Secret Billionaire (The Carolina Series Book 2)

by Jill Downey

  “Sure. I’ll give it a try.”

  He took her hand in his and led her over to the court. “Hey, everybody this is Faye. She’s a Carlisle party virgin. Make her feel welcome! Who’s ready for a break?”

  His sister-in-law, from the opposing team, quickly volunteered and said, “Here please take my spot. Hi Faye, I’m Jen, with that guy in the flashy Hawaiian trunks.” Jen nodded her head toward Dylan. “That’s Connor in the back corner getting ready to serve.”

  Jesse said, “That means you’ll be siding with my patronizing older brothers. But whatever. Dylan is your team captain.”

  Dylan winked at Faye. “We’re going to kick some ass. Jump on in.”

  Faye smiled, taking over Jen’s position in the sand. Connor served and the ball was in play. After several minutes Faye was warmed up and comfortable throwing herself into the game. Normally not competitive, the brothers had her fired up, and she found herself aggressively spiking the ball over the net whenever she had the opportunity.

  Jesse had lost his ability to concentrate on the game with Faye on the other side of the net distracting him. Those mile-long legs in cutoff jean shorts had his full attention. He’d already messed up some easy plays and his teammates were beginning to razz him.

  “Dude, maybe you should take a time out. You’re killing us!”

  “Yeah we were ahead!”

  Dylan was overjoyed with this turn of events. “Faye so glad you could join us!” He said grinning.

  Faye was up to serve. She winked at her team captain and said, “Whatever it takes.” Then easily lobbed the ball right to Jesse who just managed to pass it to a teammate.

  At this point Jess couldn’t wait for the game to be over so he could be close to Faye. When his team finally lost after giving up their huge lead, he couldn’t have cared less. Everyone carried their hot and sweaty bodies to the huge in-ground pool and jumped in to cool off.

  Jesse watched Faye dive underwater, looking like a sea nymph. She emerged next to him, water droplets trickling down her face and chest, tempting Jesse to lick them off. In the end, he couldn’t keep his hands off her. He pulled her slick body against his and her eyes widened when she felt his erection press into her.

  He blew out a breath, “Faye, what am I going to do about you?”

  Her breath was quick and shallow, and her eyes were burning with want. His throat tightened. All the background noise and laughter disappeared, only the two of them existed. He dipped his head and pressed his lips softly against hers. She kissed him back then pushed playfully at his chest and ducked underwater to pull his legs out from under him.

  He took in a big mouthful of water and came up sputtering. Her eyes were sparkling with laughter. “Remember you started it,” Jesse said, before picking her up and tossing her high in the air as she shrieked. She made a big splash as she went under. When she didn’t reappear, Jesse nervously looked under the water, and was caught off guard once again when she snuck up behind him and jumped on his back to pull him under. They wrestled under water for the upper hand, limbs entangled, the water heightening the sensations of her silky bare skin against his own.

  He whispered in her ear, “You feel so good.”

  She dove back under and swam to the other end of the pool, before propping her elbows on the ledge, smiling teasingly from her safe perch. He raked his hands through his wet hair and sighed.

  “Who is she?” A female voice whispered in his ear.

  The brunette, Kelly, had snuck up behind him and jumped onto his back, wrapping her arms and legs around him, like she was riding piggyback.

  “Technically she’s a client. I’m renovating her bar, used to be Skully’s.”

  “I saw it was open. The Pelican, right?”

  “Yeah, that’s the one.”

  “You two seem to have something more going on. Does this mean you’re off the market again?”

  He glanced over at Faye and caught her glaring before she pulled herself out of the water and headed back toward the house.

  “You could say that. Listen Kelly, I’ve got to go.”

  “My loss. Lucky girl. It’s no secret that I’ve had a crush on you since I was ten. Let me know if you’re ever up for more than a friendship.”

  “You know I care about you Kelly. You’re one of my best friends and always will be, I hope anyway.”

  “No doubt. Go get her.”

  Jesse jumped out of the pool and went after Faye who had almost made it to her car.

