King’s Million-Dollar Secret

by Maureen Child

  Cooking helped center her. It always had. As a girl, she’d helped Nana out in the kitchen and slowly learned her way around a recipe. Then, she started creating her own. And she had learned early that no matter what else was happening in her life, the kitchen was her comfort zone.

  She chopped celery, then mushrooms, carrots and broccoli, and added them to the cold pasta, giving it all a good stir together with the homemade pesto. When she was finished, she stored the bowl in her fridge and started on dessert.

  She had to keep busy. If she stopped long enough to think about what she was doing, she’d talk herself out of it.

  That brought her up short.

  “Out of what exactly, Katie?” she demanded. “He’s coming for dinner. Nobody said anything about sex.”

  Oh, boy.

  The problem was, she really wanted Rafe Cole. She’d been around him almost nonstop for the last week and every day, he’d gotten to her just a little bit more. He was friendly and helpful and, boy, he looked darn good in his jeans. Those blue eyes of his were starring nightly in her dreams and her fingers itched to slide through his thick, black hair.

  Yep, she was in bad shape and no doubt asking for trouble by instigating this dinner. But maybe it was time she had a little trouble in her life. She’d always been the good girl. Always done the “right” thing. The safe thing.

  Heck, she’d dated Cordell King for three months and hadn’t slept with him. She’d wanted to take it slow because she’d been so sure that he was the one.

  It had seemed, at the time, as if fate had thrown them together. After all, it wasn’t as if she stumbled across billionaires all the time in her everyday life. He had ordered an extra-large cookie bouquet to be delivered to his assistant, who was taking off for maternity leave. Katie’s delivery girl hadn’t been able to take the runs that day, so Katie had done the job herself.

  Cordell had slipped out of his office to watch as his assistant cooed and cried over the beautifully frosted cookies that Katie presented to her. And after that, he’d walked Katie to her car and asked her to dinner. After that night, they’d been together as often as each of their schedules had allowed.

  Looking back, Katie could see that she had been flattered by Cordell’s attention. That the thought of a rich, successful man being interested in her had fed the flames of what she had believed was the start of something amazing. He was so handsome. So attentive. So damned sexy. Her heart had taken a leap before her mind could catch up.

  Shaking her head, she realized that she had felt at the time as if she were living in a fairy tale. Where the handsome prince swooped into her poor but proud cottage and carried her off to her castle.

  “Silly,” she whispered, thinking back to her own actions. Thank God she hadn’t slept with him. That would have only fed the humiliation when she looked back on a time where she had been involved in what she thought was something special.

  As it turned out, of course, the only thing special they shared was that they were both in love with Cordell.

  Grumbling under her breath, Katie let the old, hurtful memories fade away as she focused instead on the evening to come. She spooned fresh whipped cream into old-fashioned sundae glasses. Then she layered chocolate-chip cookie bits with more whipped cream and when they were finished, they too went into the fridge. She would drizzle raspberry syrup over the top of the frothy dessert just before she served it.

  When the meal was done, she glanced around the temporary kitchen, checked her watch and realized that Rafe would be arriving any minute. So she raced to the bathroom and checked her hair and makeup. Stupid, but she felt like a teenager waiting for her first date to arrive.

  Nerves bubbled in the pit of her stomach and a kind of excitement she hadn’t felt before hummed through her bloodstream. Staring at the woman in the mirror, she gave herself a little pep talk.

  “You’re going to have fun, Katie Charles. For once in your life, you’re not going to think ahead to tomorrow. You’re going to enjoy tonight for whatever it turns out to be.” She nodded abruptly and pretended she didn’t see the flash of nervousness staring back at her from her own eyes. “He’s a nice guy. You’re both single. So relax, already.”

  Easier said than done, she knew.

  But there was nothing wrong with a little fun.

  Right?

  “You find out anything from the family?” Rafe asked his brother as he steered his truck down Katie’s street.

