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.”

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 spare room that they sometimes rent out.”

“The elderly women?”

me that he remembered them from earlier. “Yes. But it’s far too

“Who is

“The sheriff,” I replied as I put the cleaning things away and did a double check that the stoves were turned off.

“I don’t need to stay with local enforcement. We can begin the drive

I said dumbly.

nodded, “We.”

said, purposefully calling him by his first name. “We are not going anywhere. If you would like to

said purposefully. “I need to speak to you about your inheritance. There are certain requirements that must be met.”

late and I am sure we can talk about this in the morning.

argue with me, but after a short moment of silence he nodded 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 his hand at the small of my back. “What are

“Escorting you to the door!”

door for years and nobody has ever had to touch me to find it.”

depths could

gentlemen, but I do know about men who need to keep their damn hands to themselves.”

“Damn it, woman. I am not

to the fly,”

in the hell are you

doesn’t matter,” I replied. “Just…don’t touch me.”

jerkily, tucking his hands

the door and started toward the parking

you, shall I?” he asked.

“Follow

at me like I was an idiot. Then speaking slowly, he said, “To your home.

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

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

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

one,” I called

car?”

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

is the relationship between you and that boss of

in his pockets. He should have looked ridiculous in his expensive suit walking along Highway 60 behind me in the

Abberly’s. My shirt was stained with grease, my hair was hanging limp around my face. In defense,

“What does it matter?”

awareness that sparked between us. “I don’t like the

I could feel my brow crinkle in confusion.

“Real men don’t talk to the women they care about with such disrespect. He undresses you with his eyes,

The man had just summed up the relationship I had with Gabriel in two sentences. How had he gleaned all of that from one

the truth. “We aren’t even friends. His mama was kind to

the reasons why Mama had

To my surprise, Mark said something under his breath that sounded remarkably

so that didn’t shock me, it was just that it seemed so out

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

rather unladylike yawn and replied, “It’s nearly two in the morning, and

sure why I felt the need to poke the bear. But when his jaw ticked, I couldn’t help the broad

want to be sure you are safe,”

I was either far more tired than I had anticipated, or he was wearing on me. Because the next thing I knew I was offering him