The Taming of the Billionaire

by Jessica Clare

  “It’s a white, fluffy girl cat,” she felt the need to point out.

  He just kept petting the cat’s head, and the cat seemed to be eating it up, the little minx. “Which is why they’ll never see her badassery coming.” He scratched the side of the cat’s face. “She’ll be like a ninja.”

  The thought of a blind, fluffy Persian having any kind of badassery or ninja moves made her lips twitch with amusement. “A ninja, huh?”

  Magnus looked over at her, and amusement was etched into his features. “No? She can be whatever she wants to be. Just don’t tell her otherwise.” He made a motion to cover the cat’s ears up.

  And Edie couldn’t help it—she laughed at that. “I’m starting to see where all your creativity comes from.”

  “I told you, I’m not the creative one. That’s Levi.”

  “And I told you, I’m not sure I believe that.” She gestured at him with the cat in his arms. “Any man that can make a ninja out of that cat is more creative than most people.”

  “Lady Daredevil just needs someone to believe in her,” he said, stroking the cat’s head. “So are you really going to take her home with you?”

  “Well, I’m certainly not sending her back to the shelter.”

  He nodded and handed her back carefully. “Can you get away for a bit? I thought we might grab a deep-fried chocolate bar and chat a bit.”

  She hesitated, glancing over at Peggy. At Peggy’s nod and beaming approval, Edie slipped the Persian cat back into her cage. “Only for a little bit, though. I’m needed to help man the booth.”

  “Of course,” Magnus said solemnly. “I know there are people completely lining up to rescue these poor cats.”

  “All right, all right,” she said testily. “No need to be a dick about it.” She grabbed her purse, gave her sweater a futile brush with her fingers, and then stepped out from the booth with him. “Deep-fried chocolate bars, huh?”

  “Yeah, I figure if you’re going to go for fair food, you might as well go all in.” Magnus rubbed his hands boyishly. “News is that they have funnel cake here, too.”

  “They do,” she agreed, and when he offered her his arm, she took it reluctantly. “This is feeling suspiciously like a date.”

  “Is that such a terrible thing?”

  “I told you I didn’t want to date you.”

  “No, you didn’t,” he said easily. She noticed he kept his steps slow to match her pace. “You told me you were unavailable today. You didn’t say anything about not wanting to date me.”

  “I should have clarified, then.”

  “Or you could stop lying to yourself,” he continued, as if she wasn’t protesting his presence with her. Instead, he pointed at a food truck parked along a nearby street. “You want to eat a deep-fried chocolate bar with me?”

  Damn it, she kind of did. Any time she mentioned something like that to Bianca, her sister gave a little sniff and commented about the calories, so Edie never tried it. “I guess,” she said, trying to sound reluctant.

  He just grinned at her with that boyish look again and led them to the truck. Little red-and-white-checked paper boats were handed to them as Magnus paid, and Edie gave her chocolate bar a curious look. It resembled a corn dog peppered with powdered sugar. The smell was entirely different. “This is ominous.”

  “This is delicious,” Magnus corrected, and took a huge bite out of his. Powdered sugar puffed and covered his face, and then his expression changed from pleased to startled.

  “What is it?” she asked, curious.

  He worked his mouth for a minute, then murmured, “I fhink it glued my teefh together.”

  Edie giggled and took a smaller bite. Sure enough, the concoction was chocolaty and gluey, and her teeth felt like they were molding together, too. But ooh, it was good. She licked her fingers and swallowed, then grimaced. “Drink?”

  Magnus nodded and they went to the next truck to get a drink. A few moments later, they both had cider, and when they finished their chocolate bars, Magnus insisted on caramel apples. That was how the afternoon went—they visited food truck to food truck, trying a little bit of everything and laughing as they did.

  ***

  In his pocket, Magnus’s phone vibrated with an incoming text. He ignored it, focused on the bright-eyed woman at his side sipping a cup of hot cider. Even though her clothes were covered in cat hair, she looked good enough to eat, the apples of her cheeks bright with the chill of the weather, her mouth naturally pink and smiling. She’d gone bite for bite with him on every disgusting thing they could get from the vendor trucks, from Scotch eggs to turkey legs to corn on the cob to funnel cakes, candy, and now a drink. She wasn’t prissy about any of it, and when they’d played a few of the midway games, she’d heckled him fiercely when he lost.

