Seduced by a Billionaire (The Carolina Series Book 1)

by Jill Downey

  Seduced By A Billionare

  The Carolina Series Book One

  Jill Downey

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  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

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Acknowledgments

  Books by Jill Downey

  Seduced by a Billionaire

  The Carolina Series

  Book 1

  by

  Jill Downey

  Copyright © 2020 Jill Downey

  All rights reserved.

  Published by Jill Downey

  Cover Design Copyright © 2020 Maria @ Steamy Designs

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, copied, shared, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author. The only exception is brief quotations to be used in book reviews. All places and locations are used factiously. The names of characters and places are figments of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to real people or real places are purely a coincidence and unintended.

  Dedication

  To my lifelong friend Sandy, who has always believed in me and been by my side cheering me on. Your love patience and encouragement mean everything…Thank you!

  1

  “I don’t give two fucks what their excuse is, if those financial documents aren’t on my desk first thing tomorrow morning, I’ll proceed with filing a subpoena. Have I made myself perfectly clear Elenore?” Kyle Bennett said to his assistant while maneuvering through traffic.

  “Yes sir.”

  “Good. I’ll see you in the morning.” He disconnected abruptly, frustrated by the delay.

  He pressed his foot down on the accelerator as he reached the open road, enjoying the sense of power afforded by the V8 engine of his Ferrari. He confidently rounded a sharp curve, his strong tanned hands relaxed on the steering wheel. He let his mind wander away from the heavy caseload of his law practice. Finn. As if he didn’t have enough on his plate to worry about, he had just received the nanny’s two-week notice yesterday. Dammit! His son had experienced enough change to last a lifetime. Now this.

  “What the fuck!” A truck ran a stop sign and right into his path. He slammed on the brakes, but there was nothing there, no pressure—the pedal went all the way to the floor. Then the sound of scraping metal and shattering glass as his car was tossed in the air like a tin can. The last thing that flashed through Kyle Bennett’s mind was an image of his late wife holding their newborn son. Then his world went blank.

  After securing her hair in a ponytail, Ella leaned down to tie her running shoes. Daisy pounced on the laces. Snagging one shoestring she rolled onto her side and hung on with claws extended, then used her back feet to make sure her prey didn’t escape. Apparently, she’d decided it was play time.

  “Ow! You scratched me you little twit.” Daisy ignored her and bit the toe of her shoe. Ella tried extracting her foot from the cat’s nails and teeth, finally succeeding by plucking one claw off at a time. Foiled, Daisy flounced off.

  Ella finished her warm-up, stretching out her hamstrings, quadriceps, and finally her calves. She strapped on a waist pack to carry her water and headed for the door. Glancing down at her watch, she called over her shoulder, “Guard the house killer.”

  Daisy stared unblinkingly.

  “Don’t then,” Ella responded.

  The first quarter mile was torture; her legs felt like lead until she hit her comfortable stride. The scenic bike path that ran along the Atlantic shoreline was a few short minutes from her condo and she invariably headed there. She ran through a charming residential area with Cape Cod beach styled houses. It was a gorgeous sunny day; the sky was baby blue with white puffy clouds scattered across the horizon. Bonus… she pretty much had the trail to herself since it was a weekday and well before tourist season.

  The sound of the waves crashing to the shore soothed the tension from her shoulders. The gulls squawked in flight and the smell of the sea assailed her nostrils as she watched pelicans dive bomb into the water. Her mouth curved into a smile. As she relaxed her thoughts began to wander. She had been feeling somewhat restless lately and she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

  She didn’t think the problem stemmed from her job, although after six years working as a registered nurse, she thought she had pretty much seen it all. She worked in the ICU, which was never dull, requiring an analytic mind and quick thinking. Her inquisitive nature didn’t hurt either as she often had to problem-solve in tight spots.

  She liked her colleagues for the most part, barring her supervisor, Deloris Henry, who had it in for Ella and tried to make her life miserable whenever an opportunity presented itself. Her co-worker Deb Richards had become her best friend and kept her sane. The doctors on staff were generally okay. A few had the God complex, but most were respectful and easy to get along with.

  She acknowledged that this restlessness could be a sign that she was ready for some romance in her life. Whatever. If it happened, it happened. She was a bit attracted to Andy Thompson, one of the docs who’d been in pursuit, but she had sworn to herself she would never date a doctor again.

  As she reached the halfway point of her run she pivoted and headed back the way she had come. Her ponytail bounced in rhythm with her footsteps and breath, by now all synchronized like a well-tuned instrument.

