The Billionaire's Beautiful Intruder (Billionaire Knights Book 3) (9 page)

S
he bit her lip
. How could she tell him that refusing to join him in this new endeavor was the hardest thing she had to do? But that to be near him, working alongside him, would be even harder—unbearable in fact?

Her body moved inadvertently after him, but when she reached the door she placed her hand against it, palm flat, her head dropping to her chest.

She wanted to go after him, to tell him that in the brief time they’d been together she’d found a new lease on life. That she’d discovered she was capable of loving a man and being loved, if only he would love her in return. But he didn’t, so she turned away from the door—away from him—and vowed it was for the best. But then why did she feel so torn up inside? Because she would miss him terribly, she knew, like she’d already missed him in the days he’d been gone from her life. How could it be that a man she hadn’t even heard of before a week ago now was all she could think about?

She slept but fitfully that night, as she’d slept every night since making Steve’s acquaintance, and the next morning had to drag herself out of bed.

She’d made a decision, however. Even though Malcolm told her she could take the rest of the month off if she wanted, she couldn’t stand being by herself in her small apartment any longer. She needed to get out and be amongst her colleagues and her patients again. To bury herself in her work so she could forget about Steve Knight—forget he even existed—forget about the intense pleasure he had brought her in the few precious moments they’d spent together.

She allowed the Tube train to carry her to work, and covered her eyes with sunglasses to hide the dark shadows. Once at work she wouldn’t be able to hide anymore, but then she wouldn’t need to. No patient cared about dark shadows under a nurse’s eyes when they were in such pain and suffering themselves, and her colleagues would all be too busy rushing about to take much notice of her.

She arrived at Saint-Michael’s Hospital and strode through the door, feeling a twinge of regret that she was back where she started. Strange, she thought, for she’d always taken great joy in her work. Now, returning here as if after a long break while in actual fact it had only been a couple of days, she felt out of place somehow. As if this was her old life and it didn’t really fit in with her anymore. As if she’d left all this behind and now was forced to return.

She took the elevator to the third floor, greeting the staff occupying the front desk, and when she stepped onto the unit floor was greeted with the usual business. Nurses rushing to and fro, conferring with each other and comforting patients, doctors still wearing their green scrubs as they stalked the halls. She hurried over to the manager’s office, to announce to Malcolm that she was back and ready for work. The moment she knocked and entered, as was her habit, she was horrified to find a very large figure seated in front of Malcolm’s desk, handsomely dressed in a suit and tie.

“Steve!” she cried, immediately adding, “What are you doing here?”

Steve turned to take her in, his face inscrutable, and Malcolm, his fingers steepled on his desk, smiled benignly up at her. “Ah, the woman of the hour! I didn’t expect you back quite so soon, Molly, but now that you’re here…” He gestured to Steve. “Mr. Knight has personally come over to tell me the news.”

“What news?” she managed, her eyes irrevocably drawn to Steve’s, dark and foreboding as usual. What was he doing here? Was he going to give Malcolm a report of what had happened on the island? Of how ineffectual she’d been, with him having to save her not once but twice? First she’d been crying like a child when the storm had hit and then, unforgivably, she’d ignored his dire warnings about the treacherous beach and he’d had to save her from a watery grave.

“Take a seat, Molly,” Malcolm said agreeably, and gestured to the chair next to Steve’s. She obliged, her knees quaking slightly, her stomach a knotted mess.

She watched Steve, wide-eyed, but his expression betrayed nothing.

“Mr. Knight—he has kindly informed me I may call him Steve—has been so wonderful as to explain to me personally what your new task will entail. It’s all extremely exciting, I must say. And quite an honor for Saint-Michael’s!”

Her face fell. “New task?”

“I explained to Malcolm that you will be working for me now,” Steve told her. “For the Knight Foundation, that is. That you will be in charge of the medical program as our new Medical Director. Overseeing the therapeutic program to help nurse our wounded and recovering vets back to health.”

“But—but,” she stammered, looking from Steve to Malcolm.

