Stormfronts Series
Book 1
Come With Me
By Michelle Love
Description
When billionaire property mogul Theo Storm gives the Commencement address at her college, grad student Jess Wood initially dismisses him as a rich, bland businessman. When he notices her in the audience however, his blatant admiration for her attracts whispers amongst her friends and colleagues and an embarrassed Jess escapes from the throng, only to find herself unable to stop thinking about him.
Storm tracks her down to her tiny apartment and persuades her to have dinner with him and the incredible attraction between them becomes almost unbearable. Theo takes Jess back to his luxurious penthouse and going against all her self-made rules, Jess goes to bed with him. Instead of breaking the tension between them, their tempestuous, uninhabited sexual chemistry awakens something almost feral inside of her, leaving her craving more and more of this incredible man.
It might have been the fourth glass of bourbon or the fifth or the sixth, Theo Storm wasn’t sure. All he remembered was making a dumb bet with Max who, with mischief in his eyes, shook Theo’s hand, muttering ‘Good luck with that’ under his breath.
Theo opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling of the hotel room. God, why was it every time he went drinking with Max, he turned into a loud mouthed asshole who thought he ruled the world? The trip to Vegas had been to celebrate the opening of their latest boutique apartment building – and to thank Max for working every hour of every day to get it done. Theo had promised himself he wouldn’t get trashed – he never came out on top when drinking with Max – the guy had hollow legs, for chrissakes.
‘Jesus.’ A headache shrieked around his skull and Theo groaned. He rolled out of bed onto the floor and briefly considered staying there for the rest of his life. Reluctantly he staggered to his feet and into the bathroom, stepping under a too-hot shower and sighing with relief as the water hit his tired body. After he’d dried himself, he wrapped a towel around his waist, stood at the small sink to brush his teeth, studying himself in the mirror. Almost forty years old and he still acted like a twenty-year-old college kid, partying nearly every night. He knew what his dad would say, the disappointment in his eyes. Settle down, son. Grow roots. Make a home, a family. Theo sighed. It wasn’t enough for his dad that he was the head of StormFronts, the company Theo had built from literally nothing. That he’d been top of his class at MIT or that he’d designed, built and paid for his dad’s retirement home in the Florida Everglades (thankfully a continent away from his own Seattle penthouse).
Theo rinsed his mouth and then threw back a couple of glasses of tap water to combat his hangover. He'd been moaning about his dad’s attitude last night at a staggeringly unsympathetic Max, who merely rolled his eyes and called him a poor little rich boy. Max was right, he knew, he just had to ignore the parental pressure but still…it was probably why he’d made that ridiculous bet with Max.
I will find the love of my life within three months.
Theo shook his head at the thought of it. Why the hell had he made that bet? Hubris and hyperbole. He shrugged – it wasn’t as if Max would hold him to it in the cold light of day.
‘I am absolutely going to hold you to it,’ Max told him on the plane back to Seattle. Theo groaned and slumped back in his seat. His hangover wasn’t abating at all and now he was on the way to give the Commencement speech at Seattle’s most prodigious college. Theo was used to public speaking in his job, not that it was his favourite thing to do but he’d agreed to it back when he’d been dating a girl from Tacoma – whose name he couldn’t remember, he thought now with a jolt of shame – whose cousin was part of the graduating class. The speech was written, his custom-made Armani three piece pressed and waiting – he’d even managed to shave this morning. Outwardly, he’d look the part of the billionaire mogul but inside…he swallowed a wave of nausea. Idiot – why get hammered the night before the speech?
Theo definitely wasn’t in the mood for another grilling from his best friend. Max fixed him with a serious glare. ‘You promised me you’d find the one. I want you to, at the very least; try to have a social life. You haven’t dated anyone since Lorelei.’
Theo grimaced and Max sniggered. Lorelei had been a sweet girl – but her obsession with the healing power of crystals had doomed that relationship very, very quickly. Theo chuckled at the memory.
‘Yeah, see? ‘
Max rolled his eyes. ‘That’s not a reason to avoid the whole dating thing. You can’t write off the whole thing just because your last girlfriend thought she could talk to the spirit world. It’s an important part of life and besides, you’re not getting any younger.’
‘Thanks, dude.’
Max grinned at Theo’s sarcastic tone. ‘I’m serious. I want you to meet someone who’ll make you happy.’
