Cinderella's Billion-Dollar Christmas

Nick peeked at him. “You’re not allowed to pitch your company either.”

Jace raised his hands in disgust. “Got the same sermon you did.”

“Then you know the problem with the will. After a few charitable bequests, Mark divides the remainder of his estate between his first child and any subsequent heirs. A good lawyer could argue that that gives Mark’s first child half, with the other half split between the other two kids. Danny wants to be the one to explain it to Elenore.”

Jace sniffed. “How the hell can pitching our companies’ services affect that stupid clause?”

“He just wants to be sure we don’t accidentally say something we shouldn’t.”

“That’s ridiculous.” Jace growled.

Nick totally understood his frustration, but he didn’t want to do anything that could make trouble for Danny. “Look, you knew Mark. He was a good guy. Nine chances out of ten, he wanted that estate distributed equally among his heirs. I’m sure Danny has a plan to get all three of Mark’s kids on board with that. That’s why he doesn’t want us talking to her. Muddying the waters.”

“Right.” Jace pulled the gear shift out of Park and headed toward the interstate. “There isn’t a hotel or even a bed and breakfast in this town. I’ll drive you up the highway until we find one, then I have to get back here to figure out a way to hide myself and this boat of an SUV we rented so I can watch her tonight.”

Nick winced. “Sorry. I couldn’t talk her into leaving today.”

“Not to worry. I’ll deal with it. How are you going to handle the fact that she wanted time to check you out?” He laughed. “What’s she going to find when she does a search on you?”

Nick faced the window. “Nothing.”

“You’re sure? The guy they call the New Wolf of Wall Street doesn’t have a skeleton?”

Nick said, “No skeleton,” but he lied. He’d talked his only brother into going out on a night when the roads were icy. A former Navy SEAL, he counted on himself to be one of the best drivers in unusual situations. But a combination of icy roads and other cars had bested him that night, and his only sibling had been killed.

But that was five years ago, and he didn’t think the story even popped up in internet searches anymore.

“Come on. Nobody meets a guy like Hinton without a story.”

“I did.”

That part was true. He’d met Mark Hinton in Dubai. They’d gambled. They’d skydived. They’d talked money. Especially investment strategy. In Nick’s world, there was nothing special about any of that. After Mark decided to trust Kourakis Money Management with most of his fortune, they’d had meetings on his yachts or while fishing in the Florida Keys. They drank tequila, talked about his financial goals and even about the kids who were now Mark’s heirs. Though never while Mark was sober. Powerful men didn’t admit weakness or failures without a nudge. Mark’s nudge was alcohol. With enough tequila, Mark would talk about his kids—without mentioning their names—and Nick would nurse his regret and sorrow over his brother’s death. That was why Mark was comfortable with Nick. Even with a thirty-year age difference, they understood each other. Understood mistakes. Understood regret.

Even now, it trickled from his subconscious to the front of his brain. He’d been too confident, cocky even. His brother hadn’t wanted to go out that night. His parents hadn’t wanted them to go. But he’d been so sure—

He was always so sure.

After Joe’s death, he’d had to stop jet-setting, return to New York and take over the family business.

But he was still the same guy deep down inside. Instead of taking risks on the slopes or in the sky, he played with money.

And no one beat him.

Ever.

He’d gotten so good at what he did that he liked it. Until he recalled the reason why he was the “New Wolf.” Even now, the grief of losing his brother sent guilt oozing through him.

He didn’t understand what had happened to him in that diner that he’d forgotten Joe, forgotten his guilt and laughed with someone he barely knew. But when they returned to New York, he’d be focused again, diligent. If he was going to lose even part of the Hinton money when the estate was settled and one or two of the heirs decided to hire new money management, he’d have to find big investors to replace it.

He would not let his parents down twice.

Leni’s mom only worked until two o’clock, but Leni’s shift didn’t end until three. Having evaded her questions about Nick Kourakis, taking Nick’s warnings seriously about the complications of people finding out she might be an heiress, Leni raced home and found her parents in the kitchen.

