Dangerous Deception (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series) (12 page)

The day they’d spent together must have been the
tipping point for her.  The feelings had been welling up but now they burst
free from the dam she’d built around her heart and they were flooding her very
soul.

Storm got over his shock real fast because, before
Dani realized what was happening, she wasn’t the one in charge anymore.  He
took control of that kiss, his mouth moving on hers, commanding then subduing
her till she could only gasp then moan.  He ignited the fire within her till she
was kissing back with ardor that spoke of her need for him.  God, how she
wanted this man.

She tugged at his shirt till she’d pulled it out of
his jeans then she slid trembling fingers over his rippling ab muscles and up
to his chest.  There she splayed her hands over the hard muscles over his
breastbone then took his flat nipples between thumb and forefinger and teased
and pinched them till they were hard nubs under her hands.  He’d done the same
to hers so she knew the effect her caress must have on him.  She was rewarded
when he stiffened then moaned his ecstasy even as they kissed.

Dani knew that to get what she wanted she needed to be
brave and bold.  She’d already rejected Storm before and he’d certainly
hesitate to go farther than a kiss.  If anything was to happen tonight it would
all be up to her.

Without hesitation she grabbed the edge of his shirt
and began to lift it up, to take it off him.

Storm broke the kiss.  “Dani, are you sure?”  He asked
in a breathless whisper.

She knew what the real question was.  Are you going to
lead me on then kick me out like last time?  She needed to reassure him.  “I’m
sure,” she said and pushed against his chest till he was straight enough for her
to push his shirt up and over his head.

Now his muscled chest was exposed in all its glory and
it made her mouth water.  With her newfound boldness she leaned forward and
covered a nipple with her mouth.  She sucked that nipple until it peaked in her
mouth and she did not stop until he gasped and reached down to cup her head
with his hands.  He gently pulled her from that nipple and directed her to the
other, where she gave it the same caress.  He groaned out loud.

Dani knew Storm was ready for her and all that she
wanted to offer.  He was kneeling over as she lay beneath him and she could
feel his arousal pressing into the softness of her belly.  She began to
unbutton her blouse.

As he looked down at her she stared into his
passion-glazed eyes.  “I want you so bad,” she whispered, her desire for him
making her tremble.  Her blouse was off now and she started attacking the clasp
of her bra.  “I’m so sure of this.  I want you to be the first and only man for
me.”  The bra was off now and her breasts lay bare before him but she did not
flinch.  She had no shame, not when it was Storm looking down at her with
desired-filled eyes.

Then, inexplicably, something in his eyes changed. 
“What did you say?”  he asked, a frown now marring his face.

“I want you,” she whispered.  “Please don’t let me
wait.”

“No, that other thing.  Did you say…you want me to be
the first?’  His frown was getting darker which meant something was wrong. 
Something was terribly wrong.

“Y…yes,” she said, hesitant.  Could it be possible
that this could make him angry?

He hopped up off the sofa so fast Dani literally felt
the breeze of his departure.  “You’re a virgin?”  he almost barked.

She sat up, her body going cold.  “Yes, is that a
problem?”

“What the hell kind of question is that?  Of course
it’s a problem.  I’m not into seducing virgins, if that’s what you think.”

“But…you’re not seducing me.  I’m seducing you.”  Dani
stared up at him, confused.  Then she remembered her bare breasts and crossed
her arms over her chest. 

"For God’s sake, get dressed,” Storm spat, his
face dark and thunderous.  He turned away and picked up his shirt from the
floor then put it on and tucked it into his pants.  Then he looked at her.

“Let’s not do this again.  I don’t have time for
games.”

And that was when he killed her.  His words, so full
of venom, were like a poisoned arrow to her heart.  She lifted her eyes to him,
her heart pleading, but she could not say a word.  She could not even move.

He stared at her for a moment longer and she thought
she saw a flash of…regret?  Too soon, it disappeared and his face became
impassive and cool.

“Goodnight, Dani.”  His voice was quiet, emotionless. 
To her it was even worse than his anger.

When Storm left, closing the door behind him, Dani was
still on the sofa, shirtless, her arms crossed over her breasts.  She was
staring straight ahead, her eyes unseeing, her heart feeling like it had died
inside her.

In this very apartment she had rejected Storm and now
he had rejected her.  She’d been assertive, she’d been bold…and she’d been so
foolish.  Storm was her employer, not her fiancé.  She’d begun to live the
lie.  But today it had seemed so real.

And so Dani sat there, the hurt holding her immobile. 
She wanted to cry, so badly, but she would not give in.  She was Dani Swift and
she never cried.  She felt the sob rise but she refused to let it escape.

And so she sat there, staring at nothing, while the
tears streamed down her face.

CHAPTER SEVEN

For the first time in his life Storm was watching an
NBA game and could not focus.   If anybody were to ask him what two teams were
playing he’d probably get it wrong, he was so distracted.  Asking him the score
at that point was futile.  He was still seething.  Why had Dani come on to him,
knowing she was a virgin?  He knew that a woman’s first time was usually a
significant milestone in her life, one she would not take lightly.  She’d
remember it for the rest of her life.  And she’d remember him.  How then could
he casually have sex with her?  And that was all he’d wanted, just sex. 
Nothing more.  But she would want ‘forever after’.

And there was no way he was going to commit to
‘forever after’.  Not now, anyway.  Maybe when he was forty.  Maybe even
thirty-five.  But now?  Not happening.

Okay, so he was a coward.  He didn’t want to commit to
anyone but that was why he had hired her, wasn’t it?  She was supposed to be
there to keep women off his back and his parents out of his business.  But she'd
betrayed him.  She was trying to complicate his life even more than it already
was.  Talk about a turn of events. 

