Bidding on the Billionaire Read Online Free PDF Page B

as fact.
    He dropped his hand and arched a brow. “Has it ever been?”
    She shrugged, offhanded and dismissive, but her stiff posture answered the question even before her response left her mouth. Someone had hurt her.
    “Once or twice. I’ve been teased, stared at, and gossiped about enough to know this sort of thing bothers some people. The scars are deep and all the makeup in the world can’t hide them. On top of the lies I told you, I wouldn’t blame you if you change your mind.”
    Disappointment surged through him and his heart clenched. So she’d dealt with them, too, those shallow people who couldn’t see beyond their own noses. A wave of anger followed on its heels. Somebody had made her believe she wasn’t beautiful the way she was, and it pissed him off.
    Knowing she wouldn’t believe him, he set out to prove he wasn’t like the other men in her life.
    “We all have our secrets. I have my own, and when the time is right, I’ll share them.” He had to admit the thought of telling her about Ethan made his stomach tighten. Would she judge him for the choices he’d made all those years ago? Any other time, he might have kept the secret to himself. After all, their relationship was temporary, little more than a fling. But she’d shared with him. He had to give her the same trust in return. He didn’t, however, want to do it now.
    Her gaze darted in his direction, but the mistrust didn’t disappear from her face, and she didn’t otherwise move. He was going to have to prove it to her.
    Decision made, he slid his hands onto her hips and over the curve of her behind, pulling her into him. Despite her clear mistrust, she went willingly. To passersby, it would look like an embrace, like a man greeting his girlfriend, but he arched his hips, pushing his straining erection into the softness of her stomach enough that she could feel it. He needed her to know he found her beautiful, and he could think of only one way to do it, given the nature of their relationship.
    Hannah gasped. His breath halted as his entire body focused on hers. He’d fantasized so many times about this moment, when he’d have her in his arms. Now he had her and he couldn’t concentrate worth a damn. At least not about anything except the desperate desire to drag her back to his hotel room and sink into her velvet heat. He wanted to get to know every inch of her skin, her every reaction, and he yearned to bring her more pleasure than she’d ever had.
    Managing to find his brain again, he leaned his head beside her ear. A soft, lavender scent wafted over him. He had the overwhelming desire to search out every spot she’d dabbed the luscious scent. “See what you to do me? Does this feel like a man who’s disappointed by what he sees? The thought of meeting you has had me hard all day, but this particular erection is from watching you walk across the courtyard. Do you have any idea how sexy your ass swings when you walk or how phenomenal you look in those jeans?”
    She drew in a shuddering breath. Her stiff posture softened, and she leaned into him. “For what it’s worth, I didn’t know who you were until you told me. We agreed to no names, nothing to identify each other by, remember? It’s part of the rules I live by. Truth is, your money doesn’t mean a whole lot to me. Money pays the bills, but it can’t buy happiness. Or love.”
    He had to admit she impressed him. She might have lied about certain aspects of herself, but he could understand why. He’d done the same.
    “I agree. I might have been born into it, but I work hard for every penny. I earned my position. My father didn’t hand it to me. In fact, he made me work harder because of it, made me prove myself to the other partners in the firm.” Unable to help himself, he raked his teeth over her earlobe, then soothed the bite with a stroke of his tongue. “Are you wet, Hannah?”
    Her fingers curled around his biceps, where she held on to him. A soft shiver ran