  “Not a damn thing,” Sean assured him, his voice crackling with static over the cell phone. “I talked to Tanner, but since he and Ivy got married, he’s pretty much useless for picking up stray news. All he talks about is their latest ultrasound picture.” Sean sighed in disgust. “Seriously, you’d think they were the only people in the universe to get pregnant.”

  Rafe let that one go. He was glad for their brother Tanner. Ivy was a nice woman and against all odds, she was turning Tanner into a halfway decent Christmas-tree farmer.

  “Then,” Sean said, “I called cousin Jesse. But the only thing he knows about Katie Charles is that he favors her macadamia-nut-white-chocolate-chip cookies. His wife Bella says the peanut-butter ones are best, but their boy Joshua likes the chocolate fudge.”

  Rafe rubbed a spot between his eyes and took a breath. “And I care what kind of cookies they like, because…”

  “Because that’s the only information they had and now I want a damn cookie,” Sean grumbled.

  Rafe scowled as he pulled up outside Katie’s house. He parked and slanted a glance at the setting sun reflecting off the gleaming front windows. “Somebody in the family knows her and I want to find out who.”

  “What do you care?” Sean snorted a laugh. “I mean, seriously dude, you’ve known her for what, a week? What’s it to you if she hates the Kings?”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “You’d think you’d be used to it,” Sean said. “There are plenty of people out there who feel the same.”

  “Not women.”

  “Good point.” Sean sighed and said, “So, this is part of why you find her so interesting, huh?”

  “Maybe.” He didn’t even know. But Katie Charles was hitting him in places he hadn’t known existed. And she kept doing it. One look out of those green eyes of hers and his mind filled with all sorts of damn near irresistible images.

  And it was lowering to admit that if she knew he was a King, she’d slam her front door in his face and he’d never see her again.

  “Fine. I’ll go back to the drawing board. Hey, I’ll call Garrett,” Sean suggested. “He loves a mystery, so if he doesn’t have the answer he’ll find it.”

  Sean was right. Their cousin, Garrett King, ran a security company and liked nothing better than delving for secrets. If anyone could find out who was behind Katie’s feelings about the Kings, it would be Garrett.

  “All right, good. Thanks.”

  “You busy? I’m taking the jet to Vegas tonight. Why don’t you come with me? We’ll hit a show, then wipe out the craps tables.”

  Rafe smiled. Ordinarily, he’d have appreciated the invitation. But tonight, he had something better to do. “Thanks, but I’ve got plans.”

  “With the King hater?”

  “Her name is Katie, but yeah,” Rafe said tightly.

  “She doesn’t know who you are, does she?”

  “No.” Irritation hummed inside him again. He’d never before had to disguise himself to be with a woman. Hell, if anything, the King name had women clamoring to get near him.

  “Great. Well, pick me up some cookies before she finds out you’re lying to her and you ruin what’s left of our rep with her.”

  Rafe hung up a second or two later, his brother’s words ringing in his ears. He dismissed them though, because there was no way Katie would find out Rafe’s last name until he was good and ready for her to know. And that wouldn’t be until he’d romanced her, seduced her and shown her just how likeable he really was.

  Then he’d tell her h
e was a King. And she’d see how wrong she was. About all of them.

  But for now, he was enjoying himself with a woman who didn’t want anything from him beyond barbecuing some burgers.

  He got out of the truck and headed for the house. But before he reached the porch, Katie rushed out the door and skidded to a stop when she saw him. Her curly red hair was loose around her shoulders and her long legs looked tan and gorgeous in a pair of white shorts. Her dark green T-shirt made her eyes shine as she spotted him. “Rafe, I’m so glad you’re back! Follow me!”

  She sprinted down her front steps and past him, headed toward her neighbor’s house. She rounded a white picket fence with bright splashes of flowers climbing across it and headed up the driveway. Rafe stayed right on her heels, his mind already racing to possible disasters. Someone dying. Someone bleeding. He reached into his pocket and gripped his phone ready to dial nine-one-one.

  Adrenaline pulsed through him as they rushed up the drive to the front porch of a small, Tudor-style cottage with a sloping roof and leaded windows.

