The Billionaire Next Door (Billionaire Bad Boys #2)(49)

When she looked back at Tag, he was wearing an absolutely unreadable expression. A mix of confusion and bemusement, his eyes slitted and mouth pursed like he was thinking of what to say. In the end he said nothing, which was an answer in itself.

“I’m going to work a few shifts,” she said after a minute of silence.

“I beg your pardon?” he asked flatly, the same eyebrow raised in protest.

“Oh, I won’t take tips.”

“Rachel…”

“Absolutely not. You’re letting me stay in your room. I didn’t pay for this drink. The least you can let me do is what I promised to do, which is help you improve the bar.”

“I didn’t bring you here to put you behind the bar, Dimples. I want you to advise, not work your ass off.” Tenderly, he stroked his hand back down her leg to her knee. “I want you with me.”

Nothing made thinking more difficult than when he touched her. Unless it was the bald admission that he wanted her with him. Sweet, and damn hard to resist. But she genuinely wanted to help, and there was simply no way for her to get a feel of the bar without working it personally.

“I appreciate that,” she said, finally finding the words. “But to know how things work from the other side, I literally need to be on the other side.”

“Fine. I’ll pair you with Karina for training. She’s the best, and you’re a fast learner.” He held up a finger. “One night.”

“Two,” she insisted. Though she wasn’t excited about the prospect of working with Karina, it’d take more than one night to figure out the best approach to the redesign. Rachel couldn’t be sure what kind of sordid past Tag had with the other woman. She hoped she didn’t have to find out. Compartmentalization was the only way to be with him. “One night and one day. It’d help to see how things go during a weekend afternoon.”

He sighed, resigned. “Fair enough.”

She turned her head to take him in. He fit here on Oahu better than he fit in Chicago. With the heat and his tan and the way his blue eyes sparkled like the surface of the ocean. He turned to face her, admiration awash on his expression.

“But not tonight,” he said, proving himself less amicable to her bargain after all. His next words made her shiver. “Tonight you’re mine.”





Chapter 14



Rachel, flower tucked into her blond waves, walked beside Tag through the resort. Her legs shot out of a pair of short white shorts, a frothy top covering a white tank. Gorgeous. Every inch of her.

They’d come from a beachside restaurant, one with the best pulled pork he’d ever tasted.

“Dinner with a luau included,” she said with a sweet smile. “That’s a first.”

“I like when you have firsts with me.” He liked treating her. She didn’t get enough special treatment; he could tell. Especially when she’d argued about helping pay for dinner. Absolutely not.

“Now what do we do?” Dimples dented her cheeks when she flashed him another quick smile. Still cautious. He liked that about her. Liked being the guy who pushed her boundaries and watched her boldly step over them. Mile High Club indeed.

She surprised him at every turn, and he’d ended up surprising himself. He’d never been one for baby-stepping through dates. She was refreshingly different and made him want to discover more and more about her.

“I arranged surfing lessons for tomorrow before your evening shift.” He intended to have a few more firsts with her while they were here.

“Is that what you were doing while I was dressing for dinner?” She made a face like she’d tasted something bad.

“What’s wrong?” He steered them toward the beach. The sun had set, the moon reflecting white on black water. “Too much of a city girl for surfing?”

“I’m from a farm, thank you very much. I mean, sort of. We didn’t have cows or anything.” She pulled a few strands of hair away from her mouth and studied the dark ocean waves. “I’m not sure if working after a surfing lesson is smart. I’ll probably need a massage after I bust my ass.”

“That can be arranged.” He leaned close when he said it.

Her laughter filled his chest in a not uncomfortable way. Come to think of it, he was having a few firsts himself. She squeezed his hand and tugged him closer to the water, and he followed without hesitation. He opted not to read into that.

“Tag Crane, you brought me here to do a job, not play. Don’t you want me to do it?”

At the edge of the surf, he told her the truth. “Not really.”

Her forehead crinkled like she didn’t know whether to embrace the idea that he may have brought her here mostly to spend time with him. It didn’t sit all that well with him, either, but dammit, it was the truth.

“Now that I have you here, I don’t want to let you out of my sight.” He pulled her closer, pressing her soft curves against his body. Her eyes closed and her chin tipped in unspoken permission, so he gave them what they both wanted and met her lips with his. She tasted spicy from the barbeque and sweet from the pi?a colada. The scent of coconut suntan lotion scrambled his brain.

The only sounds around them were the distant drumbeat of a band camped by the glow of a beach fire, the warm lapping of the water at their feet, and the gentle suction of Rachel’s soft kisses.