The Billionaire's Kisses: Billionaire Brothers

by Julie Farrell

  “I really do. And I promise, we don’t usually do business in such an underhand way, but we need Grafton Techs to fulfil Ivan’s dreams. I hope you can understand.”

  “I know.” Amy pulled out of Adam’s arms and sat up. She grabbed his shirt off the floor, and wrapped it around herself.

  He reached up and smoothed down the collar. “Suits you.”

  She held his hand. “Adam, Tariq Shard visited me last night.”

  Adam sat up so fast and with such fury he made Amy jump. “What!”

  “Calm down, nothing happened. But he said he wants me to work for him. To be a spy for him. So he can get his hands on the blueprints.”

  “In return for what? Money? If it’s money, then you don’t need to w–”

  “No, you don’t understand. He’s blackmailing me. Well, he’s blackmailing you. Through me.”

  Adam frowned. “How?”

  “He told me… something about your family. He said he’ll go to the papers if I don’t comply.”

  “What did he tell you?”

  “He said that your dad got his money from gun running for a drugs cartel when he first left the army.”

  Adam ran his fingers through his thick hair. “Those are the rumours, but dad’s never confirmed it. But that’s just typical of Tariq the traitor to try and use that against us. After all those years our families were friends.”

  Amy reached out and caressed his soft toned shoulder. His flesh was warm, and she wished she could snuggled into his arms and forget all this madness. “There was something else, Adam. Something about your brother.”

  “Which one?”

  “Ivan.”

  “What about him? Wait, I think I know what this might be. Tariq had feelings for my brother, right? I know Tariq’s gay, but… is that it?”

  “Do you really want me to tell you?”

  Adam shrugged. “Homosexuality isn’t illegal. I know they’ve been close friends since childhood, but I never would’ve thought…” He cringed. “So is Tariq saying Ivan was gay?”

  “Sort of. But there’s more to it than that. Much more.”

  “You wanna tell me?”

  “I’m not sure. It might not even be true. But…”

  Amy trailed off and rubbed her forehead with her fingers.

  Adam reached out and drew her into his arms. “Don’t say anymore. I hate to see you in such an awkward position. Well…”

  His eyes flitted with playfulness, unable to resist a sexual innuendo even in this serious situation. Amy laughed gently – it was refreshing to know that he could retain his light side regardless.

  “I just don’t want to hurt you,” she said. “To sully your memories of your brother.”

  “I know; and you couldn’t – nothing could. Look, don’t say anything else for now – you can tell me once I’ve got my head around all this, alright?”

  “Alright. But what are we going to do, though? Tariq wants an answer from me before I leave America.”

  “Let me and Dylan handle it. We’ll make sure Tariq doesn’t leak this to the media or use you or get his hands on the blueprints. Let’s go see Dylan right-away. We can figure something out together.”

  Amy leaned forward and kissed him as if it was the most natural thing in the world. She realised that Adam might be brash at times, but he was steadfast in a crisis and would always have her back.

  “Adam, you know what you said…”

  “About what?”

  “Not wanting me to go back to London?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I don’t want to either.”

  He cupped her chin. “Then stay. Stay with me. I’ll take care of you.”

  “I really believe you would. But, still… after everything that’s happened with Tariq… I just want to go home.”

  “But you want to be with me?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then I’ll come with you. I like London. You can show me where you live.”

  “Okay, I’d like that.” Amy winced as a memory churned up in her mind. “Oh, but James will be there.”

  Adam’s expression surged to possessive anger. “Who the hell is James?”

  Amy chuckled at his reaction. “My ex. He’s the IT manager for Grafton Techs. Wanted to be the ops director, but I got the promotion. He repaid me by fucking his assistant. Nice, huh?”

  “Sounds like an asshole.”

  “Yeah, worse than you.”

  She chuckled, and Adam raised a playful eyebrow, but then he fell serious and kissed her. “You’ve got to know I’d never cheat, Amy. I may be a player when I’m single, but in a relationship, no way.”

