The Billionaire Bargain (Millionaire's Club)

by Barb Han

  One call had nearly broken her heart. Another threatened her livelihood. Now another would crack her finances in half.

  She was beginning to hate phones.

  Cursing the hunk of plastic life-wrecker, she palmed it again. Within an hour, she’d arranged a flight—cringing as she gave the airline her credit card number. There was barely enough time to pack an overnight bag and prepare her laptop for travel.

  Rae fidgeted most of the twenty-four hour journey from Dallas to Borneo. Real rest was about as far away as Pluto. And just as authentic. Her eyes burned. How long had it been since she’d had real sleep? Or a sit down meal where she didn’t constantly check the clock to see if visiting hours were over? Or sex? asked a little voice in the back of her mind.

  Her body cried too long. No sex since Daegen. Three years. She could always remedy that by perusing the aisles to find the first attractive guy to proposition. Any gorgeous man would do. No strings attached. He need only want to join the Mile High Club. Right, like she was about to cruise the cabin. She smiled weakly. No doubt thinking of Daegen had shifted her mind to sex.

  If she couldn’t sleep, she might as well work to distract her.

  By the time the plane touched ground, she’d eaten breakfast and tidied up her work files. Approaching Daegen with her request wasn’t going to be so neat. After his reaction on the phone, he wouldn’t be waiting with open arms. Yelling was more like it. She said a silent prayer he would help her anyway. Beneath his cool veneer lay a beautiful heart. Down deep, she knew he wouldn’t let another person suffer if he had the power to help, no matter whom the person happened to be genetically linked to.

  If she had to appeal to Daegen at this most basic level, she would. Crawling back to ask a favor after the way she’d walked out on him felt sub-human.

  Frustration and exhaustion had her hands feeling heavy as she turned the ignition of the rental car. A weight centered itself on her chest making breathing a chore as she located the road to the villa. She did her absolute best not to go there in her mind—the place where she happily lay in Daegen’s arms. Yet reminders lurked around every bend. The rich whooping calls from Bornean gibbons. The symphony of sounds from millions of insects and birds in the nearby rain forest. The crush of sensual memories.

  Had it really been so long since she’d felt Daegen’s strong, lean fingers stroking the skin of her calf? A shiver ran along every muscle in her leg, warming the inside of her thighs.

  “That was a lifetime ago,” she said out loud as she cut off the engine. Three years to the day to be exact. And she seriously doubted Daegen would want to get anywhere near her thighs now.

  She plucked at her shirt, already drenched from the change in humidity. Her business suit clung to her body making her uncomfortable, hot and sticky.

  A cohesive argument still hadn’t formulated as to why Daegen should help her on a professional level. And if she couldn’t assess the break-even analysis on his behalf, there was little hope he’d find it either. Any optimism, however small it might have been, that he might help her because of their shared past was long gone. He’d been excruciatingly clear on where he stood. Rae would have to figure out how to get his help in spite of their history. Or beg.

  Panic gripped her. Maybe it was a mistake coming here. She’d run off half-cocked, fried from emotions. Somewhere down deep, she realized all the medicine in the world couldn’t make her father want to live.

  And yet doing nothing wasn’t an option.

  One of Daegen’s companies had medicine in trial her father needed.

  She’d beg Daegen if she had to. Lay all her cards out on the table. Expose herself for a heartless fraud...

  Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.

  She had seventeen hours to convince him before she had to be back on a plane or lose her job. Lose her job and, game over, she wouldn’t be able to make rent. The reality of being back at the villa had her sitting perfectly still long after she parked the rental. The thick air intensified. For a split-second, she imagined kicking her shoes off and running through the surf’s white spray to cool off.

  Don’t get too comfortable. Dangers lurked down there too. Even though she couldn’t see them, the rolling tide below housed thousands of sharks that would shred her skin with one bite.

  A chill ran down her spine.

  The front door opened before she got a leg out of the car. Daegen’s caretaker, Kota, stepped out and bent forward in a deep respectful bow.

