squeezed her tighter.

  “Was she your first?”

  I knew she was referring to Audrey. But I didn’t know if was asking if Audrey was my first love or my first girlfriend, or maybe both.

  She twisted in my arms and glanced back at me.

  “She was my first girlfriend—the first girl I slept with.”

  Sophia turned back around to face the view. “So that’s why she can’t get over you?”

  I hadn’t ever thought about it like that, but I suppose it could have been partially the reason why Audrey was so set on making sure I ended up with her. Even though I knew deep in my heart that I was never going to let that happen. “The fundraiser last night, it was put on by Audrey’s family.”

  Sophia held her breath and, though I couldn’t see her face, I knew she’d closed her eyes.

  “And the reason I was late to the bar was because I thought that Audrey’s father was having a heart attack.”

  I heard Sophia gasp before she murmured, “What do you mean, thought?”

  “My office received a call saying there was an emergency at his estate and that he’d had one.” I told her the truth of what I knew. “But when I arrived at his house, it was clear that I had been set up.”

  “By Audrey?”

  I nodded. “Though I can’t prove it.”

  “If that’s true, that’s disgusting.”

  “You don’t know Audrey. She certainly has it in her to do something like that.”

  “But why?”

  Over the next several minutes I painted Sophia a picture of what my past with Audrey entailed. How we started dating, how our parents continuously pushed for us to be together—including how it was assumed by nearly everyone that I would take her as my date to last night’s fundraiser.

  “It makes sense now,” she said.

  “What does?”

  “Everything. Why people were looking at me like I didn’t belong. Why I was told that you should have been with Audrey, and why Audrey is telling me that I’m just your weekend fling.”

  Bringing my hands to her shoulders, I needed her to see the sincerity in my eyes when I told her, “She’s jealous of you because I have finally found someone I actually want to slow down for.”

  Her starlit eyes danced across my face. “But I don’t even know who you are.”

  “But I know enough to be sure that this feels right.” My hands smoothed down her arms. “Don’t you agree?”

  Inhaling a deep breath, Sophia held my gaze and said, “Nolan, I had a fun weekend, but this isn’t how we should start a relationship.”

  My body went cold at her rejection.

  “It’s moving too quick.”

  “Then we slow it down,” I fired back. I would do anything to make sure I saw her again. Because after sifting through the doubt, I knew deep down that she felt the same way I was feeling now.

  “I live in Denver.” She frowned.

  “Me too.” My brows raised.

  She jerked her head back as if surprised to learn the news.

  “What did you think, that I lived here?” I pointed to the lights below. “Where would I work? What would I do?” I laughed.

  “I don’t know. I guess I just assumed.”

  And then, surprising us both, her phone chirped with a series of messages.

  Without hesitation, she pulled her phone out from her pocket and quickly read through the messages. “Oh, thank God.” She breathed a sigh of relief.

  “What is it? Everything okay?” I asked, thinking back to how glued she was to that device on our drive up here.

  She looked up at me from under her lashes. “I have to go.”

  “What, now?” She nodded as she peeled her short frame out of my grip. “Is there nothing I can do to make you stay?”

  She giggled as she turned to face me. “Nope,” she said, stepping forward. Lifting her head, she stood on her toes and pulled my lips down to hers. “But y
ou say you live in the city?”

  “I do.” My lips brushed over hers.

  “Then you have permission to call me.”

  28

  Sophia

  I glared at Sienna from behind my coffee mug.

  If I was being honest with myself, she looked as if she’d had a long night. I’d slept harder than I had in a very long time, and it felt good to be sleeping in my own bed.

  Closing my eyes, I got lost in the vanilla latte flavors swirling around my tongue.

  Nolan had been such a gentleman last night after learning I was still planning to drive home. He protested about wildlife being on the roads, drunk drivers found swerving through the canyon highways, and made about a dozen other excuses to try to convince me to stay. But, in the end, I had already made up my mind. And there was nothing he could have done to change it. I was determined to make sure that I was available to meet Sienna for breakfast—something I knew I couldn’t miss after her own sudden disappearance.

