The Billionaire Next Door (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Collection)

by Angelo, Judy

  She’d surprised him with her outburst but he wasn’t about to show it. With practiced nonchalance he shrugged. “Didn’t have time.”

  “Didn’t have…” She looked just about ready to haul off and slap him. “You don’t have the time for your own health? What kind of bull is that?”

  That made Ransom raise his eyebrows again. A delicate flower using a word like that? But as he stared down at Solie, an amused smile tickling his lips, he had to admit…not so delicate, after all. Not when she was bold and bristling right under his nose, her eyes flashing, her full lips formed into a tempting pout, her breasts rising and falling with every angry breath she took. She was no hothouse flower, this one. No, she was a thorn-bearing rose and all he wanted to do right then and there was kiss her till she shed those thorns and unfolded her soft petals so he could sink deep into…

  “Listen,” she said, shattering his reverie and dragging him back to reality, “you have to take your injury seriously. You can’t be shrugging this off like nothing happened. You were seriously hurt and you need to be under your doctor’s care. And,” to his surprise she reached out and clasped a soft hand around his upper arm, “you need to rest.” With that she pulled forcefully and turned him around to face the patio door. “Now, in you go.”

  Ransom almost laughed. Instead, he stared down at the slender creature intent on bullying him back to health. Who did she think she was? Florence Nightingale?

  “Come on. In.” She was tugging at his arm, trying to get him to step forward.

  Of course, he didn’t budge. He just stood there looking down at her, waiting to see what she would do.

  Not surprisingly, she glared up at him. “Move, will you?”

  He gave her a slow smile. “And what if I don’t?” he asked, his voice a soft whisper.

  Solie’s lips tightened and her eyes narrowed. “Don’t play with me. I know the ER doctor who saw you in the hospital. I can speak to her about having you readmitted…” her gaze turned threatening “…into my care. And you’d better avoid that at all costs…if you know what’s good for you.”

  Solie released his arm and with her hands she mimicked the preparation of a syringe with pointy needle.

  Ransom’s eyes narrowed as he watched her. “You wouldn’t.”

  She stared boldly at him, her eyes direct and full of challenge. “Try me.”

  He scowled some more but that seemed to have little effect on his tormentor. He glanced over to where Trevor stood, seeking any support he could get. Snitch that he was, the man looked away.

  Ransom drew in his breath then slowly let it out. There was nothing to do but comply. He knew when he was beat. He started walking…

  …but not before shooting another parting glare at his friend. Now his nosy, domineering…and sexy…neighbor was all up in his business.

  What the hell had Trevor gotten him into?

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Solie dried the cup and put it away in the cupboard overhead then she turned back to the island in the middle of kitchen and gathered up the boxes of tea and the sugar bowl. It had been almost a week since she’d muscled her way into Ransom Kent’s life – the health side of it, anyway – and she was getting to know her way around the house. She’d just fixed him a cup of tea and made him lie down in the den. It was November and the evenings were beginning to grow cool. He’d wanted to stay on the patio but the last thing he needed was a head cold on top of his concussion. She’d ordered him inside and he hadn’t been pleased…not that it bothered her in the least.

  She paused to stare out the kitchen window at Ransom’s prized gazebo in the backyard, the source of one of their earlier arguments. Now it didn’t seem quite so important, not when his health was brought into the picture.

  As she thought about their past wrangles she could only marvel. Who would have thought she’d be in the man’s kitchen, making him tea, bossing him around in his own home? So far he’d complied…grudgingly…but she knew it wouldn’t last. As soon as the headaches disappeared he’d have her out of his house and banned from his doorstep. No problem. She would climb over the hedge and sneak in through the back door. As long as she felt he needed monitoring she would be there. She and Trevor, her new buddy, had an agreement and she was not about to let him down.