  “Nice car!” Jesse said when he caught up with her. Silence.

  “Faye talk to me.”

  “Jesse, there’s nothing to say. You don’t owe me anything. I’m the one who said we could only be friends. You’re a free agent.”

  “But that’s just it. I’m not. You’re the only one I want. Kelly is just an old friend.”

  “It sure looked like more than that from where I sat.”

  “Probably, but I’m telling you the truth.”

  “Does your friend Kelly know all this?”

  “Yes, I just reminded her of it. She told me to ‘go get her’ as you were stomping away.”

  “I was not stomping, thank you very much!”

  Jesses eyes twinkled, “Yeah, you seem to have some problems with ole greenie don’t ya?”

  Her eyes narrowed dangerously, “You seem to have a death wish.”

  He laughed out loud. Pulling her against his chest he said, “Listen, let’s just see where this thing takes us. We’ll go real slow. I promise. Just don’t close yourself off from me again. Please Faye.”

  She bit her lip, eyes bottomless pools of deep blue. “I guess we have no other choice, truth be told. I can’t fight this anymore. It’d be like the ocean trying to fight the pull of the moon.”

  “Well said. Now about that kiss…” Jesse leaned down and covered her mouth with his. He plundered desperately, as she gripped his hair tightly in clenched fingers.

  When he finally lifted his head, they were both breathing heavily. “I’d better get back to the party. Why don’t you come back for some seafood boil?”

  “I think I need to go home and rest up for tomorrow. I had a lovely time. Please tell your folks I said thank you.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow. And Faye?”

  “Yes?”

  “You know I’m crazy about you, don’t you?”

  “I’m kinda counting on that.”

  He ran his thumb across her bottom lip then opened her car door. When she looked up at him with that sultry look, he groaned. “Stop looking at me like that or all bets are off on taking it slow.”

  “Bye Jess. Be good.”

  32

  Faye propped the front bar door open in preparation for the arrival of the newly painted statue. Jesse and Joe would be there any minute with the delivery. She had the perfect spot right next to the hostess stand at the front of the bar. It would sit nestled between the bench and the fountain. She couldn’t wait to see what her friend had done with it.

  The truck pulled in and she excitedly directed them to back the truck up to the front door. Both men hopped out and Jesse unlatched the back end of the pickup.

  “Wow! It’s amazing!” Faye said. It was ablaze with color. Just what she’d envisioned.

  “And it hasn’t lost any weight since we dropped it off,” Joe said.

  They huffed and puffed as they pulled it off the truck bed and muscled it through the door.

  “Right here,” Faye instructed.

  Ty came out from the back and said, “That is cool as hell!”

  “I know, right?” Faye smiled.

  “This calls for a few selfies,” Ty said.

  “That’s a great idea. We should send a photo to the newspaper. Good publicity,” Jesse said.

  “Joe will you do the honors?” Faye asked.

  “Sure. You three gather round.”

  He snapped some shots with them getting increasingly goofy. He took a shot of Faye kissing the Mayan God on the cheek, on
e with Faye squatting in front and Jesse and Ty on either side with their arms around its neck. They ended up with some great shots which Joe forwarded to her email. She’d send them to the paper. Maybe they’d do a feature article about her bar. They were usually good about doing that for new businesses. The grand opening was only a couple weeks away.

  “This is exactly what was missing. Must be fate!” Faye said.

  “I have to admit, he’s grown on me and the bright colors neutralize the creep factor,” Joe said.

  “He’s adorable! He looks like a Mayan version of Buddha,” Faye said.

  “I wouldn’t go that far. He looks too menacing to be Buddha, I’d say closer to Sasquatch.”

  “I think we just came up with his name,” Faye said.

  “I’ve got to get back to work on the kitchen. Thanks Joe. Tell the crew hi, and I’ll check in tomorrow some time,” Jesse said.

  “Will do, see ya.”

  With the outdoor deck completed, Jesse had his sights set on having the kitchen finished by the grand opening. Ty was proving to be a real asset. He had a natural mechanical aptitude and enjoyed working with his hands. Reminded Jess of himself. He, Ty and Faye, The Three Musketeers. Ty had shared with Jess that he was related to Faye and that his father was in prison. That had taken a lot to admit, and it had sealed their friendship.

