The Billionaire's Courageous Lover (Bold, Alaskan Men Book 3) (15 page)

Andie heard the crack in her mother’s voice and reacted to it by covering her hand with hers.  “I’ll be back for visits, Mother.  I promise.  I’m not abandoning you.  I just…I love it there.  And I love Knox.”

Her mother sniffed. 

Andie continued on, squeezing her mother’s hand when she didn’t pull away.  A first!  “My car was attacked by a bear,” she told her mother.  “And a moose ate all of my cupcakes.”

It was rare for Linda Kingsley to be stunned, but those two sentences rendered her mother speechless.  Well, for about five seconds at least. 

“A bear?”

Andie and her mother sat at the two hundred year old dining room table for the next three hours.  Andie told her about all of her adventures, including her broken finger, the missing eyelash on her VW Bug, and the tiny fish she’d caught.  Her mother actually laughed when Andie told her about the cupcakes, rolled her eyes about the tennis balls, and stiffened when Andie mentioned Knox, describing him and telling her mother how much she loved the man. 

“So this is it?” her mother asked when Jessy brought in lunch, a simple salad with grilled salmon and a delicate vinaigrette dressing. 

Andie wasn’t sure what to say.  “I love it there Mother.  I’m so happy.  I love all of the new things I get to try, learning how to live in Alaska, and even the scary stuff.”

“Scary as in bears eating your car?” her mother asked with a tone that implied shock and disbelief.  But she also snorted, a way to hide her laughter because, apparently, it was undignified to laugh about a bear eating giant, plastic eyelashes. 

“Yeah.  Scary as in bears and moose, and giant men who make me feel special.”

Linda sniffed and looked out the window for a moment.  “Fine.  You love Alaska.”  She was quiet for a moment.  Coming to a decision, she said, “I will expect you home for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  And bring this man with you.  I will meet him, and make my own evaluation regarding his appropriateness for my daughter.”

Andie smiled gently.  She had no fear that her mother would love Knox completely.  “Sounds like a good plan,” and she reached out to squeeze her mother’s hand again.  In Alaska, she would jump up and hug Tyla, Violet…even Creek, Tucker, or Saeger.  And especially Sarah…well, just about anyone else in Winthrop. 

Her mother was reserved though.  And the gentle squeeze was the equivalent of an exuberant hug in her mother’s world. 

“Your father might find your bear story amusing as well.”

Andie smiled and tucked her hands under the table.  “Where is he?” she asked. 

“He is at the office.  Something important came up, he wouldn’t say what.  But he is meeting with someone important or he would be here with me, trying to convince you to give up…” her mother stopped, looked over at Andie and sighed.  “He wanted to be here too,” she finished finally. 

Andie chuckled.  “I’ll head over to his office to talk to him.  Maybe he’ll come to afternoon tea with me.”

Linda nodded.  “I’m sure he would enjoy that.”

Andie stood up.  “I have some phone calls to make first.  I’ll let you know of my plans.”

“You have to go back tomorrow, don’t you?” her mother asked.

Andie nodded.  “Yes.  I’m sorry.  I have a job and a whole bunch of students who have a test on Shakespeare Monday.  I can’t let them down.  They’ve been worrying about this test for weeks because I’m pretty tough.”

Linda laughed and shook her head.  “Shakespeare.  In Alaska?”

Andie chuckled.  “Yes.  They read Shakespeare in Alaska, Mother.”

Linda waved her hand.  “Go!  Do what you need to do.”

Andie walked out, her cell phone in her hand and she walked over to Jessy.  “You heard it all?” she asked, knowing that the housekeeper listened in on most conversations. 

Jessy chuckled as she pounded out dough for fresh bread.  “A bear?” she laughed, shaking her head.  “Go tell your father.  Ramon is waiting for you.”

Andie stopped by and gave Jessy a kiss on the cheek.  “Knox commented about how he wouldn’t like to be the bear when the eyelashes came out.”

Andie walked out of the kitchen with Jessy’s stunned laughter behind her.  Ramon had the door to the limousine open when she stepped through the front door. 

“Thanks Ramon,” she said, and slipped into the back seat. 