Theo studied his friend. ‘You say that with all the smug complacency of the happily settled.’
Max flashed him his cheesiest grin. ‘What can I say? I got lucky with Joel. Now if only you’d embrace your inner gay guy, I’ve got a hundred friends panting to meet you.’
Theo grinned. ‘Ah, your ongoing campaign to turn me. Sorry, dude, I appreciate it but…’
‘You worship at the Alter of Vadge, I know.’
Theo sniggered. ‘Charmingly put.’
Max sighed dramatically. ‘Well, a guy can dream. How long has it been since you were serious about someone?’
Theo didn’t answer – mostly because he couldn’t remember ever being serious about anyone. ‘Can we drop this?’
‘Nope,’ Max was grinning wildly, ‘I tell you what, I’ll make this interesting. You get married before Christmas – I’ll work for you for a year for free.’
Theo’s eyebrows shot up. ‘You’re serious? Married? Not going to happen.’
Max nodded, leaning forward in his chair. ‘Dude…you’re my best friend and I just want you to slow down. You work, work, work, which is all good but you’re missing out on so much. Meet someone, fall in love, and get married. Hell, I’d be happy if you just dated someone. Come on, help an old romantic out. Besides…’ he sniffed huffily, ‘I really don’t want to find you dead of a stress-related heart attack at your desk. We’d never get the smell out of the carpet.’
Theo grinned at his friend but as Max pulled a blanket over himself and turned away to take a nap, Theo stared out of the window of the plane at the sparkling blue waters of the Pacific, the craggy beauty of the West Coast and wondered if Max was right. Maybe it was time for something more, something real. Thing was…he didn’t even know where to start, what he was looking for, who he wanted as his partner in life.
He glanced over to his sleeping friend and knew his friend was right. Theo grinned to himself and settled back into his seat to enjoy the rest of the flight.
‘I hate to ask.’
Jessica Wood narrowed her eyes at her boss. Professor Gerry Land grinned sheepishly and shrugged as they sat together in the college’s refectory, empty coffee cups in front of them. Jess sighed – she knew this wheedling tone of old – Gerry had been her mentor, her champion for four years through college and when she’d applied to be his research fellow to pursue a Ph.D. he’d pulled strings to make sure she’d gotten the position.
Occasionally though, like now, he’d call in the favor.
‘Yeah, yeah, what now?’
Gerry smirked, knowing he had her. ‘Commencement.’
Jess made a face. ‘Oh, no way…I did it last time.’ Their Art department was supposed to send a representative to the ceremony and while they both appreciate the true meaning of the tradition, it was deathly boring – sitting for hours, applauding everyone, listening to some celebrity rambling on about how the graduating students should ‘reach for the stars’ – they actually had a tally on how many of the illustrious guests used clichés like that.
‘Please? I just have so much work to do….and this funding application isn’t going to write i
tself.’
Jess made a face at him, knowing he’d won. If she didn’t go to the ceremony, Gerry would dump the application process on her and no way – no freaking way – was she getting into that.
‘Fine.’
Gerry nudged her shoulder with his. ‘I owe you one.’
‘You owe me many.’ But she smiled. At twenty-four, Jessica Wood was exactly where she wanted to be – immersed in a world of art and study. She wasn’t rich – that world belonged to her step-brother, Jules. Her mom had married Jules’ French millionaire father but now, after they’d both died, it was just her, Jules – and Jules’ never ending puppet strings. That was the one thing wrong with her life. She worked for Gerry and part-time in a one of Seattle’s artisan coffee houses and still only managed to make enough to cover her rent and food. She was okay with that but Jules still managed to exert his influence over her life in so many different ways.
She pushed the thought of him away now, fought the heavy dread that always followed when she thought of her step-brother and went to get changed for the ceremony.
Her apartment was less than a block from the college and she quickly showered and slipped into her go-to dress – a dark burgundy silk sheath that shimmered down and hugged her curves. At five foot four, she wasn’t the tallest woman, but the dress flared out at her waist, showing off her surprisingly long legs. Her dark mahogany hair fell almost to her waist and she pulled it over one shoulder. The lightest of make-up then she added a delicate gold chain which lay against her dusky skin and fell into the valley of her full breasts. Glancing in the mirror, Jess nodded once. She knew people considered her attractive but…they can’t see the damage within, she thought. She dismissed the thought and scooted out of the door.