  “Welcome,” he said.

  Rae mimicked the polite gesture, bowing at the threshold.

  She was relieved it wasn’t Daegen standing there at the door. Naked. As she half-feared he might be just to show her what she’d been missing. She didn’t need the reminders. Her thoughts drifted to his perfectly sculpted muscles far more than she’d like to admit.

  “We expect you this night,” Kota said, his English still imperfect and endearing. He looked the same. His skin perpetually tanned. Hair, bushy black. He wore an untucked white shirt with gray slacks covering dark brown leather sandals. Funny how little things had an odd way of providing comfort in situations like these. Rae’s stress indicator eased a notch.

  “There’s just one flight from Dallas. May I come in and freshen up or should I find a hotel?” Daegen most likely hadn’t arrived yet since he’d requested an evening meeting.

  “Please. Come. Stay,” Kota said.

  She followed him into the villa and through the open-concept living space. Still with the same chunky handmade teak furniture and the smell of summer. The click of her high heels bounced off the wood floor and echoed across the thatched roof.

  This place called for flip-flops and swimsuits. Her formal business attire was as out of place as every inch of her body felt, but necessary. She needed every reminder possible this was not social.

  Rae froze the second she realized she was being taken to the master bedroom.

  Embarrassed, she tapped Kota’s shoulder. “I’m not sleeping with him. I don’t belong in there. I-uh-is...there somewhere else I can freshen up besides in his room?”

  His brow knitted in confusion, but he said nothing.

  Rae shook her head once. Twice. And then a third time to emphasize her point.

  “No. I know. I have slept in there. A long, long time ago. But not this trip.”

  By the looks of him, a catcher’s mitt wouldn’t have helped him get hold of the words coming out of her mouth. Daegen probably brought a long line of women down the very same hallway, all of which stayed in that room. If one could believe the papers, there was a new woman in his life every week. A stab of jealousy she had no right to feel pierced her. Well, not Rae. Not this time.

  Anger had her shaking her head again, furiously, as though she shook off fire.

  Okay, let’s try this again, but differently.

  “Me. No.” She pointed to the master bedroom door as she broke her thoughts down to one simple word. “No.”

  “What’s wrong with my room?” A familiar voice boomed from behind her, goose bumping her arms.

  His voice.

  ****

  Rae’s auburn hair curled down her slim back in a mass of thick waves. She turned and met Daegen’s stare head on. He ignored the painful twist his heart gave at seeing her again. His reaction caught him off guard. Shouldn’t he be immune to her by now? It had been three years and he’d made no promises to her before. Even so, he hadn’t expected her to disappear. Or the pain to feel so real years later. Apparently, some wounds ran so deep, not even time could heal them.

  He looked at her, really looked at her. A flash of vulnerability and fear crossed her heart-shaped face. The sentiment was quickly reined in when her gaze narrowed with focus, but not before his own protective instincts went on alert. He hadn’t expected to feel compassion when he saw her. Anger. Yes. The need for revenge. Check. Intrigue. No. Yet his curiosity was piqued.

  He dismissed Kota with a wave.

  “I said, what’s wrong wit
h my room?”

  She blinked and cleared her throat, issuing a cracked sound. Her usual confidence like a thin cloak wrapped around her.

  “Nothing. In theory. I’d be more at ease somewhere I can spread out my work. Make a mess.”

  “Don’t you mean anywhere else?”

  Her gaze didn’t rise to his. “I won’t be here long enough to get comfortable. In fact, I’d like to dis—”

  “Not so fast. I haven’t seen you in...hmmm...how long has it been, Rae Stevens? If your last name is still Stevens.” Without thinking, his gaze flicked to her ring finger. Relief he had no right to own washed over him at the empty hand. Destiny or coincidence had brought her back to him. He had no plans to waste this chance to find out why she’d really left. Her tense body language said she’d bolt the second she got what she came for. He needed to figure out a way to delay her, or his wounded pride might never recover.

  “Three years,” she said quickly, looking ready to burst into tears. “And my last name hasn’t changed.”