Twenty minutes later, Andie walked into her father’s office, which was strangely quiet since it was a Saturday.  His executive assistant was there, of course.  But the rest of the offices were oddly still.  “Dad, I’m not…”

Andie stopped, frozen in her tracks when she saw the tall man sitting in her father’s office.  She had to blink twice because she didn’t believe her eyes.  She’d missed him so much over the past twenty-four hours! 

Knox was here?  He was in Boston?  But she’d left him back in Alaska!  He was in Winthrop doing…? 

“Knox?  What…” she glanced at her father, then back at the tall, devastatingly attractive man that was rising from his chair.  “What are you doing here?” she asked, stunned but thrilled. 

She curled her fingers over the handles of her purse, trying to make sense of all of this. 

Knox took in her pretty, pink sweater that fit her perfectly.  And the slacks that were obviously high-end.  She looked beautiful, the pink making her eyes look even more luminous.  “What are you doing here?” he asked, his voice angry and formidable.  Oh, she’d heard that voice too often in the past!  And it always got that stubborn streak inside of her riled up. 

“I’m visiting my parents,” she told him, her chin jutting up and her shoulders pulled back.  “Now you explain.”

His hands moved to his hips, pulling back the immaculate suit jacket, and she couldn’t help it when her eyes dropped to his flat stomach.  Goodness, how she loved running her fingers over that part of him. Well, all parts of him, she thought. 

Jackson Kingsley looked at the two people in his office, his eyes glancing from one to the other in confusion.  “Andrea?  Do you know Knox Vinson?”

Andie’s eyes moved from her father’s older face to Knox’s precious one.  “Of course I know Knox.  He lives in Winthrop, Alaska.  He’s…” she couldn’t spring the news that this man was her lover.  But what was she supposed to call Knox?  Boyfriend?  Lover?  The man she loved with all her heart?  The man who hadn’t texted her back even though she’d disappeared on him yesterday? 

Knox wasn’t the only one that was looking confused.  “Andrea?  I thought your name was Andie.”

She shook her head, closing her eyes briefly.  “All my friends call me Andie.”  She opened her eyes, her head tilting slightly as she tried to make sense of this.  “I’ve heard of a man named Vinson.  Wasn’t he the…”

“Andrea, this is Knox Vinson of the Vinson Investment Group.”

Andie was still confused for a long moment.  But then it came to her.  Vinson!  The guy who practically ruled Wall Street!  The man who had come into the Boston area last year and riled up all of the investors because he was so much better than they were!  Her father had been trying to work with this Vinson guy for, well, as long as she’d been able to understand what he was talking about.  “You’re
that
Vinson?” she asked, her voice weak and her heart hurting.  Please, please, please say no, she chanted in her mind.  Please don’t be the powerful, scary man who had a Midas touch, the elusive man who could destroy a company just with a few simple words. 

Andie wanted Knox to be just a guy from Winthrop, Alaska.  A simple man who liked simple things and a simple life.  A man who liked to sit at her tiny table.  A man who was trying to figure out why she kept a basket of tennis balls by her basement door, but was too sweet to tell her she was a nutcase. 

Okay, yes, he lived in a fabulous house and she knew Knox was wealthy.  But the Knox Vinson of Wall Street was….well, he was beyond wealthy.  He was…her father’s wealth was nothing compared to Knox Vinson’s reputed net worth. 

Knox was watching her carefully, trying to gauge what to say and how much she might know of his reputation.  “I don’t know which Vinson you’re thinking of, but I have an investment company.  If that means anything to you.”  His eyes were hard and unyielding. 

He didn’t want her to know of his past.  Well, about the early years, anyway.  Once he’d discovered business and investing, he was proud of what he’d accomplished.  But he still hid his true reputation from the people of Winthrop.  Looking at the woman he loved, or that he’d thought he loved, he realized that he wasn’t the only one hiding his past or who he was.  “And you’re Andrea Kingsley, the darling of the Boston social circuit.  The woman who was supposed to marry Mike Burns last year.”  His eyes bore into hers, and she felt herself shrivel up slightly under his censure. 

