The Billionaire's Prize: Taken & Tempted: (Book 3 Billionaire Bodyguard Series)

by Kristi Avalon

  “Thanks.” She yawned and disappeared back into her bedroom, closing the door.

  Even if she fell asleep instead of studying, he understood that she needed some time to herself. Five hours ago she’d looked into the face of death, and she’d survived. She was a champ, and he needed to remember how unexpected this course of events was for her. How unprepared she’d been from the start. How much she needed his strength and encouragement, not his advances.

  Disgusted with himself, he let the program run and went out to the main deck’s central bar to grab a beer. Thankfully the yacht stocked plenty of the local microbrews out of Miami, one of them a crisp pale ale he liked.

  Flicking open the cap, he tipped it back, swallowing several gulps before he found himself wandering up to the tropical fish tank. He stared at the ebb and flow of the imitation tide wafting leafy corals back and forth.

  The push and pull of desire, the moon and the tide, the run the chase, they all drew on nature’s fundamentals. On science, mysticism, and fate. Maybe Kylie was supposed to remain out of reach, maybe he was supposed to want her more because of it.

  Whatever the reason, be it fate or something else unfathomable, he wanted her with a passion he’d never known existed. A heat that burned slow and steady inside him, one that would never be quenched, no matter how many times they touched.

  Hell, even if he never made love to her, he’d always feel the magnetic pull that drew him to her beyond reason or explanation. He’d never been in this place before.

  The strange sensation of wanting someone for the sake of wanting her, without any expectation or need for fulfillment, made him question every relationship he’d ever had with a woman. He’d fallen in and out of love several times in his life. But this…

  This was different.

  Now he needed to figure out what to do with it.

  Chapter 7

  When Antonio announced dinner was served, Cade thanked him. He pushed the laptop aside and scrubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. At work he was used to interacting with people constantly, never in front of a computer screen for long stretches. He didn’t know how desk jockeys did it all day long.

  He went to Kylie’s bedroom and knocked. The unlatched door opened a few inches. He peered inside and found her sleeping on top of a thick open book.

  Something soft and warm glowed in his chest. He pushed the door open and strolled into her room.

  The sound of him entering didn’t wake her as he approached the bed. She had to be exhausted. Mentally, emotionally, and physically. Hovering over her a moment, he debated whether to wake her. Instead he pulled the blanket up around her shoulders.

  With one finger he lifted a tendril of hair away from her face. So damn beautiful. Sweet. Innocent. Trusting. Vulnerable.

  Seeing her lying there, sound asleep and defenseless, he felt like a jerk for attempting to seduce her. She needed time and space to recover from the past twenty-four hours. He sighed, shoved his hands in his pockets, and walked away.

  At dinner he sat across from Slone. Their meal was an impressive concoction of scallops with prosciutto and mango salsa, steeped in a chili glaze, and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. The sweetness of the glaze and mango contrasted with the salty prosciutto, giving a nice tangy flavor to the scallops. Plus a side of stuffed Portobello mushrooms and steamed asparagus. The selection was healthy by design, and gluten free, as Cade had requested before arriving.

  Using his fork Slone pointed at his plate. “I gotta say this is better than I expected. But please tell me there’s steak somewhere on this floating penthouse.”

  Cade grinned. “Yeah, we can do steak tomorrow night. Just don’t expect a spaghetti dinner.”

  “Give me steak, and I’m good. No pasta required. I don’t even need a side dish.”

  “What about all the awesome vitamins and phytonutrients you get from vegetables?”

  Slone narrowed one eye. “Fight-o… Forget it. Nope. Just steak.”

  A catch of laughter escaped Cade. “It’s your world, my friend. Eat whatever you want.”

  “I plan on it.” After polishing off his plate and every speck of food on it, he pushed the dish away from him and crossed his arms. “Permission to speak freely, sir.”

