The Billionaire's Bride (Complete Collection) Read Online Free PDF Page B

me.
    “Looks like fun time is over,” she said, pointing ahead. Brent's bald head was blinding from way out there. We were having too much fun. He jumped and waved for us to come ashore.
    It was time to do my bidding.

Chapter 4
    Tia
    I t was a while since I'd last been kissed.
    I had never been kissed like that.
    He was forceful, but smooth. His tongue ran across mine like he meant to take all of me. The way my arousal blossomed when he touched me, I thought for sure that he already had me. Only when we broke away, and I was given a second to comprehend what was happening, my rational mind returned.
    I thought he melted it to mush, but my brain was in there somewhere, and I was glad I eventually listened to it. No matter how hot and heavy that kiss had been, it was important to remember who had delivered it. Lucas. Billionaire. A man who was about to have a buffet line of girls offered to him.
    He had it easy. He thought he could take me just as easily. I bet he'd done that trick a thousand times. Take a clueless girl out on his jet ski, let them fall, and then sweep in to be their savior.
    I wasn't clueless.
    I changed back into my clothes, but my hair was still a mess, and my makeup ruined. It didn't matter. I would be leaving soon anyway.
    When I stepped back out, the sun had begun to set, casting a golden glow over Lucas, standing before me in his white shirt and khakis, towering over me like a Greek god. He swept a hand through his wet mane, somehow streaking it in just the perfect way for it to fall back to normal. Jealous. I was so jealous.
    It would be forever until my hair was dry and presentable.
    “That was fun,” I said matter-of-factly. “Thank you. I'll always remember that.”
    He pressed his hands in his pockets. He wistfully picked his gaze up from the sand.
    “It sounds like you're saying goodbye.”
    “I am.”
    “I suppose I've already kept you long enough.” There seemed to be a longing to his expression, like a boy kicking stones at his bad luck.
    I didn't want him to feel bad. Honestly, I had fun, but that was as far as it should go. The other type of fun meant someone would get their heart broken. That someone would be me, no doubt.
    This type of life, once you really dug deeper, it revealed some deal breakers. I imagined it wouldn't take long for me to discover that Lucas' extravagant, reckless lifestyle hid some demons.
    Hearing no response from me, he led me back up the path back to his house.
    “Tia, don't make me face all of those girls alone. They'll eat me alive.”
    “That’s a problem?”
    Going up the hill was far more difficult after the ride. The rumbling motor between my thighs had gotten me excited, but it also left me wobbly and weak. I wondered if the girls would think I had slept with Lucas. Probably, with my bowed legs.
    “You know what I mean. Believe it or not, this wasn't my idea. I need to go along with it. There's a lot of people depending on me.”
    “I fail to see how other people could care about your sexual life, but I believe your sincerity.”
    He returned a pained smirk. “This has nothing to do about sex and all to do about business.”
    Even worse. Who would want to mix business and romance? Who would want their life set up like a business plan? I believed Lucas when he told me that, but I still didn't believe he was completely innocent.
    We topped the hill. Level ground again. I could breathe easily. As we neared the pool, we could hear the girls chatting inside the house, and Lucas looked nervous. He kept throwing his head back to look at me. Each time, I actually felt bad for him.
    He slid in closer to me. “You haven't had dinner yet, have you? It's the least I could do. I did let you fall.”
    “I thought your kiss was the apology?” Heat rose to my cheeks once I thought of it. I wished I hadn't brought it up.
    “Have dinner with me. I promise you, you won't regret it.”
    “Fine, you win. You said the magic word. Dinner. It’s one of my