Protecting The Billionaire Read Online Free PDF

back.”
    Interesting logic, but if it worked for him, who was she to argue?
    “I heard Rock’s accompanying you tonight.” Jake took his coffee off the tray before anything else and took a sip.
    Charlie looked up at her as she covered her shoulder and chest so Garret could nurse. “Addie’s brother at the restaurant Friday night? How did that happen?”
    Trent had a big mouth. Her sister-in-law wouldn’t have told Jake that little bit of news. “Not long after you two left, Charles walked in and saw us. I lied and said Rock was my boyfriend. Now he expects to see us together at the fundraiser.”
    “Why did you tell him that?” Jake asked, releasing his coffee long enough to rip open a bag of potato chips.
    “I didn’t want him asking me out again. I’ve told him a bunch of times I’m not interested, but he doesn’t get the message. I thought, if he believed I had a boyfriend, he’d leave me alone. If I’d known he bought a ticket to the fundraiser, I wouldn’t have said anything.” Allison grabbed a potato chip from the bag her cousin held toward her. “And it’s not like I can skip it. Rock was nice enough to agree to go when I asked him.”
    “How long ago did you and Charles break up?” Charlie asked.
    “Some time before Halloween, so five or six months ago. And he’s been pestering me ever since.” She wondered why she’d dated him for so long in the first place.
    Jake paused between bites of his sandwich to speak. “And he’s still bugging you? Most guys would’ve gotten the hint by now.”
    If the tables were reversed, she would’ve gotten the hint a long time ago. Then again, Charles was unique. “Maybe seeing me with someone else will be that final push he needs to get it through his thick head.”
    ***
     
    After slipping on the new gown she’d purchased for the fundraiser, Allison stepped in front of the mirror. With the exception of the frown reflecting back at her, she liked what she saw. Prior to two nights ago, she’d been looking forward to the evening. In general, she loved parties and fundraisers. She enjoyed the interaction with people and simply found it fun to slip on a gorgeous dress and go out. Unfortunately, Charles’s announcement Friday killed her enthusiasm for tonight’s event. She’d even tried to come up with a good excuse, which her conscious would accept to get her out of it. Plenty of other Sherbrookes would be in attendance. In the end though, she’d known she couldn’t skip this one. When she’d left the hospital, Jake had still been up in the air about attending, even though Charlie kept insisting he should go. Allison knew he didn’t want to leave his wife and new son’s side, even if only for a short time. If Jake didn’t attend, she more or less became the foundation’s official representative tonight.
    On the bright side, at least she wouldn’t be showing up alone, which meant Charles wouldn’t pester her all night like he had at the Brown’s Christmas party. That night he’d hung around her so much, several people asked her later if they’d gotten back together. Tonight though, with Addie’s brother by her side, Charles would keep his distance. Charles was an intelligent, power-driven man, but more or less a wimp. He wouldn’t risk making Rock angry by hitting on his girlfriend.
    At the thought of Rock, Allison’s reflection smiled back at her. In the past, she’d dated sophisticated, professional men. Men who had attended Ivy League Universities and who now spent their days putting more money in their already impressive bank accounts, not that there was anything wrong with that. The same description more or less fit her brothers too. However, since she’d started work with the Falmouth Foundation, she found herself bored with those types of men. Perhaps that explained why she was eager to see Rock again tonight. She didn’t know much about him, but she looked forward to learning more.
    Allison added all she could fit into her