  “Granted,” Cade said. “In the future, you don’t have to ask. And don’t call me sir. The only time we need formal roles is if we’re facing danger.” He wiped his mouth with his cloth napkin and then draped it over his plate. “What’s on your mind?”

  “I admire what you’re doing for Kylie.”

  Cade dipped his chin. “Thanks.”

  “What I don’t get is why. Why are you taking this on yourself, when there are bodyguards at your disposal who handle this stuff all day long?”

  “Permission un-granted.” With a self-deprecating smile, Cade said, “I’m joking.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not sure how to answer that. Sometimes you know what feels right, so that’s what you do. She was scared out of her mind, I’m the only person she knows, and I have the money and connections to keep her safe while we work on the cold case.”

  “You can tell yourself those things.”

  Cade’s eyebrows dropped. “What does that mean?”

  “You’re too close to the mark.”

  “Could you not call her that?”

  “That’s what she is,” Slone said, “and security personnel, not CEOs, are trained for this scenario.”

  Cade stiffened in his seat, his jaw tight. “You think I can’t handle it?”

  “I don’t know. That’s my concern.”

  “Listen, when my family and I worked as bounty hunters, we were all packing heat. We went to the shooting range every Saturday morning. I’ve fired countless high caliber weapons with dead on accuracy. I’ve defended myself in fights and retaliation from skips.” His blood heated to a rapid boil. “Could you have ordered a helicopter to the campus to pick up Kylie? Sent a private jet from Las Vegas to Denver, then from Denver to Miami? Chartered a yacht to sail to the Virgin Islands? Put us up in one of the best hotels on St. Thomas with zero notice? Damn it, I know how to protect people.”

  “How many?” Slone asked.

  “How many what?”

  “People. How many people have you, personally, protected out in the field?”

  “My brother, two cousins, and my father. Day in and day out.” Yeah, he’d done a fine job of that the day his dad was found dead in an alley.

  “Forgive me, Mr. Soren, but that doesn’t seem like enough to be out here on the open water as my only backup.”

  Stinging fury over his failure five years ago suddenly exploded through Cade. He shot up from his chair. “This conversation is over.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Cade grabbed his beer and stormed up to the second level aft deck. He let the breeze cool off his temper.

  He rarely lost it. He prided himself on his smooth, collected approach. What couldn’t be solved with a conversation could be won over with a little well-timed charm.

  This wasn’t one of those situations. It never had been. He’d never entirely come to grips with his role in his dad’s death. He had trouble facing that Dad hadn’t wanted his help. Dad had called Trey for backup instead.

  That last minute call still hacked at his pride, tormented his soul, and left him with a layer of self-doubt underlying the choices he’d made since. Initially that’s why he’d delved into the public relations and marketing aspect of the company—interviews, press conferences, public appearances, meetings with clients, hosting parties, building future alliances. Those duties better utilized his college education, but they also put a comfortable distance between him and the physical task of protecting the clients his company served so well.

  Trey did the heavy lifting of running all the departments as a whole. Adam had taken over the responsibility of pairing their bodyguards’ skills with a client’s needs. Liam worked with HR recruiting the company’s muscle and approving background checks. While he
handled all the superficial bullshit requiring quick thinking, skill with language, and a heavy dose of charm.

  But in the end, who cared how many times he smiled at the cameras? Who cared how often he deflected questions from the press, reframed a crisis by turning it into an opportunity, or made an appearance in the society pages? He didn’t affect anyone, help anyone, or protect anyone.

  Some days, he wanted to make an honest impact. He wanted to receive the letters of gratitude from clients who hired a bodyguard through their company and thanked Soren Security for saving the lives of themselves and their loved ones, for giving them peace of mind. It wasn’t about the ego stroke. It was about making a difference—personally altering the course of someone’s life, helping her, protecting her.

  Since Dad’s death, he’d done nothing concrete to make up for his failure or to prove he had in him what his father had doubted. Enter Kylie, his second chance.