  Even though he’d been reluctant as hell to participate in Levi’s stupid mind games today, the moment he’d seen Edie at the booth, a scowl on her face as people walked past, her arms full of long-haired cat, he’d been irresistibly drawn toward her again.

  Levi’s instructions were for Magnus to distract her for a few hours. Then, Levi swore he’d work on at least the Huns. Maybe the scripts for Hyksos invaders. Maybe. Magnus knew he was being taken for a ride by his lovesick brother, but what were his options? Levi was the creative mind. Magnus needed him. So he had to dance to his brother’s tune, no matter how irritating it was.

  “I’m going to run to the restroom,” Edie said, pointing at one nearby. “Can you hold my drink?”

  Magnus nodded absently and took the cider from her, watching her move as she blended into the crowd. Well, not blended exactly. Her movements set her apart, as always. He watched her until she disappeared, then juggled the drinks in his arms, freeing a hand. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the screen.

  I need more time with Bianca tonight. Can you stall?

  Could he stall? What the fuck was he supposed to do? Kidnap Edie and play charades? Drag her kicking and screaming to an all-day movie marathon? Even as he was filled with irritation for his brother, he actually didn’t hate the idea of spending more time with Edie. Her constant verbal jabs kept his mind going, and their sparring was fun . . . and a bit arousing. He liked that she never backed down.

  Maybe he could figure out a way to get a few more hours in with Edie after all.

  ***

  As they walked and ate, they admired local vendor stalls, from knitted hats to handmade puppets. The Harvest Festival was more of a craft fair put on by Edie’s small town every fall, and so there wasn’t much exciting other than food and homemade goods. But Edie enjoyed herself just the same. And as they wandered, any time she showed an interest in something . . . Magnus automatically bought it. By the time the sun began to set, she was wearing a ridiculous hat, hand warmers, had a jar of homemade pickle jelly, three kinds of bath soaps, a puppet, and a stomachache from all the junk food.

  She’d also had a wonderful time. It was so relaxing to just be silly and think about nothing but what was in the next food cart. She also loved that Magnus was willing to try anything, and she’d dared him on more than one occasion to eat something that sounded completely toxic. By the time they got back to the shelter booth, Edie was laughing and tired. Her leg throbbed like the dickens and she was wiped but she’d had fun despite herself.

  Her guilt resurfaced when she saw Peggy’s truck pulled up by the booth, and Peggy putting away the last of the cages. She hurried forward, releasing Magnus’s arm (that she might have been clutching all afternoon) and rushed to help her put away the last few. “I’m so sorry! I should have been here to help!”

  “No, it’s perfectly all right,” Peggy said with a pat on Edie’s shoulder. She brightened. “Actually, while you were gone, we managed to adopt all of the cats except one!”

  “You . . . did?” Edie was dumbfounded. “Really?”

 
; “Yep! It was wonderful.”

  Magnus leaned in behind Edie. “It’s because you weren’t scowling at everyone,” he mock-whispered.

  She elbowed him and focused on Peggy. “So which cat is left?”

  “The Persian,” Peggy said, smiling. She pulled out the cage and hefted it for Edie to see. Sure enough, there was that sad, smooshed face surrounded by all that white fur. “Back to the shelter with her.”

  Edie suppressed a shudder at that poor, sweet cat returning to those cold metal cages. “Actually I want to take her home with me—”

  “I’ll take her,” Magnus said, interrupting Edie.

  “You will?” Peggy’s face lit up as if she’d been given a gift. “Truly?”

  Edie frowned at him. “You already have one cat you barely know how to handle, dude. I’m not sure a second one will be the answer. You—”

  “You can come by and help her settle in,” Magnus said, grinning. He reached over and plucked the Persian cat’s cage out of Peggy’s hands.

  “But . . . what about your other cat? You can’t just throw them together!”