  Pointing at her plate with my fork, I asked, “Are you going to eat that last piece of bacon?”

  She looked up at me from under her brow with a slack jaw. “Don’t you know me at all?”

  My lips curved.

  It was hard to stay mad at her for leaving me in the dark and not telling me what had happened to her when she disappeared. We hadn’t discussed it the entire meal and it was better that way. I didn’t want it to set the mood for where our conversation would lead, knowing that the truth of what happened would come out once she had a little caffeine in her system.

  When she glanced back to her phone I said, “You keep ignoring me and you’ll be left with a dead battery again.”

  Sienna’s head was down as she scrolled her finger over the screen.

  I finished my buttermilk pancakes and leaned back to turn my attention outside.

  A dead battery. That was her excuse for going black yesterday. And though I knew that a dead cell phone battery plagued us all from time to time, Sienna rarely let it get in the way of her social life.

  I watched a cyclist jump the curb, narrowly missing a slow walker, and I found myself smiling, happy to be back in the city. The chatter of conversation surrounded us as the line waiting to be seated out front grew. This was one of the most popular places in town and I was glad that we’d managed to get here early.

  Finally, Sienna took her gaze off her phone and lifted her eyes up to me.

  “What are you doing on there, anyway?” I asked.

  She clucked her tongue and shook her head. “The wedding photographer I hired shot a ceremony this weekend.”

  I cast my gaze to her phone, curious to see some images of the event myself. “Are they any good?”

  “They’re gorgeous.” She smiled, lifting her phone up off the table and flipping the screen over for me to see.

  I took her phone into my hand and pulled my elbows back to my sides so I could get a closer look. My thumb scrolled enthusiastically over the device, finding myself completely enthralled—they were pieces of art. “Honestly, can you see yourself as the bride?”

  “You know, it’s really great to have you back.” Her words were laced with sarcasm.

  I glanced at her and snickered. “I’m just trying to gauge your excitement.”

  “You need to start dating again.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Then maybe you’ll know the joy that comes with planning a wedding.”

  Again, her words were covered in sarcasm but they opened up the window I wanted to discuss with her. So I took the chance and told her straight-up. “Sienna, Monica told me that you canceled your weekend plans with her.”

  She leaned back and folded her arms beneath her breasts.

  “You didn’t have to lie to me,” I said, sliding her phone back to her side of the table.

  “I didn’t lie.” Her neck craned. “I was going to tell you, but—” She looked away.

  “If you’re having cold feet, I totally get it.”

  She tucked her hair behind her ear and shook her head. “That’s not it.”

  “Then what is it?” I moved my plate to the side and wrapped my hands around my warm coffee mug.

  “Maybe I am more thrilled about the actual wedding then being stuck with one man for the rest of my life.”

  As I stared into my coffee froth, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about Nolan. I wondered if Sienna was being pressured by her family to take the plunge. If there was more to her decision to marry Gary than I was even aware of myself. Because after what I witnessed this weekend at Nolan’s fundraiser, it was clear to me that the ultra-wealthy lived by different rules than what I was used to. And Sienna’s family was no exception.

  Sienna caught me staring. “Gary is the one who might have cold feet.”

  My brows shot to the top of my head.

  “He’s stressed out about everything we have to plan. It’s completely overwhelming. I get it. I told him that I’m feeling the pressure, too.”

  “You fought about it?”

  She nodded as her eyes filled with tears.

  Lowering my chin, I asked, “You don’t think he might do something stupid, do you?”

  She still wasn’t looking at me as she swallowed the lump down in her throat, wiping her eyes dry. Then her shoulders shrugged.

  I hated to think that Sienna was keeping all these very strong emotions bottled up inside. It was important to let them out. But with Monica having her doubts about Sienna marrying Gary—and from what I knew about him—I couldn’t help but think that maybe he was trying to sneak in one last fling before committing to Sienna.

