Billionaire Unveiled

by J. S. Scott

  I can’t stand to ever see her hurting again.

  “Give up on Becker,” I insisted. “He’ll bring you nothing but more pain.”

  Her angry gaze met my stubborn one. “I can’t. I won’t,” she answered determinedly. “He’s the only thing that keeps me grounded and busy right now.”

  Unexpectedly, my temper flared. “Dating a criminal is not helping you.”

  “You have no idea what I need right now. You come here with nothing but rumors about a man who appears to care about me. Nobody has ever found any solid evidence that Greg committed any crimes.”

  Oh, I’d find evidence. It was just a matter of time. In the meantime, I didn’t want Dani anywhere near the investigations. “He’s on everybody’s watch list. For God’s sake, do you want to get tangled up in that?”

  She stood. “If I have to, I will.” She stormed to the door and opened it. “Now please leave. I’ve dealt with all I can handle today.”

  I was furious, but nothing I could say would help her right now. I hesitated as I reached the door. “Do you actually love him?”

  “I never said I loved him, but I need him right now,” she retorted.

  The last thing I wanted to hear was that she thought she needed Becker. She didn’t. But maybe she was confused. “I’m not letting him take you down with him,” I growled as I stepped out the door.

  She didn’t answer.

  The door slammed closed right behind me.

  Dani

  “Marcus drives me crazy, Harper. I don’t understand why he’s even here,” I confided to my sister on the phone the next day.

  Harper was the only person who really understood how I felt. I’d finally broken down and told her everything about what had happened to me while I was in captivity, right after I’d resigned from my network.

  “Maybe he’s right, Dani. Maybe you shouldn’t be mixed up in any of this. Maybe dating Gregory Becker isn’t a good idea,” she answered in a concerned tone.

  I flopped onto the sofa in the condo. My sister was an architect, but she operated far outside of corporations. And her husband was a US Senator. So she’d probably never heard any of the rumors that I knew circulated in the world of big business. “You’re starting to sound just like Marcus,” I told her in a disgusted voice.

  “Marcus has been in the business world since he became an adult. If he’s heard that this guy is bad news, I’m sure he knows something. He certainly isn’t the type to overexaggerate.”

  “I’m not going to stop seeing Greg,” I informed her stubbornly. “Do you know why Marcus is here?”

  “I don’t,” she admitted. “But Blake mentioned that Marcus has real estate all over the world, so I’m not surprised that he owns property there.”

  Honestly, I wasn’t surprised, either. I just wished he’d go spend time somewhere else. I found his presence unnerving when I was trying to establish a relationship. Especially when he was dragging me away from my dates. “I’m hoping he leaves soon.”

  “Don’t bet on that,” Harper warned. “He’s obviously trying to protect you, and from what Blake has told me, he can be pretty stubborn.”

  “Why would he even care?” I asked desperately. “I barely know him. He did save my life, but it’s not like we’ve kept in touch.”

  Truthfully, Marcus had been supportive when I’d shared some of what had happened to me during our long flight from Turkey to the US. Granted, I hadn’t shared every single detail, but what I had confessed to him had been difficult to share. But I’d poured enough of my heart out to him that I couldn’t quite seem to look at him as just an acquaintance. That description didn’t quite fit. He’d ended up staying with me until I was finally exhausted and fell asleep on the bed in his private jet. When I woke up, we’d been landing in DC. But then, I couldn’t honestly say Marcus was a friend, either. We hadn’t seen each other since we’d parted ways in Washington.

  “He’s protective of his family,” Harper answered. “And you’re family to him now. I’m married to his twin brother.”

  “That’s kind of a stretch,” I replied. “I’m the sister of his sister-in-law.”

  “Obviously, that’s close enough for him to be concerned.” Harper sighed before she continued. “Despite his rather irritating arrogance, he’s a good man, Dani. He lost his father when he was little more than a boy, and Blake says he’s always felt like it was his responsibility to pick up the mantle for his father. His childhood was pretty much lost. He and Blake started to grow apart after their father died. Marcus went to college and then traveled most of the time. It’s only recently that they’ve started to build their relationship again.”

  Even though I was angry at Marcus, I felt a twitch of pain in my heart for the young man who had lost his father way too early. I could see Marcus trying to fill the void in the family. And he was the only one who had continued his father’s legacy in international business. “Are the two of them close again?” I asked curiously.

  “It’s better than it used to be. But Marcus still keeps to himself way too much. Even Blake isn’t privy to what he’s thinking most of the time.”

  “I hope Blake has a better sense of humor than Marcus,” I commented. “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Marcus crack a smile.”

  I hadn’t seen a lot of my sister and Blake. We’d talked at Harper’s wedding, but it had been chaotic with all of the family around. After they’d married, I’d gone back to traveling in Europe for my job. I hadn’t been back to Rocky Springs since I’d left my network. I’d come directly to Miami.

  “Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Marcus smile, either,” Harper observed. “And Blake has a wonderful sense of humor. I think he’s taught me how to have fun again.”

  I sighed. I wished I could remember what it was like to laugh. Honestly, I’d been pretty damn glum for months. “I’m glad,” I said sincerely.