  Jesse rubbed the tension in his neck. He had that weird sense that he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Was Julian lurking around somewhere…just waiting for the perfect opportunity to show up? Faye had halfway convinced herself that he was gone. He hoped that was true.

  He and Faye were back to their previous playful bantering. The lack of intimacy was starting to get to him though, and the sexual tension was building…she had to be just as frustrated as he was… There was some small consolation knowing that.

  Faye had scheduled karaoke tonight and he was going to be bartending with her. He loved being behind the bar with her. This was the first night for the new waitress Faye had just hired, Addison. She was only twenty-one, but she’d already been a server at a couple of busy establishments and came highly recommended. Faye wasn’t nervous about throwing her to the wolves on a Saturday night.

  “Quit daydreaming and hand me that board,” Jess said.

  Ty distractedly handed the four by six to Jesse, and said, “I’ve always liked older women.”

  “And who might you be referring to?”

  “No one in particular.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure it couldn’t be Addison you’re talking about.”

  “She is hot. And we’re only three years apart. Actually, I’ll be nineteen in a couple of weeks.”

  “And you’re so mature for your age, right?” Jesse said grinning.

  “Yeah, how’d you know I was going to say that?”

  “Just a hunch.”

  “I’ve always liked redheads.”

  “She’s very cute, and seems like a nice person,” Jesse agreed.

  Tyler’s eyes were glazed over, and Jesse saw the telltale signs of a full-blown crush blooming right before his eyes. “Let her get to know you, she’ll be unable to resist your charms.”

  “You think so?”

  “You’ve got a lot going for you. Let her see the real you. Don’t try to act too cool, even though I know it comes naturally.”

  Ty extended his middle finger toward Jess, grinning.

  “Girls like that shit though,” Jesse said.

  “Parents don’t.”

  “You’ve got a point. Now hand me another board and get your head out of your ass.”

  “Sure chief.”

  They both turned in surprise when Faye entered the kitchen with Addison right behind her. Ty’s jaw dropped, his eyes widening, before he schooled his features into a nonchalant expression.

  “Ty, Jess, you both remember Addison?”

  Ty looked down at the ground and mumbled, “Hello.”

  Addison’s cheeks turned pink, “Hi Tyler, Jesse. Good to see you both again.”

  Faye looked back and forth between Ty and Addison then at Jesse and he winked. Faye arched a brow as her lips curved up.

  “Tyler, maybe you could give Addison a tour? Show her the ropes, where things are. I’ve got to talk with Jess for a few minutes.”

  Ty cleared his throat, “Uh…yeah…sure. Follow me.”

  Addison grinned at Ty and followed him out.

  “Well well, I never saw that coming,” Faye said.

  “That’s because you’re not a guy.”

  “I can totally see it now,” Faye said.

  “So can he,” Jess shared.

  “Aww, so now I’m in the matchmaking business. Who’d have ever guessed?”

  Jesse pulled Faye into his arms, “Lets concentrate on our own relationship. When are you going to give in to me?”

  “I’m definitely warming up to you.”

  “Is that so? Just now warming up huh?” He rubbed the bulge of his sex against her pubic bone, holding her tight against him.

  He felt her breath quicken. Ducking his head down he traced the outline of her mouth with his tongue before settling on her lips. Her mouth parted and she hungrily latched onto his tongue. He jerked when she cupped his crotch and squeezed. The scent of shampoo and summer flowers were assailing his senses. Her soft skin as he slipped his hands down the waistband of her shorts made him crazy. He needed to feel her whole body naked next to his. He massaged her bottom as she pressed against him.

  “Babe, I need you now,” Jesse said.

  She broke away panting, “Jess, Addison and Ty…”

  “Send them away, on an errand or something.”

  “Okay.”

  Faye smoothed her hair and straighten her clothing then went to find them. Tyler was showing Addison where everything was stored behind the bar when Faye walked out.

