Forever Branded (Billionaire Love Series #1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

better things to do?” I questioned as he crossed his arms, pursed his lips, and nodded in agreement. “Well, so do I,” I finished in a huff, feeling more perturbed by the minute.
    “Do you always talk like this?” he challenged again.
    Everything coming out of his mouth was just reinforcing my opinion he was a big fat jerk.
    I leveled my angry gaze to his mocking one. “Talk like what?”
    “Like a grown-up. Boring.”
    His words hit their mark.
    I couldn’t believe he was being so rude.
    Who the hell did he think he was?
    Full-blown hurt erupted in my chest as I shot him a hard stare. “Some of us have responsibilities that make us grow up a lot faster than we should have to.” Tears filled my eyes as I ached for my mom for the millionth time. “You shouldn’t make assumptions about people when you know nothing about them!”
    “Whoa. What are you talking about?”
    “Nothing that concerns you.” I wiped at the tears furiously, unwilling to let him see my pain as I grabbed my backpack off the chair. “Thank you for being a jack-ass and making this an easy decision. You got your wish, Shepard. I’m outta here.”
    I didn’t wait for him to say something; I just left, cursing my willing heart.
    Stupid boys.
     
     
    CHAPTER THREE
     
    Beau:
    Life had offered me a pretty sweet ride. I had money, status, and privilege. It bought me whatever I wanted, excused any indiscretion, and included me in a VIP world.
    But I didn’t give a shit.
    None of it really mattered.
    I’d lived for years in a fog after Marla broke up with me. I’d only resurfaced when I had a car accident. It cost me my hockey career, my leg shattering as I wrapped my Ferrari F50 around a tree.
    I was lucky to walk after that.
    Having a near death experience scared me enough to straighten out my life.
    I cut out the heavy partying and channeled my energy into becoming a workaholic and a fuckaholic. When I wasn’t at the office or working out, I was screwing every hot woman in Baltimore, trying to get Marla out of my head.
    I could still remember how her soft skin tasted, the breathy pitched moans she made as we went at it. It haunted me at times, even in the middle of a great fuck.
    Marla was my first.
    For everything.
    I’d loved her so hard, I’d come apart at the seams when she left me. 
    I’d never been the same since.
    Now, I just wanted to punish her.
    Especially after seeing her at that party.
    After all these years, she still took my breath away as she stood there wide-eyed. My blood ran hot and I wanted to make her squeal like the naughty girl she was hiding under the modest black dress she wore.
    A rush of dirty flashbacks ran through my mind, mostly of her opening wide and welcoming me in. I had to control my first instinct to run over, scoop her up, and lay a hard kiss on her sweet, lush mouth.
    I had never gotten over her.
    I knew it. I lived with it.
    I should have been able to let her go and move on.
    But she became ground zero for me when she blasted a hole the size of Texas in my heart. For now, I would settle for fucking her up, the way she had so easily done to me.
    After I left the party and dumped the disappointed redhead back at her apartment, I sped off in my bright blue Bugatti Veyron as I high-tailed it across town. I had better things to do than waste my time dealing with her shit anyway. She was starting to look at me as if we were more than fuck buddies.
    We weren’t ever going to be more than that.
    I would never trust a woman again.
    Not worth it.
    I headed back to the Gators headquarters, where I conducted most of my business. Located in a high-rise, I keyed in my code and made my way up to the fifty-second floor in my private elevator.
    As I set foot into the Gators office, everybody perked up.
    The boss was in.
    I passed a couple of women smiling in my direction, while men nodded in respect through the glass-plated walls of their offices.
    Power was good.
    Walking into my spacious office which overlooked