  Harper deserved to be happy. My sister did so much for other people. Since she had tons of money like every other Lawson, she didn’t have to work for a living. But she spent most of her time building homeless shelters around the country to help make a difference in the world.

  At one time, I thought I’d been making my own mark on the planet. I let the world know about the atrocities that were happening in other countries and at home—up close and personal. Most of the reporting was pretty brutal, and I did it to bring awareness of what was happening in places most people probably rarely thought about.

  Once…that had been important to me, more critical than my own safety. But after my experience in Syria, I couldn’t do my job the same way anymore, and I hated it.

  “Are you okay?” Harper asked in a kind tone.

  “As okay as I can be, seeing as I quit my job,” I answered honestly.

  “How’s the therapy going?”

  “It’s good. I still have flashbacks and nightmares, but otherwise I’m okay. I think I just need time.”

  “I worry about you. I wish you’d come for a long visit here in Colorado. Come stay with me. I’ll be home for a few months. The Senate is out of session.”

  Although we’d grown up close to the Colters, we didn’t have a home there anymore. After my parents had been killed in a traffic accident, we’d sold our childhood home. None of the brothers, me, or Harper could stand the pain of staying in our old home. There were too many memories and reminders that we’d lost our parents way too soon.

  “I’ll get there as soon as I can,” I answered noncommittally. Right now, I didn’t want to make any promises. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen with Greg. “You could always feel free to come visit the condo that we bought but you never see,” I teased.

  I had used Miami as my home base most of the time when I was actually in the States. Either that, or I’d crashed at Harper’s place in California, a home that she’d now sold to live full-time with her husband in Rocky Springs.

  “I’ve seen the Miami condo,” Harper argued. “I just don’t spend as much time th
ere as you do.”

  “It would be a comfortable flight on your husband’s private jet,” I pointed out.

  Harper sighed. “I’d love to come there, but I don’t get as much time with Blake as I’d like, and he’s home until the Senate is back in session. I kind of miss the ocean. When we were growing up, I never missed the water. But now the lack of water is the only thing I don’t like about Colorado. What people consider lakes here are actually ponds.”

  I smiled because I knew exactly what she meant. “Well, the ocean is here waiting for you when you’re ready.”

  “I’ll get there eventually, especially if you’re still there. I need to meet this boyfriend of yours.”

  “Greg isn’t exactly my boyfriend,” I denied. “Not at the moment, anyway.”

  “He’s still seeing other people?” Harper asked, sounding confused.

  Actually, I was pretty sure Greg was still fucking other people. He wasn’t really the faithful type. “Yes.”

  “Are you?” Harper questioned.

  I hesitated, wondering if being so damn attracted to her husband’s twin brother would count as some kind of infidelity. “I’m not seeing anybody else.”

  “If he hasn’t seen you for the treasure you are, then maybe he isn’t good enough for you,” Harper said thoughtfully. “Are you certain that Marcus isn’t right about this guy?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Marcus isn’t right about everything, and he has no business getting involved in who I date, Harper. It’s annoying.”

  “I think that maybe you like Marcus,” she answered. “You spent a lot of time with him while you were recovering. You said he was nice to you.”

  “I don’t like him,” I insisted. “And he was nice to me then. But he cheats at playing chess,” I grumbled.

  Harper laughed out loud. “How do you cheat at chess? Oh my God, did he actually beat you?”

  “I think he switched pieces around when I wasn’t looking,” I informed her, knowing I was fibbing. Marcus had won fair and square, but I was kind of a sore loser when it came to chess games.

  “He did win!” Harper exclaimed, sounding delighted.

  “Don’t sound so happy about it.”

  “You need a man who will challenge you once in a while,” she declared. “You’re too intelligent to date an ignorant male.”

  “Speaking of perfect men, how is Blake?” I asked, needing to change the subject. I pretty much told Harper everything, but because Marcus was her brother-in-law, I didn’t feel comfortable spilling my guts about how much Marcus confused me.

  “He’s amazing,” Harper said with a happy sigh. “Sometimes it’s hard to believe that he’s back in my life, and I’m married to him.”

  “Believe it. I was your maid of honor. I saw it happen.”

  “I know. But it still seems surreal. I just wish you and our brothers could find the same kind of happiness. Mason has gotten so cynical, and I’m worried about Jett after what happened with Lisette.”

  “I’d still like to bitch slap her,” I confessed. “How do you dump a guy you love just because he had an accident and has a few scars and a limp? The accident hasn’t changed who he is inside.”

  “She didn’t love him. I’m glad she’s out of his life,” Harper admitted. “Jett is too good for her. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to make her happy, and she treated him like dirt.”

  “Have you heard from him?” I asked, wondering how my youngest brother was getting along. “I haven’t heard from him for a few days.”

  “He had to have another minor operation. But I talked to him yesterday, and he sounds okay.”

  Harper and I caught up on the rest of the family, finally hanging up because we both had things to do.

  I went to the kitchen to put my phone on charge. I’d just connected it when it began to ring.

  I checked the caller ID, my heart beginning to speed up as I saw that Greg was the caller. A surge of adrenaline shot through my body, a familiar feeling because I experienced it every time I talked to or saw Gregory Becker.

