Billionaire's Match

by Walker, Kylie

  He was a little out of his element, to say the least.

  But the fact that Holly trusted him with Madison was enough to make him push through. That…and the fact that it wasn’t all bad. In the past two weeks, he’d watched Madison about five times, and each and every time, he learned something new about her. She loved broccoli but hated Brussel sprouts. She wasn’t terribly scared of spiders – unique for any female, especially one under the age of ten – and her favorite flavor was strawberry. He knew because he was able to bribe her to eat the dinners Holly pre-cooked with offerings of strawberry ice cream.

  In fact, he could pretty much get her to do anything for strawberry ice cream.

  But, that wasn’t why he’d brought her to the restaurant.

  It was obvious that Maddy harbored certain feelings about her mother and her father’s death. He didn’t think she resented Holly, but she might be a little mad at her. So when Maddy asked to see her mother for the first time since he’d been watching her, he leapt at the opportunity.

  For not entirely selfish reasons.

  The restaurant was packed, and immediately, Maddy pressed close to him, her tiny hand wrapping around his as she gazed up at him in question. “Where’s Mom?”

  Shane shot her a small smile. “She’s working, hon. We’re going to find her, Ok?”

  “Ok.”

  She was a sweet little thing…when she wasn’t trying to get him to wear a dress.

  As grateful as Shane was for being able to spend time with his niece, he was elated that he got to see more of Holly. Every night he sat for Maddy, when she came home to relieve him, and a few times besides when he came into the restaurant to pick up food.

  Seeing her never got old.

  She was fucking gorgeous every single time, and it didn’t matter if she was rushed, in the middle of making sure the kitchen ran smoothly, or just chatting with customers at the bar, the sight of her was enough to get him hard in two seconds flat.

  He didn’t see her just now though.

  There were tons of wait staff bustling around the restaurant, and Kelly was near the front serving as a hostess. At the sight of them, she waved but couldn’t make her way over. She was swamped with customers.

  “Come on, Maddy.” Shane tugged the little girl gently towards the back of the restaurant as she waved back at Kelly. There was live music playing, and people were lined up outside to get tables. More than a few people cast him strange looks – Shane wasn’t exactly wearing formal attire in his blue jeans and black t-shirt, but he ignored them. Maddy didn’t mind holding his hand, and that was all that mattered.

  They wove their way through the throng until they neared the back booths and then, all at once, there she was, emerging from the kitchen.

  Shane immediately bit back a groan, adjusting his stance so his ensuing erection wasn’t visible to everyone present. She was wearing a black dress – her usual uniform when she was on the floor – and the way that it clung to her curves was utterly mindblowing. Her hair was drawn up in a high chignon off of her face with a few strands no doubt loosed in the mad rush of business. Though she wore flat, sensible shoes, he admired the lines of her legs, longing to have them wrapped around his waist as he plunged into her again and again – until his mind turned to fucking mush.

  It was the most inappropriate line of thought in the whole damn world – especially considering that she was obviously busy and he was holding her daughter’s hand – but if he had the opportunity, Shane would hoist Holly over his shoulder, carry her to the nearest secluded place and have his way with her until one or both of them collapsed from exhaustion.

  As Holly sent the waiters off with trays off food, he bent down to point across the room for Maddy. “See her?”

  Madison nodded, a half smile forming on her face before she seemed to remember something and the gesture faded as quickly as it had appeared. “Ok.” She turned back to Shane, wrapping her arm around his leg to hug him tightly. “We can go now.”

  Surprised, Shane arched a brow. “Go? Madison, I thought you wanted to talk to your mom.”

  He certainly did.

  The little girl shook her dark head of hair frantically. “I just wanted to see her. We can go now.”

  Just wanted to see her?

  She wanted to come all the way downtown just to see Holly?

  Gently moving into an alcove and out of the way of restaurant traffic, Shane pried his niece from his leg to bend down and look her in the eye once more. “Madison, what’s going on? You had us come all the way from your house and you don’t want to talk to your mom? Maybe she misses you too.”

