The Billionaire's New Year Gift

Oh, God. If she didn’t get up and away from him, she’d succumb again, she knew she would. She could already feel herself weakening. “What do you want me to say?” Even her voice sounded weak. What in the world was wrong with her? She never let a man get the upper hand. But here she was acting like some kid with her first big crush instead of a thirty-year-old, experienced, fully independent woman who should know better.

“Say you’ll go out with me tomorrow night,” he said softly. His hand inched up under her sweater again, finding her bare breasts. When his thumb rubbed the nub of the one closest to him, P.J. fought with herself for all of about three seconds, then relaxed into him and turned her face for his kiss.

A long time later…a very long time later…after the most satisfying and wonderful sex P.J. could ever have imagined, she finally lay sated and resigned to her fate. She knew what she was doing was crazy and stupid. She knew one of these days she’d be very sorry and probably have to pay a price for her lapse in judgment. But at that moment, she really didn’t care.

“So what do you say? Is it a date?” Alex asked lazily.

“Yes,” P.J. said. She could feel his smile, even though she didn’t look at him.

“I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“Okay.”

“And P.J.?”

Sighing, she finally turned her head to meet his eyes.

He smiled. “Wear something sexy. You do own a dress?”

For just a second, P.J. bristled. Then she grinned. “I’ve got a dress that’ll knock your socks off.”

“I can hardly wait.”

Alex whistled all the way home.

P.J. was incredible. Somehow he’d suspected she would be. But suspecting and actually experiencing how incredible were two distinctly different things.

He smiled, remembering.

Yes. P.J. Kinkaid, alias Paige Jeffers Kinkaid, heiress to a fortune, who obviously believed in working for a living, was the perfect candidate for his Cinderella. Beautiful, smart, sexy, generous, kind and passionate.

What more could he want?

Courtney gave P.J. a quizzical smile. “Okay, spill. What’s going on?”

At P.J.’s request, the sisters had met for coffee at a Starbucks near where Courtney lived.

P.J. drank some of her latte before answering. “Remember the new guy who came to work for me? The one I told you about when we had dinner together three weeks ago?”

Courtney grinned and broke off a piece of her muffin. “I knew this had to be about a man.”

P.J. blew out a breath. “I don’t know what to do.”

“About what? Has he asked you out?”

“Yes, but that’s not it.”

Courtney stared at her. Lowering her voice, she said, “Uh-oh. You’ve done it, haven’t you?”

P.J. didn’t even pretend not to understand. Glumly, she nodded.

“What’s wrong? Was it awful?”

“No, just the opposite, in fact. It…it was fantastic.”

Courtney sighed and ate some of her muffin. “You lucky dog. Tell me everything.”

So P.J. did, starting with how she’d tried to ignore Alex and ending with how they’d had sex. Twice. “On the floor, no less!” she said in a fierce whisper.

Courtney sighed again. “Sounds absolutely wonderful to me.” Her voice was wistful. “I can remember when Brad and I used to have unplanned, sweaty and wonderful sex. That was sans kids, of course.”

Sans kids. I’ll always be sans kids. For some reason, the thought hurt. Really hurt. That surprised P.J. She’d thought she was long past the pain of knowing she would probably never have a child of her own.

“So what now? Are you in love with him?” Courtney asked eagerly.

“I don’t know how I feel. I’m certainly in lust with him.”

“Well, that’s a good start. Are you seeing him again?”

P.J. nodded. “Tonight.”

“Is he taking you out or are you just going to cut to the chase?”

“We’re having dinner together. But I was halfway thinking I should call him and cancel.”

“What? Why?”

“For all the reasons I gave you before. Number one, this relationship can’t go anywhere. And number two, he works for me.”

“Wait a minute…why can’t it go anywhere?”

“You know why…marriage is not for me.”

“So? You can just live together. And as far as the job thing goes, find another job. Jobs are a dime a dozen. But trust me on this, Paige. Great guys are hard to find. No, not hard. Impossible!”

P.J. stared at her sister as though she’d lost her mind. “Quit my job?”

“I would. Shoot, P.J., if you’ve found someone special and he could be ‘the one’ what’s a job compared to that? Besides, you and I both know you don’t need to work.” She finished off the last bite of her muffin and wiped her mouth with her napkin.

