TheBillionairesPilot (4 page)

“Those sound like strengths. Where do you
see a problem for us?”

“Ah, I haven’t gotten to our weaknesses
yet.” She held up a hand and ticked off her fingers as she spoke. “We are
self-centered, have difficulty sharing, seek attention, worry too much and are
inflexible.”

“Okay, now I see the problem. You won’t
share your toys with me because you worry I’ll break them. Then you stubbornly
insist I share mine with you and complain to all our friends when I don’t
comply.”

Her laughter pleased him. “I think the
only one you missed was the self-centered part.”

“Well, that one’s obvious. You spend all
your time in the salon and whine when I don’t pay you enough compliments.”

“Oh, God,” she groaned then giggled.
“That is so far from the truth of who I am.”

At a gut level, he already knew that.
He’s ability to read her told him Cassie wasn’t concerned with superficial.
Though, he did appreciate the fact she knew how to polish herself when it
mattered.

She cast her gaze on him. “I bet it would
be more believable to say you work long hours, and I hardly get to spend any
time with you. And when I ask to borrow your car…what kind do you drive?”

“Mercedes SL65.”

Her eyes widened, and she whistled her
appreciation.

“You’re familiar with the SL65?” he
asked.

“I’m a connoisseur of all things that
fly, and the hand-built V12 engine in that roadster can do zero to sixty in four
point two seconds. Of course, if you want the fastest, you could get the
Bugatti Veyron, but you’d have to pay ten times what you did for your
Mercedes.”

He stared at her. She was unlike any
woman he’d ever met. He imagined if he ever let her drive his car, she’d take
him for the ride of his life—which was saying a lot since he used to race
professionally up until his father’s death. He’d had his fair share of wild
rides on the track.

“Ever driven one?” he asked her.

“Nope, so when I ask to borrow your top
of the line Mercedes roadster to drive out to the Hamptons to meet my
girlfriends, you refuse because you’re sure I’ll wrap it around a tree, which,
of course, is ridiculous because I’m a brilliant pilot who has never crashed
any motorized vehicle.”

“And this is why our relationship is
going to be rocky? Because I won’t let you borrow my car?” He couldn’t ever
remember enjoying a conversation with a woman this much.

“Just a symptom of deeper issues,” she
explained, nodding sagely.

“But for this trip, we’re getting along
great,” he said adamantly. “We’re in the honeymoon phase of the relationship.”

Her eyes narrowed with interest. “How
long does that phase usually last in your relationships?”

“I’ve never really thought about it.” He
rubbed at his temples, which were throbbing from the cabin pressure.

“Okay, I can’t take it any longer. Turn
around,” she demanded.

“What?”

“I can’t stand seeing you in so much
pain. You’re strung as tight as a bowstring.” She waved a hand at him. “Turn
your back to me. I’ll help loosen your muscles.”

He stared at her. “You don’t have to do
that.”

She tugged his arm. “I know I don’t. Now
turn.”

He turned away from her, and she laid her
small, but strong hands on his shoulders. He was glad he was facing away from
her as his pants suddenly got tight just from the touch of her hands through
his shirt, or maybe it was the fantasies running through his head. He pictured
them both naked, massaging warm oil into each other’s skin. Of course, she’d be
tied and blindfolded while he took his turn with her.

“Damn.” He flinched as she worked a
painful knot in his right shoulder.

“Breathe through it.”

“I
am
breathing.”

“Deeper. Like this.” She demonstrated a
long pull of air into her lungs and let it out slowly.

It sounded so much like a sigh of
pleasure after a big orgasm he got harder at the thought, both in his pants and
the muscles in his neck. He hadn’t had any sexual release since…he counted the
weeks since his last sleepover with Vivian over Valentine Day’s weekend…nearly
two months ago. And it had been even longer than that since he’d visited the
club.

Apparently, his sex life was another
sacrifice he’d made to the time demands of learning the intricacies of his
family’s business.

Cassie squeezed his shoulders tighter.
“Now, you’re not breathing at all. You’ve tightened up. What are you thinking?”

Nothing he could say aloud. He was paying
her to be his girlfriend, his
pretend
girlfriend, his
platonic
pretend girlfriend. If he had sex with her now, that would make him a…bastard.
He’d be taking advantage of her and the fact she needed his money. He’d be
crossing a line he couldn’t stomach. He never paid for sex.

