Leanne Banks - Billionaires Galore! - Bedded by the Billionaire

Max seemed to sense the change in her mood and signed for the check and escorted her from the dining room. She hated sharing the close space of the elevator, but getting into the Ferrari with him was far more excruciating. The darkness closed around them, creating a veil of intimacy.

Every time he shifted gears, her gaze strayed to his hand tightening around the knob. His long legs flexed as he accelerated and pushed in the clutch. Despite her hostility, she couldn’t help noticing a commanding sensuality with the way he drove the luxury sports car. He would be a commanding, demanding lover, she knew, but he would also make sure his partner was satisfied. In fact, she suspected a woman might never be the same once she’d shared a bed with Max.

As soon as he pulled into the garage and came to a stop, she turned to unlock her door. The second after she hit the button, the automatic lock clicked again, effectively trapping her in the car with Max. Inhaling a shallow breath, she caught a draft of his masculine scent with just a hint of cologne.

Although she fought its effect on her, she couldn’t deny feeling light-headed and entirely too aware of him as a man. “What do you want?” she asked without turning to look at him.

“You haven’t had a chance to read my attorney’s proposal, so you can’t be upset about it. But you haven’t said a word since we left the restaurant. Why?”

She stiffened her resolve against his gentle, reasonable voice. “You don’t seem to understand. My baby is not for sale.”

Three seconds of silence passed before she felt his hand on her arm. “Look at me. You can’t really believe that I intend to buy your child.”

She reluctantly faced him. “Why should I believe anything else? You’ve been trying to cram money down my throat since the first time I met you. In exchange for control of my child.” She willed herself to keep her voice from wavering. “You said I should find this agreement more palatable. You don’t seem to understand that it doesn’t matter how much money you pile onto the agreement, I’m not giving up my baby to you.”

He stared at her in shock. “Is that what you think? That the new agreement is about money? It isn’t. It gives you far more rights than the previous one. Good God, do you really think I’m that much of an ogre?”

Glimpsing his sincerity, she bit her lip in confusion. “I didn’t know what else to think. You invite me to a fabulous dinner where you act as if you’re actually enjoying my company then slap me with a contract.”

“Of course I enjoyed dinner with you. Otherwise, I could have left the contract with one of my staff to give to you. And I wanted you to have my contact numbers. This is my last night in town for a while. I wanted to spend it with you.”

Her heart hammered against her rib cage and she shook her head. “You’re confusing me. I don’t know what you want from me,” she said. “Other than to sign your agreement.”

He looked into her eyes for a long moment then his gaze traveled to her lips and lingered. He lifted his gaze again to hers and she felt scorched by the desire she saw there.

“You want to know what I want from you?” he asked in a low voice. Then he lowered his head and took her mouth. He slid one of his hands under her jaw and cupped her face as if she were both precious and sensuous. The gesture undid her.

He devoured her mouth in dizzying kisses as he gently rubbed his hands down her neck, massaging her taut muscles.

His kiss turned her body into a bow of tension, eager for him. His massaging fingers gentled her, clouding her mind, making her willing to do whatever he wanted.

His mouth continued to take hers while his fingers drifted across her collarbone and lower to the tops of her breasts. She felt her nipples strain against the cups of her bra. Restlessness and need swelled inside her.

He paused a half beat then slid his fingertips beneath the top of her blouse, brushing them over her sensitized nipples. She gasped in pleasure at the sensation.

He pulled his hands from her breasts and placed them on her shoulders. He pulled his mouth a breath away from hers and it was all she could do to keep from asking him not to stop.

“I want you,” he said against her mouth. “I want you in every way you can imagine and probably a few you can’t. But now is not the time.” He slid one of his hands through her hair. “Promise me that you’ll take care of yourself while I’m away. No taking chances. And call me if you need me.”

Lilli closed her eyes. She’d felt the power of his desire. What frightened her was the fact that her desire for him matched his. What frightened her even more was the very real possibility that she could need Max in ways he would never dream.

Two and a half weeks later, Lilli dragged herself from her little car up the steps from the mansion’s garage. Her back and legs had been aching all day. She felt tired and cranky and, heaven help her, she missed Max. He called frequently, and every time, she felt the tension between them twist a little tighter.

She’d spent more than one night flirting with the forbidden fantasy of Max being the father of her child. Right now, though, all she wanted to focus on was getting a sandwich, taking a shower and going to bed.

Stepping into the foyer, she stopped and drank in a moment of peace and quiet then walked toward the kitchen.

“Surprise!” a chorus of voices called, startling her so much she dropped her water bottle and purse.

Her friends clapped in delight.

“We did it,” her best friend Dee crowed. “We surprised you.”

“Yes, you did.” Lilli felt some of her weariness fade away and smiled. “How did you pull this off?”

“Because we’re your brilliant friends, of course,” Dee said. “And I think Mallory here has a magic wand. She knew how to deal with the staff, and just wait until you see the cake she brought.”

“Cake?” Lilli echoed and gave Mallory a hug as the woman walked toward her. She’d enjoyed a few lunches with Mallory during the last two weeks and Lilli already had a soft spot for the woman. “You shouldn’t have.”

“It’s nothing. I’m just glad to be a part of all this. Now come in and sit down. Let me get you some sherbet punch.”

After Lilli opened the gifts for her and the baby, Mallory presented Lilli with a large sheet cake decorated with a baby in a blue buggy inscribed with frosted letters, “Happy Baby, Lilli!” The cake was lit with one candle.

“Make a wish and blow out the candle,” Mallory said.

“But it’s not my birthday.”

“It’s your first baby. You can add more candles when you have more babies.”

Lilli looked at her in horror. “More?”

“Okay, let’s just focus on one, then,” Mallory quickly amended. “Make a wish and blow out the candle.”

Lilli closed her eyes and wished for a safe and easy delivery and good health for her baby. Secretly, she wished for a father for her child. An image of the man she would choose appeared in her mind. She blinked, pushing aside the thought. Crazy and impossible, she thought. Must be the hormones.

Just after she opened the last gift, the room abruptly turned silent.

“Major hot guy alert,” Dee whispered.

Lilli turned to see Max standing in the doorway, a wrapped package in his hand. “Max,” she said, stunned. “I thought you were still traveling.”

“I just got back thirty minutes ago. You didn’t tell me you were having a baby shower,” he said in a lightly chastising tone.

Lilli drank in the sight of him. Holding her breath, she wondered if he had looked forward to seeing her again as much as she had looked forward to having him back home. She wondered if he still wanted her the same way he had before.