“Hey.”

Sitting at the center island, her dad looked up from his newspaper.

Her mom glanced over from the stove. “Hey. Finally going to tell us what the guy in the overcoat wanted?”

Leni forced a smile. Denise and Jake Long had adopted her when she was in the gangly stage for a little girl. No longer an adorable infant or cute toddler, with a bit of a history of being difficult at school, most potential parents overlooked her. The Longs had given her a home, made her their daughter. Now she didn’t merely know she had a biological mom out there somewhere who had given her up; she might have had a rich dad who hadn’t wanted her at all.

Once again, she thanked God for her adoptive parents.

She took a seat beside her dad. “First, what I’m about to say is a secret. So, you can’t tell anybody.”

Her mom said, “Okay,” as her dad nodded.

“The guy in the overcoat was Nick Kourakis. He owns a management firm in New York, and he told me that I might have inherited some money.”

Her dad’s weathered face brightened. A lifelong construction worker, he had wrinkles around his eyes that appeared when he smiled. “Well, that’s great!”

Her mother gasped and walked over from the stove to hug Leni. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not assured. I have to go to New York. There will also be a DNA test to confirm my identity. Honestly, I won’t quite believe all this is true until DNA says I’m an heir. So, our not mentioning this to anybody protects me from embarrassing myself if it doesn’t pan out.”

Part of her almost wished it wouldn’t. If her biological father had been a struggling factory worker, she could have understood him not being able to take responsibility for her, but a guy who was rich and not paying child support, forcing her mom to give her up when she got sick? When it was a decision between the medicine she needed and feeding her child?

It was demeaning, insulting, infuriating.

She’d have to deal with that if Mark Hinton really was her biological father. Those feelings would all go away if he wasn’t.

Her dad leaned back in his chair. “It’s always good not to get your hopes up, Kitten. But maybe this family’s due for some good luck?”

And that was the catch. Part of her would like to tell Nick Kourakis to take her biological dad’s money and shove it. She was educated now. She had a career path. She would be fine.

But her parents wouldn’t.

They’d never ask her for a dime, but she wouldn’t make them ask. If she’d inherited enough money to care for her dad, she wanted it.

“Okay.” She slid off her chair. “I’m going upstairs to do some investigating into everything. I’m not getting on a plane with a guy I don’t know.”

Her dad smiled. “That’s smart, my girl.”

The simple comment hit her right in the heart. She was his girl. His girl. Not the child of some sperm donor who’d never even checked to see if she was okay.

That was not a father.

Almost twenty-four hours from when Leni had met him, Nick Kourakis and a man she didn’t recognize pulled into the driveway of the Long residence in the big, black SUV. Nick had looked up her parents’ home phone number and called her the night before to say they’d be leaving at ten o’clock. He’d given her time to research him and his firm, to talk to her parents and to pack for a couple weeks in Manhattan, but that was it. They needed to get her safely to New York.

Her breath frosty in the cold, last-day-of-November air, she hugged and kissed her short, curly-haired mom and balding dad, saying goodbye at the front door of their house, her conflicted feelings about Mark Hinton dogging her.

Nick handed Danny Manelli’s business card to her parents, telling them that he was the lawyer in charge of the estate and if they had any questions, they could call him. Then he introduced her to Jace MacDonald, the guy in the black leather jacket who directed her to the back seat of the SUV. Nick got in beside her.

She frowned at the empty passenger’s seat in the front.

“Jace owns Around the World Security. He’ll be your bodyguard while you’re in New York.”

She gaped at Nick. “Bodyguard?”

Jace caught her gaze in the rearview mirror. “Trust me. If you’re worth billions, you’ll need one.”

She huffed out a breath. “Billions?”

Nick laughed. “Yes. Mark Hinton had billions. With an s. Plural. As in many billions.”

“I know. I researched him last night, too. It’s just so hard to believe.”

She shook her head and looked out the window. The guy had billions and he had left her mom so broke she’d had to put Leni into foster care.