“I like working.”

“Okay, fine. You like working. But it doesn’t have to be there, does it? Dad can set you up with any kind of job you want.”

“I don’t want any favors from Dad.”

Courtney rolled her eyes. “You are the most stubborn person I’ve ever known. Dad would love to have you working for him.”

P.J. was sure her sister was right. But she’d put in more than seven years at HuntCom. She was respected there, not for being the daughter of the owner as she would be at one of her father’s facilities, but for her intelligence and hard work. She didn’t want to leave HuntCom. “There’s something else…” she finally said.

“What?”

“I don’t really know anything about Alex.”

“Like what?”

“Well…he obviously comes from a classy back ground. So why is he working a blue-collar job? He’s got to be hiding something.”

“Paige, listen to you. You’re hiding something.”

P.J. frowned. “I know, but I have a damned good reason. I don’t want to be treated differently than my coworkers, and they would treat me differently if they knew about the Kincaid money.”

“So? Maybe he has a damned good reason, too.”

“What if he’s hiding something bad?”

“Like what?” Courtney said again.

“I don’t know. I just—” She broke off. “Something doesn’t seem quite right with him.”

“Have you asked him why he’s working there?”

“Yes.”

“What did he say?”

“He admitted he’d gone to college but didn’t like the business world.”

“P.J., this guy sounds perfect. In fact, he sounds just like you!”

P.J. made a face. “I’m not sure he told me the truth.”

“But…what other reason could he have for doing the kind of work he’s doing?”

“He could be a spy.”

“A spy!”

“Yeah, a spy. Corporate spies exist, you know.”

“Do you really think that?”

“I don’t know.” The truth was, P.J. didn’t know what she thought. “I Googled him, you know.”

Courtney smiled. “And?”

“Nothing. Well, there were Alex Nobles, but none that matched him.”

“That doesn’t mean anything.”

“I know, but still…”

“You want to know what I think?”

P.J. nodded.

“I think you’re scared.”

P.J. wanted to deny this, but she had a sinking feeling her sister was right. The truth was, Alex was dangerous to her well-being. It was as if he’d gotten into her brain and rewired it or something. Hadn’t last night proven that? Just being near him had messed with her mind to the extent she’d behaved in a way she’d never have imagined herself doing.

Courtney drained her latte and stood up. “I’ve got to go. But I have one last thing to say. If you push Alex away because you’re scared, then you’re not the woman I thought you were.”

And with that, she blew P.J. a kiss, and walked out of the coffee shop.

Chapter Nine

Alex decided to go for broke. After doing a bit of research, he called and made a reservation at the River Lodge, which stood on a rise overlooking the Jansen River a few miles north of town. Supposedly, the Lodge was one of the nicest restaurants around and famous for its great seafood and tender steaks. And on Friday and Saturday nights, a combo played live music. It sounded perfect and romantic, just what he wanted. After all, he didn’t have a lot of time to woo P.J. Harry’s deadline was only nine months away.

Alex also made the round trip into downtown Seattle and unearthed one of his favorite outfits: custom-made dress pants in a shade of soft gray, a dark gray silk T-shirt, and a black cashmere jacket. The clothes were expensive, but if she happened to comment, he could sheepishly admit that he occasionally splurged on good clothes.

On the way back to Jansen, he stopped at a florist’s shop. The florist—a pretty woman about fifty with bright green eyes—asked if she could help him.

“I’d like a bouquet of flowers. Roses, probably.”

“For a woman?”

“A special woman,” Alex said.

“What color is her hair?”

Alex blinked. “Her hair? It’s red. Actually, kind of a red-gold.”

“Then I suggest peach roses.” So saying, she walked to a large cooler and removed a container.

The moment Alex saw the color, he knew they were perfect.

“Have a wonderful evening,” the florist said after Alex had paid for the flowers and was leaving.

“I intend to,” he said, smiling.

He left his apartment at six-forty-five and arrived at her condo ten minutes later. The florist had talked him into letting her put the flowers in a vase instead of taking them to P.J. in a box. “You’ll be glad you did,” she’d said. “Otherwise, your special lady will have to find somewhere to put them and she might not have a tall enough vase.”

