One Night with the Billionaire (A BWWM Romance)

by Tiana Cole

  He turned to his daughter with his first real smile of the day. “You want me though, don’t you, princess?”

  His daughter looked up at him with searching green and gold eyes, and smiled before leaning forward and giving him the wettest kiss he’d ever had. Right on the corner of his mouth. “Dadadada.”

  That made him smile. At least someone wanted him around. David ordered another coffee and set it in the cup holder on the stroller. “What kind of stroller has a cup holder,” he mumbled to himself as they left the shop and headed for the park.

  He’d heard Tonya’s words. Hell, he couldn’t stop hearing them, but he also couldn’t stomach the idea of going a day without seeing his daughter. He had to do something about it. He couldn’t just let her leave without giving him another chance to prove himself. To her and to Kim. Why, he heard his sister ask, and David knew he needed to answer the question. At least for his own sake.

  He cared about Ebony. She was a great girl with a bright future ahead of her. And despite his harshly spoken words to her, it was obvious she didn’t want his money. Or him.

  Well, that was too damn bad. He wanted her. He liked her. Hell, he was in love with her if he was being honest with himself. He picked Kim up and held her above his head, father and daughter smiling at each other. So silly in love it was sickening. “I’m keeping you forever, princess. Your mommy too.”

  ~

  After the coffee shop, Ebony had a long talk with her mother than did exactly nothing to make her feel better about her decision to move to Berkeley. Well, she felt great about moving to Berkeley, but she felt decidedly less great about taking Kim so far away from her family. She had a grandmother, aunt and father here. Up north they had…nothing. So she’d spent the past week weighing her options. She needed to be there so she could get a degree from a real university, and it was too late to apply anywhere else for the coming semester.

  That wasn’t her only problem either. David had been a complete ass for the final time. The first day after the coffee shop she’d been sad, almost inconsolable at the idea of the first man to capture her heart was a cold hearted jerk. Oh, and never mind the fact that he obviously didn’t love her back. But after that she’d gotten angry at the world. Mostly at herself for choosing such an unsuitable man, and at said man for being a jackass.

  When she’d woken up this morning she’d felt a sense of renewal or some such shit. She’d showered while the house was still quiet and looked in the mirror to give herself a pep talk. “Forget David. He was never yours and he never will be.” He would probably marry someone exactly like Bonnie Mason and have a litter of stuck up blondes with exotic green eyes shot through with gold. The fact that he’d started sending her outrageous gifts the day after he’d accused her—yet again—of trying to siphon money from him, meant absolutely nothing to her.

  She’d quickly figured out his angle when the second gift arrived. The first had been a beautiful bracelet with purple diamonds. It had taken her breath away, as had the note. Can’t wait to see you wearing nothing but this. –DH

  Ebony had taken a moment to fawn over the bracelet and note, pretending that a man who wanted to be with her had sent it. Then she’d shoved it back in the box along with the note and had it sent to his office. The second day he’d sent a coupon book printed on the most luxurious card stock she had ever seen, offering up babysitting one night at a time whenever she needed a night off. That same day five dozen buttercup flowers were delivered in colorful crystal vases with another note and the bracelet from the day before. She was on to him. His plan was to romance or guilt her into staying.

  She wouldn’t be bought. Not again. She had her own goals in life. She needed to go out into the world and become someone important. Someone who did something of value for a living. Lately that dream had included a tropical island where English was the primary language with a large luxury resort where she was the manager. Her days off would be spent at the beach with Kim, exploring the area and learning about new cultures. The dream became more clear every day, with every blackmail gift David sent.

  When Kim woke up she dressed her in a playful sundress and set up a blanket in the backyard where she could play. They had no social obligations today so they would relax and enjoy spending a quiet day at home. One of the last they would spend at this house.

  After a few hours in the sun, they took a break to share a popsicle when she heard someone unlatch the fence that led to the backyard. As soon as she saw that blond head, she glared. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  David leaned one arm on the top of the fence and smiled. Sunglasses shielded his eyes as he spoke. “I was sick of not knowing where my daughter lived, and since you never told me, I found another way.”