The insult of it stiffened her spine.

Jace made a few turns and they headed north. Twenty minutes later, he pulled the SUV onto a private airstrip. When they drove up to a sleek red and silver jet, she gasped. “Holy cow.”

Nick laughed. “That plane is nothing. I’m just a simple billionaire.”

She knew that, too. She’d spent forty minutes the night before reading about how successful the investment arm of his family’s money management firm was. What she hadn’t expected was that they’d be riding in his plane. Not when her biological father was supposed to have so much money.

Something about that just seemed off.

She faced Nick again. “This plane is yours?”

“Yes.”

He glanced over, catching her gaze, and her breath shivered.

Damn it. Now was not the time to be feeling that stupid attraction she had to him. Not only did he seem to be in charge of her, but she was too confused about her potential biological dad to add an attraction into the mix. Plus, there was something wrong with Nick using his own plane to get her. This was not the man to be attracted to.

Jace exited the SUV and came around to her door to open it. She climbed out at the same time Nick did.

Nick led her to the small stack of stairs and into the jet. She had to hold back a gasp when she stepped inside. Three small groupings of white leather seats were arranged around the large cabin. The little windows had elegant gray shades. A silver and black bar sat discreetly in a back corner. A rich red carpet covered the floor.

She took a slow, measured breath. She could not be a country bumpkin about this. She had to stay sharp.

Pretending a calm she didn’t feel, she stopped by the first group of seats and slid out of her worn leather jacket.

Behind her, Nick said, “The flight’s about three hours. Then, because we use an airstrip outside the city, we’ll have about an hour-and-a-half limo ride.”

“Limo ride?” She swallowed, picturing her blue-collar self, in her ancient leather jacket and worn jeans, getting into a limo.

He took her coat and handed it to the flight attendant who scurried to the back of the jet with it.

“Don’t worry. You’ll acclimate. After a day or two in New York, you’ll realize a limo’s the easiest way to get around the city. Just like this jet is the most comfortable way to get from place to place.”

He motioned to the rear of the cabin. “The first room you walk into back there is a kitchen. If you want a snack you just ask Marie, but she’ll be serving lunch at noon. So, a snack might not be a good idea. Beyond that is an office-slash-den, complete with a pullout bed. Jace will probably go back there once we take off.” He winced. “He stayed up most of the night keeping an eye on your house. He’ll need the nap.”

“He stayed up all night?”

“That’s his job, remember?”

She did. She simply hadn’t connected him being a bodyguard to him sitting in his SUV all night watching her house.

“You’ll get used to it. For now, settle in. Get accustomed to the convenience that’s your new lifestyle.”

She couldn’t fathom riding in a limo let alone owning a jet. “If I’m an heir.”

“The lawyer for the estate all but said your DNA test is only a formality.” He pointed to the rear of the plane. “I have some work to do, so I’ll be back there if there’s anything you need.”

He turned to leave but she said, “Why are we in your jet instead of one of my dad’s?”

Nick faced her again. “What?”

“Why are we using your jet instead of one of Mark Hinton’s?”

“We’re not using one of Mark’s jets because we’re not using anything belonging to Hinton Holdings.”

“Why?”

He sighed. “We don’t want to alert anyone that we might have found an heir before we confirm you.”

“Because?”

This time he pulled in a long breath, obviously losing patience with her questions. “This estate is worth so much money that everyone in the world is curious about who you are. Danny devised a plan to find the heirs and keep you safe. Not using estate property is part of it. If we start using jets or houses and cars, people will know something is up and begin snooping. The longer we can keep the press and curiosity seekers at bay, the better.”

She held the gaze of his dark eyes for a second, then she shook her head. She didn’t think he was lying. But she did know he hadn’t told her everything. Until her DNA results were back, she probably didn’t have the right to push him. But she would watch him, pay attention to every word he said, because there was definitely something going on with him.

