Winning the Billionaire (Seattle Bachelors Book 2) (9 page)

Suddenly there he was, and she wasn’t any more ready for this moment. How in the world did she pretend she didn’t know every inch of his body intimately?

Maddie stepped up to her side and laid a reassuring hand on her back. “Relax, sweetie. Just be your natural charming self.”

As the men came close, Caden stopped behind Hannah, slipped his arms around her, and settled his hands on her stomach. He bent his head, kissing her shoulder, and whispered something in her ear. Watching the two of them always filled her with conflicting sensations. Caden had had a hard time with women. They’d used him. Before Hannah, his last girlfriend had attempted to blackmail him. To see him happy filled her chest to near bursting. It relaxed a knot somewhere inside. She didn’t have to worry about him anymore. Hannah would take care of him now.

Seeing them together, though, had envy kicking her hard in the stomach. Would she ever have that for herself? She’d long ago stopped believing in love. She didn’t know if love was possible for her. Most men either saw her father’s billions or the computer geek who worked too much. Caden’s happiness had drummed up the schoolgirlish desire all over again. She’d been lonely for too long.

Sebastian stepped into her line of sight, snapping her perusal of the happy couple shut and forcing her gaze to him. Christina attempted a smile, but before her polite greeting could even leave her tongue, he folded his arms, pinning her with an intense, focused stare that had her breath catching in her throat. “Don’t think I didn’t notice the way you’ve been avoiding me these last two weeks. Now that I’ve got your undivided attention, there are a few things I’d like to say to you.”

Hannah smiled and reached for Caden’s hand. “We’ll give you two some privacy. I could use a drink, anyway.”

Sebastian lifted a hand in Hannah’s direction but didn’t take his eyes off Christina. “No, it’s okay. I’d like witnesses so she can’t misconstrue this later.”

Christina took a step back, but Sebastian hooked an arm around her waist, stopping her retreat. He arched a brow. The glint in his eye challenged her to deny him. When she couldn’t—because he held her too tightly—he hooked both arms around her, his warm hands settling on the bare skin of her back where her dress cut low.

“For the record, you need to know I do these shindigs for you and you alone. I’m here because this is your baby, and I want you to succeed. I also happen to think breast cancer research is a good cause. But make no mistake. I have never and will never go home with any of these women. I go on my requisite date, we have a little fun, I flirt because it makes them feel good, but I go home very much alone.”

Her cheeks heated a thousand degrees. Of all the things for him to say in front of Caden. She pushed against his chest, attempting to free herself from his addicting hold, but to no avail. “Baz, please. This isn’t the time or the place for this.”

Sebastian’s arm tightened around her, holding firm. As she was five foot ten, he stood only six inches taller. In heels, she nearly matched him in height, and his every breath blew warm against her lips, teasing her with how close he was.

That he was aroused hadn’t escaped her notice, either. Sebastian was hard as steel, and holding her against his solid body, every ridge of that erection pressed into her stomach. She couldn’t be certain if that was good or bad, that her presence affected him to that degree. The knowledge sent all manner of hot tingles shooting along her nerve endings and had giddy butterflies taking flight in her stomach. It did nothing, however, for the distance she attempted to achieve with him.

His hands stroked her back, his fingers skimming her spine in an idle fashion that drove her to distraction.

“Oh, on the contrary, this is the perfect time. With them here, you’ll actually be quiet long enough for me say what I came to say.” Amusement glinted in his eyes. One corner of his mouth quirked upward, but his cheeky smile quickly disappeared. “I thought, perhaps, the gifts would help ease things between us. Since clearly I was wrong, then you should also know that whether we spend one night or three years together, you will never be just another notch on my bedpost. There’s a reason I’ve always stayed away from you.”

Christina clenched her jaw to keep her mouth from dropping open. The heat in her cheeks deepened, fire and perspiration pricking along her skin.

“I cannot believe you said that in front of everybody.” Unable to bear facing him or the others, she jerked her gaze to the right. Now, if only the floor would open up and swallow her whole. Caden now knew in no uncertain terms that she’d slept with Sebastian. Her only saving grace at this point was the emptiness of the ballroom. Luckily for her, the auction didn’t start for another half hour, and only a few people had arrived early. Those who had were gathered in groups, either at the bar or by the dance floor.