  Slone had made some fair points, but Cade had purposely taken on this mission to prove to himself, to his brother and cousins and father, that he had the internal fortitude to get his hands dirty. To defend someone and change that person’s fate.

  This time he wasn’t backing down or taking no for an answer. He’d see this through to the end to ensure Kylie came out whole and unscathed.

  As he took a long chug of his beer, he heard heavy footsteps on the teak flooring. “Sir, I want to apologize—”

  “Not necessary,” Cade said.

  Slone cleared his throat. “I was out of line. If you want to assign another bodyguard to take my place, I understand.”

  “No, you were doing your job. A damn fine job, too.” He turned to face Slone. “I’m not here to second guess you. I’m here for a second chance, to do something I wish I’d done a long time ago.” He stretched out his hand and Slone shook it firmly. “Just know I have my reasons for being here. You’re an excellent close protection officer, one of our best. If this situation gets ugly, I’ll follow your lead. You can count on me to hold my own.”

  With a look of respect in his eyes, Slone nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  “Cade,” he corrected.

  “Yes, sir, Cade.”

  Cade grinned and shook his head. “We’ll work on that.”

  “Old habits are hard to shake.” Slone shrugged. “I’m going to grill the captain some more. I get an off vibe from him. Could be nothing, but I want to make sure.”

  “I trust your instincts,” Cade said. “Do what you’ve got to do.”

  Slone marched through the door of the captain’s cockpit room ten feet away.

  Definitely not a subtle man, Cade thought. Another of Slone’s traits that made him a valuable asset and an excellent bodyguard.

  Just then Kylie emerged from the captain’s quarters. A smile filled him from within and rose to his lips. The dark smudges had disappeared from under her eyes, and she looked rested.

  She blinked against the bright rays of the setting sun. Sliding her sunglasses onto the bridge of her nose, she waved at him. He waved back, amused by the pink bling on her shades.

  As she approached him, he said, “Hey, rock star. Sleep well?”

  She yawned. “Yes, I desperately needed a nap.”

  “I could tell. Dinner’s ready when you are.”

  “I’m not hungry yet.” She wandered up to him. “Did you find a family connection between Bruno and Emilio?”

  He shook his head. “No hits.”

  Her eyebrows dropped below the large rims of her sunglasses. “That’s a shame.”

  “I texted Adam about the potential relationship between the two. He knows how to siphon information from people. He and Liam were pros at it during our bounty hunting days. They might dig up a connection we can’t access.”

  “I hope so.” She fidgeted with the ties of her drawstring blouse, the laces barely concealing her cleavage. He forced himself to look away. “I used your laptop to email my professors before I came out here. You said that was okay, right?”

  “It’s fine. Do you think they’ll be reasonable about your absence?”

  “If Dominique went to Professor Carlton, he’ll understand. I haven’t missed a single class all semester. My other two profs know me from previous classes, and they know I turn in good work. I just need to get back to my routine so I can finish studying for final exams.”

  He tilted his head as he regarded her. She showed such commitment and determination, such intelligence, so different than the women he used to date. He realized he needed a new type, and it was looking more and more like Kylie. “Is it typical to graduate in the winter semester?”

  “I chose to take a couple extra classes that taught coursework I hadn’t learned in depth, better preparation for my graduation exam.”

  That sounded rigorous. “You have final exams and a graduation exam?”

  “It’s mandatory for graduation with my degree.” She shrugged. “Once that’s complete, I can find a job at a prestigious firm.”

  Curious, he peered at her. “Why wouldn’t you work at a prosecutor’s office, or with a detective unit pursuing cold case files?”

  “They don’t pay well enough. Besides, it’s just a hobby.”

  “Seems more like your passion to me.” Disappointed by her answer, he stared at the horizon. “So it’s about the money for you?”