Nick breathed a sigh of relief as he headed to the seat in the back of the plane. He didn’t mind her questions. They were generic enough that he could answer them. It was her nearness that threw him for a loop. He was smarter than this, more in control. His whole body shouldn’t buzz just because they were standing close.

He reached the plush leather seat, but before he sat, he realized he’d forgotten his briefcase. He returned to the front and opened the overhead bin above the seat Leni had chosen.

She glanced up at him, her thick lashes blinking over her sultry green eyes, her long brown hair sort of floating around her.

“Forgot my briefcase,” he explained, trying not to stumble over his words. “I kept it on the plane, thinking we’d be leaving yesterday.”

She smiled in acknowledgment and his heart went from pitter-patter to a drum solo in one breath.

Stifling a groan, he headed to the rear of the cabin again, eager to return to New York to lose these crazy feelings he had around her. Part of it had to be surprise over how pretty she was. Mark Hinton wasn’t even a five on a scale of one to ten, but apparently Leni’s mother had been a twelve.

The other part was just plain attraction. Serious lust. Something biological that sprang up before he could control it.

So, it was wrong.

Had to be.

He didn’t get out-of-control feelings and he sure as hell never let emotions rule him.

A movement in the front caught his attention and he peeked up to see Leni get out of her seat to put her purse in the overhead bin. Her head fell back as she reached up, sending all that thick, shiny hair bouncing.

This time he allowed himself an internal groan.

This was crazy.

For the first time since Danny had laid down the rules for Nick’s trip to retrieve Leni, he was glad he’d been ordered to keep his distance from her. Because whatever he was feeling, he didn’t want it. He had priorities, a company to run, parents to keep happy. He couldn’t afford the weakness of a hellishly strong attraction.

He put his head down and went to work and didn’t look up until hours later when the jet began to descend. Choosing not to go up to the overhead bin again, he secured his briefcase under his seat, fastened his seat belt and waited for the jet to slide onto the ground, relieved that he only had a little over an hour more in her company. He would leave her with Danny and never look back.

CHAPTER THREE

GIVEN THE TIME difference between Kansas and New York, it was almost three o’clock when they landed in New York. Leni had eaten a fabulous lunch, served by Marie, prepared by a chef hiding somewhere in the back. Leni hadn’t seen her luggage since climbing into the SUV in Mannington, but she suspected someone had handled it. Nick had said to settle in and get comfortable with luxury...but, come on. A chef who had flown from New York to Mannington and from Mannington back to New York, just to make lunch? On a jet? For her?

It boggled the mind.

They boarded a limo and headed for the city, Leni feeling totally out of place in her worn jacket and jeans. Though Christmas decorations in shop windows, on streetlights and clinging to parking meters gave the area a familiar feel, she had never seen so many buildings in such a small place.

But she didn’t mention it. She didn’t want to be attracted to Nick or to mistrust him. But, unfortunately, she felt both things, and mistrust trumped attraction. She wouldn’t say anything around him that she didn’t have to.

When they pulled up to a building so tall that she couldn’t see the top of it, Nick said, “Our first appointment... Your lawyer.”

“My lawyer?”

“The lawyer for the estate.”

She gasped. “I’m in jeans! You should have told me I’d be meeting him this afternoon. I thought I was only flying here today!”

“You’re fine. You’re a blue-collar woman who’s just been told she might be a billionaire. You don’t have to put on airs.”

“Lucky thing, since I hadn’t given a thought to trying that.”

The driver opened the back door. Nick climbed out first and extended his hand to help her exit the limo.

Light snow fell around him, and he pulled her out into it. The shiny white flakes collecting on his dark hair reminded her of seeing him getting out of the SUV and walking to the diner, huddled against the falling snow. All the feelings from the day before came tumbling back. Her attraction. Their small talk. Laughing together.

Close enough to kiss him, she fought the magnetic pull that tried to lure her in, but it was her mistrust that fluttered away. Before she’d known who he was, she’d told Nick about needing to move to Topeka and he’d told her that his family owned a money management firm and he’d had a rebellious streak.