“Last but not least, when this evening ends, you and I are going to talk. If you disappear in an attempt to put me off again, I
will
hunt you down, and believe me, I know all your hiding spots.” Apparently not finished torturing her, Sebastian pressed a tender kiss to her cheek, his voice warm and husky in her ear. “You look beautiful, by the way.”

As quickly as he’d grabbed her, he released her, then pivoted and strode off, leaving her to stare after him. For several moments, she could only remember the in and out of breathing as she tried desperately to collect herself. If she moved, she wasn’t certain her wobbly knees would hold her up. Everything south of the equator begged her to go after him and drag him into a closet somewhere. Memories of making love to him ran rampant in her mind. The softness of his lips on her skin. Those warm hands gripping her hips.

Sebastian Blake had two things no man she’d dated ever had—stamina and a libido that matched hers. Being a woman with a high libido had been fun once upon a time, until she realized most men couldn’t keep up with her. Most of them found their own orgasms, rolled over, and went to sleep. Sebastian made sure she went with him, then rolled
her
over and kept going.

It didn’t help—at all—that he’d floored her with his speech. Once again, he’d shown her that he truly did see her. That he knew her better than she’d always assumed. But the question remained. Was it all an act? Or was this really the first true peek into the heart of the man that he’d ever shown her?

Beside her, Hannah giggled. Christina turned her head to find them all staring at her, every face grinning from ear to ear. Clearly they’d enjoyed the show. Including Caden. The traitor.

Maddie laughed and slung an arm around her shoulders. “Oh, sweetie, I like him. He’s a keeper.”

Christina shot Maddie a phony glare but couldn’t quite hold back a reciprocating grin.

“I’m so glad you all are having fun at my expense.” She turned her head and waved a finger in Caden’s direction. “And you. Aren’t you supposed to stick up for me?”

Caden shook his head.

“You were doing fine all on your own. You stopped needing me to stick up for you a long time ago. Besides, I’m sorry to tell you this, but I’m on his side. I’ve watched the two of you pine for each other for far too many years. I’ve been seriously contemplating locking the two of you in a room together. So, I’m afraid, sis, all I have to say is it’s about damn time.” He slipped an arm around Hannah’s back and leaned down to nuzzle her ear. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I believe my wife said she was thirsty. Then I’d like a dance before the auction starts.”

Standing on the small stage at the front of the room two hours later, Christina drew a deep breath as she stared out over the raucous audience. The square room was full to capacity, bodies in every seat lining the front of the stage, and a few stragglers standing around the edges. As usual, it was mostly women, anywhere from their forties to their sixties, all of them dressed in evening gowns and their finest jewels.

The auction was two hours in, and so far, she’d raised a little over four million for breast cancer research. The night had been hugely successful, and every face beamed. They had a blast, as she’d hoped.

Sebastian was the last bachelor to be auctioned off. Her heart hammered from the vicinity of her throat. This was the part of the auction she loathed. Every year, he pulled some stunt on stage to ramp up the crowd. The first year, he’d gone so far as to strip down to his bare chest, much to the delight of the women in attendance. She’d watched it all wondering which woman he’d end up with. Now she couldn’t help wondering if he had told her the truth, if his antics were all an act. If he would go home alone.

She didn’t know, and this year, she had no desire to watch and find out. Right or wrong, she needed some semblance of a boundary.

She looked down at her notes for something else to focus on other than the sick sensation twisting in her stomach and drew a shaky breath. Then she plastered on the brightest smile she could muster and forced herself to face the audience. “All right, ladies, our last bachelor of the evening is a man I’m sure some of you know, because you personally requested his presence. For those of you new to the auction this year, allow me to introduce Sebastian Blake.”

As he stepped up the podium beside her, Sebastian nudged her with an elbow and leaned toward her. “Don’t forget what I said. This is for you and only you.”