  They shared a smile of affinity. Did that mean they were in a relationship? Amy couldn’t bear to ask.

  “So why’s James still living in your apartment?” Adam asked.

  “He needs to stay there until he can find somewhere else. I don’t know why he can’t go live with his assistant. They seemed pretty close last time I saw them together.”

  “Well you’re mine now, so he’s gonna be moving out right away. It’s settled; I’ll come with you back to London and get rid of him for you. Now come here and let me ravish you again, my love!”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Amy was dripping wet, out of breath, and euphoric, but this time it wasn’t Adam’s doing – it was due to the weather.

  Just as the car had pulled up outside Quinlan Brothers HQ, the thunderous black sky had cracked, soaking Adam and Amy as they’d rushed up the steps to the building. They stood dripping in the elevator now, laughing freely like children.

  Amy gazed at their reflection in the mirrored walls as the elevator carried them upwards. She drew her drenched shirt away from her wet breasts, laughing at the schlucking sound it made. Adam wrapped his arms around her from behind and nuzzled her neck.

  “Here we are again in the elevator,” she said.

  “Hmm… alone again. I love it when you’re wet, Ms Carter. You’re so fuckable!”

  Amy grinned at their reflection, feeling pride swirl inside her. Despite Adam’s smutty sweet-nothings, they actually made a very handsome couple.

  He nibbled her ear. “Wouldn’t it be great if we broke down in here? I’d love to strip away your wet clothes and warm up your tight little body. You could see me fucking you long and hard in the mirror.”

  Amy smirked and pushed away her arousal. “Don’t you ever stop thinking about sex?”

  “Not when I’m around you, sweetheart.”

  Amy grinned at the compliment and sunk into his arms. Adam pulled her close. Tender contentment oozed through her chest like honey. It was peaceful in this clean and corporate elevator, alone with Adam, snuggling in his arms. Nothing else was important suddenly; there was romance in this stolen moment. But, of course, real life beckoned as always.

  Tariq Shard needed to be dealt with.

  The elevator doors pinged open and they both stepped out into the office suite.

  For some reason, the atmosphere seemed eerily silent and dark. The glamorous receptionist was away from her desk, and the usual bustle and chatter of this place was absent, as if everyone had gone home early. The Manhattan skyline was thick with rain clouds, and the artificial lights gave the open-plan space a horror-movie bleakness.

  The light was on in Dylan’s office, so Adam led Amy over, then they strolled in without knocking. The sky was black outside, and thunder rumbled ahead as the furious rain lashed against the tinted windows. Dylan was sitting behind his desk, typing at his computer, looking tired and weary. Amy knew the whole family had been through a lot recently, and Dylan seemed to be the one trying to hold it all together – maybe because he was now the eldest. It was a bit like being in the British Royal Family – when the current ruler died, the next in line took all the pressure. Amy wondered what Dylan had been like before Ivan had died. She’d never seen a playful lightness to him, as she often saw with Adam. It was going to take a patient and loving woman to peel away his gruffness and free the
kinder man within.

  Dylan glanced up. “Hey. I didn’t expect to see you again so soon, Ms Carter. Won’t you miss your flight?”

  Adam grabbed a box of tissues from Dylan’s desk and offered it to Amy so she could dry herself.

  “I’m taking her back to London,” Adam said, wiping the rain from his face. “I’ve asked for the Learjet to be on standby.”

  Excitement flittered through Amy; she’d never flown in a private jet before. Was this what it was going to be like dating Adam? If, indeed, that’s what they were doing.

  Adam drew up a couple of leather chairs from the side of Dylan’s office and plunked them in front of his brother’s desk. “Sit down, hun.”

  Amy set her face to professional, but she couldn’t help leaping internally from the fact that he’d just called her an endearing term in front of Dylan. But she knew the brothers were close, so maybe Dylan already knew what had been going on these last few days. Not that Adam seemed like the bragging type.

  They sat down and Adam rubbed his eyes wearily, trying to find the best way to bring his brother up to speed.

  Dylan frowned. “Something’s happened?”