  “What’s wrong?” he shouted.

  “Nicole needs help!”

  The front door of the house swung open as they approached and a harried woman with short, blond hair and a toddler on her hip sighed in relief.

  “Thank God you’re here, it’s all over everywhere.”

  Katie made to run inside, but Rafe pulled her back and went in first. He didn’t know what the hell was going on around here, but damned if he was going to let Katie run into the heart of whatever trouble it was.

  She was right behind him though. He took a moment to glance around, while looking for whatever disaster had happened. He registered the toy cars strewn across the floor and the wooden train set. Then he heard the trouble and his heartbeat returned to normal. No one was dying but it sounded like there was an indoor fountain on full blast.

  The woman was talking to Katie, but Rafe was only half listening.

  “I can’t turn the water off—it’s like the valve is frozen in place or something and there’s water everywhere and Connor was crying….”

  “It’s okay, Nicole,” Katie said. “We’ll get it shut off and help you clean it up.”

  He ignored the women and headed for the kitchen, following the loud sound of splashing. Not the way Rafe had planned on this first date with Katie going, but he could adapt. Water was shooting out from under the kitchen sink through the open cupboard doors. Already there was a small flood in the room and a kitchen rug was drifting out on the tide.

  Cursing under his breath, Rafe sloshed his way through the kitchen. He crouched down in front of the sink, reached through the cascading cold water and blindly found the shutoff valve. Water poured over him in a never-ending jet. He blinked it out of his eyes, muttered an oath and grabbed hold of the damn valve. Hell, he thought, no wonder Nicole hadn’t been able to turn it. It took everything he had to budge the damn thing and it didn’t go easy, fighting him every inch of the way. By increments, he slowly shut down the torrent until all that was left was the mess on the floor and a steady drip under the sink.

  The sudden silence was almost overpowering. Until the little boy in his mother’s arms started laughing.

  “Boat!” he cried, pointing to a cell phone as it floated past them.

  “Fabulous,” Nicole murmured and bent down to scoop it up. “Well, I needed an upgrade anyway.”

  “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry,” Katie said, dropping one arm around her friend’s shoulders. She looked at Rafe, soaking wet, and winced. “Rafe Cole, this is Nicole Baxter. Nicole, Rafe.”

  The woman gave him a tired smile. “I suspect I’m happier to meet you than you are me at the moment.”

  “No problem. I like an adventure every now and then.” He pushed his hair back from his face with both hands, then swept water off his palms. Wet and cold, he caught the glimmer of regret and amusement in Katie’s eyes and smiled in spite of everything. “I’ve got it shut off, but your pipe joint’s shot. It has to be fixed.”

  “Of course it does,” Nicole said with a sigh. She hitched her son a little higher on her hip and added, “Thanks. Really, for shutting off Old Faithful. I never would have been able to do it.”

  “Your husband should be able to replace it without a problem,” he told her. “My ex-husband’s in Hawaii with his secretary,” she said wryly and only then did Rafe see Katie shaking her head at him in a silent signal to shut up.

  “Haven’t seen him since before Connor was born,” Nicole added, kissing the little guy’s cheek. “But we do fine, don’t we, sweet boy?”

  Perfect, Rafe thought. He’d made the woman feel even worse now by reminding her of her creep of an ex. A bubble of irritation frothed inside him. What kind of man walked away from his child? Rafe didn’t get it. Sure, he knew that marriages didn’t always work out. But what man would walk away from his own baby? Shouldn’t he try to hold his family together?

  While his brain raced, a quiet, rational voice in the back of his mind warned him that he was putting his own issues out there and it was time to draw them back. His old man hadn’t been even close to a normal father, but at least Ben King was always there when his kids needed him. Which was more than Rafe could say for Nicole’s ex.

  Still, looking at Katie’s friend, holding her son so closely, reminded him of his own upbringing. Oh, his mother hadn’t stuck around or anything. She’d handed him off to an elderly aunt before he was a year old and only showed up for a visit when her money was running out. Ben King hadn’t married her, but he’d supported her until Rafe was eighteen.