His words came as a bare murmur between them, so quiet she glanced at him to be sure she hadn’t imagined them. He didn’t look at her but stared out at the crowd, his smile bright and flirtatious. As per his usual class-clown routine, he folded a hand over his stomach and made a gallant bow. When he straightened, he had the nerve to wrap an arm around her shoulders. “How about a round of applause for our gracious hostess as well, hmm? We have her to thank for this evening. This benefit is her baby. Without her, this evening wouldn’t be possible.”

Smiles lit up each face, a polite applause rolling through the room.

Christina’s face heated. Oh, for sure he laid it on thick tonight. She shrugged out of his embrace and waved a good-natured hand at the audience. “Thank you, but it’s for a good cause. How many of you or your friends and love ones have fallen to this disease? Our family has had more than its fair share. We, like many of you, want to find a cure.”

An older woman in the front row nodded and held up a hand. “Here, here!”

Christina forced a bright smile and winked at the audience. “All right, ladies, now for the good stuff. ‘Baz,’ as his friends know him, is the CEO of the family-owned and operated Blake Hotels and Resorts. He’s been nominated one of Seattle’s most eligible bachelors three years in a row. He’s thirty-two and plays guitar—and plays well, I might add.”

To this a woman in her twenties called out from the back of the room. “Sing us a song!”

Christina’s smile faltered. Part of her job was to encourage stuff like this, to encourage the audience to let their hair down and have a little fun. Woman who were relaxed and having fun spent more money without blinking an eye, and this really was a cause their family believed in. Her father made a large donation every year. The hard part was knowing this was where Sebastian’s antics usually began. She had no desire to know how he’d top Caden’s romantic display last year.

Caden had been one of the bachelors last year. Like Sebastian, he’d participated every year since she’d started running them. Unbeknownst to her, he’d begun seeing Hannah, had made her a promise the auction would have forced him to break, so they’d devised a plan. The idea had been that Hannah would make the bid for him, but at the height of the auction, instead of bidding, she’d quietly left the room. Having realized she’d fallen in love with him, she couldn’t bear the thought of someone else winning his bid.

Seeing her leave had devastated Caden. Then and there, he’d taken himself out of the running by admitting to the entire audience that the women he loved was leaving. Then he promised to match every bid and leapt from the stage, following Hannah out into the hallway.

Bids had gone up all over the room. Within five minutes, he had the highest total of the night. A cool three million.

Beside her, Sebastian laughed, drawing her from the memory. He winked at the woman in the back of the room. “Win my bid, and I can probably be coaxed out of a song or two.”

Attempting to go with the flow, Christina forced a laugh. “As my brother’s best friend, I’ve heard him sing. He has a swoon-worthy voice, ladies.”

Sebastian nudged her, his voice once again a low murmur meant only for her ears. “I wrote a couple of those songs for you, you know.”

Those words had her faltering. She clenched her jaw to keep it from dropping open. All the times over the years she’d sat listening to him pluck the strings of his guitar drifted through her mind. He’d played in a band there for a while, hard rock, of course, loud, intense tunes about rebellion. Sitting by himself, he’d often sing straight from the heart. He had a beautiful voice, deep and velvety. The kind that drew you in and made you swoon because the words hit you right in the heart. She’d always wondered who he sang them for. He’d never tell her, but she’d always listened, envious of the girl he clearly sang for.

Had he truly written some for her? Her heart hammered. Surely not. Yet his words the night of his father’s funeral came again.
“I see you…I’ve always seen you.”

All the little gifts he’d been sending this month.

She drew her shoulders back and forced herself to ignore him, smiling again at the audience. “You’ll also be pleased to know our Baz is a cat lover. His furry companion is a three-year-old tabby he coaxed in off the street. Which means, despite his antics, he’s a great big softie. You’re getting the total package, ladies. In addition to an evening with him, you’re also getting a weekend of being pampered at his spa resort here in Seattle. All right, shall we start the bidding?”

Cheers rang out around the audience. She stepped back as the auctioneer took her place at the podium and the feeding frenzy began. With every bid that came in, Sebastian took something off, egging on the women. He started with his jacket, dropping it to the floor, much to the delight of the women. Bids went up all over the room.