  She made it back just in time to jump in the shower and dress quickly for work. With her hair still damp she did a French twist and secured it with a claw clip. She slipped on her Dansko clogs and raced out the door.

  “It was a little hairy last night, but I feel more confident that Mr. Bennett’s going to pull through. His vitals are less erratic. Arrived by squad early last evening, they had to pry him out of the vehicle. One emergency surgery to repair a torn femoral artery in his right leg, another to set the broken bones. Internal bleeding was stemmed. Multiple contusions, three fractured ribs, all on the right side, compound fractures of his right Radius and Ulna bones, swollen left wrist, not fractured, probably a sprain. Mild concussion.”

  “Is he communicative?”

  “A few words, not really, he’s been pretty out of it. It took a long time for him to wake up from the anesthesia. The surgeons were concerned. He has been in and out of it since, but he is sedated.”

  “Sounds like an exciting night. I’m sure you’re ready to get the hell out of here.”

  “You’ve got that right. My bed has been calling to me for the last hour.”

  “What else do I need t
o know about our patient?”

  “Overall, I’d say he’s damn lucky to be alive. The guy in the other car came out relatively unscathed. It figures the one responsible gets a get out of jail free card. He was treated and released.”

  “Do you know what happened then?”

  “Yeah, unfortunately, our patient was driving a Ferrari convertible and it collided with a big-ass pickup truck that had run straight through the stop sign.”

  Ella glanced through the notes on the computer screen as she responded, “No contest there,” Ella said. “Any family here for Mr. Bennett?”

  “He has a sister and brother listed as the emergency contacts, but she is presently out of the country and the brother hasn’t been reached. His assistant was here all night, she left about an hour ago. Apparently widowed, he has a little boy, five or six years old, currently under a nanny’s care. The parents, who retired to Palm Springs, were notified and are presumably making arrangements to get here,” Kari said. “Crazy night. Three car accidents came in by squad, two required emergency surgeries. Our Mr. Bennett here being the worst of the lot.”

  Ella shook her head, “Glad I was off yesterday, all rested up. Which doc is on today?”

  “Doctor Thompson,” she said, smiling teasingly.

  “Don’t look at me like that. There is absolutely nothing going on there. You know my history with dating doctors, not going to happen again. Thanks for the update on our patient. Go home. You look exhausted.”

  “Well you’ve got him now,” Kari said. “Just an FYI, this patient is a VIP, as in personal friends with the administrator. You know the Bennett wing of this hospital? His grandfather!”

  Ella shrugged, “He still sits on the toilet, same as the rest of us.”

  Kari grinned, “Good luck, I’ll leave you to it.”

  “Bye Kari. Get some rest.”

  “No worries about that as long as I can stay awake long enough to get home.”

  Ella entered Kyle Bennett’s room to check and log her patient’s vitals. He was hooked up to a conglomerate of leads. The monitors beeped steadily, pulse stable, oxygen saturation good. His skin looked gray beneath his tan, dark stubble already covering his sharp jaw line. His cheeks were chiseled, and long black lashes fanned his cheeks. Beautiful man.

  She pulled his hospital gown aside as she slipped in the ear tips of her stethoscope. He appeared to be in great physical shape. Broad shoulders, pecs were toned and well defined beneath the soft dark hair covering his chest, and his abdomen was of the six-pack variety. She held the disc against his chest, first listening to his heart, then satisfied upon hearing the steady beat, moved on to his lungs, clear, finally moving on to his taunt muscular belly, noting the sexy trail of hair continuing down from his navel to the pubic bone.

  The torn femoral artery had been repaired, bones had been set, no internal bleeding, now of most concern was infection and his head injury. A concussion with swelling which they were closely monitoring.

  She did a manual check of his blood pressure, which was low but not dangerously so. Very lucky but far from out of the woods. She pulled back the sheet to check his lower extremities. Pulse strong at the ankles, no swelling… strong muscular thighs, runner? He moved his leg, moaning in pain. Glancing up she caught him staring at her, his forehead wrinkled with confusion.

  “You’re awake.”

  “Where am I?” he asked groggily, his eyes a deep sapphire blue.

  “You’re at Wayne Regional Hospital. You were in a car accident yesterday afternoon. Can you tell me your name?”

  He looked blank, grimacing as if struggling to find the answer.

  “It’s okay. No need to worry, you’ve suffered a concussion, it can take time to regain mental acuity.”

  As she watched his expression, she saw the light bulb go on and relief flood his features, “It’s Kyle, Kyle Bennett.”

  “What’s the last thing you remember Mr. Bennett?”

