The Billionaire's STEP Surrogate Read Online Free PDF Page A

is he looking at me like that? she wondered as she pulled down the hem, watching Carter avert his gaze. It almost looks like he likes it…
     
    She banished the thought immediately, chalking it up to her inebriated state as she managed to swing her unusually heavy feet into the car. Carter shut the door, walked around to his side, and got in, scowling as he turned a key, the big powerful engine roaring to life.
     
    “Buckle up,” he told her sternly.
     
    Kayla once again rolled her eyes, but inevitably obeyed. She might have been reckless in many ways, but she certainly didn’t want to end up flying through the windshield should something go wrong.
     
    She snapped the seatbelt into place and leaned her seat back immediately, stretching out as best she could in her stepfather’s luxury sedan.
     
    “Your antics are costing me a small fortune, you know,” Carter muttered as he pulled into the limited traffic at this hour. “God only knows what I’ll have to do to convince this girl not to press charges.”
     
    “I’m sure it’s nothing you can’t handle,” Kayla replied, closing her eyes as the interior of the car began to spin. “Not unless the money’s dried up while I was waiting for you to show up.”
     
    It was Carter’s turn to roll his eyes. “Sorry I didn’t drop everything sooner to rush to your aid. I do have a life outside of cleaning up your messes, you know.”
     
    “Right, your second wife,” Kayla said, referring to the company her stepfather owned. “I’m sure she’ll understand.”
     
    Kayla didn’t know why her stepfather was acting so put out. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been awake, anyway. Part of being a billionaire was hard work, contrary to popular belief, and she knew Carter was up until the wee hours of the morning most nights. She could tell it was beginning to wear on him, too. The dark circles under his eyes easily betrayed that.
     
    She got the feeling there was more to it than that, however. Lately, her stepfather had seemed more aloof and stressed out than usual. While normally calm and collected, she’d been on the receiving end of a few uncharacteristic tantrums the past few weeks. She’d often wondered if it had something to do with her mom.
     
    Thankfully, her stepfather seemed too tired to devolve into theatrics right now.
     
    “I don’t know why you can’t understand how important it is not to tarnish your public image,” he said, gripping the leather steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. “When I eventually turn my company over to you, it will be imperative for your reputation to remain as unsullied as possible.”
     
    “What if I don’t want the company?” Kayla said, startling as her stepfather made a sudden stop at a traffic light. The red glow washed over his face, turning his stormy eyes a strange shade of maroon.
     
    “You don’t have much of a choice in the matter,” he told her. “I have no other heir to give it to.”
     
    “So make another one,” Kayla huffed, adjusting her seatbelt to get the strap off of her throat. “You’re still young… ish. It can’t possibly be that hard.”
     
    Carter chuckled ruefully, shaking his head as the light turned green. “You’d be surprised,” he murmured at a volume Kayla was sure he’d meant to be inaudible, and yet she’d heard every word of it.
     
    She frowned, looking over at her stepfather as he drove through the desolate streets. Every time they left the warm glow of a streetlamp, the shadows that passed over his face seemed to grow darker and darker. Is this why he’s been so distant? she wondered. Mom has been gone a lot, lately. And if they were trying for a baby…
     
    She shook her head, trying hard not to imagine her stepfather engaged in the throes of passion with her mother. But it was no use. Kayla couldn’t help but to envision Carter’s strong, hard body stripped down to his naked flesh, each powerful, coiled muscle rippling as he threw her