  Still, that day she’d bullied him, barged in and taken control she didn’t know what came over her. As mild-mannered and gentle as she always was, such behavior was really not like her. She almost grinned at the thought. Okay, so maybe she wasn’t all that gentle or mild-mannered. But anyway, she had to admit she’d been a bit rough that day. It was probably because, deep down, she knew what would work. She understood his personality. She’d threatened him because she’d known it was the only way he would give in.

  All the tea things now tucked away, Solie decided it was time to check on Ransom one last time and then head back home. It was early evening yet but she would have a long shift tomorrow and she wanted to rest up for it. She gave an inward sigh. No rest for the weary, or was it no rest for the wicked? She couldn’t remember how the popular phrase went but either way, where rest was concerned, she could do with a whole lot more than she’d been getting lately.

  When she got to the end of the hallway and turned the corner she found Ransom sprawled on the massive sofa, his eyes glued to the big screen television. A basketball game was on and by now she’d come to learn that when the Miami Heat basketball team was on the court you kept your mouth shut and stayed out of his way.

  She didn’t mind. His absorption in the game gave her the perfect opportunity to get an eyeful of the man who, strangely, had crept his way into her life. Or was it the other way around? Maybe she was the one who’d done the creeping or more accurately, the barreling in. Whatever. It didn’t matter. What did matter was that she was here, in his house, getting her fill of some Ransom Kent eye candy.

  Even as he relaxed on the sofa she could see the power in his lean, muscled body. He was almost as tall as a few of the basketball players on the court, at least an inch or two over six feet, and looked just as fit. There was a six o’clock shadow on his jaw that made him look too sexy for any red-blooded woman to be around. All she wanted to do right then was climb onto the sofa where he lay, straddle his hips and reach down to cup that ruggedly sensual face in her hands. Then she would lean forward and press her lips to his…

  “Did you see that shot? Damn, LeBron’s good.”

  Startled, Solie’s head jerked up at Ransom’s triumphant shout. When she saw his jubilant grin she couldn’t help but smile back, confident that he had no idea what she’d just been thinking. What was it with men and sports? Outside of sex, that was the one thing guaranteed to keep them happy.

  “So who’s leading?” she asked as she went to perch on the armchair across from him. She didn’t want to get too comfortable. That would make it too easy to be tempted to stay longer. “Your team?”

  He laughed. “What do you think? These guys are the best.” His eyes flashed with mirth as he settled back into the cushions.

  Solie had never seen Ransom so relaxed and she liked it. “So do you think they’ll make it to the finals?”

  The look Ransom gave her told her she should never have asked such a stupid question. “You know who’s on this team, right? We’ve got Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh-”

  “And the great LeBron James,” she said drily, finishing the statement for him. She might not be a sports buff but she could drop a name or two.

  “The man himself.” Ransom nodded. “With a talented team like this I’m already seeing championship rings for all of them.”

  “Even though they’ve got two already.”

  “Three,” he said, happily correcting her. “I want them to beat the Bulls’ record. The way they’re playing they’ll shoot past six in no time.”

  Solie cocked an eyebrow at him. “I believe you.” Then she clapped her hands onto her knees and made to stand up. “Anyway, I’ll leave you to it. I’m heading out now.”
>
  That got her a quick frown. “What? So soon?” Then his face cleared and he gave her one of his signature Ransom Kent smiles. Heavens, the man could turn on the charm at the drop of a hat. “Stay a while and watch the rest of the game with me.”

  “No can do,” she said firmly. If he only knew how, right at that moment her brain had to be beating her heart into submission. Deep down inside she wanted to stay, not for the sake of checking up on him, but just to be with him, get to know him. But that was dangerous. She would be a fool to go there.

  And so she stood by her decision. Literally, in fact, as no sooner had the words left her lips than she rose from the chair, shoving her hands into her pockets as she got up. As fidgety as she was feeling just then, hiding her hands from view was the best thing to do. “I’ve got a long day ahead of me so I’m gonna go.”