He rubbed his hands across his eyes and gave a sigh of
frustration.  He didn’t need this kind of stress on a Sunday afternoon.

His cell phone rang and he gave it a suspicious
glance.  He didn’t want to talk to anyone right now, least of all his mother or
father.  But it was neither one of them.  It was Lola.

God, what now?  Another drama?  Against his better
judgment Storm reached out and pressed the answer button.  This had better be
quick.  He put the phone to his ear.  “Yes?”

“Storm, I’m so glad I got you.  I need your help.  We
need your help.”

“We?”

“My friend Charlene, she’s starting a new business and
we desperately need your advice.”

“We?’

“Well,
she
needs your advice.  Not we, she. 
But I was wondering, can we come see you and discuss her business plan?  We
just need to know if it makes sense.”

“Not now.”

“Of course not, Storm.  We weren’t planning to come
now.  What about one day this week?  What about on Wednesday?”

For a long while Storm did not speak.  He was in no
mood to deal with Lola or her friend.  He was a busy man and on top of that he
had a lot on his mind.  But he knew Lola.  If she didn’t get what she wanted
she was like an alarm clock that never shut up -  the kind that kept moving and
hiding till you'd chased it all over the room.  As much as he hated the idea
the only way he’d be able to get rid of her would be to see her.

“Come by the office at four o’clock,” he said, his
voice impassive.

“Four o’clock.  That’s a little too early for us. 
What about six?’

“I leave the office at five.  It’s four o’clock or
nothing.”

“I’ll take it.  I’ll see you then, Storm,” she said in
a sing-song voice.

“I?  I thought it was 'we'.”

“Oh, yes.  We’ll see you then.  Au revoir.”

When Storm hung up the phone he gave up on the game,
snapped off the TV and went to bed.  It was the first time since the age of
three or four that he’d be heading to bed while the sun was still in the sky
but he just didn’t have the energy to stay up any longer.  He felt drained.

But in the bedroom sleep would not come.  He lay on
his back and stared up at the ceiling.  What was happening to him?  In his mind
he kept reliving the previous day -the journey to Indiana, meeting Dani’s
brother, the fun they’d had on the way back…and then that disastrous night when
she’d almost trapped him in her virginal dream.  She was looking for a Prince
Charming, not him.  Not the man who hated the very thought of being tied down.

Storm had no idea when he finally drifted off to sleep
but obviously he had because next time he opened his eyes it was Monday
morning.  And he felt lousy.  And all he could think was,
Danielle Swift,
stop screwing with my head
.

Wednesday came around but at four o’clock neither Lola
nor her friend showed up at Storm’s office for the meeting.  He didn’t bother
to call to find out why.  There was one thing he knew, though.  They’d never
get a slot on his calendar again.

That evening Storm was reading the day's news on his
iPad when he heard a car pull up outside.  He went to the door just as Lola hopped
out of her silver sports car.  She skipped up the steps, all smiles.

“Storm, you look so gloomy.  Aren’t you happy to see
me?”  She walked up to him and gave him a peck on the cheek.

“Lola.  What are you doing here?”  This woman was
becoming an annoyance.

“The business plan, remember?  We were supposed to
discuss it today.”

“At four o’clock.”

“Oh, that.  We got stuck at an event downtown. 
Couldn’t make it.”

He didn’t bother to argue.  What would be the use? 
“So where’s the 'we' you’ve been talking about?  All I see is you.”

“Oh, Charlene couldn’t make it,” she said with a
flippant wave of her hand.  “It doesn’t matter.  I know all about the
business.  I can discuss the plan with you.”

Storm seriously doubted she could, or if there was any
plan at all, but he left it alone.  He’d not been himself lately and he was not
up to knocking heads with a woman as stubborn as Lola.

Once inside the house Lola seemed to have totally
forgotten about the business plan.  She made herself comfortable on the sofa in
the den then found a way to cross her legs so that the slit in her skirt
revealed a long length of thigh.

So she’d come to his house to flirt.  Without being
rude he’d have to find a way to extricate himself from this mess.

“Storm, honey, could you get me a drink?  I’m so
thirsty,” she said, fanning herself with her hand.

“Water?”

“Chilled white wine will do nicely,” she said.  “Thank
you so much.”

It took all his willpower not to throw her out of his
house. 
Gently, Storm.  Just give her the wine then tell her to go
.  He
left her lounging on the sofa and went to the kitchen.  As soon as she’d had
her drink she’d be gone.  She’d already worn out her welcome.

******

To call him or not to call him, that was the question.
 Dani stared at her cell phone yet again, trying to shore up the courage and
take the plunge.

Three whole days had passed since she’d last seen or
heard from Storm and today, Wednesday, would make it four days.  Since agreeing
to play the role of his pretend fiancée this was the longest she’d gone without
speaking to him and she felt as if she’d lost a limb.  Was this what it meant
to be in love?  To be so consumed by another person that you couldn’t eat, you
couldn’t sleep, from thinking about them?  If so, this love thing was nothing
but a nuisance.  She’d been happy before she met Storm and now she was
miserable.  This kind of problem, she could do without.

She needed to talk to Storm, though.  She had to tell
him she would not be attending the party with him on Saturday night.

She was still staring at the phone, trying to work up
the courage to make the call when it rang, making her jump.  It was Storm.
Ready or not, it was time to start talking.

She pressed the green button.  Before he could even
speak she blurted out, “Storm, I can’t go through with this.  I can’t go to the
party with you on Saturday night.”

The response she got was surprising.  Complete and
utter silence.  “Storm, are you there?” she asked.

The voice that came back to her was not Storm’s at
all.  It was the high-pitched voice of a woman.  A voice she knew.  Lola’s.