  “I’ll keep Lady Daredevil in the office until they’re ready to interact.” He wiggled a finger at the cage. “I know you said you always have room for another, but I’m guessing your sister will bitch, right?”

  He had a point. “Well . . .”

  “And you don’t want her to go back to the shelter, right?”

  Edie licked her lips, hesitating. She didn’t want the cat to go back to the shelter, no. But she couldn’t help but feel like there was an ulterior motive here. Like if she gave in, things were going to suddenly go out of control. “I guess not.”

  “Then I’ll take her home with me,” Magnus said. “I like her.”

  “If you’re sure . . . Getting a cat is a big commitment,” Edie said. “And this is number two in a week. I just don’t know—”

  “I need to go,” Peggy said. “You two figure it out.” She shut the tailgate of her truck and moved to the front. “Thanks for volunteering, Edie.”

  “Sure,” Edie said lamely, and then Peggy drove off. Now it was just her and Magnus and the cat. She glanced around awkwardly, watching vendors pack up their booths and people heading back to their cars. “I don’t suppose you’ve seen Bianca anywhere, have you?”

  “Nope,” he said, looking rather pleased at that. “You need a ride home?”

  “I’ll just text her,” Edie said, pulling out her phone.

  “Before you do, you wanna come to my place?” Magnus held up the cage and gave her his most winning smile. “Help me tuck Lady Daredevil into her new house?”

  Chapter Seven

  Did a gorgeous man just ask her to have an adult sleepover? Edie hesitated. “It’s a bit of a long drive.”

  “A few hours. Not so bad when you have good company.” When she arched a brow, he held up the cat cage. “I refer to feline company, of course.”

  “Of course,” she said, smiling. He was hard to resist when he was like this, all playfulness and fun. “But I really can’t. It’ll be too late at night to drive back—”

  “Then stay at my place,” Magnus offered. “Like I said, you can help me settle the cat in, and you can check on Lady Cujo.”

  “And have a sleepover in your bed?” she mocked. “I don’t think so.”

  “You can sleep on the couch.”

  “I saw your couch. It’s shaped like a pair of lips.”

  “Then I’ll sleep on the couch. Come on. Just as friends.” His expression didn’t seem to be that of a lecherous seducer. “We’ll settle the cats in, have a couple of beers, play some video games, and shoot the shit. Think of it as a sleepover, minus the hair braiding. Don’t girls like those sorts of things?”

  It was the most ridiculous thing she’d heard of. She shouldn’t go. She really shouldn’t . . . but at the same time, she wanted to make sure the cats settled in well. This would just be an extension of her job, wouldn’t it? As a good cat behaviorist?

  Oh, who was she kidding? A hot guy with forkloads of money was asking her to come hang out for the evening. Even in a platonic sense, it was a date. And she kind of hated herself for being so weak, but she wanted to go.

  But still, Edie hesitated. She reached through the cage and scratched at Lady Daredevil’s ear. “I don’t have a change of clothes.”

  “You can sleep in something of mine.”

  “I have to be back at my house at noon.” The cats would need their meds and it was an easy out for her.

  “I’ll have my driver come and pick you up first thing in the morning. Any other excuses?”

  He made it sound so innocent, but she knew Bianca would have a fit. This wouldn’t work with Bianca’s utterly careful plan on how to manipulate a man. And that decided it for Edie. Because it had been so nice to be so utterly carefree for a few hours that afternoon that she wanted it to continue on into the night. “All right.”

  “Excellent,” Magnus said, and gave her another one of those face-splitting grins.

  “Let me text my sister before we go,” Edie said. She pulled out her phone and quickly sent Bianca a message. Hey. Going with a friend to a movie & to play some cards. Back super late, don’t wait up. XOXO.

  So it was a tiny white lie. It wouldn’t hurt anything. Once Bianca heard cards she’d run for the hills. She hated Edie’s friends and thought they were boring.

  Bianca’s response was immediate and brief. K.

  Whew. No questions asked. All right. She was really doing this, then. Edie gave Magnus a nervous smile. “Good to go. Where’s your car?”

  He gestured. “Driver should be somewhere over there.”