  Adam held up his hands to placate him. “Don’t get upset and start throwing things, okay?”

  “Just tell me, Adam.”

  “Tariq visited Amy at her hotel last night.”

  “What!”

  “He’s trying to blackmail her. Says he’ll tell the world about dad’s gun running unless she goes to work for him.”

  Dylan shot Amy a stare that impaled her to her seat. “Why would she care about dad’s reputation?”

  Adam reached out and held her hand. “Because she cares about us. About me.”

  Dylan’s handsome face remained expressionless. “Have you told the police, Ms Carter? About Tariq’s threats?”

  “No. I haven’t told anyone, other than Adam. And I wouldn’t exactly say he’s threatened me.”

  “Blackmail is a threat. And it’s good you haven’t involved the police. They seem totally uninterested in my dead brother. I know that asshole murdered Ivan. He stole him from my family – I never got to say goodbye; not even after he was gone.”

  “You didn’t see your brother’s…er… body?” Amy asked.

  Dylan buckled down his emotion. “The police officer said he was charred beyond… It wasn’t something my parents or any of us needed to go through. Then the FBI got involved and delayed the funeral. It’s been...” He shook his head and trailed off.

  Compassion cracked inside Amy. Poor Dylan. It must’ve been an incredibly stressful and upsetting month. No wonder he was so gruff. He’d been forced to step into the shoes of everyone’s favourite brother, trying to hold the family together, while battling with his own devastation, too.

  “What did the FBI say?” she asked, trying to be tactful.

  Dylan stared down at his desk, seething like a gathering storm. “The FBI didn’t tell us anything. All they could say was, he’d been asphyxiated.”

  Amy leaned forward as her muscles tensed. The image of Ivan bound and gagged crashed into her mind. “Your brother was asphyxiated?”

  “Yeah, from the smoke, you know.”

  “But you think Tariq murdered him?”

  Dylan shrugged. “I seem to be the only one who thinks it. But there’s something about Tariq I don’t trust – always has been. I know him and Ivan were as thick as thieves as kids, but I never warmed to him that much.”

  Amy winced. She wondered whether Dylan’s disdain for Tariq merely stemmed from a misplaced childhood jealousy, because his oldest brother had been more interested in playing with a family friend than with him. But… what if Tariq had murdered Ivan in their sex game, then set the place alight to hide the evidence? What if he was a murderer – albeit accidentally?

  A bolt of lightning cracked above the building, illuminating the office as well as Dylan’s terse face. He slammed his hand decisively on the desk. “I say we send the boys round to Tariq. That’ll stop his blackmailing once and for all.”

  “Oh yeah, good idea,” Adam said. “Then we go to jail for being implicit in assault. You got any ideas that don’t involve beating the shit out of Tariq?”

  Dylan leaned forward aggressively. “Well, you got anything better?”

  Adam opened his mouth to reply, but Amy sat up tall. “I have an idea.”

  Both men turned to look at her, as if they’d momentarily forgotten she was there.

  “What is it, Ms Carter?” Dylan asked.

  “I could accept Tariq’s offer to spy for him. That way he won’t go to the papers with the information about your father. And I can act as a double-agent for you guys.”

  Adam’s passion burst out. “No way, we’re not doing anything that might put you in danger.”

  “It’s okay,” Amy said. “As long as I meet him in public – or we can probably just communicate over the internet or phone. I am capable of taking care of myself, you know.”

  “No, there must be another way,” Adam said. “I hate the thought of you being anywhere near him.”

  Dylan glared at his brother. “May I remind you, Mr Possessive, that Tariq isn’t interested in women in the way you are.”

  Adam practically growled. “And may I remind you that you think the man’s a fucking murderer!”

  Dylan turned his attention to Amy again. “If you’re willing to help us, we sure could use this situation to our advantage. Maybe you can trick him into confessing what really happened the night Ivan died. Slowly draw him in. If we can get a written or recorded confession then the police will have to open up the case again and charge him with murder.”

  Amy cringed. “I’ll do it, of course. But he just really wants his work back.”

