Tempted by the Billionaire: A Hometown Hero Series Novel Read Online Free PDF Page A

his, drawing his attention to her face. Her sorrow was real. None of the coldness he’d come to expect from her was in evidence. In fact, the hint of tears moistened her eyes. “I’m so, so, sorry.”
    He nodded gruffly, and pulled his hand away. “Thanks.”
    She took the hint, and surreptitiously wiped her eyes. “So you signed up after that?”
    “Yeah. Three tours and a bullet in my leg got me relieved from active service.”
    She thought of the bullet. And his leg. And the strength that was evident in every step he took. “You sound sorry about that.”
    Was he? “There’s a lot more to do yet. A lot of soldiers out there doing it. I feel like I’m letting them down by being here. Eating sandwiches with a beautiful woman, overlooking a stunning ocean.” He sighed, and put an arm along the back of the chair. Presumably, he was striving only for comfort, but the action brought his fingertips so close to her shoulder. If Willow shifted even slightly, they’d be touching. She made sure to stay perfectly still.
    “And the bullet in your leg situation means you won’t go back?”
    “That’s right. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t be able to. Best I could hope for is administrative duty.”
    “So what will you do?”
    Matt’s frown was deep, as his eyes scanned the glistening ocean beyond them. “That, Willow, is a mystery.” His destiny had, in many ways, been marked long ago. The expectation that he would join the family business was felt by everyone. Everyone, that was, but him. What did he want with an airline? His interest in flying was limited to choppers in battle zones. He’d shied away from the air force. There was no way someone like Mattias McCain could fly under the radar for long. And now? With his father dead, and Matt’s military career at an end, the shiny Chairman position was his. If he dared to take it.
    Willow leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees but angling her head to look back at him. “Come on. You must have some idea?”
    He slipped his glance to her face, his pale blue eyes challenging hers. “The army was always my number one. When the towers went down, it became more of an imperative.” He shrugged. “And you, Willow?”
    “Oh.” She blinked. She’d lived in Haymarket Bay for four years now, and everyone in town knew who she was and what she did. It was a rare novelty to meet someone who wasn’t familiar with the work of Willow St Clare. “Anna didn’t say?”
    He shook his head slowly from side to side, the same bemused expression on his face that she’d seen when he’d been pondering how the heck to get into the Berries’ home.
    “Right. I’m a writer.”
    “A writer?”
    She nodded.
    “A writer of what?”
    Willow hadn’t had to tell anyone about herself for so long that she felt self-conscious doing so now. “Um, have you heard of the Ancient Hero Quest?”
    “Those books that are in all the airport shops?”
    Her smile was just a hint on her lips. She focussed her gaze on the horizon again, and leaned back against the seat. His fingers brushed against her shoulder but she didn’t flinch away. “Yeah. They’re mainly for young adults.” She shrugged. “Mystery stories. Adventures. History lessons disguised as mystery.”
    He laughed deeply. “That’s great. Congratulations.”
    “Thanks.”
    “Writing must be interesting work.”
    She nodded. “It’s not the writing. It’s… I mean, it’s the coolest job in the world.” Her cheeks flushed pink. “I get paid to indulge my imagination to its natural conclusion.” Her grin broadened. “I mean, I get so caught up in my characters’ quests that sometimes I don’t emerge from my home for days on end. It’s awesome.”
    He nodded, completely knocked sideways by the way her sense of passion changed her features. It took over her face, making her glow and shine. He let his eyes drop lower, to her smiling lips, and felt a kick of awareness in his gut. “I’d love to read one,” he