  “Driver, huh?” She looked askance at Magnus as he moved to walk next to her, cat between them. The poor thing gave a confused meow and settled at the back of the cage. “You made a driver wait on you while you went and had fun at the festival?”

  Magnus shrugged. “He’s paid to wait on me. Paid really well, I might add. And he could have had a corn dog if he wanted one.” Magnus paused and held out the cage. “Can you hold this for a moment?”

  She took it and watched silently as Magnus texted for a moment, scanned the parking lot, and then texted again. Then he took the cat back from Edie and they both stood there awkwardly while they waited on the car.

  It pulled up a moment later, a black sedan with tinted windows. A driver got out and, as he did, Magnus offered him the cat carrier. “Put this in the passenger seat, please.”

  “Of course, Mr. Sullivan,” the driver said. He barely glanced at Edie, and gave her a nod, then opened the door for her.

  She wondered if he saw Magnus take a lot of women home. Then she decided it didn’t matter, because this was about the cats more than anything else. Right? Right. So she got in the back of the car and winced as she slid over, the action hurting her knee.

  The back seat was more cramped than she cared for. A normal person could fold their legs and have plenty of room, but Edie needed to stretch her leg, especially after today. Even as she sat, her muscles screamed. She clenched her hands tightly in her lap, determined to ignore it as Magnus slid into the back seat next to her.

  Moments passed, the car pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road, and all was silent except for the occasional confused yowl of Lady Daredevil. After what felt like an eternity, the driver glanced in the rearview mirror. “I’m going to shut the partition and give you privacy, if that’s all right.”

  “Thank you, Reynolds,” Magnus said, and wagged his eyebrows at Edie.

  She didn’t laugh. She was too busy resisting the urge to slam her leg straight out and massage her knee.

  He must have noticed her tension. A frown creased his face. “You okay?”

  She nodded tightly. “Just tired.” Edie forced a smile to her face. “I had a good time, though. And I thin
k you’re really going to like the cat. She’s such a sweetheart, I—”

  “Edie,” Magnus said in a low voice, and goose bumps flicked over her skin. “You’re pale. Is it your knee?”

  She tried to shrug it off, and then winced. Damn it, she hated feeling like an invalid. “I just need to stretch it a bit, that’s all.”

  “Why didn’t you say so?” He leaned back and then patted his knee. “Put your leg up here.” At her hesitation, he gave her an exasperated look. “I’m not going to fondle your damn knee, Edie. I’m just trying to help you out.”

  Reluctant, she slowly stretched her leg and placed it over his knee. The muscles were screaming in protest, and her breath hissed out from between her teeth.

  “Does rubbing it help?” he asked.

  “A little. I should—” she leaned in to massage her leg.

  He batted her hand away and placed his big one on her knee, rubbing gently. Pain flared, and then slowly began to ebb. She leaned against the car seat sideways, some of her tension easing. Edie closed her eyes. “Mmm, thank you.”

  “Feel better?” His hand kept moving over her knee, gently kneading the overworked muscles around her old injury.

  “Much, thank you.” The touch of his hand on her leg was soothing. Relaxing. She’d forgotten how nice it was to be touched by someone else like that.

  “So,” Magnus said, sliding his fingers along the side of her knee. “Can I be nosy?”

  “As long as you keep rubbing, yes.”

  “How’d you hurt your knee?”

  Of course he’d ask. It was obvious that she’d injured it—that was clear in every step she took. He was bound to be curious. “Skiing accident. I T-boned into a tree. My leg went one way and I went the other. I nearly severed it in the fall.”

  “Sounds nasty.”

  “It was.” She kept her eyes closed, her tone light. Even now, though, she could still see the tree rushing up on her, the slam of the wood and the intense pain. Drake screaming her name. Ambulances. Surgeries. Recovery. Drake finding that they had a lot less in common now that she was a couch potato on a crutch and couldn’t jog or mountain climb or run marathons or any of the things they used to enjoy doing together. She dropped all of her college classes in kinesiology and focused on animal behavior instead, since she couldn’t become a personal trainer or a phys-ed teacher, not when it was painful to walk. She’d started collecting cats, instead.