  She already knew the answer was her mother. If Sarah was going to crack, she would have done so a lot sooner. “You should have called first.”

  He shrugged. “You would have found an excuse for me not to come.”

  “As is my right.” She glared at him. If he thought he could come in here and start dictating things, he had another thing coming. “What do you want?”

  “I’d like to talk to you.” He removed his sunglasses, shoving them on top of his curly head, and stared at her. There was a depth of emotion in those gorgeous mossy eyes but she didn’t believe any of it.

  “You thought ambushing me at my home was the way to have a civil conversation? Well, it wasn’t. Come back another time, after you call.” She took off her hat and looked up at him.

  His nostrils flared. “No. You dropped a bomb on me and left before we got a chance to talk.”

  “Really? I left? Because I seem to recall the conversation much differently.” She stood, holding a now sleeping Kim in her arms. “Just tell me what you want because I need to get her down for a nap.”

  “I’ll help you.”

  “No. I’d prefer if you didn’t.” He didn’t speak so she turned towards the door until she heard his footsteps behind her. “I didn’t invite you in and I don’t plan to. What do you need?”

  “I need to talk to you.”

  She nodded. “Fine, wait here. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She stepped inside the house, locking the screen door behind her. She put Kim to bed, grabbed a monitor and took a moment for herself. He’s just playing games and doesn’t mean what he says. Remember that and you’ll be fine.

  ~

  “So, talk.” Ebony exited the back door and stood leaning against the railing, eyes shaded by glasses but fixed on him.

  “I want to spend more time with Kim before you leave.” He wanted a whole lot more than that, but for now he would settle for more time.

  She nodded thoughtfully. “Do you have more time?”

  “I’ll make time for Kim. She’s important to me.” So are you, he wanted to say in the worst way, but she wouldn’t believe him, or worse, she would reject him. It had been a long time since anyone rejected David Henderson, but if anyone would, it would be Ebony.

  “Okay,” she told him, giving off a don’t fuck with me vibe. “What do you propose?”

  He stood and closed the gap between them, making the conversation more intimate. David was careful not to touch her, but one deep breath and they would be chest to chest. “I think you and Ebony should live with me until you move.”

  “Absolutely not, David. We have to move, which means packing and cleaning and all the stuff that goes along with it. Pick her up everyday if you want, but I’m not disrupting our lives to make things easier for you.”

  That pissed him off. “Why not? I’m her father and all I’m asking is for the next month. I’m making things easy for you by not fighting this move.” When she stiffened in front of him he knew he’d made a huge miscalculation.

  “Right. Well then maybe we should just do that. I knew it wouldn’t take you long to bring out the lawyers.” She sidestepped him and made to reenter the house when he grabbed her arm. “Let me go.” Ebony glared at him, projecting her displeasure with him c
learly.

  “Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s true, but I still shouldn’t have said it.” Dammit, why couldn’t he get his shit together when it came to this woman?

  “Whatever. No to us moving in with you. Next?”

  His mind raced with possibilities but none were satisfying. David didn’t want to drop by and visit for a few hours. He wanted to see Kim first thing in the morning with her curls haphazard as she chomped on Cheerios. He wanted more than a few hours here and there. “Then I’ll move in here with you.” Smiling broadly, David was proud when she practically choked on her reaction.

  “That won’t work either. For one thing, I don’t have room for you.”

  “I’ll take the other half of your bed. No problem there.”

  She scowled. “And for another, I don’t want you in my home. I won’t stop you from seeing Kim, but that’s all I owe you.”

  “No. What you owe me is to stick around so I can watch my daughter grow up, so I can have a relationship with her. What you owe me is a chance to be a real father to her. So, try again.” He watched her honey brown eyes as they ran through every possibility, every scenario. She wanted to fight him on this, he could tell. But he knew that she knew it would be a pointless fight.