Holding the vase in one hand, Alex rang P.J.’s doorbell with the other. She opened the door on the second ring.

Holy cow. He was stunned by how she looked. She wore a short black sleeveless dress with a high neck, paired with strappy black heels. Her curly hair was swept back and held in place by a black velvet hair band, and diamond studs sparkled in her ears.

Gorgeous.

There was no other word for it. She looked gorgeous.

“Wow,” he said.

She smiled. “I clean up good, huh?”

“That’s an understatement.”

She stood back to let him in. “So do you.” She gave him an appreciative once-over. “Nice threads.”

“Thanks.” He handed her the flowers. “I hope you like roses.”

“I love roses, and these are just beautiful. Thank you.”

He could see her pleasure was genuine, and it made him feel good. He tried to remember the last time he’d spontaneously bought flowers for a woman and couldn’t. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d looked forward to being with a woman. Most of his social life consisted of obligatory attendance at some black-tie affair.

When she turned to place the vase on the small credenza in her entryway, Alex’s breath stopped for a moment. Her dress plunged in a deep V in the back—almost to her waist—exposing smooth porcelain skin. Skin he knew would warm to his touch.

He could feel himself becoming aroused and had to force his thoughts away from that skin and how it had felt last night. “You’ll need a wrap,” he said. “It’s already cooling off.”

“I know.” She reached for a black knit shawl lying on a needlepoint-covered chair next to the credenza and wrapped it around her shoulders. Picking up a small silk bag that had been under it, she gave him a bright smile. “I’m ready.”

As they walked out into the already darkening evening, Alex could smell her perfume—something light and clean—just the kind of fragrance he would have imagined she’d wear. When they reached his truck, he helped her in. Her legs looked fantastic in those heels. He wondered if she knew how fantastic. “I’m sorry I don’t have a nice car for the occasion.”

“I like trucks,” she said with a smile.

“Hey, what happened with your car?” he asked after he had walked around and gotten into the driver’s seat.

“My neighbor gave me a jump this morning, and I took it to Sears for a new battery.”

“Good.”

She shifted in the seat, which caused her skirt to ride up another inch or so. Yes, those were definitely gorgeous legs. In fact, he was having a hard time keeping his eyes on the road.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

He smiled. “It’s a surprise.” Turning to her, he added, “Want to listen to music?”

“What’re my choices?”

He thought about his CDs. “Sheryl Crow, Martina McBride, Michelle Branch, Beyoncé, James Taylor, the Beatles, Coldplay…I’ve even got some classical stuff, if you prefer that.”

She started to laugh. “That’s the strangest mix of music I’ve ever heard.”

He grinned sheepishly. “I’ve got eclectic tastes.”

“I guess.”

“So what’ll it be?”

“Martina McBride.”

He inserted the CD. The first song was “My Baby Loves Me,” and within moments, P.J. was tapping her fingers on the console between the front seats and humming along with the music. When the song ended and the next one began, she said, “We’re going to the River Lodge, aren’t we?”

“Yes.”

He could feel her eyes on him. Turning to meet her gaze, he saw the speculative look. “What?” he said.

“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you? How’d you know about the Lodge?”

“The Internet. I just searched on restaurants and that one seemed to fill the bill.” Now he wondered if he’d made a mistake. He couldn’t afford to make her suspicious again, now that she seemed to finally trust him. First he needed to get a ring on her finger. “I wanted to take you somewhere nice.”

“The Lodge is very nice,” she said softly. “I haven’t been there in a long time.”

It suddenly hit him how much he wanted to please this woman…and keep pleasing her. Maybe his father’s plan was unorthodox, but it sure seemed to be working. This was the first time in years—maybe the first time ever—that Alex had felt this way about a woman. Usually, he was counting the minutes until he could escape.

“The drive is coming up right around this bend,” she said. “It’ll be on your left.” She smiled when he glanced her way. “It’s kind of hard to see if you’ve never been there.”

An understatement, Alex realized. On his own, he would have passed it up. Only a small sign marked the turn, and in the dark, it was almost impossible to see.