  Maddy immediately scowled, shaking her head even more furiously this time. “She doesn’t miss me.”

  Shane merely gave her a skeptical look. “Why would you think that?” When Holly was around Maddy, her attention was completely focused on her daughter. Making sure she was fed, entertained, and that all her needs were seen to – never mind that Madison wasn’t exactly accommodating.

  “She doesn’t miss Daddy. And she doesn’t miss me either.” Shane felt his stomach clench at the child’s profession. He knew all about why Maddy had run away a few weeks ago – that Holly had exploded on her in frustration and scared the girl into running away. But Madison’s mindset – the idea that because her mother wasn’t languishing over Tommy’s death that she didn’t miss him – was all wrong.

  It was evident in the way Holly looked at the pictures around her house, the way her face fell when she picked up lost articles of Tommy’s clothing, and even when someone at the restaurant asked her about certain recipes – she still thought of his brother every day.

  And still, he wanted the fuck out of her. He wanted her so badly sometimes that he couldn’t breathe.

  Holly was entitled to happiness. Though there was a bevy of unfinished business between Shane and Tommy, his brother was gone. Her husband had died over a year ago, and though the thought was still painful, Holly didn’t deserve to cry any more.

  But how the hell was he supposed to get an eight-year-old to see that?

  “Maddy, your Mom misses you every second she’s away from you. I promise you that.” He took the child’s shoulders gently, staring into green eyes that were the mirror image of his brother’s. “You’re pissed because you don’t think she loves your Dad anymore?”

  Maddy’s eyes widened in a mixture of confusion and surprise. “What’s ‘pissed’?”

  Fuck. How many times had Holly warned him about language? “It means mad,” he quickly corrected himself, flushing slightly. “But just say mad, Ok? Never used that word.”

  Maddy nodded solemnly and Shane continued, slightly relieved. “Maddy, your Mom still loves your dad. Just because she doesn’t cry or seem upset all the time doesn’t mean she doesn’t think about him. Do you want your Mom to cry all the time?”

  This time, when Madison shook her head, the motion was slower, moisture beginning to gleam in her own eyes. “Do you feel good inside when you cry? Doesn’t it hurt?”

  He felt like a dipshit for making her cry to prove a point, but it was the only way he could think to show her what feelings did to people.

  The little girl nodded, tears now dripping down her chin as she sniffled. “Your mom has to run the restaurant, take care of you, take care of a whole bunch of other people, and take care of herself. If she cries all day, some of those things might get forgotten. You don’t want that, do you?”

  Again, Madison shook her head. “She loves you, Maddy. And she loves your Dad too. She just keeps him on the inside and remembers the happy times you guys had so that she doesn’t cry, ok? Don’t you think your Dad would want her to be happy? I know Tommy would want you happy.”

  Tommy, who had never had a vicious bone in his body. Whose mistakes came more from his own shortcomings than maliciousness.

  Fuck.

  Maybe he owed his brother a little more credit. Though he was pissed as hell at Tommy for judging him before he went to jail – pisse
d that he had gotten to be with Holly and had left her with such devastating debts…he didn’t deserve what he’d gotten. And he hadn’t deserved the insults Shane had thrown at him the last night they spoke.

  “Mommy!” Unexpectedly, Maddy turned from him to rush for her mother and Holly’s head jerked up in surprise. She reacted in just enough time to catch Maddy in her arms, enveloping her in her embrace immediately as the little girl sobbed.

  “Madison, sweetheart! What are you doing here? What’s wrong?”

  But Maddy only cried against her mother’s waist, clutching her wildly as Holly stroked her hair, completely unabashed at the looks they were receiving. She knelt to pick her daughter up and carry her towards the kitchens.

  Shane watched them go, taking in the expression on Holly’s face. She looked utterly and completely in her element. No matter what Madison did, what scene she made or how she reacted, Holly only knew one thing: love.