She was disconcerted to find Malcolm’s smile widening even more. “It is such a wonderful project, Molly. Mr. Knight—Steve—has explained to me all the details just now. What an opportunity! Such a splendid honor!”

“But what about my work here?” she asked, her heart beating an erratic drum.

Malcolm waved a deprecating hand. “Oh, that’s all right. With the money the Knight Foundation is pouring into this facility we’ll be able to hire all the staff we need. No worries, Molly. Your departure won’t leave a void!”

“Money? What money?” Did he mean that initial million pounds?

Steve nodded stoically. “As I told you last night we’ll be working closely together with Saint-Michael’s Hospital. Along with our army contacts they’ll make the initial selection of military men and women in need of a stay at one of the islands. And to that end we’ll be funding the burn unit to its full capacity.”

“We’ll be able to expand, Molly, isn’t that great news? And we won’t have to go around with the begging bowl anymore, once that initial million pounds has been allocated.” He rubbed his hands with visible glee. “Hah! No more groveling to snooty politicians, my dear! Nay, nevermore!”

“That’s… that’s great news,” she managed.

“It all depends on you now, Molly,” Steve told her. “If you accept this position this will all be made possible by the foundation. If not…”

It was clear from the look in his eyes that if she refused he wouldn’t be giving any money to the hospital, and would take his project elsewhere.

She saw that Malcolm was licking his lips nervously. “Accept?” he asked, blinking confusedly. “But I thought this was a done deal? What’s the holdup?”

Steve grimaced. “I made the offer to Molly but she felt she needed to discuss it with you first, Malcolm. So while you do that, I’ll take my leave.” He eyed Molly dangerously. “You have until tonight to decide, Molly. If I don’t hear from you before midnight, I’ll assume that you’ve chosen not to accept my offer, and all this…” He waved his hand in an all-encompassing gesture. “Will go away.”

As he left the office, he took his delicate masculine scent along with him, and as she watched him depart, she missed him already. He’d threatened her, she accepted sickeningly. He was pressuring her into taking the position. If she refused, he’d withdraw the funds, maybe even withdraw the one million pounds.

Malcolm eyed her sternly. “Molly? Why are you having second thoughts about this? Don’t you want to create something as magnificent and beneficial as the Knight Foundation is offering? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

She shook her head miserably. “It’s not that, Malcolm,” she began, but then halted. She couldn’t possibly tell him the reason she was declining was that she and Steve had slept together and that the notion that she didn’t mean anything more to him than just another woman in his bed made it impossible for her to work with him. Because he’d crept into her heart and was now occupying it whole and complete. She’d fallen for the tall, cranky male, and now there was no turning back. Each time she was near him, each time they spoke, was like a knife to the heart. Soon she would have to witness the woman he’d choose bear him children, and she wouldn’t be able to survive that ordeal. But she couldn’t tell Malcolm any of that, so instead she recognized defeat and told him, “I’ll accept his offer, Malcolm. I just didn’t think you’d champion the idea.”

“Me?” He laughed, visibly relieved. “Well, I think it’s a wonderful idea, Molly, and no one deserves it more than you!”

“I just thought perhaps you wouldn’t want me to leave Saint-Michael’s.”

He shook his head, his face taking on a fatherly expression. “Oh, Molly, Molly, Molly. Of course we’ll all miss you terribly, but just think about the wonderful things you’ll be able to accomplish. Of the many people you’ll be able to help—many more than if you stayed on here. You’ll be in charge of the entire program. It’s the chance of a lifetime, darling, and I for one feel you should be rejoicing, not looking like someone just stole your favorite candy bar.”

She smiled wanly. “I know. It is a wonderful opportunity.”

“Of course it is. And you’ll be doing this hospital a great service. And it’s not as if you’ll be gone completely. You’ll still be working with us hand in surgical glove, as it were.” He laughed at his little joke, even as Molly’s heart shattered.

Defeatedly she called Steve, and told him she was accepting his offer.

“You’re making the right choice,” his gruff voice declared.

“When do I start?” she asked softly.

“Immediately. We’re headquartering the entire project at Knight Tower. Come on over and we’ll go over the preliminaries.” And even before she could respond, he added, “I’ll send the car round. Be at the entrance in half an hour.”