  What was that all about? “To the day.”

  Her tentative gaze lifted. “I’m not here to talk about the past, Daegen. I need to discuss something important. The reason I flew all this way to see you.”

  He held his flat palm toward her, needing a reason to stall her. “Whatever you’re up to will have to wait.”

  “But—”

  “I can’t get into this right now. Based on your expression, this will take more than five minutes. And that’s all I have.”

  Her gaze darted to the door. “It doesn’t have to. This is important and I can explain in a few seconds. I can say my piece and be on the next plane out.”

  He eyed her curiously. “Which we both know doesn’t leave until tomorrow anyway.”

  She glanced at her watch, looking like she might burst into tears. Impatience sparked off of her.

  Even more reason he needed to slow her down and make her wait. “Tell me what you want right now and my answer is a guaranteed no.”

  Her foot tapped on the wood. Impatience radiated from her. “Then when’s a good time for you? I don’t have long.”

  He discharged the thought she’d be in any real trouble. Her climb-the-corporate-ladder-at-all-cost mentality was the reason she stood in his hallway. Greed. Everyone wanted something from him. Like the parasite who kept calling, insisting he knew where his long lost son was.

  Impossible. He didn’t make mistakes. Meticulous planning ensured it. His guard had never faltered. He took extra measures to be certain there were no surprise pregnancies.

  The only shocking blast from his past stood right in front of him. She was as beautiful now as she had been three years ago with her full pink lips and porcelain skin. Even so, something had her rattled. Her emotions were tightly gripped. He’d have to find a way to lower her defenses if he wanted to know the truth about their past. Even after all this time, he couldn’t seem to let it go. If he were going to put it behind him, he needed answers. They were about as likely as a snow storm in Borneo in her present state. She looked ready to flee if a cricket chirped too loudly. He needed to get her to relax.

  “Why don’t you unpack? Eat something. Rest. I have a few company issues to contend with before I can discuss your business proposition.” On closer scrutiny her blue eyes carried dark circles.

  “I thought you had a rule against working here,” she said, her delicate brow arched.

  “Yeah? A lot has changed since you knew me.” Because of you.

  “People don’t change, Daegen. Circumstances do,” was all she said.

  She was thinner than he recalled, not that it hurt her figure any. His gaze roamed a body that had been eager to please him before. Her attempt to dress down did nothing to mask her sensuous curves. A blast of blood pulsed south. Daegen knew exactly what kind of figure lurked underneath her conservative attire. Long, sensual lines ran the length of her body in a lazy S-curve. Taut skin smoother than freshly spun silk.

  He couldn’t stop himself from wondering if her breath would still catch when he stroked behind her knee? Or when his tongue rolled behind her ear and he breathed on her lobe? Would her body vibrate when his fingers grazed her swollen nipples?

  Seeing her again brought out a dormant thirst no woman since her could quench. Her reason for showing up didn’t matter. He had every intention to get her back in his bed where she belonged.

  Only this time, they’d part on his terms.

  Lifting her wrist ever so slowly, he held her gaze while brushing a kiss on the tender place where her arm joined her palm.

  She held secrets. He intended to find out what. “Your room is over there. Don’t get too comfortable.”

  A breath came out in a huff. Her pink lips pouted. “No threat there.”

  Threat? Interesting word choice.

  Threat could be measured. Threat weighed a hundred-twenty-five-pounds and stood five-foot-seven-inches. Threat had a name. Rae Stevens.

  Chapter Two

  Daegen’s stare pierced right through Rae as he reappeared in the hallway half an hour later. Her chest squeezed, and the pain between her shoulder blades shrieked. She had less than sixteen hours, plenty of time, before she absolutely had to be on a plane. She pushed everything aside and focused. “Do you have a minute now?”

  “You’re still in the hall?” he asked with a hiked brow and surprise on his lips.

  A shiver shot up her arms straight to her heart. His coppery eyes, hooded by thick lashes, seared right through her. Five thousand years of DNA behind him, he was Darwinian perfection to a T. Was it really such a good idea to be in this man’s company?