He cursed himself. Here he’d found a
woman he was growing to admire and enjoyed being with, and he’d created a
situation in which he could never have her.

Shit.

“This isn’t working. Thanks for the
offer.” He shrugged off her hands and settled back into his seat, as did
Cassie.

“You’re right,” she said with
false-sounding lightness, but he saw the skin tighten around her mouth. “An airplane
is not usually the most relaxing location for most people. You really should
get yourself a professional massage though, and soon. It will help with your
headache.”

He glanced at her, but she looked away.
“Thanks for the advice.”

“Sure.” She opened her novel.

He studied her from the corner of his
eye. She was a contradiction in strength and softness. She presented herself so
confidently, but he’d hurt her by refusing her back rub. She tried to hide
behind her words, but she had a horrible poker face.

He didn’t know what to say to make it
better, so he pulled out Linders’ financials. He needed to be as prepared as
possible for his meeting with Xavier, and trying to figure out Cassie wasn’t
going to help. If they were doing a scene, he’d know exactly how to get to the
heart of her…if she were a sub. He glanced over at her. Did she have sub
tendencies beneath that hard shell she hid behind?

He shook his head and fixed his eyes on
the papers in his hands. For the remainder of the flight, he sat next to her,
ignoring her alluring fragrance and his awareness of her so close to him, while
she flipped through the pages of her mystery novel and he stared at columns and
rows of numbers without digesting any of the information.

Chapter Four

The humidity
of the Caribbean island covered Cassie’s skin in a moist layer as she preceded
Evan down the stairs that had unfolded from the airplane doorway. Mr. Jacobs
followed a few steps behind Evan.

She wondered if Evan liked having a
shadow chasing him everywhere he went. She knew she’d grow tiresome of always
being under the watchful eye of the stiff Mr. Jacobs, but then, Evan had said
his rebellion had ended with his father’s death. Perhaps he was comfortable
with his stuffy executive assistant, and maybe Mr. Jacobs was a nice reminder
of who Evan’s father had been.

As soon as she reached the tarmac at the
bottom of the stairs, she slung her tote bag over her forearm and wrestled to
remove her cardigan with her other arm. It was much too hot for the extra layer.

“Let me help.” Evan moved closer and slid
his fingers under her collar.

As he slowly removed her sweater, his
fingertips caressed her bare shoulders, sending shivers down her spine while
her nipples pebbled against the cotton of her sundress.

Not good, so not good.
She chastised herself for her reaction.
He was her boss. She wasn’t doing that again. Besides, he wasn’t interested in
her. He couldn’t even stand her touch when she’d offered to massage his
shoulders.

She didn’t understand his rejection. He’d
seemed so into her and even told her it was up to her to decide whether or not
they remained platonic. Perhaps now that he knew her better, he’d changed his
mind. She was probably too boyish with her flat chest and lack of curves. Hell,
she couldn’t have a more masculine career—first flying choppers with the
Army and now in the private sector. He probably liked his women to look and act
much more feminine, and she’d come off as a tomboy with her love of sci-fi and
fast cars.

He’d probably been pretending his earlier
interest, and she’d fallen for his act. Well, shit, this whole thing was act.
How could she have forgotten that already?

Because, truthfully, she was attracted to
him. Very attracted to him. His physique, his brains, his humor, and his
commanding presence were all her favorite flavors of yumminess.

Damn, she was an idiot. Hadn’t she
learned anything from her past with Trent? She’d been a fool to think Trent was
the right man for her, someone who would take care of and cherish her. She’d
been too eager to give herself to a man who’d picked up on her need to be
dominated, eventually using it against her.

Men with wealth and status like Trent and
Evan saw women like her as dispensable playthings. She’d have to keep reminding
herself of that as she fought back her physical responses to her new boss.

Evan handed her the cardigan, as Mr.
Jacobs stood waiting off to the side with his gaze averted.

“Thank you,” she managed to say in a
mostly normal tone of voice.

“That’s a good color on you.” Evan’s eyes
roamed over her fuchsia sundress.

Now, she was sure her hard nipples were
showing through the thin cotton. With her small breasts, she hadn’t bothered
buying a convertible bra for the halter-top dress, but at this moment she sure
wished she had.

“Thank you.” She repeated and broke the
spell of his gaze by taking a step toward the small airport building. “Will a
car be meeting us?”