  “Hey Ty? Could you two go into town and grab a couple cases of mixers for me?”

  “Sure. I have my bike though; can I use Jesse’s truck?”

  “Yeah, I’ll go grab his keys.”

  She returned with the keys and a list, and they took off.

  33

  Faye entered the kitchen and said in her most sultry voice, “Urgent meeting in my office… now.”

  Her eyes blazed with desire and he picked her up and carried her into the office. Slamming the door shut with his foot, he locked it behind them. “Faye,” he whispered hoarsely, setting her on the desk. He reached into his pocket to grab a condom out of his pocket before quickly unzipping his cargo shorts. His hard-on sprung out as she brushed her knuckles down the soft furry trail and pulled his shorts down over his hips.

  “Well hello there,” Faye said.

  He hissed as she stroked him. He kissed her neck then behind her ear before planting tiny kisses all over her face. Her breath hitched as he reached under her shirt to tease her nipples, rolling his thumb over her nubs as she arched into his hand.

  “Oh, baby you feel so damn good,” Jesse murmured.

  She put her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a long sensuous kiss. “Jess, I’ve missed you.”

  “I’m here now. You’re going to have one heck of a time getting rid of me again.” He lifted her shirt and pulled her bra aside, her breasts spilled out, nipples rosy and plump. He glanced up and found her looking at him eyes smoldering with desire. He dipped his head and latched onto her nub. She was achingly responsive to his lips and tongue suckling.

  Faye gasped with pleasure as he sucked, each pull caused her vagina to throb. Gentle at first, when Faye cried out, “Yes, harder,” he began tugging and pulling until she thought she’d lose her mind. He roughly pulled her shorts and underwear off, then got on his knees in front of her. Gripping her hips, he trailed tantalizing kisses up her inner thighs as she leaned back bracing her hands on the desk behind her. She watched him as he reached her center. He parted her labia with his fingers before inserting them into her vagina. She spread her legs wider as his tongue explored and his f
ingers moved in and out, going deeper with each thrust. He moved his lips to her belly then stood and positioned himself between her legs.

  She watched him slip on a condom. He held his penis with one hand and parted her lips with his other. Faye pulled her knees to her chest and he plunged inside her hot juicy center. As he penetrated, she felt him fill her completely, his hardness pressing against her with every thrust.

  He held her hips steady and plunged deeper and faster inside her. She felt her vagina squeeze around him as he drove harder into her. He rode her like a wild stallion rutting, all the pent-up desire laid bare. She cried out as her orgasm pulled her under. Biting her bottom lip, her body shuddered in surrender.

  Jesse suddenly stiffened as he exploded, moaning her name. Panting, he released her legs and leaned forward to bury his face into her neck while his body shuddered in climax. She licked him, tasting salt and smelling sex and spice. She tipped her head back and he rained kisses all over her face and neck.

  “Jess," she said, breathlessly.

  He moved to her lips and kissed her deeply, his tongue filling her mouth like his cock had filled her only moments before. She felt his tremors subside and his breath slowly return to normal.

  “That was incredible,” he said against her lips.

  “Is this what they call make up sex?” Faye asked, her lips turning up.

  He cradled her face between his hands, “Hey, from now on, can we please just skip over the fighting part and get straight to the make-up part.”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m crazy about you Faye. I will never get enough of you.” He kissed her deeply.

  She brushed her fingers lightly through his hair. Faye looked deeply into Jess’s golden brown eyes, almost caramel today, and sighed. “Jess.”

  “Faye stay with me tonight. I need you in my bed. I need to see you right before I go to sleep and the first thing when I wake up in the morning.”

  Her mouth curved into a smile as she pulled his head toward hers, “I’d like that.”

  “Ty and Addison will be here any minute,” Jesse said. After zipping up, he reached for her panties and slipped them over her ankles. The shorts followed, then she stood and held onto his shoulders while he dressed her the rest of the way. As he zipped up her shorts his knuckles brushed against her mound making her want to start all over again. She sunk her fingers into his flesh as his lips brushed her belly.