She glanced through the glass wall of Malcolm’s office to the unit where she’d spent so many years taking care of her patients. Strangely enough she didn’t feel sad about leaving this place. Malcolm was right. She’d be back, though in her new capacity. She did feel trepidation to go over to Knight Tower and work alongside the man who could never be hers. The man who would always look upon her as simply another woman who’d shared his bed.

She bowed her head, deciding that she should simply forget all about those precious days on Tyler Island. This was her life now, and as Malcolm had told her it really was a wonderful opportunity, not just for herself but for the entire hospital and its staff. She’d be able to do great things, and mean a lot to a lot of people. It was most generous of Steve to set this all up—to put his enormous wealth to good use.

Thirty minutes later the limo did come round, and she stepped inside, knowing that she was entering a different phase of her life—an entirely new chapter. What the future would bring, she didn’t know, but she sincerely hoped it wouldn’t be filled with as much heartache and pain as the past had.

And she sincerely hoped she wouldn’t be seeing too much of Steve Knight.

S
teve checked his watch
. Dammit. Molly should have been here by now. If the saner version of him would have asked him why he was so adamant that she join him in this particular venture he would have simply said that he needed a person with her experience and her compassion to run it. Why then hadn’t he taken steps to develop his vision of Tyler Island as a medical retreat before? He’d had this idea for ages, and it had always been a mere pipe dream. Because he’d been busy dealing with this Press Corp fiasco, that’s why. The fact that he’d been suffering from her absence had nothing to do with it, of course. He simply needed the best and in his estimation she was perfect for the job. But then why had he created this position in the first place, a position tailor-made for her?

He wisely opted not even to go there, for he probably wouldn’t like the answer. He wanted her because he needed her… to make this project work. That was all there was to it.

Finally the elevator dinged and he looked over. He was in the large conference room on the tenth floor of Knight Tower, the glass walls affording a view of the entire office, which was currently empty. The Knight Foundation was still in its preliminary stage, and he hadn’t really begun to assemble his team. Apart from Molly, of course. When he saw her stride across the floor, hesitantly looking about her, his heart leaped in his chest and he felt a surge of gratification protrude his customary armor.

He tapped the glass wall and waved her over. She looked flustered, and the color it lent her cheeks made her look more beautiful than ever.

“Welcome to your new office space,” he told her a little gruffly.

She glanced around the empty conference room, then across the empty office floor. “Where are all the others?” she asked a little deferentially, as if she was afraid of his authority in a place where he obviously was the domineering force.

“Well, that’s part of your task,” he told her, his hands behind his back and rocking back on his heels. “Since you’re going to be in charge of medical, you can pick and choose your own team—get the very best on board.”

“You’re not wasting any time,” she said softly.

He gestured to the projector screen against the far wall. “I would like to show you some of the ideas I have for the island.”

She nodded, and took a seat.

It was so strange to be with Steve again, but in a completely different setting, she thought. Here in this sterile conference room they were as far removed from any intimacy as could be. They were alone in a room together, true, but as distant from each other as if they were total strangers. Together and still alone. But that was probably the way it should be. He’d brought her on board because of her expertise and nothing else. Not because of the night they’d spent together, for that held no meaning to Steve whatsoever. He had probably spent his nights in London with other women since his return, she decided ruefully, and the pain the idea of Steve making love to another woman caused her was so considerable she decided to block it out, and simply focus on the presentation.

He tapped a few keys on his laptop, and a PowerPoint presentation flickered to life on the screen. Some rudimentary sketches appeared, and she watched and listened as he explained how he wanted to level the building that was there, and replace it with a more modern structure, housing as many as a dozen people.

The notion that the house where she’d briefly stayed with Steve would be demolished was simply too painful to contemplate.

“Couldn’t you—” She cleared her throat. “Wouldn’t it be a better idea to build small cabins on the property, each one assigned to a different person? It seems that the entire purpose of this project is to provide solitude and comfort to these people, a place to heal and be by themselves. If you put them all together in the same building they might find the experience jarring and ultimately counterproductive.”