  Dylan rankled. “It’s not his work.”

  “Don’t yell at her,” Adam said. “She’s on our side.”

  “Sorry, Amy. I just get so mad when I think about Tariq getting away with this.”

  Amy smiled kindly, glad that he’d called her by her first name. “It’s okay. I know you want justice for your brother. And I’m willing to help in any way I can. Maybe we can get him to confess to… something. I’d be happy to help.”

  Adam reached over and held her hand. “I’m coming with you when you meet up with him.”

  “That might give the game away that I’m spying for you, Adam.”

  “No, but I’ll be nearby. Don’t meet him unless you’ve arranged for me to be waiting in the car. With my fucking baseball bat.”

  “Okay. I appreciate you wanting to take care of me. But I really can take care of myself. I know kung-fu.”

  Adam raised an impressed eyebrow. “Really? That would explain your fit body.”

  She chuckled.

  Dylan cleared his throat. “So, Amy, you’re going to phone Tariq and accept his offer?”

  “Yeah, I will.” She grabbed her cell from her purse. “I’ll do it right now if you’ve got an empty meeting room?”

  “Sure,” Dylan said. “If it’s blackmail he wants, then we’ll get some dirt on him and blackmail him back, until he confesses what really went on that night.”

  Amy opened her mouth to warn Dylan that it might not be news he’d want to hear. She knew the full story – or at least she thought she did. And she was certain Adam and Dylan wouldn’t be happy to discover the truth about their older brother and his gay bondage sex games.

  Adam and Amy stood to find an empty meeting room. Adam caressed her shoulder. “Tell him you’ll arrange an initial meeting with him in a few days’ time, okay?”

  Amy nodded. “I know.”

  “Why a few days?” Dylan asked, still sitting.

  “Because Amy and I are staying in London a few days. Tomorrow, Frank can sign the contracts, and Grafton Techs will be ours. And when we come back to New York, we’ll put the wheels in motion to set the trap for Tariq Shard. One step at a time.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Adam loved his private jet. The inter
ior resembled the first-class section of a regular plane, but rather than rows of seats, this hunk of metal contained his own bespoke flying hotel suite, complete with luxury sofa, shower cubicle, and king-sized bed. Adam had bought the jet from a well-known rap artist, so the design was luxurious but garish, with gold shimmering upholstery and purple velvet cushions. He intended to refurbish, but he’d been too busy recently. He hoped Amy wouldn’t think he’d chosen the red fluffy carpet and swirly modern wall prints himself.

  He glanced at her as they loitered in the doorway. She was staring at the décor with her mouth open.

  “Not my own personal design, I gotta tell you.”

  She chuckled. “It’s amazing. Like a flying fun room!”

  He draped his arm around her and pulled her close. “We can definitely have some fun in here.”

  She shot him a coy glance. “You said there was somewhere I could freshen up?”

  “Yeah, sure. We need to be seated for take-off, then we can do whatever we desire.”

  Adam kissed her, feeling his cock harden at the thought of what was to come.

  Once they were in the air, Adam showed her where the shower facilities were, then he flopped down on the squishy couch with a large whiskey. Even though he’d worked hard to gain his pilot’s licence last year, he’d asked one of the local pilots to fly them to London tonight, because he wanted to spend time with Amy. That was weird – he rarely spent time with a woman beyond taking her out to dinner and then taking her to heaven in bed. What was it about Amy that was making him want to find out all about her? He wanted to be with her always, to give her the entire universe and more… to protect her from danger. It was almost as if he was falling in love with her. Shit, surely that wasn’t possible. But what other explanation was there for him coming back to London with her now? He didn’t need to. Frank could sign the contracts without him being present. But the thought of Amy leaving New York without him tore a little hole in his heart.

  Perhaps it was just because he was still reeling from what had happened with Ivan. And now Tariq Shard had propelled himself back into his life. What a day. Adam listened to the whirring jet engines as his mind churned with thoughts of Tariq Shard and his blackmailing schemes.