They’d formed a connection and she felt it again, as clearly as if they were still in the diner.

She stepped back, trying to get rid of it and the fears that rushed at her when she realized where she was and why. It didn’t work. All her worries tumbled out, even as the sense of connection to Nick held on.

“All I can think about is being embarrassed or scared when it’s announced that I’m an heir. Doing something stupid, making a fool of myself—”

He stopped her by putting his hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eye. “You don’t have anything to be embarrassed about. And as for being scared, from the couple of hours I’ve known you, I can tell you’re strong. You can do this.”

His dark eyes had sharpened with a strength that sent a shot of attraction from her chest to her toes. This was the Nick she’d made a connection with. The nice guy. The guy she’d liked.

She had to swallow before she could say, “Okay.”

He took her elbow and directed her toward the building. She swore heat from his touch seeped through her worn leather jacket and to her skin. She didn’t know what it was about him that seemed to draw her in, but whatever it was, it was powerful.

A tiny part of her whispered that her feelings were right. That she could trust him. That she should trust him.

She really wanted to believe that, especially walking up to a building with so many floors jutting up to the sky she couldn’t count them, fancy pillars carved into the exterior walls and a sophisticated medallion resting over the entry like a royal crest.

When they reached the revolving door, her knees wobbled and she was grateful for Nick’s hand at her elbow. He released her when they stepped into a lobby with marble floors and red and white poinsettias scattered about. No plastic wreaths. No gaudy ornaments. No blinking lights. Just tasteful flowers. And twenty or thirty people dressed as sophisticatedly as Nick.

Her thoughts scrambled again. He only touched her when she needed help, barely spoke, had ignored her on the plane. He might be the guy from the diner, but he wasn’t always nice. He had a job to do—get her to New York—and he was doing it.

She had to stop imagining good things about him.

They walked past a bank of elevators to another row hidden around a corner. These elevators had keypads and Nick had to punch in a series of numbers on the third one for the doors to open.

A man in a power suit came out of the second elevator, followed by a woman in a pencil skirt and silky blouse, visible because her fancy wool coat was unbuttoned. Like people on a mission, they bounded around the corner and off to parts unknown.

She sucked in a long breath, straightened her old jacket and smoothed her hand along the high collar of her turtleneck, hoping it looked newer than it was. Because, man, she was seriously underdressed.

When they stepped out of the elevator into an office, she didn’t just think it. She knew it. A wall of glass behind the desk displayed a view of Manhattan that made her breath stutter. The buildings looked close enough to touch. And with so much glass surrounding the room she felt like she was walking on air.

A short, slender woman opened the door on the far left and peeked inside. “Hey, Nick. Could you come into my office for a second?”

Nick glanced at Leni and she forced a smile. “I’m fine. Maybe I’ll go over to the window and try to see inside the office across the street.”

Nick stifled a laugh, but just barely. Leni had to be the most naturally funny, most open person he’d ever met. He couldn’t help comforting her when she’d admitted how afraid she was, but he’d kept his solace short and simple. Because in another ten minutes, he’d be back on that elevator, heading for his own office. His favor for his friend completed. His sanity restored.

He followed Danny’s assistant, Mary Catherine, into her office. She pointed at the phone on her desk. “I have Mr. Manelli on the line.”

Confusion stopped him where he was. “On the line? He was supposed to be here waiting for us.”

She skirted her desk and headed for the hallway. “Why don’t you let him explain?”

When she was gone, Nick picked up the receiver of the desk phone and said, “Where the hell are you?”

“Stuck in court. Remember the trial I told you I would be getting a continuance on? The reason I needed you to be the one to retrieve Elenore Long instead of me? Well, the judge didn’t go for the continuance. I’m stuck here.”

“Stuck there?”

“The judge thinks there’s no reason to postpone a trial that won’t last more than a few days. It’s corporate stuff. Everybody’s prepared to the max. It will take a day or two to get through it.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because we can’t let Elenore Long sit alone in a hotel room this afternoon, tonight and all day tomorrow.”