  What must it be like to have that in you?

  Shane couldn’t even fathom.

  “Well, look what the cat dragged in.”

  Shane glanced over his shoulder, immediately straightening in surprise to see Alex seated at a table in the corner, an empty bottle of wine and a half-finished steak before him. It appeared the man had taken a break from his suits, and wore a fresh white polo and slacks, along with shoes that couldn’t have cost less than a grand. With his tanned complexion and impeccable grooming, everything about him screamed Miami money.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” His lips quirked in amusement as he sidled over to Alex’s table to clasp the man’s hand in camaraderie.

  “Eating.” Alex chuckled, taking a sip of wine. “Damn good steak. Heard about this place a shit ton but never managed to get down here.” His voice lowered tactfully. “Considering my current line of investigation, I figured I might as well come down and scope the place out.” He slid the sunglasses he wore down his nose, his gaze moving seamlessly from Shane to a point behind him as his expression turned hungry. “And I’m glad I did.”

  Shane looked to see what the hell Alex was talking about and immediately smirked.

  Kelly was seating a table of four, looking goddamned decadent as always in a black skirt that was probably a few inches too short and her white button up undone enough to show off her cleavage. The father of her party was probably old enough to be her father, but that didn’t stop him from staring at her as she helped his daughter into her seat.

  So Alex wasn’t even pulling any punches. “Who’s that?”

  Shane could resist the laughter that burst from him as he slid into the booth across from Alex. “That’s Kelly. The best friend. You met her once or twice when we were kids.”

  “Are you sure?” Alex rebutted almost immediately, his head turning nearly three hundred sixty degrees to watch Kelly strut away. “I feel like I would have remembered.”

  Shane merely rolled his eyes. “Not my fault you were too busy chasing other tail back then.”

  “Is she…seeing anyone?” If Alex had called him over to talk, it seemed he had forgotten. He was far too absorbed in Kelly’s assets…no pun intended.

  “I think Holly might have mentioned a trader being her most recent flavor.” Reaching across the table, Shane stole an asparagus spear from Alex’s able to much on. It was probably going to be a while before his friend remembered what he meant to speak to him about, so he might as well help himself.

  Alex sighed, slapping Shane’s hand out of the way the next time he came for his plate – all without ever taking his eyes off Kelly. “Goddamn it.”

  As if she had somehow sensed that she were the subject of their conversation, Kelly turned towards them after seating her next table. When she met Shane’s eyes, her gaze lit in recognition – but when her gaze slid to Alex, however, her cheeks flushed.

  She blushed.

  Kelly fucking blushed. She never blushed.

  Shane gazed from her to Alex and then back again, no small amount of shock on his face. What the fuck was going on here? Usually, when the blonde saw a man she liked, she didn’t hesitate to prance right over to him and start a conversation. She certainly hadn’t hesitated with him, and he’d been in jail for eight years.

  However, instead of striding up to Alex, whipping her hair and swinging her femininity like a club, Kelly immediately turned and bolted in the other direction, leaving Shane utterly nonplussed.

  Now that was something he’d never seen before. Ever.

  “Excuse me.” He continued to watch, his incredulity growing, as Alex threw his napkin down on the table, sliding from the booth in what was unmistakably pursuit. He was going after her. When he knew she was seeing someone else.

  The crazy bastard.

  But then again, Alex oozed the confidence of the fabulously wealthy and extremely powerful. Of course he would go after what he wanted.

  Shane just needed to find the balls to follow in his footsteps.

  Chapter 15

  This time it was bad. Really bad.

  Staring at her own naked body in the mirror, Holly frowned. For once, it seemed like everything was going alright in her life. The restaurant was suddenly flourishing, with more business than there had been in over six months, and most marvelously of all, Maddy seemed to be coming out of her shell.

