A Date With a Billionaire

by Julianna Morris

  “Why did you do it?” demanded the woman who had recognized them. “He’s gorgeous and rich. Jeez, how could you refuse to go?”

  Beth swallowed and drew a breath. She liked people, she just didn’t enjoy being the center of so much excited attention. “My neighbor entered me in the contest, so I wasn’t really expecting…you know, to win. I guess I wasn’t thinking straight.” It wasn’t the real reason, but they didn’t need to know that.

  Chuckles rose from the group, accompanied with jokes about not appreciating her luck and “looking a gift horse in the mouth.” Beth sneaked a look at Kane, wondering how he felt about being called a “gift horse.” She was starting to understand how humiliating her public rejection must have been, but to her surprise, he didn’t look insulted, just frustrated.

  “Ladies and gentleman, please,” exclaimed a ferry official as he elbowed through the throng with a couple of helpers. “If you’ll come with me, Mr. O’Rourke. And you, too, miss. I think it would be better if we get you both off first.”

  Forcing her way through a crowd of people wasn’t Beth’s idea of fun, but she clutched her purse and inched out of the seat. Kane reached out with one arm and clamped her tight to his side. A shock of awareness spun through her body, distracting her from more immediate concerns.

  “Take it easy,” he murmured. “You’ll get used to this.”

  “W-what?”

  “The attention. It goes with the territory. It’ll be better once we get off.”

  “Right.” With an effort she kept color from flooding her face. Crazy thoughts about Kane had spun around her head, which was totally illogical. But his words had conjured an image of permanence.

  You’ll get used to this.

  Sure.

  Like she’d ever get used to being asked for her autograph and having her picture taken by strangers, much less in a single weekend. Or that she even wanted to get used to it, which she didn’t.

  The ferry had already docked and another team of crewmen were blocking the exit. Kane and Beth were allowed past the rope barricade, then the ship’s crew began explaining, over the other passengers’ objections, that they would have to wait.

  “What do you think the camera crew and chauffeur are doing?” Beth asked as they approached the custom’s official.

  “I really don’t give a damn,” Kane muttered. “Maybe we can get a few minutes of peace this way. We’ll see them at the hotel later. That’ll be soon enough.”

  Customs took only a few minutes, and they hurried from the building. Beth drew a breath of fresh, sweet air and looked around happily. It had been a couple years since she’d come to Victoria, a town people called “more English than the English.” She didn’t know if it was true, but the city was beautiful—from the grand parliamentary buildings up from the docks, to the trailing baskets of flowers hanging from the old fashioned globe and wrought iron light posts.

  “Let’s get down where the camera crew can’t see us if they drive by,” Kane suggested. “The longer we’re away from them, the better.”

  Beth nodded and they hurried down to a lower walkway that skirted the water of the quaint harbor. Whistles and shouts from the ferry behind them caught their attention, and she saw they were in view of the foot passengers waiting to disembark. Though some distance away, it was plain they were still interested and snapping pictures.

  “I feel bad we got special treatment getting off,” Beth said, biting on her lower lip. “You may be used to it, but I’m not. We should have waited our turn with everyone else.”

  “It wasn’t exactly special treatment, more like a safety precaution,” Kane replied, a devilish smile on his face. “But we could give them something to make up for it. A reward, so to speak.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like this.”

  Putting a hand on Beth’s waist, Kane tugged her flush against his body. He gazed into her wide eyes and felt her breathing quicken. A flush of triumphant satisfaction filled him. Beth Cox definitely wasn’t as indifferent as she pretended. He shouldn’t be glad about that, but he was.

  “I think a kiss would reward them nicely. They’ll be convinced they’re seeing a real romance developing between us.”

  She flicked the tip of her tongue over her lips. “Are they supposed to think that’s exciting?”

  “That depends on whether you kiss me back, or slap me.”

  “You don’t think a slap would be exciting?”

  He hesitated, nearly saying it wouldn’t be exciting for him, not nearly as much as a kiss. But it was exactly the wrong thing to say, particularly when he’d gone to great lengths to assure Beth that he knew their date wasn’t really a date.