The drive climbed uphill for about one hundred yards, then turned to the left through a stand of tall pines. Finally they came to a rustic building surrounded by trees and bordering the Jansen River to the right. The trees were strung with tiny white lights and reminded Alex of Tavern on the Green in New York.

He surrendered the truck to the valet parking attendant and, hand on her elbow, escorted P.J. through the front entrance and into the restaurant. A pretty hostess with long black hair and a brilliant smile greeted them. Alex gave his name—almost saying Hunt before he caught himself—and they were promptly ushered to a table by the window. The river beyond was a dark ribbon with patches of moonlight shining upon it.

Alex looked around. He’d been in some high-end restaurants over the years, and the River Lodge compared favorably in ambiance. Now if the food lived up to its touted excellence, he’d be a happy man.

About thirty tables ringed a small dance floor. In the corner was a tiny elevated stage with a grand piano next to it. Either the combo providing music for the evening hadn’t started yet or they were taking a break.

“The musicians start playing at eight,” P.J. said.

A lighted candle flickered in a cut-glass holder in the middle of their table. Her face, reflected in the candle’s glow, seemed younger and softer than it normally did. Maybe that’s because she was more relaxed. She smiled at him. “This is nice.”

“It is.” He wished he could tell her about some of the places he’d been, some of the places he’d like to take her…but that would be too dangerous.

Just then their waiter approached, and the next few minutes were taken up with ordering drinks. After he left to place their orders at the bar, Alex said, “I’ve been looking forward to this all day.”

She didn’t answer for a long moment. When she did, she prefaced it with a sigh. “I don’t know, Alex. I keep thinking this is a mistake.”

“A mistake?” He couldn’t have read her wrong. She’d been just as turned on last night as he’d been. She certainly hadn’t resisted.

She met his gaze squarely. “You work for me. Remember?”

Reaching across the table, he took her hand. Her fingers were slim, the nails unpainted but nicely shaped. “I’ll make you a promise, P.J. If my working for you turns out to be a problem, I’ll find another job.”

Before she could answer, their waiter arrived with their wine. Alex reluctantly let go of her hand. They didn’t talk as the waiter served them a plate of some kind of pâté and a basket of warm French bread.

Once he was gone, she said, “I couldn’t let you do that, Alex. It wouldn’t be right.” Worry clouded her blue eyes.

“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?” He reached for his wineglass. “Let’s not have any more talk about anything serious. Let’s just dedicate tonight, our first real date, to enjoying each other’s company and having a wonderful time.”

She hesitated, then picked up her glass and clinked it against his. But the worry didn’t leave her eyes.

Alex vowed then and there that from tonight on, he would make sure that worry was gone…and stayed gone.

There was something about dancing that was so sexy and erotic. If a girl felt even a smidgen of attraction for her partner, she was probably a lost cause once he took her into his arms and led her around a dance floor. And if the music was soft and romantic and the partner a great dancer—well, it was no contest.

P.J. knew that she and Alex would end up in bed together at the end of this perfect evening. She could tell herself whatever lie she wanted, but the bottom line was, her body would rule. In fact, sex with Alex was all she could think about as they danced and ate their superb dinners and drank the mellow wine.

By the time they were ready to leave, she was so turned on, she wasn’t sure she could wait.

For the ride home, Alex unearthed a CD, and as the understated elegance of the singer’s vocals filled the cab, the tension and delicious anticipation of what was to come pulsed like a living thing between them, and P.J. knew Alex was feeling exactly the same way she was.

When they reached P.J.’s condo, he parked in front and they walked together to her front door. The very air seemed to shimmer in expectation.

When Alex reached for her keys, she gave them up without a word. They stood so close, she wondered if he could hear her heart beating. After he unlocked the door and pushed it open, P.J. stepped inside knowing he would follow.

The small hurricane lamp on the credenza in the entryway gave off a soft glow, illuminating the roses in their frosted vase. Their fragrance filled the air. P.J. turned and their eyes met. As the grandfather clock began to chime the hour, he reached for her and pulled her close. When he lowered his head, she raised hers and gave herself up to his kiss.

A long time later, after making love, sleeping for a while, then waking and making love again, they lay together spoon fashion in P.J.’s bed.