He nodded, listening intently. “Go on.”

“Well, I’d leave the original house and turn it into a meeting place where they could gather if they wish. A communal space with a kitchen and an entertainment room and perhaps a gym. Residents can join the others there if they choose, or they can stay in their own space, which would be equipped with a bathroom, kitchenette and other necessities. They could cook for themselves, or join the others. And I would definitely limit the number of people staying on the island. Too many and you will remove the advantages of the experience.”

She was smart. “Those are some great points, Molly. Let me jot them down.”

“We could also house the medical staff in the main building, so that when there’s an emergency they’re always available, but when they’re not needed—”

“They stay out of the residents’ way,” he completed the sentence, nodding.

He clicked to the next slide. It showed the beach. As it could be.

“I’ve been giving a lot of thought to that treacherous beach. It could really prove an asset, providing an opportunity for our residents to go for daily laps, which would speed up their recovery. I would like to bring in a company specialized in beach restoration. They have experience restoring beaches wiped out by hurricanes. They use special barges to pump up the sand swept to sea by the storm, and have the equipment to spray it back into place, producing amazing results. In the case of Tyler Island they would bring in tons of sand and spread it across the entire bay, covering the rocks and crags and create an actual beach where people can swim without endangering themselves. If the entire stretch is covered with sand, it will remove those treacherous riptides. Elevate the ocean floor several feet and we’ll put an end to that dangerous flooding phenomenon.”

She would have responded this was a wonderful idea, but her throat had clogged up when she remembered the way Steve had saved her life that day. He would never hold her close like that again, she knew—never have her in his arms.

He showed her several more slides, with improvements that respected the fauna and flora of Tyler Island, providing a way for recovering burn patients to harmoniously coexist with the original inhabitants of the island.

She liked Steve’s plans. They showed he’d really given careful thought to what was possible, and a generosity in sharing his own experience with others.

“What will be expected of me?” she finally asked, and when he gave her an odd look her cheeks suddenly flashed scarlet. “I mean, in my professional capacity… what will be my role, exactly?”

Her role would be to share his bed, he thought grimly. But of course that could never be. She detested him. He could see it in her eyes. Even to be near him like this, in the same space, she was having a hard time suppressing her antipathy and abhorrence. He knew that he shouldn’t have shaved his beard, that hideous scar now clearly visible. It was still red and raw, in spite of the months that had passed. Combined with what she’d seen of him, she must think he was a man to avoid at all cost, not one she could ever give her affections to.

“Your role will be to train the medical staff staying on the island. To select the best people for the rotating teams and make sure they’re fully qualified and prepared. We’re going to consider Tyler Island a test project, and if all goes well the Knight Foundation will develop some of the other uninhabited islands we have in our portfolio for the same purpose. So you will oversee the medical side of things while I take care of logistics, financing, HR and general management.”

“All right,” she finally said softly. “I’ll do it.”

He grunted his approval. “Excellent. If you’re ready, we can leave now.”

She looked up. “Ready? Ready for what?”

He frowned. “Didn’t Malcolm tell you? I’ve planned for us to be choppered to Tyler Island. I’m bringing the architect along to start surveying the terrain.”

“The island? You want to go back to the island now?”

She was horrified, he saw, and his face hardened. “You’re in charge of this project now, Molly, and we need to start turning this dream into a reality.”

“But I thought I was only in charge of medical. You don’t need me there.”

His eyes darkened. “Oh, but I do. You’re going to decide how everything will be laid out, from a medical point of view. How much space will be allocated to the residents. Where we will house the medical team. How the entire concept will be developed taking into consideration the needs of our first arrivals. Your input is crucial every step of the way, but never more so than at the inception.”

She couldn’t do this. He couldn’t possibly expect her to go with him to where they’d—where he’d… Panicked, she sought for a way out, but could see from the expression on his face that there was none. She was going to have to return to the island and endure his closeness, the intimacy without intimacy, torturing her with his proximity. So she slumped, and said in a still small voice, “All right, Steve. I’ll go with you.”