  Once he was grown, his mom had started coming to Rafe for the cash she required to live the kind of life she preferred. He didn’t mind paying. It kept her out of his hair.

  Now though, watching Nicole and her son brought home to him again how hard the aunt who’d raised him had had it. Oh, she’d had money for plumbing repairs, but she’d been all alone raising a boy. Just as Nicole was. And Nicole didn’t have the luxury of calling a King for help.

  Lucky for her, there was already a King in the neighborhood.

  He looked at Katie and saw the worry for her friend shining in her eyes and he heard himself say, “Why don’t you two get the back door open and sweep out as much of this water as you can?”

  “Good idea,” Katie agreed. “Come on, Nicole, I’ll help you get this straightened up.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” the blond said. “We’ll be fine. Really.”

  “Sure you will, I can see that,” Rafe told her with a shrug, not wanting to wound her pride. “But while you two get the water out of here, I’m going to run up to the hardware store. I’ll get a new joint in there and have you up and running again.” Katie beamed at him.

  And he felt as if someone had just pinned a medal to his chest.

  Their gazes locked, and the rest of the world fell away for one long, sizzling moment. Every heartbeat felt measured. Every breath a struggle.

  Rafe was caught by the emotion on her face. The pride in him. The gratitude and the admiration. He had never known another moment like it. It was amazing, he thought, to have someone look at him as if he’d hung the moon.

  And all he wanted to do was walk across the floor, take her into his arms and sweep her into a dip for a kiss that would send them both over the edge of hunger. Need was a gnawing ache inside him. He’d never experienced that before, either, he thought. Desire, sure. Want, absolutely.

  But need?

  Never.

  “I can’t ask you to do that,” Nicole said, shattering the moment.

  Rafe took a breath to steady himself and shook his head, clearing his thoughts, getting a grip on the emotions suddenly churning through him. As he regained control, he mentally thanked Nicole for shattering whatever it was that had so briefly hummed between he and Katie.

  Looking at the blonde, he said, “You didn’t ask. I offered. And don’t worry about it. Besides,” he added with a grin for the toddler, “with this litt
le guy around, you’re going to need water, right?”

  Katie was still smiling at him as if he were some kind of comic-book hero. And she was still stirring him up inside, so he gave her a smile, then tugged his keys out of his jeans pocket. Best all around if he left now. “I’ll be back in a few minutes and we’ll get you set up.”

  “Thanks.” Nicole whispered the word. “Really.”

  Katie gave her a brief hug, then stepped up to Rafe and slid her hand into his. “I’ll walk you to the door while Nicole gets the broom and mop.”

  His fingers curled around hers and he felt the heat of her skin zing through his system like a raging wildfire. At the front door, Katie looked back over her shoulder to make sure Nicole was out of earshot, then said softly, “Thank you for offering to help her like that, Rafe. Nicole couldn’t afford a plumber. You’re really doing something amazing for her.”

  “It’s not a problem.”

  “For you,” she said with another smile. “But for a single mom, it’s a catastrophe. Or it would have been. Without you. You’re my hero.”

  Her simple words hit him with a crash. Always before, when people needed help, he wrote a check. Made a donation. It was safe, distant and still managed to salve the urge he had to help those who needed it. He hadn’t realized until just now how differently helping felt when it was up close and personal.

  “I’ve never been anybody’s hero before.”

  She looked up at him and he knew he could lose himself in the deep, summer green of her eyes. Her delectable mouth curved at the edges. “You are now.”

  He reached up and cupped the back of her neck with his palm. “Keep that thought and hold on to it for later, okay?”

  “I can do that,” she said and went up on her toes to brush a soft kiss across his mouth. Then she stepped away and said, “Hurry back.”

  His lips were tingling, his breath was still strangling in his lungs and Rafe was suddenly so damn hard he didn’t think he’d be able to walk to his truck without limping.

  Some hero.

  Nicole and Connor joined them for the barbecue.