  Except…it sounded like a date, felt like a date, and was making him feel like a kid on a date. Not a deadly dull dinner date at one of Seattle’s most expensive restaurants, but an honest to gosh date with a girl, where he didn’t have a clue about the outcome.

  For the first time in longer than he could remember, he was having fun.

  “Play along, Beth,” he whispered. “Give them an eyeful.”

  With a mischievous smile, she wound her arms around his neck. “Like this?”

  “Exactly like that.” His voice was hoarse again, but hell, she was doing things to his blood pressure he’d thought were no longer possible. Putting his mouth over hers, Kane tasted the sweetness of the muffin she’d eaten, and the lingering flavor of coffee.

  On Beth, the terrible coffee didn’t taste so bad.

  In fact, it tasted great.

  He was tempted to deepen the embrace, but they were in a very public place. No matter what he’d said about giving the ferry passengers a reward for having to wait, he wasn’t an exhibitionist. Quite simply, the kiss was about finally getting a chance to touch Beth.

  Still…he lingered another few seconds, savoring the sweet innocence of her mouth, before lifting his head.

  “That—” Beth cleared her throat. “That was interesting.” The swirl of emotions in her eyes was too complicated to sort out.

  “Then you’re glad you didn’t slap my face?”

  Her enigmatic smile drove a fresh surge of heat through him. “I haven’t decided.”

  “Let me know when you make up your mind.”

  “Oh, you’ll be the first to know, Mr. O’Rourke. Don’t worry about it.”

  Chapter Four

  “So, what’s next on the agenda?” Beth asked brightly…just as if they weren’t still holding each other in a loose embrace that made Kane feel as if he’d been sucker-punched.

  “You did say what you wanted to do, so we scheduled a visit to Butchart Gardens,” he said, reluctantly dropping his arms. “Then we return and have high tea at the Empress Hotel. I think lunch is supposed to happen somewhere in the middle.”

  “It would be more fun to just wander around on our own,” Beth said.

  A slow smile grew on Kane’s face. “You mean ditch the news crew altogether and make this more like a real date?” He winced the moment the words “a real date” passed his lips, expecting Beth to explode. “Uh…but we need to catch up with the limo,” he added hastily.

  “Who needs a limo?” She grabbed his hand and headed down to the marina. “Let’s buy a bus tour of the city. It’ll take us out to Craigdarroch Castle, along the waterfront…lots of places. They also have tours that go out to the gardens.”

  “What’s Craigdarroch Castle?” he asked.

  “A nifty old house.”

  There were plenty of old houses in Seattle, and Kane had never enjoyed visiting historic sites that much to begin with, but he let Beth pull him along. “Why is it called a castle?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe because it’s got lots of rooms and turrets and looks like one.”

  It sounded like a good enough reason to Kane, and much easier than thinking about that kiss. He was long past the time when he analyzed and reanalyzed a kiss, wasn’t he? A man reached a certain point in his life and didn’t wonder what things like that
meant, or endlessly second-guess himself about how it should have been handled.

  Right.

  And he was an idiot, because he was second-guessing himself. But there was something about the sweet freshness in Beth’s face that made him feel younger than he had in years…maybe younger than he’d felt since his father’s death.

  They waited at the light to cross the busy street in front of the Empress Hotel, an impressive structure that stood like a sentinel in front of the quaint harbor. The city was a feast for the senses with its frosted cake buildings, hanging flower baskets and gaily dressed tourists.

  Just then he spotted the news crew heading toward them, followed by the stretch limo.

  “Uh-oh.”

  He grabbed Beth’s hand and hurried her into the crowd still crossing the other street.

  “The bus tour place is the other way,” she protested.

  “Yeah, but we’re going to have company if we’re not careful.”

  Beth peeked through the hubbub of tourists and saw the limousine and black Chevy Blazer for herself. One of the frustrated reporters was leaning halfway out the window, scanning the people streaming in every direction. Fortunately he was focused toward the hotel and not at them.