  She gave a terse nod. “I’ll think it over and let you know. Tomorrow.”

  He kept smiling. That was as good as yes, and if it wasn’t, it was as close as he would get. He would be here bright and early. “I’ll make arrangements and see you in the morning.”

  “I didn’t agree to—” Her words were abruptly cut off by the slamming of his mouth against hers.

  David showed no restraint in the kiss. It wasn’t a teasing kiss, hell no, this kiss conquered and laid claim to the depths of her mouth, her soul. He held her tight as he plundered her mouth, kissing for endless moments when she finally surrendered to him. He pulled back, breathless and turned on. “See you tomorrow, Ebony.” Retracing his steps down the stairs and through the fence, David could not stop smiling. Finally, something was going his way.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Get out of my bed.” Ebony had just finished checking on Kim and when she returned to her bedroom it was to find a shirtless—and hard of hearing—David.

  He frowned up at her from where he rested on the bed, head cradled in his hands, bare chest glistening from a shower. “I thought we agreed this half of the bed was mine.”

  “I’m certain we agreed you’d take the couch.” The last thing she needed was to have the man wreaking havoc on her peace of mind, to have his hot, hard body pressed up against her all night. Three days living under the same roof was three too many. He hardly ever wore a shirt and made a point to touch her as much as humanly possible. Too much. “Your pillow and blankets are already out there. It converts to a bed so you’ll be fine.”

  “I’d be better in here, Ebony.”

  That heated gaze and those molten emerald and gold eyes were too tempting, too sexy. And they saw too damn much. He knew she wanted him just as he knew she was determined to fight it every step of the way. And he was determined to make it impossible. “I’d be better if you were out there, David.”

  Too quickly he hopped up off the bed and stalked to her until her back was pressed against the door and she was trapped by his big, hard body. “Why are you still fighting this, Ebony? You want me.” One hand traced up her hip and the other push a stray curl away. “I want you.” David pressed his hips against hers and she felt the erection at her stomach. “Give in to it.”

  Eyes closed, Ebony knew she was fighting a losing battle in trying to ignore the chemistry between them. Every time he touched her she gave in a little more, and he was constantly touching her! His mouth was so close to her neck, and she felt her head tilt to the side to accommodate him. “I can’t. We can’t. It’s a bad idea.” Even to her own ears she was breathless. Turned on.

  “How can something this good,” he bit her lobe and soothed it with his tongue, “be a bad idea? I want to make you come, Ebony. I want to see your face as you come apart in my arms.”

  She groaned and pushed him back. “No. I can’t keep making the same mistake with you.” Ebony put some distance between them and turned. “You’re a great father to Kim, she loves you and I’m happy for her.”

  “But?” His voice was angry and that dark look told her he was unhappy.

  “But nothing has changed between us. You don’t trust me or like me, and as good as the sex was, it isn’t worth putting up with your sharp tongue afterwards.” His mistrust was evident in where he currently lived. If he trusted her, he wouldn’t need to be under the same roof. To make sure she didn’t go anywhere with his daughter.

  “Great. The sex between us was fucking great. Every. Damn. Time.”

  Damn straight it was. “That’s not the point.”

  He dropped down on the bed and leaned back on his hands, giving her a perfect view of his abs with every inhale. “I know I was jerk, Ebony, I know. But as much as I want to fuck you, I want you to consider me, consider us.”

  She frowned, wondering what the hell he was saying. “Consider you for what?”

  “For you. Do you really not know?”

  She shook her head as her dark brows furrowed in confusion. “Know what, David?”

  His expression was thunderous. “That I like you, Ebony. I want to be with you and I want us to be a family.”

  She tried not to let her disappointment show. He liked her while she was in love with him. That couldn’t possibly work in the long term. “Since when? Because other than my body, I don’t get the sense you like me at all.”

  “Trust me, my life would be a lot simpler if I didn’t like you. If I could just lump you in with all the other women, maybe you wouldn’t get to me so damn much.”