But then she rallied.  No way was she going to take the blame for that engagement.  She hadn’t wanted it in the first place.  Mike had worked with her father and announced the engagement before he’d even consulted her.  He’d simply thought that he was such an amazing catch that she would swoon at the idea of marrying him. 

What’s worse, she knew what Knox was thinking.  All those times he’d told her to go home, that she wasn’t strong enough for Alaska…he didn’t think she was tough enough.  He now thought she was the kind of woman who flitted from one party to the next, who shopped all the time, and didn’t really know her own mind.  Because that’s the way the gossips had defined her in the press. 

They’d never announced her job as a teacher, her volunteer work with the homeless downtown, her efforts at the teen shelters.  No way!  Those hadn’t been titillating enough.  But if she stepped out to a bar just once, the whole Boston news corps was there to announce what kind of martini she’d ordered! 

Her spine straightened even more.  “Yes.  I was that woman. But I’m not that woman any longer.  I’m Andie Kingsley, high school English teacher in Winthrop, Alaska.”

She turned to face her father who looked like he was about to explode.  “No Father.  Don’t you dare say another word.  We’ve had this conversation several times over the past couple of years and I’ve made up my mind.”  She took a deep breath, trying to ignore Knox’s glare and her father’s huffing and puffing.  “I spoke to Mother earlier today.  I came by here to,” she glanced over to Knox and cringed at her next words, “to take you out for afternoon tea.  But that’s no longer on the agenda, I can see.  So I’ll see you at dinner tonight.” 

With that, she walked out of her father’s office and hurried to the elevators. 

Unfortunately, she wasn’t fast enough.  Knox caught up with her and pulled her around to look at him.  “You’re Andrea Kingsley!” he hissed.  “And you’re used to being belle of the ball.”

She shook her head, irritated with all of the pins holding her hair back.  She’d pulled her hair into a sophisticated knot to present an image to the world, simply to appease her father.  But this wasn’t who she was!  She was a pony-tail woman who loved sweatshirts and leggings.  She hated cashmere sweaters and tailored slacks!  Well, unless Knox had been wearing the cashmere sweater!  She loved those, and would put those on in a heartbeat.  Especially if she knew that he was going to take it off of her soon. 

“No, Knox.  I’ve been telling you that I’m Andie.  And you don’t seem to understand that.”  She fought the tears, not wanting him to know how hurt she was.  “I get it.  I understand that you don’t want me.  And that’s…” she sniffed again, trying to turn her head slightly. For so long, she’d fought to show him who the real Andie was.  Last weekend and the whole past week, he’d accepted her.  He’d shown her what it was like to be loved by a man who truly loved her back.  Who understood her, and accepted all of her silly personality traits.  A man who didn’t expect her to be perfect and poised.  Knox loved the real Andie.  But looking at him now, she knew that he’d reverted back to thinking she was a hothouse flower. 

She looked around and noticed the woman in the sophisticated suit watching them.  Her blond hair was perfectly coifed, her makeup immaculate, and she had an air about her that spoke of confidence and worldly acceptance. 

He’d been faking his image as well.  He was the imposter, she thought.  She’d wanted a real man.  A man who didn’t care about images or reputations from the gossips.  A man who accepted her, the woman behind the ridiculous stories. 

“I thought you were just a bartender.  I thought you were the kind of guy that I wanted to share a future with.”  She looked up into his eyes.  “But you’re just like my father.  You’re a business tycoon who won’t accept me for who I am.”  She pressed the elevator button even though it was already lit, indicating that she’d pressed the button before.  “Fine.  Don’t accept me.  Because I don’t accept you any longer.  You’re just like everything I was trying to get away from.”  The elevator doors opened up and she stepped into the cab.  But she put a hand to the door, not letting it close.  “But don’t you ever say that you don’t want me because I’m too soft.  You don’t want me because I’m not the kind of woman you want.  And so be it.” 

She let the doors slide closed on that and she held back the tears and pain for as long as she could.  But when the elevator started going down, she let out all the hurt and confusion that had been battering her soul.  He’d rejected her so many times because he’d said she would get hurt.  But the real reason was because he didn’t want her.  He wanted something else.  And he was wealthy and powerful enough to get that. 

