by Simply BWWM
The Billionaire
From Seattle
A Dark & Thrilling Billionaire Romance
TASHA BLUE
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Summary
Billionaire Lincoln Moore was young, handsome and rich. Although, he liked to keep himself to himself and he definitely wasn't looking for love.
But when he met Charity Derrick his life changed in an instant.
A dramatic incident occurred and the two went from being complete strangers to sharing the darkest secret of all.
From that point on, they had nobody to turn to but each other and life would never be the same again....
This is a dark romance. 50 Shades darker than you would ever have imagined. Download now and be sure to read this with a bowl of popcorn and big glass of red wine...
Copyright Notice
The Billionaire From Seattle © 2018, Tasha Blue
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.
Contents
Chapter1
Chapter2
Chapter3
Chapter4
Chapter5
Chapter6
Chapter7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
Chapter1
Gravel crunched beneath Charity’s feet as she walked, the sun warming her bare shoulders, the brisk mountain breeze drying the bit of sweat on her brow as she made her way up the sharp incline.
“This is great, isn’t it, Char?” George said, turning around and reaching his hand out to help her over a large boulder on the narrow path.
“Yeah,” she said, hesitating, then taking his hand. “Thanks for inviting me.”
“I’m surprised there aren’t more people out here with it being Labor Day Weekend and all that.”
“They’re probably all recovering from the weekend,” Charity said. “I heard there was a big concert at the Key Arena. I bet there’s more than a few people that had big plans still nursing hangovers.”
George laughed, the sound a little stiff.
“I’m sorry. I forgot that—”
“That I’d bought us tickets for that show?” he finished. “It’s alright, I understand.”
He smiled, then shrugged, turning away again to focus on the steep trail ahead of them.
“Look. I know I messed up,” he said after a long, awkward silence. “I’m glad you gave me a chance to salvage our friendship, even if we’re never together again.”
“I’m just shocked that you invited me out for a hike,” she said. “I thought nature wasn’t really your thing.”
He stopped, taking a quick drink of water and looking at her, a single bead of sweat falling from his hairline.
“I told you, Char. I’ve changed. I hope you can see that. This last month, being without you has been really lonely. I guess I didn’t realize how lucky I was until it was too late.”
His words touched her, but she guarded her heart.
“You’ve said that before,” she said, walking past him to take up the lead. “What’s different this time?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’ve finally realized what an ass I was.”
She kept walking, not trusting herself to look at him as he spoke.
“If we’re going to make a friendship work, I need to be honest with you,” she said, still working her way up the trail ahead of him.
She could feel his eyes on her ass as she climbed, but it was better than being subjected to the pointed looks and having him reach out to help her when she could do it herself.
“Alright,” he said. “Honesty is important, and if what you say hurts my feelings, then I obviously have some more work to do, right?”
“We’ve been down this road before. We break up, you call me begging me to give you another chance, I give in, and then you’re back to your old ways after a couple weeks. I’m not doing it again, George.” She stopped and turned, hands on her hips, looking down at him. “I’m okay with being friends, but there’s never going to be more between us. If you think that this,” she gestured to the forest around her, “is going to change that, you’re out here for nothing. It’s too late, George.”
He pursed his lips, the familiar pulsing at his temple evident. Charity held her breath, waiting for the explosion, but there was none. He only shook his head with a sad smile on his face.
“I deserve that,” he said. “I took you for granted, and I’ll never forgive myself for that.”
She waited for him to pull out the big guns and try to convince her that she was the problem, but he didn’t say another word.
Maybe he has changed, she thought, watching him for a few more seconds before she continued up the path. He stayed close behind her, keeping up with her despite not being a seasoned hiker.
“Where did you hear about this path?” she asked, catching herself when she slipped on a rock. “I come up this way all the time and have never been this way.”
“I heard some guys talking about it in Starbucks, and they were talking about the amazing views, so I asked them how to get here. They drew me a map and I thought, why not see if you wanted to come with me?”
“That’s cool,” she said. “It’s really challenging, but I’m having fun. Thanks for showing it to me.”
“You were the first person I thought of when they told me about the waterfall.”
“There’s a waterfall?” she asked, stopping to catch her breath and facing him again. “I love waterfalls.”
He smiled almost sheepishly, laying on the charm as usual.