  That was new. She took a few tentative steps toward him and sat down next to him. “Welcome to my world.”

  He frowned at her. “You mean you don’t want to like me? Why?”

  Ebony laughed until tears ran down her face. “You’re kidding, right? How about because you’ve made my life hell since I tracked you down?” At least he had the grace to blush.

  “You can’t blame the Bonnie stuff on me. She was a free agent.”

  “Yeah, but you were the reason behind it. And, might I add, you believed her. Not me.” That still stung, but if they were going to parent Kim together, she’d have to get past it. “It’s the past and I’m trying to leave it there so we can be friendly. But if you want more than friendship, I can’t forget it.” Not any of it.

  “I want more than friendship, Ebony. I want it all.”

  She turned sideways so she could look at him for what she had to say next. Ebony needed to know if this new desire to be with her had anything to do with her. “You want me, or you want easy access to your daughter? Because there are easier ways.”

  He growled and pulled her closer until she was straddling him. On her bed. “I want you, Ebony. And I wanted you again before I knew about Kim. Knowing about her only makes me want you more.”

  “And if one day you don’t want me?” Because she knew that day would come and it would be soon.

  “Why wouldn’t I want you?”

  She told him. “You don’t have a long attention span when it comes to women, David, and the last thing I need from you is false promises.”

  “Okay, fine. If that ever happened, I wouldn’t try to force it between us. I promise.”

  That was exactly what she wanted to hear. So why, then, did she still feel uneasy? Because you love him, dummy. Looking up into his gold swirled eyes, she could see he was telling the truth. Despite all his faults, David hadn’t lied to her. Yet. “Good.” So what was she waiting for? A sign that he wouldn’t turn on her again? Ding, ding, we have a winner. Well hell, she’d be waiting for forever for that to happen. Leap now or forever wish you had. She decided. “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  She nodded. “Okay. Let’s try it, see what happen
s.”

  ~

  Since that day in her bedroom David had been a man on a mission. He’d taken her half-hearted okay and ran with it. Deciding to work from home, David had spent the past week with his two best girls. They’d gone on family outings to the zoo, the beach and even Catalina Island. He’d seen Ebony relaxed and smiling and spreading her sunshine around, even on him. His days were reserved for family, enjoying one on one time with Kim when Ebony was at work. It was exactly what he needed, what had been missing from his life without him realizing it.

  The nights, well, they were reserved for Ebony and him to explore this thing between them. He’d romanced her in a way he knew she would love. There was plenty of fuss but not a lot of luxury because he knew she would hate it. Last night he’d tried his hand at cooking Thai food and although it was ugly as hell, it had been delicious and Ebony had eaten two helpings. Damn but those sexy food grunts made his chest puff out like he’d flown her to Paris on a whim. And when she told him she’d taken care of dessert, he smiled, knowing she had a serious sweet tooth.

  He’d stepped from the shower that he found her lying on the bed completely naked and covered in whipped cream and chocolate sauce. He’d licked every inch of her good and clean before giving her two world tilting orgasms. Then the little minx had returned the favor until he was a sack of melted bones in the middle of her bed. Just as he drifted off to sleep, David realized that his favorite position was any where Ebony was on top.

  In two weeks Kim and Ebony would be gone. As much fun as they were having, both as a family and as a couple, it seemed to him that Ebony’s feelings hadn’t changed. She was coolly polite most of the time, warm and loving when she forgot to put her guard up and she completely submitted to him in the bedroom. David was twisted up and had no idea how to get Ebony to fall in love with him. Or if she ever could love him.

  Glancing at his watch, David realized he had about four hours before Ebony returned home. “Sweet baby girl, we’ve got some planning to do.” A few hours, some phone calls and thousands of dollars later and his plan was in motion. With an hour to spare, he bundled up his baby girl and fastened her in the backseat. There was one final stop he needed to make and he couldn’t pay someone to do it for him. This was something David had to do. “Are you ready, princess?”