Evan’s head jerked as if he’d been awoken
suddenly from a daze. Then he nodded. “Xavier will have sent a car. It’ll be
out front.” He held his elbow out to her. “Are you ready for this?”

She hesitated for a moment—not
wanting to touch him, not wanting to risk the sparks that seemed to flow from
his skin to hers whenever she did—the sparks that apparently only flowed
in one direction. When she’d massaged his shoulders on the plane, she was sure
her interest was obvious, but it seemed he’d felt nothing when she’d touched
him.

She braced herself then slipped her hand
in the crook of his arm. His skin was covered in fine, black hairs that felt
silky under her fingertips. But under his skin, she was very aware he possessed
hard, lean muscles. She slipped into a brief daydream of him on the beach
without his shirt and slacks, swim trunks riding low on his hips and sculpted
muscles flexing as he ran through the surf.

You can look, but you better not be
thinking about touching
.

Damn, this was going to be a long weekend
if she had to regularly prompt herself to ignore her attraction to Evan. And it
wasn’t just his looks that were tripping her up; she was also drawn to his
personality, an interesting mix of self-importance and playful charm…and
dominance.

Inside the terminal, a uniformed man held
a discreet sign with
Mitchell
written across it. Evan nodded to the man,
and the driver led them to a limo waiting at the curb. Mr. Jacobs followed at a
respectable distance then sat in the front seat with the driver while the
airport baggage handler deposited their luggage in the trunk.

Cassie allowed herself a moment to enjoy
the butterflies in her belly as she slid into the black leather seats in the
back of the long car. She was on a Caribbean island as the girlfriend of a
billionaire with a suitcase full of more girly clothes than she’d ever thought
she’d own. She didn’t want to pinch herself awake if all this was a dream, and
she didn’t want to remember to keep her shell snugly around herself. She just
wanted to enjoy this feeling for as long as possible because she knew it was
temporary. In three days, she would be back to her regularly scheduled life,
but for now she would take pleasure in pretending to be a
princess—something she never allowed herself to do growing up because
she’d always tried so hard to fit into her father’s world.

Evan was too busy checking messages on
his cell phone during the ride to Xavier’s house to talk to her, so she admired
the scenery of the island along the way. Giant red hibiscus dominated the
landscaping, and coconut palm trees towered over them on either side of the
road.

She was tempted to lower the window, so
she could inhale the fragrant blossoms and the salty air, but she didn’t want
to interrupt Evan’s concentration. His forehead was creased, and his features
were pinched as he answered his cell messages. The man seriously needed to
learn how to relax. He was going to put himself in an early grave just like his
father.

The limo pulled into a long, curved drive
in front of a sprawling two-storied mansion. The red-tiled roof shone brightly
over white stucco walls. Round, stone-covered turrets anchored the two opposing
wings of the house.

A sudden attack of nerves had Cassie’s
stomach whirling. Until this moment, she’d been able to coast along enjoying
the dressing up, but now the thought of having to pretend to be Evan’s
girlfriend for the whole weekend had her feeling slightly sick.

She was much too candid and
straightforward to be a good liar, and Evan had said this was a crucial
business meeting for his company. What if she screwed it up?

Evan ended his call and nodded at her.
“Ready?”

“Not really.” She wiped her sweaty palms
on the dress hem at her knees.

The vertical lines above the bridge of
Evan’s nose deepened as his eyes narrowed on her. “You can’t back out now. I
won’t allow you.”

Her spine snapped straight as if she were
being called to attention. “I wouldn’t need your permission if I decided to get
out of this deal. We never signed a contract.”

“I thought a retired officer’s handshake
would mean something.”

Her chin came up. “I’m not backing out. I
just said I wasn’t quite ready, but now I am.”

Evan opened his mouth, but the driver
opened the car door, interrupting Evan’s opportunity to reply. He must have
thought twice about spilling anything that could be overheard by a staff member
because he stepped out of the car without commenting. Then he leaned down and
held his hand out to assist Cassie.

Sliding her palm into his, she marveled
at how small and fragile her hand looked against his. She was more familiar
seeing her hands as capable and strong as they controlled the flight of
powerful helicopters. Now, she appeared to be in his capable and strong grasp.

A strange fuzzy sensation buzzed in her
head, making her feel momentarily dizzy, and she stumbled as her second foot
came out of the car.

Evan caught her around the waist and
pulled her up against him. “I’ve got you.”