  Laughing, she took the lead and they raced to hide behind the carillon tower. Kane leaned over her, one hand resting on the concrete tower wall, a broad grin splitting his face. Her heart skipped a couple of beats.

  “The museum is right here,” she murmured. “It might be a good time for a visit.”

  His brow wrinkled attractively. “I thought we were going to the castle. We can get a taxi, rather than going on a tour. Then we’ll plan out the rest of the day.”

  Beth shook her head. She didn’t know a great deal about Kane O’Rourke, but she had an idea of his life—all schedules and work and carefully planned days.

  “We don’t have to plan anything. We’re in front of a great museum, let’s go inside.”

  Without waiting for agreement, she headed for the entrance. After a moment she felt a strong hand at the small of her back and smiled faintly. Kane might learn to be more spontaneous, but he’d never forget to be a gentleman. She’d never been around a man like that, someone whose old-world manners were as second nature as breathing.

  He paid for their entrance to the museum and they rode the escalator up to one of the upper floors. Though it had been years since she’d visited Victoria, the Royal British Columbia Museum was a dear friend to Beth, and she took Kane to her favorite display first—the recreation of an old town, complete with train station and silent movie theater.

  “Isn’t it great?” she murmured, standing in the train station with her eyes closed, feeling the vibration through her shoes as the “train” roared down the tracks, whistle blowing. It was an illusion, but she loved it.

  Kane gazed at Beth, more intrigued by the look on her face than anything the museum had to offer. A part of her had slipped away, lost to the threads of a younger time woven through the exhibit. What would happen if he kissed her again? Would it bring her back?

  With an effort Kane deliberately stepped farther away. He needed to see Beth with clinical detachment. This wasn’t a date. He didn’t have any right to kiss her. They weren’t a couple, and never would be.

  It was hard to remember though, when they later sat in a darkened exhibit area and listened to the stories behind the displayed tribal masks. The recorded voice and Native American music cast a haunting spell across the listeners. When Beth wiggled in apparent discomfort, Kane slid off the upholstered lounge seat to the carpet, pulling her along with him. She tensed, then relaxed against his chest.

  Yes.

  He crossed his arms over her stomach and held her securely between his bent knees. It put Beth’s head conveniently close so he could kiss the curve of her neck. Which he did, the soft fragrance of her skin an enticement he couldn’t resist.

  “Kane…don’t,” Beth’s faint protest could barely be heard above the melodic voice recounting the creation story of Raven and the clamshell.

  “Just making you comfortable,” he whispered in her ear.

  Of course, it was making him quite uncomfortable, in a completely masculine way. Desire, hot and insistent rose behind Kane’s zipper, and he counted to a hundred. It was an exquisite pain, all the more so because he certainly wouldn’t find release. Even if Beth was willing, he wouldn’t start an affair with reporters hot on their trail. Some women didn’t care about their reputations; he didn’t think she was one of them.

  Other visitors drifted in and out, but they stayed—anonymous and ignored—listening through several of the story cycles. It was curious, feeling so much at peace, while at the same time feeling ready to explode. The calm lasted until a large group of schoolchildren came in, chattering and asking questions from their teacher.

  Without a word Beth slipped from his arms and they drifted into the main section of the First People’s exhibit.

  Only when their stomachs began to rumble did they leave.

  “I’m sure there’s a restaurant at the Empress,” he said as they stepped into the sunlight.

  “Yeah, but we can also get a hot dog and have more time to see stuff.”

  She was serious.

  “You don’t want a nice lunch?” Something expensive with deferential waiters and fine china. The women he usually socialized with would insist on that kind of luxury.

  “Hot dogs are nice.”

  “Sure,” he said, unconvinced.

  Beth smiled, though she didn’t feel the least like smiling. She shouldn’t have kissed Kane, or talked about such personal things on the ferry. Her common sense had clearly flown the coop. Kane O’Rourke was charming and thoughtful, and if she wasn’t careful she could fall for him in a big way.