  Holly wasn’t sure what had happened last week, but her daughter had shown up at the restaurant crying and she hadn’t gotten a chance to ask Shane what was going on before Maddy was all over her, a bevy of hugs and kisses. Her daughter was suddenly as affectionate as she’d been before Tommy’s death and all Holly wanted to do was spend time wrapped up in her.

  But that was impossible.

  She had a restaurant to run, bills to pay…and a debt collector to satisfy.

  Hence her current situation.

  Holly assessed her newest battery of injuries with a perusing eye. While Kirk had left her pretty unscathed during his last visit, yesterday’s had been an adventure and a half of pain. There was deep purple and red bruising all along her side from where she’d been slammed repeatedly up against the edge of the desk. The man had bitten along her shoulders and sides so hard that he’d drawn blood in several places, and so her skin was a network of pockmarks and scabs. She ached all over, and there was nothing she wanted more than to remain in bed.

  But, unfortunately, that wasn’t an option. Today, she was going with Shane and Maddy to visit Tommy’s grave.

  It was the first time that Maddy had agreed to so such a thing since her father’s death, and Holly had been surprised as hell when she asked in a soft, hesitant voice.

  After she’d put the little girl to bed, Holly had a good long cry over the idea that her daughter might finally be healing, and wondered when she herself would be able to do the same. It was hard when she constantly found herself so conflicted by Shane’s presence.

  As she pulled on a black dress, she smoothed the wrinkles from it, making sure that it hid all evidence of her injuries. In the same night that she had cried tears of joy that her daughter seemed to be recovering, Holly had touched herself with furious fervor to the memory of the day she’d pulled Shane into her bed.

  She’d been desperate of comfort and she’d wanted him so badly she’d been willing to do almost anything to have his bare, gorgeous form sliding against her. Luckily for Holly, it hadn’t taken much. A single touch, and he was all over her, his hands everywhere, his mouth searing all of her worries away…and God, the feel of him. She’d never touched a body with such innate, dangerous power…arms that felt as if they could snap a bone just as easily as they embraced her. The added danger gave her a little thrill every time she got close to him.

  Holly had to admit that, since she’d begun to spend time with Shane, she’d long stopped judging him for his incarceration and had begun to wonder what exactly happened for him to end up behind bars. Tommy had never wanted to talk about it. The tremendous argument he and Shane had before his brother was put away put a huge rift between
the two of them – so much so that Tommy hadn’t visited Shane once in eight long years.

  A man like Shane…she couldn’t believe that he’d hurt or killed someone. While he certainly seemed to have the physical strength – and good God, did he - she had seen him with Maddy. Shane wouldn’t hurt a fly unless the fly took to whaling on him first. The man let her daughter put toy bride’s veils on him and had tea parties with her.

  She hadn’t known men would stand for such things, and yet Shane took it all in stride.

  She wanted to climb him like a goddamn tree.

  Every time she touched herself in the past three months, it had been to thoughts of Shane. While, at first, there had been a certain measure of guilt involved, lately, Holly found it harder and harder to drum up.

  There was no disputing that she had loved Tommy. She had, and still did. And she’d always been faithful to him in life. A year after his death, trying to resist the fire Shane sent blazing through her was about as easy as choosing not to breathe.

  Biting her lip, Holly strode over to her bedside table, where a picture of she, her late husband, and Maddy sat, just after her little girl’s fourth birthday. They had all been so happy then – together as a family, with the restaurant just starting to take off…

  Four years was a lot of time for things to change.

  Chapter 16

  After dressing Maddy and brushing her hair, Holly fed her daughter lunch before they drove to the cemetery. Despite the fact that Madison had been somewhat of a chatter box since her recent opening up, she was unusually quiet over the course of the thirty minute drive. Holly checked her rearview mirror several times, only to fine Maddy’s minute face contemplative as she stared out of the window.

  When they arrived at their destination, Shane’s motorcycle was already parked in the driveway. It was an immense, gleaming structure of metal and leather that never failed to impress Holly whenever she saw it. And Shane straddling it? That was enough to induce dreams of the panty-wetting variety.