  “Leaving my office.”

  “You don’t remember anything about your accident?”

  His jaw tightened and his eyebrows knitted trying to recall something, anything, coming up blank again, he squeezed his eyes shut.

  “My head is exploding right now. I feel like my brains are oozing out of my ears.”

  “That’s because you’ve suffered a concussion. Stay still, let me go fetch the doc. I’ll be right back.”

  “Wait, don’t go,” he said. “Am I going to make it?”

  “Your vitals are stable, and we’ve repaired the tear to your femoral artery and patched you up. Now it’s up to your body to run with it. You’re going to be incapacitated for a while.”

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “Mr. Bennett. You were in a terrible collision; your sports car was no match for the pickup truck that you plowed into. You are here now and under the best of care. The first forty-eight hours are critical, complications can arise, but that’s why you’re here. Dr. Thompson is on hospital rounds this morning. I would put my own life in his hands. I will be your nurse for the next twelve hours and I promise I will watch you like a hawk. I have one patient and you are it.”

  His gaze became distant as if trying to recall something, “Finn, my son, I need to check on my son,” he said, then closed his eyes.

  “I’ll see what I can find out for you. My understanding is that he is under the nanny’s care. Your assistant was here all night and I’m sure has taken care of the important details. You need to rest Mr. Bennett. I’ll go get the doc, and don’t worry about your son. I’m sure he is being looked after.” Ella left to search for the doctor.

  Spying a tall blonde man in a white laboratory coat at the nurses’ station, Ella made a bee-line over to greet him, “Good morning Dr. Thompson. Our patient in room 2016 is awake.”

  “Ella!” Dr. Andrew Thompson said, his eyes lighting up with pleasure. “I’m glad you’re on today. I was just going to check on him.”

  “He is able to converse but is somewhat confused… not surprising. Kari said he had a rough night, but his vitals are all stable,” Ella said.

  Walking side by side to check on their patient he said, “When are you going to take me up on that dinner invitation?”

  “I must admit it is tempting,” she said laughing.

  “Good. I’ll keep at it then.”

  “Last time I broke my own rule of keeping personal and professional lives separate it didn’t end well for me.”

  “You’ll never know unless you give me a try,” he rejoined.

  Ella laughed again and led the way into Mr. Bennett’s room.

  Kyle Bennett appeared to be asleep, but his eyes popped open the second he heard Ella and Dr. Thompson discussing his case.

  “Hi, I’m Doc Thompson. I’m glad to see you’re awake,” Dr. Thompson said.

  “Can we cut to the chase here doc?”

  “There is no chase. You’re going to be parked here for a while.”

  “We’ll see about that. I need to check on my son. Where is my phone?”

  “I was told your assistant was here earlier and she was going to take care of those details, and of notifying your family and any others on a need-to-know basis, as to your phone I don’t have that information but Ella, your nurse here, will find out. You are in critical condition. There will be no cell phones today,” Dr. Thompson said firmly.

  Kyle leaned back against the pillow and grimaced in pain. With his left arm in a sling and his right wrist bandaged he was pretty much incapacitated. “Can you up my pain meds? They aren’t working,” he asked, managing to sound demanding even in his weakened state.

  “Ella will see to that after I’ve examined you,” he said, nodding towards Ella.

  Groggily he said, “Ella, my beautiful nurse.”

  “I think the morphine is loosening your tongue Mr. Bennett,” she said smiling.

  “I think he’s quite lucid,” Dr. Thompson said.

  Ella’s cheeks flushed a becoming pink as she busied he
rself changing one of the bags to his IV drip.

  “Well Mr. Bennett, I’ll be back later to check in with you at the end of my rounds. I won’t go as far as to say you’re out of the woods yet, but you’re stable and considering what you’ve been through we’ll take it. We’ll do our best to keep you comfortable. You’re young and in good shape, you’ve got that going for you.”

  “What do you mean not out of the woods?”

  “I’ll be blunt. The next thirty-six to forty-eight hours we’ll be monitoring you very closely for any complications. You are still in critical condition. Your body sustained a terrible impact. You have swelling on the brain and your entire body was traumatized. We have repaired what we can and now your body has to heal. We don’t expect it, but we are always prepared for the worst. Ella is assigned to your case and she will take excellent care of you. Now get some rest. That’s an order.”

  “Thanks for not bullshitting me.”

  “I’ll have Ella get in touch with your assistant to get information with regards to your son,” he said, turning to go. “Your main focus has to be on rest and healing, the more you can do that, the faster you’ll be able to return to your life and take care of your son.”