  She could scarcely wrap her mind around the fact he stood there, all six-foot-four-inches of maleness and glory, still with those dark Asian features and perfectly contrasting golden skin. She could see the outline of his muscles underneath his hand-tailored, perfectly-fitted shirt. Her fingertips tingled with memories of stroking every curve of his lean powerful chest. A pang of guilt nailed her. She shouldn’t be thinking about his chest while her father was dying.

  She picked up her suitcase. Secure his help and get the hell out of here. “I was hoping to catch you as soon as your meeting ended.”

  “You haven’t changed,” Daegen said with the smooth masculine voice that made every attentive hair on the back of Rae’s neck tingle. He smiled a coy, close-mouthed grin that only showed at the corners of his upturned mouth.

  Her stomach flipped. Oh, but I have.

  “Good to see you again too,” she said sarcastically.

  His long dark eyelashes lowered, carefully guarding the secrets held by his gaze. He was even more alluring than before. This close she could smell the unique scent that was all Daegen. She could see the white fabric of his button down shirt pull over the muscles in his broad chest when he moved his arms. She could imagine his strong hand splayed at the small of her back, moving her closer to him. She’d have to work harder than ever to keep her emotions at bay.

  He released a throaty laugh. “You’ve come back to ask for more. My heart wasn’t enough?”

  She’d never owned his heart. Had she?

  She crushed the thought. He never opened up enough for her to get near. Every time he got close to lowering his walls and letting her in, he stopped. It was as though a heavier gate fell between them each time. Iron replacing wood.

  No use analyzing the past. She needed to focus on the here and now.

  If she were to have any chance at gaining his help, she would have to tell him the truth. Rae hugged her arms into her chest. “I lied earlier. This is personal. I need a favor. I’m not here for reasons you might think.”

  Before she could blink he was standing toe-to-toe with her, and she was forced to look straight at him again. Heat crept up her neck, warming her cheeks. He’d have to be blind not to see the arousal in her flushed face. Damn. This close, his heady scent, a mix of lemon, ocean air, and sun-drenched teak, charged her senses.

  Powerful legs rooting
him to the floor, Daegen mockingly opened his arms, “Personal? Isn’t this the point where you run into my waiting arms and beg to be forgiven?” His dark gaze narrowed, closing off her view to his pain.

  In spite of his angry façade, all he had to do was crook a smile to make her heart flutter like a trapped butterfly.

  “That you came to ask for something is a fact we both know. Don’t pretend you’re here to benefit me,” he said dismissively. “We’ll discuss your price later.”

  “My what?” she asked, incredulous.

  “You’re a business woman, right?”

  She nodded, afraid of where this conversation was headed.

  “Then you won’t mind a little personal proposition from me.”

  She rubbed her arms to stave off goose bumps. “Make your point and get it over with.”

  “I don’t have one,” he said coolly. “I’m ready to negotiate. Strike a bargain.”

  “Go on.” Damn the chills his presence brought. This close, her hormones were going rogue again. And she battled against the flood of frustrated tears.

  “You want something from me. I want something from you.”

  “Which is?”

  “I want you back in my bed. For old time’s sake. Surely a woman like you has no problem with sex without attachments.”

  Rae struggled to hold back tears blurring her vision. Damned if she’d let him see how much his words pierced right through her. He didn’t mean it. His anger was speaking. She knew that on some level.

  Rather than dress herself with an outfit of hurt and rage, Rae remembered the doctor’s words. Her father had days left, maybe less. The last time she’d been allowed to visit he looked small and weak in his hospital bed. Even though he’d never been there for her, she couldn’t leave him to a desperate and lonely fate. If he was determined to die, he wouldn’t do it alone. No matter how determined he was to prove her wrong.

  The sickly image of her father needed to stay close to her thoughts because being near Daegen again made her feel like she was a broken ship out in the middle of the sea taking on water. She couldn’t afford to drown.

  “Not a good idea.”