  “But I have no proof,” she sighed. Straightening her spine, she looked me directly in my eye. “So, what about you and Mr. Foster. How did your second date with him go?”

  “The first night wasn’t a date, remember?”

  “Oh, right. You just slept with him.”

  I tossed my dirty napkin at her and bit the edge of my lip, thinking about my wild and crazy weekend away. I haven’t been able to get my mind off of Nolan since last night. And I could still feel his eager lips moving over mine as his hungry fingers dug into my sensitive flesh. I knew he wanted to make this work between us, and so did I. More than anything. I just wasn’t sure that our worlds would fit together.

  “I told him to give me a call sometime.” My eyes sparkled.

  “That’s it?” The side of Sienna’s face scrunched.

  My brow furrowed. “What more do you want?”

  “Did you fuck him again?”

  “Sienna!” I slapped the table with the flat of my palm.

  “What?” She tucked her chin into her chest. “Forgive me for being curious about what it’s like to fuck a Foster.”

  I fell back into my seat. “Oh, by the way, thanks for coming through with dirt on Audrey Rothschild.”

  “I dropped the ball. I know.”

  “What happened to you?” I rubbed my hands on my pant legs.

  She looked away and I watched the color drain from her face. The dead battery excuse clearly wasn’t all that happened.

  “It doesn’t matter.” I held my hand up as she gave me a questioning look. “Audrey found me.”

  Sienna’s head snapped back to me. “Really?”

  I nodded and told her everything that happened. How I got stood up by Nolan—even admitting that it was a date. Then I told her how Audrey showed up out of the blue, threatening me to stay away from her boyfriend, Nolan. And Sienna was surprised that all this happened in such a short amount of time.

  “I don’t belong in that world,” I said. “I’m too nice.” Sienna nodded. “I don’t have it in me to fight or the motivation to deal with the drama of having a boyfriend. That’s why I was passed up for the promotion at work. I’m sure of it.”

  Sienna’s brows squished. “You don’t regret your weekend away, do you?”

  I held her gaze for a minute before shaking my head. “I’m not sure what to do about Nolan. I know
he’ll be back in Denver and I told him to call me but I’m afraid that our lives are just too different to be fully compatible.”

  “You’re thinking much too hard about all this.” She took a sip of her water. “But I know how crazy Audrey is.”

  “You do?”

  “I’m a Day. The Rothschilds are basically the same as my family.” She lifted her index finger to her temple, circling it around. “Loco.”

  Leaning forward with knitted brows, I asked, “What do you know?”

  “If I tell you,” she smirked, “you didn’t hear it from me.”

  I held out my pinky finger and when she wrapped hers around mine, I said, “Deal. Now, tell me what you know. And make it quick.”

  29

  Nolan

  I’d had my head buried in work since arriving to my office early this morning.

  I didn’t have time to think. After I dropped Sophia off at the condo and helped her pack her things in her car, I’d decided that it wasn’t worth sticking around, either. An hour later I was driving down the hill, back to Denver.

  Stroking my chin, I knew there was no rest for the wicked. It was back to the general chaos of running Foster Enterprises. Despite only being gone for a couple of nights, I was welcomed to the office with dozens of tasks waiting to be signed off on.

  But today was hard.

  Much harder than the typical Monday.

  Even as I busied myself with the details of work, Sophia managed to fill my mind with the sweet memories I didn’t want to ever let go of. I couldn’t wait to see her again—wrap her inside my arms, slide my tongue over hers. Closing my eyes, I smiled and moaned.

  I didn’t know when that would be or how I would do it. The only certainty was that I would call her, just as she’d told me I could, but only once I found a worthwhile reason.

  My eyes popped open when I heard my cell chirp with a text.

  Glancing in its direction, I picked it up to read the message. A small part of me hoped it was Sophia. When I realized it wasn’t, disappointment relaxed my flexed stomach.