  A chill went through her that had nothing to do with the cool breeze sweeping in from the water.

  She didn’t want to fall in love again. It was too damned painful. Besides, Kane was out of reach. An enormously wealthy man with a normal family, as far from her circumstances as he could be. So maybe an informal, happy-go-lucky lunch of hot dogs wasn’t such a great idea.

  “All right, we’ll go to the hotel if that’s what you want,” she agreed.

  Kane nodded, which she supposed was best. He might eat nifty deli sandwiches at the office, but he’d want something fancier in other circumstances.

  Somehow, it was easier to keep thinking about Kane as if he was just a spoiled rich guy who didn’t know how regular people lived.

  Perversely, the minute Beth had agreed to a sit-down lunch at a restaurant, Kane wanted the hot dog she’d suggested. Something had happened in the space of a second. One minute she was filled with laughter and spontaneity, the next a shutter had come down over her face.

  He cleared his throat. “A member of my staff came over and registered us at the hotel yesterday, so I have our keys. Why don’t we take a look at our rooms, and then decide.”

  “That sounds fine.”

  “What’s wrong?” he asked bluntly.

  “Nothing, I said it was fine.”

  She gave him a bright, artificial smile and Kane gritted his teeth. The woman was impossible, but that didn’t stop him from wanting her in the worst way. And it didn’t stop him from wanting her to change back to how she was acting just minutes before, with a real smile on her face.

  Of course, he liked challenges. So maybe if he just considered this another challenge, then it would be all right. In the back of his mind Kane vaguely realized there was a flaw in his reasoning, but he wasn’t thinking clearly when it came to Beth Cox. He was getting an odd sensation around her, a sense of being at sea without a lifeboat.

  While Beth checked out her suite, he made a few calls and set up a private lunch…with some very special additions to the usual room service. When everything was ready he invited her to see his own sitting room.

  Beth walked in, stared for a few seconds, then burst out laughing.

  The room had
been hastily banked in ferns and flowers, and spread out on the plush carpet was a red-checked picnic tablecloth. A giant plastic “ant” was peering into a basket filled with hot dogs in buns. A formal waiter stood at attention, linen napkin over his arm, holding a frosty cold bottle of sparkling apple cider.

  “You sure know how to treat a girl right,” she said, still grinning.

  “Anything for a lady,” Kane declared. He took the cider from the waiter and handed him a large denomination bill. “We can take it from here.”

  “Very good, sir.” The waiter left, though not before scooping up the plastic ant. “Three’s a crowd,” he said, giving Kane a wink.

  Beth sat cross-legged on the tablecloth and shook her head. “I’m glad you didn’t go to a lot of trouble,” she murmured dryly.

  “I just made a phone call. By the way, they’re hand-cranking ice cream for us down in the kitchen.”

  “Really? I didn’t think they made hand-cranked freezers any longer.”

  He shrugged. “They made sure they found one in order to get that bonus I offered.”

  “It must be nice to have that kind of money,” Beth said, yet she didn’t sound envious.

  A thoughtful frown creased Kane’s forehead. The sensation he’d felt earlier came back stronger, the feeling of being out of his depth. It was ridiculous. Beth was so young, how could he feel uncertain around her?

  Maybe because you have nothing she wants, the voice whispered in Kane’s head, but he ruthlessly pushed it away. There had never been time for second-guessing himself. He just put his head down and did what had to be done.

  The hotel hadn’t brought the plastic picnic cups that he’d ordered, so he poured the cider into crystal champagne flutes and handed one to Beth. “To friendship,” he said.

  Faint surprise registered on her face as she clinked her glass with his and sipped the contents. “But we’re not friends,” she said after a moment.

  Kane leaned back on one elbow, more comfortable than he’d expected to be sitting on the floor. “I’m wearing jeans, not a suit. The day we met you seemed to think it was one of the reasons we couldn’t be friends. Actually that’s the only reason you mentioned. Of course, you were a little embarrassed for insulting my suit.”