  I took a deep breath and let it out to calm down before I finally answered the phone.

  Marcus

  It hadn’t been difficult to get tickets to the charity event being held in Miami Beach at some fancy club I’d never been to before. All I’d had to do was cough up the required money for a ticket, and I gained my entrance into the exclusive gathering, the place where Gregory Becker would come through the door momentarily with his date. I wasn’t interested in him at the moment. I was here because Danica was apparently coming here with him tonight.

  Obviously, she wasn’t prepared to listen to my advice, so I was going to have to be more assertive and clear about her staying away from Becker.

  Goddammit! Why did she have to be so damn stubborn? What hold did Becker have over her? I refused to acknowledge that she might actually like the asshole.

  I looked around the ballroom, a venue that was rapidly filling up with guests. I’d grabbed a table that gave me a perfect view of the only entrance to the room, and I’d already tossed back more than one glass of Scotch while I’d been waiting.

  George had driven me here, and he’d be waiting for me whenever I left, which I hoped would be soon. The large space was air conditioned, but the humidity was ruthless, and my tuxedo was starting to become uncomfortable as the place started to get overcrowded with guests.

  Yeah, I’d attended plenty of these events, but I wasn’t usually attending because I was pissed at a hot redhead who wouldn’t listen to my warnings. I generally had a reason to come to a formal affair. Otherwise, I just sent a check to my charities and they were perfectly happy.

  My blood pressure rose as Becker finally strolled through the door, looking just as pretentious as he had the few times we’d met in the past. But my hypertension was being caused by the woman he was manhandling, his arms around Danica’s waist like he fucking owned her.

  If anybody owns her, it’s me!

  My random thought startled the hell out of me. I wasn’t a possessive kind of guy, and I’d never wanted a woman all to myself. Sure, I had my share of liaisons with women. My sexual appetite had always been healthy. Well, it had been before I went and kissed an angel who made me feel all kinds of bizarre emotions I’d never experienced before.

  Really, I didn’t want to own her, right? That was just sick and twisted.

  Maybe own wasn’t a good word, because I had no desire to control her other than moving her away from danger. Okay. Yeah. I didn’t want another man touching her either.

  After watching Dani for a few more seconds, I decided I was definitely sick and twisted when it came to her. The desire to punch Becker out and drag Dani away from him was still as strong as it had been when they’d walked through the door. Maybe worse!

  It didn’t help as my eyes roamed over Dani’s form. I knew her well enough to recognize that her appearance wasn’t really her usual style. The black dress she was wearing was a formal, but it had a figure-hugging design, and the hem landed well above her knees. Once again, she was wearing a ridiculously high pair of stiletto heels that were black, and I had to pull my mind out of the gutter as I wondered what kind of lingerie she was wearing under that cock teaser of a dress.

  Her hair was in a sleek bob, the black dress enhancing the red of those bouncy strands. I had no idea what was up with the heavy makeup she was wearing. From what I’d observed, she didn’t seem like the type to layer makeup onto her skin. She certainly didn’t need it to be fuckable. Really, all she needed to do was breathe and my dick was hard. I was pretty sure any guy with a healthy sex drive would feel the same way.

  I motioned for a waiter to bring me another Scotch. I desperately needed it now that I’d seen Dani with Becker.

  I watched as the couple progressed around the room, Dani quietly staying by Becker’s side, the expression on her face not quite what I’d expect from a woman who was excited to be with her date. Her smile was weak and unnatural, and her demeanor was submissi
ve, something I knew damn well wasn’t normal.

  The event was crowded and she’d never noticed my presence, which was just what I’d wanted. I’d situated myself that way purposely. I could watch her, but she wasn’t seeing me.

  Over the last year, I’d become damn good at stalking her undetected, which was something I wasn’t exactly proud of, but I’d accepted the fact that I couldn’t lose the overwhelming desire to protect her. The tendency was much too strong— even for me—to stuff back down and ignore.

  Eventually, they moved to the bar. Becker shoved some pink and fluffy drink at Dani, and he accepted what I assumed was some kind of gin from the bartender.

  It seemed like Becker was doing all the talking, because she was just nodding obligingly back at him with the same false smile.

  Finally, she put her drink on the bar and then headed off alone. It was the moment I’d waited for and I discreetly followed her.

  Because I’d been watching women coming in and out of the restroom, I had to wait for the last female I’d seen go in to exit again before I entered.

  Dani was drying her hands by the time I plowed through the door.

  She took a superficial look at me. But within a blink of an eye, her gaze snapped back to me again with astonishment. “Marcus? What in the hell are you doing here? And you can’t be in here. It’s the ladies’ room.”

  I didn’t care where we were. Everyone was out of the restroom, and I needed to talk to her. I crossed my arms as I leaned against the counter. She wasn’t going anywhere. “There’s nobody else in here. Why are you with him, Danica? I warned you about Becker. I’m not here for no reason. He’s dangerous.”

  “And I remember telling you that I wasn’t about to heed your warning, Marcus,” she answered tightly.

  She tried to duck around me after she dried her hands, but failed miserably.