“I know you do,” he said. “I thought it could be a peace offering.”
She nodded.
“It’s working. If this is how you are when we’re just friends, I have high hopes for a friendship working out.”
He flinched but recovered quickly. She almost missed it.
“I was serious,” she said.
“About what?”
“About being over for good. If you aren’t going to be able to separate friendship from something more, we should end this now. I’m happy, George. I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time.”
“I get it,” he said. “But I’
m not going to lie and say it doesn’t still hurt. I gave you the best years of my life. It’s hard to hear that you would walk away from that.”
“So did I,” she sighed. “Maybe we should go back.”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m sorry. You’re right, I shouldn’t let my feelings ruin the chance at a good friendship. I’ll get over it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Come on, Char. You’re great, but there are tons of women in Seattle. I’ll find someone that sets my soul on fire the way you did. It’s just going to take time.”
“If you say so,” she muttered, the sting of his words surprising her.
You’re over him, she admonished herself. Don’t let him get under your skin like that.
They walked in silence for a few minutes, then Charity stopped, looking both ways and back the way they came.
“Which way does the map say to go?” she asked as she turned around.
He looked genuinely surprised.
“Map?”
“Yeah. The map of the trails that shows you where the waterfall is?”
“Oh, yeah, sorry. It says to take the path to the right.”
She looked at the path he indicated and frowned.
“That way looks more like an animal trail. Are you sure?”
“Yeah, it’s the one to the right. It doesn’t get a lot of foot traffic.”
“Can I look at it?”
“At what?”
“The map.”
“I don’t have it with me. I memorized it.”
She furrowed her brow.
“Memorized it? What if you are remembering it wrong?”
“I’m not. It’s pretty easy.” He smiled at her. “If you want me to lead, I can. I’m sure there’s nothing in the woods, but it’s okay if you’re scared.”
Squaring her shoulders, she shook her head.
“I like leading. It’s fine. Are there any more forks in the trail after this?”
“There might be one more, but I don’t think so,” he said. “I’ll let you know when we get closer.”
“Alright,” she said, taking a drink of water and returning it to her backpack. “I’m going to need a break soon.”
“We’re almost there. It’s going to be worth the hike, trust me.”
“It’d better be,” she teased with a crooked smile.
“I love that look on you. It reminds me of when we first started dating.”
She rolled her eyes and went back to the trail, stepping over some roots that had grown over the rarely traveled path and watching the surrounding trees for predators.
She was about to give up when she heard the rushing water in the distance. Inhaling sharply, she closed her eyes when the unmistakable scent of a waterfall nearby hit her.
“I told you,” he said when she stopped to enjoy the moment. “Come on. We still have a little way to go and I want to get home before dark.”
She looked at her watch.
“Wow. I didn’t realize how long we’d been hiking. No wonder I’m tired.”
“And hungry I hope.”
“And hungry,” she agreed.
“That’s good, because I pulled out all the stops.”
“You didn’t have to do that, George.”
“I wanted to. You’ve been begging me to take an interest in your hiking for years.” He almost smiled, but the expression looked more sad than anything. “I guess I didn’t realize what I had until it was too late.”
Before she could say anything, he shrugged off his backpack and motioned with his head toward the edge of a grassy area as he walked.
“The rocks over there are the perfect spot for a picnic. They overlook the waterfall.”
“We’re above the waterfall?” she asked.
“Yep,” he said proudly. “I thought you would enjoy the view here even more. There’s another trail going down into the ravine that ends up passing near the waterfall, but it’s pretty steep at the beginning, so we can look at it and see if it’s a good one to take back to base or not.”
She nodded, watching him pull everything out of his backpack. He spread a little blanket out on a rock near the edge, then laid everything out one by one and waved her over.
“Look at that view,” he said, putting one arm around her and guiding her closer to the edge.
When she tensed, he scowled at her, but the expression was gone in an instant. Her heart started racing, and she braced herself for the explosion, but there was none.
“I’m sorry,” he said, moving his arm. “I deserve that.”
“It’s fine,” she said. “I just prefer we keep things platonic.”
“A hug between friends is nothing more than a hug, right?” he said, opening his arms and stepping toward her.