Just like Mike.  Just like all the other men in her social class. 

She’d thought Knox was different.  She’d thought he was a bartender trying to make ends meet.  His house had been the only piece of the puzzle that didn’t make sense, but in her glow of happiness, she hadn’t even thought about that.  She’d just accepted him for the man he’d presented to her.  The man she’d thought and hoped that he was. 

She’d been wrong.

When the doors opened up at the lobby level, she hurried out, running out of the building as fast as she could. 

Knox stood staring at the closed elevator doors for a long time, fury building inside of him.  She was a society princess!  He’d known all along that she didn’t belong in Winthrop!  She’d only been playing at hanging around, wanting to take a spin on the wild side with a local man.  When in reality, she was the prize that every man in Boston, hell every man on the East Coast, wanted for his bride. 

Damn, she’d been so beautiful with those tailored slacks that hugged her perfect bottom and the sweater…!  He liked the way her breasts had looked, all soft and touchable in that pink cashmere.  And her hair!  How had she gotten those wild curls to look so prim and perfect? 

She knew all the tricks.  Her manicured nails and designer suits….

He thought back to that first night, the rain…the Prada shoes!  He should have realized who she was when she’d stepped into The Rotten Apple wearing five hundred dollar shoes! 

She was a princess and he was a sucker!  He knew that she was too good to be true.

Walking back into the man’s office, he tried to focus on what the man was saying but he was furious. 

“She’s been gone for over a month and she won’t come back.  For years, my wife has been trying to throw her parties, introduce her to eligible men, but she’s refused to socialize with anyone.  We can’t figure out what’s going through her mind.  She has an excellent education and could have it all.” 

Jackson Kingsley huffed up.  “In the past, every time my wife went looking for her, we’d find her in the kitchen with the cook!  Can you imagine!  The cook!  Of all the places!  My daughter does not cook, she is cooked for!”  He shook his head as if Knox were agreeing with everything he said. 

Knox listened.  Agree with him? 

Nothing made sense!  The Andrea Kingsley he’d read about had been a society belle.  She’d been the kind of woman who graced parties on a whim.  The gossip was that she wanted to make the biggest splash.

As the man’s words sunk in, Knox thought back to the nights he’d shared a meal with her.  Andrea Kingsley didn’t cook?  Hell yes she cooked!  At least, Andie Kingsley cooked! 

He’d been so sure of himself just ten minutes ago.  But….

“She’s actually an excellent cook,” he said, his mind still trying to figure out her game, but her father’s words didn’t seem to make sense. 

The man harrumphed, “Obviously, you know her.  Maybe you could talk some sense into her.  She belongs here!  She belongs with her family and where she can be part of Boston society.”

Knox remembered the night she’d gone dancing, all the guys that had escorted her politely to the dance floor, all the teenage kids who had followed her, and how she’d laughed and danced with her students.  She’d been magnificent that night.  Hell, even Evan had come out onto the dance floor, and that kid had been struggling since the death of his dad.  Andie had brought him out of his misery, if only for a few minutes.

That Andie was sweet and encouraging, engaging, and down to earth.  That Andie loved to cook and bake, took pride in her cookies, and shared them with anyone who wanted one. 

Well, except him. 

Because he’d been an ass. 

Hell, she’d even shared her damn cupcakes with a moose! 

Not intentionally, he thought with a silent chuckle. 

What was he thinking? 

Knox wasn’t sure any longer.  For so long, he’d been positive about Andie, about how she was too soft and delicate.  He’d thought she was too tender. 

But she’d broken her finger and hadn’t even known it! 

Ah hell! 

Knox walked over to the window. 

He’d come to Boston to bring Andie back.  This meeting with Jackson Kingsley had been a fluke, and he’d only agreed to the meeting at the last minute and only then because his investigators hadn’t found Andie’s location yet.  As soon as he’d received news yesterday afternoon that Andie was flying to Boston because of her mother, he’d called his pilot and ordered his plane ready.  He might have missed her at the airport, but his intention had been to be here for her, to ensure that she was okay, and then fly her back to Alaska with him.