  “Aaw, not even twenty minutes more?” He gave her a cute puppy dog look that was hard to resist.

  But she had to. At this point it had little to do with her work schedule. Now it was all about her growing attraction to him. She had to get the hell out of there.

  “Nope, I’m heading out. Just make sure you don’t stay up too late. You need your rest.” With those parting words Solie tore her eyes from Ransom’s still smiling face and began to turn toward the door.

  It was then that a buzzing vibration on her left butt cheek stopped her in her tracks. It was probably her mamita checking up on her. She dug into her back pocket and pulled out the cell phone.

  An unknown number. A frisson of fear ran through Solie but she swallowed and, trying hard to look casual, she clicked on the answer button and put the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

  “Hola, mi amor. Did you dream of me last night?”

  At the sound of Raul’s deep voice, so soft, so silky and so menacing, Solie felt the blood drain from her face. Her tormentor was back.

  Heart pounding, she drew in her breath, fighting to find something biting to say but no words came. Her mind drew a blank.

  “Solie? Is everything all right?”

  Ransom’s voice snapped her out of the evil spell and she blinked. Before her caller could say another word she pressed the ‘end’ button then shoved the phone back into her pocket. “I…I’m good. I’ve…got to go.”

  Palms still clammy and her breathing shallow, Solie didn’t trust herself to say another word. Intent on avoiding Ransom’s eyes she hurried out of the room, grabbed her sweater from the hallway closet and fled.

  ***

  Dammit. How could he focus on the game after what had just happened? He’d seen the abrupt change in Solie’s face, seen the way she’d suddenly turned pale. Something was wrong.

  It was none of his business but he wanted to know. How could he ignore that look of distress, especially when it marked the face of someone who was coming to mean something to him?

  That thought gave him pause. He didn’t even react when Chris Andersen sank a three pointer, he was so lost in thought. Solie had begun to mean something to him, but what?

  Okay, so she was not just a neighbor anymore. She’d been his nurse and ever since Trevor stuck his nose in, she’d also become his pseudo babysitter, checking up on him and making sure he didn’t exert himself, as she put it. More than that, she’d become a friend.

  The only problem was, she was a friend to whom he was growing more and more attracted with each passing day.

  And who could blame him? When you had a neighbor…a friend…as sexy as Solie Felix there was little you could do to resist. He’d be ashamed to admit the number of times he’d grown hard each time she’d come close. But it wasn’t just her physical beauty that drew him in. It was the way she carried herself, so bold and fearless, and if necessary, so ‘in your face’. He actually admired that. He’d grown so used to women fawning over him that Solie was a refreshing change.

  So refreshing that it was disturbing. It felt too much like he was at the top of that slide that ended with you tumbling into love. Attraction he could deal with, but love? Forget it. Not after what he’d gone through with Lily Caruso.

  With a grunt, Ransom flung himself back into the sofa and glared, unseeing, at the television screen. At that moment he made a firm decision. He might give in to this attraction he was feeling for Solie, probably even pursue her – he was a man, wasn’t he? – but he would never consider bringing love into the picture. Too debilitating, too dangerous and way too overrated.

  His mind made up, Ransom settled back into the cushions and turned his attention back to the game. Semi-distracted, he watched for another twelve minutes until the Miami Heat wrapped everything up in a neat package and were being interviewed by reporters. It was only then that his thoughts honed in on other matters…

  …foremost of which was that renegade kid brother of his. Who needed concussion headaches when you had Rafe?

  He decided to call Ryder to get the details. He reached for the phone.

  His brother picked up on the second ring. “ ‘Sup?”

  “Not much,” Ransom replied, his tone casual. “What’s the latest news on Rafe? Come to his senses yet?”

  “Nope. He says he’ll be out there at least a year or two. Says he’s got nothing to keep him on dry land.” Although Ryder’s voice was calm, Ransom could sense his annoyance.

  “Even though he knows it bothers the heck out of Mom.”

  “Even so.”