  She scoffed. “No, I love the law, all aspects of it. I’d work in a dusty basement surrounded by cold case files, if I could afford to. But when the money ran out from my dad’s life insurance, I took out student loans. I need a starting salary high enough to pay them back, and afford rent, without eating Ramen noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

  A persistent urge rose in his chest. He wanted to tell her that she didn’t need to worry about money, ever again. He’d take care of her, her bills, whatever she needed. In return he wanted the freedom to unravel her secrets, engage in riveting conversations, touch her, hold her, and make love to her whenever he wanted—which would be all the damned time, if his attraction to her now was any indication.

  Somehow he didn’t think she’d appreciate the arrangement, too independent and self-sufficient to want or need his deep pockets. She grew more appealing with each passing hour, with each new facet he learned about her personality. She was unlike any woman he knew. He wanted more of her, all of her. But he wasn’t sure he’d ever get enough of the peace that settled inside him when he was with her.

  Something about her essence grounded him. He didn’t have to put up a front or present a false image. No drama, no masks, no expectations. He could just…be. A rare luxury. She expected nothing, which made him want to give her everything.

  “Those are some pretty heavy wheels turning in there.” She tapped her temple, indicating she’d noticed his churning thoughts. “Care to share?”

  His eyes veiled. “Not yet.”

  “Something to do with the case?”

  “In a way,” he said, his expression unreadable.

  Kylie wondered what he hid behind that crafty smile and those compelling blue eyes. As she experienced the intensity radiating from him, she suspected she might not want the answer.

  The less complicated their interactions, the better. Her life was complicated enough right now, she didn’t need an affair with Cade to create more complexity.

  What she wanted was a different story. A book she didn’t dare open, though during her nap she’d dreamed about what he’d do to her on some of those racy pages. A tiny shiver trickled down her spine, recalling the fantasy of him above her, arms surrounding her, his mouth coasting across her body leaving trails of damp heat. She clenched her thighs and blew out a breath.

  Back to safer topics. “You know, maybe we’re looking at the relation issue the wrong way. We could focus on Emilio then trace a connection from him back to the mystery woman.”

  He arched an eyebrow and nodded. “Not a bad idea. Let’s hit the laptop.”

  Using the information he’d pulled up earlier on Emilio’s criminal
record, they pursued leads in several directions. She began to create a mental map on a piece of paper, each potential point of reference creating a web across the page.

  “We have Bruno at the center, our key culprit.” She drew a circle around his name. “Then Emilio over here.” She wrote his name to the left. “And the mystery woman.” She put a question mark on the right side of the page. “Plus your dad.” She wrote Jacob Soren at the bottom of the page.

  After marking down the key players, she drew lines and arcs between the names. On each line, she wrote a quick phrase explaining each player’s involvement with the others.

  “This is fantastic, having it all laid out in front of us.” His eyes brightened to a piercing blue that made her breath catch. “Where did you learn to do this?”

  She shrugged. “It’s just a way to get my thoughts down on paper so my brain isn’t so cluttered. I’ve done this on my cold case investigations for years.”

  “How many have you investigated on your own?”

  She glanced at the ceiling and counted on her fingers, remembering the faces of each victim, most vividly her mother’s. “Fifteen, I think. Of those, eight ended up going back to trial using some of information I collected and gave to the police detectives.”

  Again, his eyes seared right through her. “God, you’re incredible.”

  “Not really.” She shifted uncomfortably on the bench seat beside him. “Anyone could do this.”

  “You don’t give yourself enough credit, Kylie.”

  A thick liquid sensation rolled through her abdomen when he said her name. “If I was that great, all fifteen would’ve gone back to trial.”

  Including my mother’s. The one case she’d wanted to solve so badly continued to elude her investigative skills. The clues she uncovered never amounted to enough evidence to present at a trial against her stepfather.

  “That’s more than half. Your odds are pretty impressive.”

  “Not impressive enough.” The pain of regret gripped her, and her eyes watered. She blinked and refocused on the paper in front of her. “It looks like we’re missing two key links. The one between the mystery woman and Emilio, as well as the mystery woman and Bruno.”