Bedding the Billionaire

Sutton

I could feel Mr. Williams’ gaze on my body as I hurriedly went through the closing routine at the bar. Every time my eyes met his penetrating gray ones, I pretended that I didn’t notice him staring. But we both knew better.

I couldn’t help but recall the name he had suggested belonging to my father, Hollingsworth Sutton, III. Had my mother named me after him? It had a certain kind of poetic justice. I had spent my life hating my unusual first name and now I find out that it’s the legacy to a fortune. That is, if Mr. Williams was telling the truth. Which I hadn’t yet decided if I was going to believe him or not.

With another glance in his direction, I noticed the tightening of his lips as I bent down to pick something up off the floor. A part of me felt like giving him the universal salute of displeasure. I didn’t want him sitting there, judging me. I could just imagine the thoughts running through his mind. He was likely thinking about how utterly unsuitable I was for his world.

Well, he wouldn’t be wrong. Mr. Fancy Pants was clearly a Park Avenue player and I was nobody from Nowhere, USA. Shit, in my short cutoffs and worn out sneakers I likely could have passed for a kid in high school. Mr. Williams was all man, from the tips of his Italian leather shoes to his broad chest beneath that expertly tailored suit and his understated diamond cuff links.

As if diamonds were ever understated.

“I’ve got to cut out of here,” Joe called out to me from the kitchen, shaking me from my thoughts. “Maggie just called. The baby has a fever.”

I nodded in sympathy and pretended that Joe’s wife didn’t call every night with some excuse for him to leave early. Far be it from me to call the woman a liar, be she was terrible bender of the truth. It didn’t really matter. I liked Joe, he never flirted with me and tried to keep Gabriel off my back. With a smile, I waved him on like I always did. “Have a great night, Joe. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Mr. Williams cleared his throat.

I turned to him. “Did you need something?”

I tried to ignore the way my pulse jumped when our eyes connected. He was just a handsome man, nothing else.

“Are you here by yourself?” he asked in that clipped tone of his that said boarding schools and brunch on Sundays in the Hamptons.

I raised a brow. “No, sadly you have made that quite impossible by not leaving when I asked you to.”

His jaw ticked. “Your boss is gone?”

I nodded, wondering what he was getting at.

“Good,” he said, standing up.

I couldn’t help myself. I took an involuntary step backward.

His face went blank and then paled. “I wouldn’t harm you.”

“Sure, you wouldn’t,” I replied in a hurry. In truth, I didn’t feel threatened by him. However, he was a lot taller than I had anticipated. Call it PTSD if you will, but I had learned the hard way in life about men who were bigger and stronger than I was.

If anything, he looked even more alarmed by my quick reply. “I assure you. I have never harmed a woman in my life.”

I picked up the mop that had begun to slide out of my grasp. “Well, that’s fantastic to hear. Why don’t you head back to…? Where are you staying, anyhow?”

He shrugged. “I will get a room at the motel.”

I couldn’t help the bark of laughter that escaped my lips. “You don’t want to stay there.”

He blinked in confusion. “Why?”

“Because you strike me as the sort of person who doesn’t care for bed bugs.”

“What?” He shook his head and then continued, “No, you can’t be serious.”

mop and bucket and finished up the last section of floor as I spoke. “If it wasn’t so late, I could see if Reena and Alice could put you up. They have a

“The elderly women?” he asked.

I smiled. I don’t know why it pleased me that he remembered them from earlier. “Yes. But it’s far too late to be knocking on their door. Maybe Knox

Mr. Williams tensed. “Who is

I put the cleaning things away and did a double check that the stoves were turned off.

don’t need to stay with local enforcement. We can begin the drive now back to the airport. I have the private jet

I said

He nodded, “We.”

“We are not going anywhere. If you would like to go back to wherever you came from, please feel free. Nothing is keeping you here.”

“You are keeping me here,” he said purposefully. “I need to speak to you about your inheritance. There are certain requirements that must be met.”

and I am sure we can talk about this in the morning. How about we call it

and motioned for me to walk ahead of him. I had already gathered my bag from under the counter, so I walked toward the door. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt

He yanked his hand away. “Escorting you to the

“I have been going in and out of this door for years and nobody has ever had to touch

a minute. I wouldn’t have believed that those gray depths could appear as heated as they did now. “It’s called being a

know about men who need to keep their damn hands to

woman. I am not going to

the spider says to the fly,” I quipped.

“What in the hell are you talking about?” he expostulated.

I replied.

his hands into his pockets.

door and started toward the

you, shall I?” he

frowned. “Follow me where?”

I was an idiot. Then speaking slowly, he said, “To your home. I want

I laughed. I couldn’t help myself. “Sugar, I have been walking the streets of Otterville Falls my entire life. I am safe here. You go on to wherever you are going to stay for the

and I could tell he wanted to argue with me. But instead of waiting to hear what he wanted to say, I turned and began to

crunching of his shoes on the pavement. “Where is your car?” he

have one,” I called back over my

have a car?” he

“I don’t have a lot of things, Mr. Williams.” I continued to walk and sure

between you and that

stopped and turned to look at him. Mark’s hands were still in his pockets. He should have looked ridiculous in his expensive

I looked like after a long day’s work at Abberly’s. My shirt was stained with grease, my hair was

does it

awareness that sparked between us. “I don’t like the way he looks at you.”

in confusion. “What are

undresses you with his eyes, and yet he treats

up the relationship I had with Gabriel in two sentences. How had he gleaned all of

the truth. “We aren’t even

reasons why Mama had been

Mark said something under his

that it seemed so out of place

“You are tired,” he said softly, those gray eyes not missing anything.

let out a loud and rather unladylike yawn and replied, “It’s nearly two in the morning, and there is a stranger following me home.”

when his jaw ticked, I couldn’t help the broad smile that broke across my face.

“I just want to be sure you are safe,” he said gruffly.

I had anticipated, or he was wearing on me. Because the next thing I knew I was offering him a