She ducked his advance, turning as the warning bells went off in her head. She was nearer to the edge than she’d intended to get, and she quickly moved a few feet to the side, back toward where the picnic lunch was set.
George’s arms dropped, and his shoulders sagged. She watched in shock as a tear slid down his cheek and he looked defeated.
“I can see now that I’ve ruined any chance of getting back together,” he said quietly.
A chill went through her. Despite the tears, his voice was quiet and steady—too steady.
She backed away one step, looking around for something to use as a weapon.
“Why are you acting like this, Charity?” he said, more tears spilling freely, though he didn’t sniffle and his voice didn’t waver. “I have done nothing wrong? I just want another chance to show you that I can be the man you deserve. That’s it.”
“We can never be more than friends,” she said, resisting the urge to apologize for that. “It’s taken me months to realize that I’m not to blame for your behavior.”
He laughed under his breath.
“I don’t know how that can be true,” he muttered, the tears already drying on his skin as he took another step. “I’ve never had anyone make me crazy the way you do, Char. Maybe you don’t mean to do it, but you can’t lay all the blame at my feet. It takes two to tango.”
He took another step forward, stepping to the side to prevent her from moving away from the ledge without turning her back on him.
“George, don’t,” she said, standing tall and refusing to let her fear show. “You don’t want to do this.”
“Is it another man?” he pressed, taking another step.
She peered over the edge, which was across the narrow ravine from the waterfall. The cliff face was sheer, and even though he’d said that there was a trail that went down from where they were, she could tell that there was no usable trail anywhere near where he’d claimed.
“Why did you bring me here?” she asked, standing her ground defiantly.
“Don’t pretend that you don’t know. Why else would I subject myself all this crap if it wasn’t to prove to you that I could change? I’m here, begging on my knees for you to take me back, and you don’t care. I don’t know what I did to deserve being treated like this. I’ve done everything you’ve ever asked, and still, you treat me like dirt.”
The familiar twinge of guilt was there, but she knew he was doing what he did best, and she was done with it.
“Quit trying to gaslight me,” she said. “I’m tired of you twisting everything to make yourself the victim.”
“Quit acting crazy, Char. Why do you have to hurt me like this? I can’t believe that you’ve been cheating on me, after all we’ve been through.”
“We broke up,” she said, quietly at first, then again with more force. “I broke up with you.”
“You said we needed a break. I didn’t think you were going to run around behind my back while we worked things out.”
She shook her head.
“Stop it!” she yelled, her voice echoing off the rocks. “I broke up with you because you’re an abusive, manipulative asshole and I deserve better.”
She was on fire now, angry that h
e had pushed her so far. Her chest heaved and her hands flexed as she prepared herself for a fight.
“Better than me?” he scoffed. “You’re a fool. No one will ever love you like I did.”
His eyes were wild, his cheeks red.
Stand your ground, she warned herself.
“You’re not going to push me around anymore,” she said, surprised by how strong her voice sounded despite the fear. “I’m not going to let you convince me that I’m the crazy one anymore. I’ve had enough.”
He smiled, the expression menacing.
“I’ll tell you when you’ve had enough,” he said, then lunged for her.
She took a step back, then turned, running away from the edge and toward the rocks that separated her from the wide-open grassy area.
Her head snapped back when he grabbed a handful of hair, yanking as hard as he could and nearly pulling her off her feet. Spinning, she swung wide, her fist catching his jaw. He let go, grunting against the pain and cursing her.
“You’re going to pay for that,” he ground out through clenched teeth.
He lunged at her again, but there was nowhere for her to go. Her back was against a large, smooth boulder she couldn’t climb over, and George was standing between her and her only means of escape. She slapped his hand away then stepped into him, punching him hard in the throat. He gagged, his eyes bulging, rage filling his body.
He came at her again, slamming her against the tall boulder and grabbing the hair at the nape of her neck.
“If I can’t have you, no one can,” he said, his face inches from hers.
“I don’t want you,” she said, stomping on his foot and throwing her head into his nose.
“Ow!” he screamed, grabbing her and shoving her toward the ledge.
She screamed, clawing at anything she could, the thin saplings that grew from beneath the boulder bending under her weight as she fought to keep her feet beneath her. Her stomach lurched and her mouth went dry when the sapling’s branch bent and snapped, and her foot slipped out from under her.