  Seconds passed as Ransom mulled over the situation. Finally, he spoke. “I’m going out there,” he said. “I’ll knock some sense into him and bring him back.”

  “Don’t be an idiot,” Ryder said, sounding unimpressed with his declaration. “You’re recovering from a serious injury. You’ll only make things worse, getting all stirred up by this. Next thing you know, one of us will have to go out there and rescue you, too.”

  “Not gonna happen. I’m good. I’ll be back in the office tomorrow.”

  Ryder chuckled. “Sure? Did your bulldog babysitter give you permission?”

  Great. That was what you got for sharing your secrets with your brother. “Don’t you worry about that. I’ll be in the office tomorrow and on the weekend I’ll be on my way to Alaska.”

  “Ransom, listen to me. You can’t make a man do what he doesn’t want to do. It’s not like when we were kids and you used to bully us all.” Ryder almost sounded exasperated.

  “I said, don’t worry about it.” Ransom was nonchalant. “And, for the record, I never bullied any of you.”

  That made Ryder laugh. “Let’s not go there, bro. I would win that debate, any time.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Ransom shrugged it off but his brother was right. He’d been a tyrant of a teenager, that was for sure. Who would have thought he would have dropped his bossy ways and turned mellow at the grand old age of thirty-five?

  “Seriously, though, just let Rafe work out things for himself,” Ryder said as if that should settle the matter.

  “I’ll take your advice,” Ransom said, his voice smug, “when porcelain pigs fly.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  It ended up that Ransom didn’t get a chance to confirm his trip to Alaska until almost three weeks later. By that time they were already in December.

  Once he’d gone back into the office he’d been so swamped he hadn’t been able to drag himself from under the backlog of work until now. Heck, he hadn’t even been able to find time to make up excuses for his self-appointed babysitter to come over and check up on him. He’d only been able to touch base with her a couple of times over the past few weeks, mainly to thank her again for all her help while he’d been laid up. Each time he’d called she’d been gracious about it, acting like it was nothing, but he knew it had been a lot. She was a busy woman and yet she’d taken her precious time to be there for him. How could he feel anything but grateful…

  …and just a little bit guilty. He could have hired someone to come in to monitor him - he had more than enough money to take care of that – but that someone would not have been anything
like Solie. She was the one he’d wanted dropping by, fluffing his pillow, playing boss.

  As thoughts of Solie filled Ransom’s mind he smiled, braced back in his chair and rested his feet on the edge of the desk. Sweet memories came floating back and, busy or not, he had no desire to stem them.

  One evening he’d had a splitting headache and although he’d hated to bug her he’d called and she’d come right over. Then she’d proceeded to pamper him, pressing a cold compress against his forehead, almost making him forget that he was a gentleman when she leaned over and he was blessed with the sight of her full breasts thrusting against the soft fabric of her blouse.

  He could see her nipples, hard and pointy, tempting him, teasing him and it was all he could do to keep from tilting his head to cover those ripened buds with his lips. She was so tempting she made his mouth water and, as if the sight of her weren’t enough to break down his defenses, her womanly fragrance - a mixture of spice and springtime - was driving him up a very rough wall. He’d had to clench his fists to keep from reaching up and dragging her down on top of him.

  Another time she’d come over with a macaroni and cheese pie and barbecued chicken. When he opened the door to her she’d gone straight to the kitchen and was in there quite a while, banging plates and sounding like she was ladling out enough food to feed an army. He decided to go in and check on her.

  Solie was busy in the kitchen, all right. She’d made a big bowl of salad and from the bag of flour and the eggshells he could see on the counter he could tell she’d whipped up something for the oven. But she was nowhere in sight.

  Ransom entered the kitchen and walked over to the island in the middle of the spacious room. It was when he circled it that he saw the delectable creature. The rear end of her, that is.

  Solie was bending over, peering into the oven, giving Ransom a close up view of her jeans-covered behind.