Her free hand landed on his muscular
biceps as her breasts pressed against his solid chest. Tingles zipped down
between her legs. Oh yes, she definitely felt like he had her, or rather, had
her responding to him in the most inappropriately personal way.

“I’m fine now. Thank you for the
assistance.” She attempted to step back as she realized Mr. Jacobs had gotten
out of the car and was watching, but Evan’s hand on her waist tightened.

His head lowered, and she read the intent
in his eyes. So much for thinking he didn’t like her. He obviously intended to
kiss her, and she definitely couldn’t let that happen, not with her
self-discipline slipping as it was already.

She broke his hold with a subtle evasive
move and stepped away from him, hoping the driver and Mr. Jacobs weren’t paying
too much attention because Evan’s face clearly showed his shock and
displeasure. If she didn’t play her role well enough, Mr. Jacobs might suggest
to Evan that she didn’t deserve her full payment. She was counting on that
money too much. She couldn’t afford to mess this up.

Before Evan could respond to her narrow
escape, she spoke in a sweet voice. “You know how much I hate PDA, honey.” She
reached up and patted his cheek lightly with her hand.

A booming laugh from behind Evan let her
know that someone coming out of the house had caught at least the last part of
the altercation.

An older, olive-skinned man approached
with his hand outstretched. A beautiful, dark-haired woman in a red floral
dress followed a few paces behind him.

“Welcome, Evan,” the man’s voice held a
hint of a Spanish accent. He nodded a greeting at Evan’s assistant. “Dan.
Welcome to my little island home.”

Evan shook the man’s hand. “Thank you,
Xavier.” Turning to the woman, he said, “It’s good to see you again, Esmé.”

“It is a great pleasure to welcome you
and Dan into our home,” she responded with a heavy French accent. “And who is
this woman keeping you on your toes?” Esmé regarded Cassie with a bright gleam
in her eyes and a friendly smile on her lips.

“This is my lovely Cassie.” Evan placed
his hand lightly on the small of her back, drawing her forward.

“Thank you for having me this weekend.”
Cassie extended her hand to Esmé then Xavier and did her best to ignore the
warmth of Evan’s touch. “Your home is absolutely stunning.”

“Yes, yes, you must come in and get
settled.” Esmé motioned for them to follow her through the tall double-door
entry into a tiled floor foyer. “Traveling always makes me feel out of sorts
until I have had a good stiff drink. After you freshen up in your suite, then
you may come down to the patio and join Xavier and me for an evening cocktail.”

“Thank you,” Evan replied. “We’ll be down
shortly.”

Esmé gave Cassie a wink. “Take your
time.”

Cassie felt heat color her cheeks, and
she refused to look at Evan to see if he’d noticed Esmé’s suggestive gesture.

“Dan, if you’ll follow me,” Esmé
continued, “I’ll show you to the guest house.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Mr. Jacobs addressed
their hostess. Then he turned to Evan. “Please don’t hesitate to ring my cell
if you need me for anything.”

“Try to relax and enjoy yourself, Dan,”
Evan responded. “I think I’ve got everything I need.”

Mr. Jacobs gave a brief nod then followed
Esmé down the hallway to the left.

“I’ll see you outside. Santie will show you
to your rooms,” Xavier said, motioning to a uniformed woman who appeared from
the hallway to the right.

“Please follow me, Señor and Señorita.”

Cassie walked behind the older woman and
tried not to be too obvious as she ogled the elegance inside the mansion.

The foyer opened up to a two-story living
room, surrounded on three sides by columns and arched balconies with decorative
wrought-iron railings. Heavy, dark wood tables and soft ivory sofas faced an
entire wall of windows on the far side of the living room and looked out over a
pool and a densely landscaped tropical garden. Beyond the garden, Cassie caught
sight of the turquoise sea.

“Your suite is in the guest wing,” Santie
explained as they climbed the stairs to the second floor and wound their way down
a long hallway. “The master and mistress are in the other wing, and your
assistant will be in the guest house where he will have access to the guest
office.”

They reached the end of the hall and
followed the woman into a sun-filled sitting room. A short sofa was grouped
with two armchairs around a low coffee table in the middle of the room. In the
far corner, a mahogany bar appeared to be fully stocked with top shelf liquor.
Next to it, sheer white curtains billowed gently in the sea breeze floating through
the open doors to the balcony.