Back at college, she made her way to the ceremony, held in the wide courtyard. She glanced at her watch and saw she was early. She grinned to herself and decided to call Gerry to pass the time. She ducked into a quiet corridor and pulled out her cell phone.
‘I’m calling to issue you an official death threat.’
Gerry chuckled. ‘Hey look, at least you get to hear about how the world is indeed a shellfish-based opportunity for our students.’
‘About how this is ‘only the beginning of the adventure?’’
‘Yep and of course, how they are all astronauts.’
‘Huh?’
Gerry sighed. ‘’Reaching for the stars’?’
Jess laughed. ‘Oh of course, sorry. God, would it kill one of these people to quote some Eudora Welty? Some Dorothy Parker? Even some Bill and Ted would be nice.’
‘Snob.’
‘You bet. I’ll see you later – and I’ll be armed.’
Gerry laughed loudly. ‘I’ll buy you dinner to make up for it.’
‘You bet you will.’
She hung up and turned to walk out to the courtyard. She stopped, a small gasp escaping her. At the end of the corridor, watching her, a man stood, half in shadow. Jess’s heart began to thud as the man’s gaze locked with hers, burning into hers. He was tall – very, very tall, at least six five, his huge body expensively clad in an exquisite three piece, his dark curls close-cropped, his face angular and sculpted to perfection.
They stared at each other for a long moment then the Dean appeared and bore the man away. Jess let out her breath out in a rush. What the hell was that? She felt the blood burn hot through her body, a pulse beat between her legs. Jesus… The way he had been looking at her – as if he wanted to tear off her clothes, possess her…Jess turned and leaned her burning forehead against the cool stone wall. For a second she closed her eyes and imagined what would have happened if the Dean hadn’t interrupted the moment. Would the man have come closer, pushed her against the wall, kissed her? The tension had crackled along the distance between them and now she fantasised that he’d lifted her up, tugged her panties aside and fucked her hard, right then, right there. She gave a small groan at the thought then pushing the thought away she stumbled out into the courtyard and found her seat amongst the other faculty and representatives.
What the hell’s the matter with me? She shook her head as the thought ripped through her. Was she that bereft of a sex life that she was imagining rough sex with a total stranger. Ummm yes. She sighed, shaking her head. The woman next to her gave her a strange look and Jess smiled sheepishly at her. The Dean was at the podium now and talking and Jess tried to concentrate on what he was saying.
‘…head of the multinational property corporation that has not only specialised in high-end properties but also worked closely with Habitat for Humanity to bring much need shelter to those in need around the world. I’m pleased to introduce to you, Theodore Storm.’
Jess felt her heart flutter as the guy from the corridor stepped up and shook hands with the dean. Her first glimpse of him had not done him justice. He was gorgeous, a Greek god amongst his serfs, his expression serious but kind, a smile on his full mouth. Looking at him was like staring at the sun, Jess decided, dangerous, risky, a threat to sanity but she tried to look away and couldn’t. As he began to speak, his low, melodic tone made his speech even more compelling and Jess was gratified to hear him speak of opportunity, of hard work.
‘You’ll hear a lot from other about how this is your time,’ Theo Storm fixed his audience with a confident and authoritative stare, ‘and maybe it will be. What they won’t tell you is just how hard you will have to work if you want to achieve even one per cent of your ‘dreams’. Nothing – nothing – will be handed to you in this world. I say this as someone who grew up in a poor family. Yes, now I can live comfortably as anyone – but it took every ounce of everything I had to get there. Determination, willingness to work every minute of every hour. There was a point I lived in my car to save on rent money.’ There was a murmur in the crowd and Theo grinned, shrugging good-naturedly. ‘I know, a property mogul living in his car. But,’ – his face turned serious again – ‘that’s what it takes. That kind of sacrifice. If you’re just interested in the latest iPhone, the latest cool sneakers as soon as you graduate then…go work for someone else, do the nine-to-five. There are some among you who will do that – and believe me, there’s nothing wrong with it if that’s all you’re looking for. Me, no. I couldn’t. I believe in going after what I want.’
Billionaire’s Quarry: A Billionaire, Bad Boy, Romance (An Alpha Billionaire Romance Boxed Set) Page 49