“We fit together nicely,” Alex said, lazily cupping a breast and nuzzling the back of her neck.

“Ummm,” P.J. murmured noncommittally, although she’d been thinking the same thing.

“You’re not going to let our work situation make a difference between us, are you?”

“Depends how things go.” But she already knew she wouldn’t. Because if she made their jobs an issue, she’d have to give him up, and she didn’t want to. Of course, if it became a situation where she could no longer do her job or he could no longer do his, she’d have to rethink her decision.

But for now, at least, she intended to enjoy being with Alex…and not worry about tomorrow.

The next few weeks went by swiftly. Alex kept his promise to keep tabs on Julie, but was relieved when Terrence returned home from his business trip and Alex no longer felt quite as responsible for her.

He and P.J. spent a lot of time together. He took her to movies, they went out to dinner, they fell into the habit of running together after work, and one Saturday afternoon and evening they attended a festival at the local Catholic church.

“I love Ferris wheels,” P.J. said as they stood in line waiting their turn to ride.

Alex smiled down at her. She looked like a kid in her jeans and flip-flops with her hair pulled back in a ponytail.

“I almost came to this festival last year,” she continued.

“Why didn’t you?”

She shrugged, the smile fading. “No one to go with.”

The way she said it made Alex feel tender toward her. She acted so tough most of the time, but he suspected the toughness was a facade to mask deeper feelings.

Maybe she’s lonely, too.

Most people, he’d discovered, presented a face to the world that was not necessarily their real face. He certainly did. No one who knew him socially or in the world of philanthropy would ever guess at the emotions he kept hidden. Even his half-brothers probably had no idea what he was really like, just as he had little idea what made them tick.

“Well, you’ve got me now,” he said, putting his arm around her.

Their eyes met, and Alex could tell she wanted to say something—was actually on the verge of saying something—but just then the line began to move and the moment was lost.

Later that night, Alex awakened to the sound of rain hitting the roof. P.J. was still sleeping soundly. He smiled as he watched her. She looked delectable. There was no other word for it. Her hair tumbled over the pillow, her sleep shirt—which she’d put back on after they’d made love—had ridden up, and her really gorgeous backside was visible. It was all he could do to keep from caressing it, but he knew if he did, he’d wake her. He resisted the temptation. They had all day tomorrow to enjoy each other. He was just drifting back to sleep when his cell phone rang. Groaning, he picked it up off the bedside table and looked at the caller ID.

Julie.

The digital clock on P.J.’s side of the bed read 4:43 a.m.

“Damn,” he muttered, pressing talk and getting out of bed as quietly as he could. “This had better be important,” he whispered, moving toward the hallway.

“Alex,” Julie cried. “I’ve…I’ve been arrested!”

“What? Why?”

“I didn’t do anything, but they won’t listen to me. They hauled me down here to the police station just like a common criminal!”

“Calm down. Why were you arrested?”

“It was a drug raid. I—I was at Sandpipers and some of the kids were doing coke and stuff.”

“Jesus, Julie.” Alex pushed his hair back from his forehead in frustration.

“Well, I wasn’t part of it. I was just there. They had no right to arrest me! Oh, God, I don’t want Mom and Dad to know. Can you come?”

He sighed. “Yes, I’ll come. Where, exactly, are you?”

After she told him, he said, “It’ll be an hour, hour and a half before I get there.”

“Okay,” she said in a small voice. “Thank you, Alex.”

By the time Alex had dressed and gathered his stuff, P.J. was stirring.

“You leaving already?” she said sleepily, sitting up in bed.

“I have to.” He walked around to her side of the bed, leaned down, and kissed her. “I probably won’t get back before noon.”

Her brow furrowed. “Is something wrong?”

“I just got a call from my sister. I’ve got to drive to Seattle and bail her out of jail.”

P.J.’s eyes widened. “What happened?”

“It was a drug bust at a club. Look, I’ve got to get going. I’ll call you later, okay?”

She nodded. “Be careful driving.”

He made it to the precinct where Julie was being held in record time, but even so, it was almost six-thirty before he walked in. It took another thirty minutes before he was allowed to see her.