Kian (Undercover Billionaire, #1)(55)

“I need to go,” she said, her voice husky.

He wanted to argue, but he didn’t. He just caressed her cheek for a moment before taking another step back, then another. She didn’t move. He was five feet away from her before he smiled. Damn, she was a sight to behold.

“Sweet dreams, Roxie,” he said with a confident grin. Then he forced himself to turn around and leave. He whistled as he made his way back to his truck. Kian had plans tonight. He had a book to download, because he sure as hell wanted to know what it was that had gotten her all worked up.

The night was still young. Maybe, just maybe, he could talk her into a nightcap. He never had been one to give up hope, and with his pants scratching his very prominent arousal, hope was all that was allowing him to walk away.

Roxie was going to be his again. He’d make damn sure of it. They wanted each other and, even more than that, needed each other. He was going to prove it to her in any possible way he could.





Chapter Twenty-One

Throwing his keys down on the entryway table, Kian moved through the large foyer of his house, bypassing the double staircase and walking down the seemingly endless hallway. For some reason, the house seemed extra empty tonight. His footsteps echoed off the walls as he walked past pictures of his family, not bothering to look at them.

He didn’t want to admit to what he was feeling, but loneliness came to mind before he pushed it away. He was a successful doctor, a brother, a son, and now a father. That last title got to him, though, because his daughter should be there with him. This place was meant to have children in it, was meant to absorb the sound of laughter. How much longer was he going to be able to stand not having Lily with him?

He knew he wouldn’t last a long time. But he didn’t want just Lily, he wanted Roxie as well. Of course, he would love and want his daughter just on her own, but he wanted it all now. He’d bought this place a few months before Roxie had left. He’d planned on sharing it with her. It had been getting a complete remodel in those months before she’d walked away, and she’d never even seen the inside of it.

Kian went to his den, normally a haven to him, and wasn’t looking at anything as he usually did. Instead of enjoying the beautiful fireplace and hardwood floors, he only saw empty spaces where his child or, for that matter, children, should be crawling around. He wanted to sit in this room, cuddle up on the couch while a fire roared, with Roxie in his arms and Lily playing with action figures. Hey, a girl could be a superhero, too.

But instead, he moved to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a scotch. He couldn’t stand being in the room, so he left, crystal glass in hand as he made his way to the back staircase. He moved up them two at a time and went down the hallway, stopping in front of a door. His hand caressed the wood, and he told himself not to open it. But Kian didn’t seem to be listening to himself very well at the moment.

He pushed open the door and felt so much loneliness in that moment, he didn’t know what to think. Stepping inside, he glanced around the room. A large princess bed sat in the center of the room, purple drapes hanging down from the tall posts. It truly was a bed fit for a queen, which his little girl was.

He’d had the room done the moment he’d known she was his. He wanted her to step into his house and feel at home instantly. He’d wanted her to never want to leave. Maybe the room would help accomplish this. He’d given his assistant carte blanche to do whatever she thought a nearly four-year-old would want. His sister had been impressed, so he thought it had been a pretty good job.

Not able to stand being in the empty room any longer, he quickly left and moved to his own room. It was almost as difficult to be in there as it was to be in Lily’s quiet bedroom. But he couldn’t kick himself out of the room he slept in. Not that he wanted to sleep there. He wanted to be with Roxie. Why couldn’t the woman just admit she wanted him? He knew she wasn’t fighting him so much as she was fighting herself. He just wasn’t sure what to do about it.

He refilled his glass with a bottle he had in his bedroom, then took a quick shower and settled down on his bed. He had a book to download. A smile flittered across his lips. He had to see what had gotten Roxie so embarrassed as she’d admitted to reading romance. He couldn’t believe there were porn books for women. There was no way it could be any good, he thought. Maybe it would bore him enough to make him have a great night’s sleep for the first time in ages.

Sitting in his nice warm bed, he laughed when he found the cover to the book. He double-checked it was the right title, then shrugged and hit the “Buy” button. He’d have to skim the thing because there was no way he was going to get into the story line. When Kian read for pleasure, he wanted action and murder, and always entertainment. He mostly read nonfiction, so his limited fiction time had better absorb him pretty damn quickly.

Kian was a fast reader, and an hour into the book, he was shocked. What the hell? He found himself laughing out loud at some of the scenes, and though he wouldn’t admit to this, not even with a gun pointed at his head, he was entertained, for sure. This wasn’t anything like he’d expected.

Was it real world? Hell, no. This sort of thing didn’t happen in real life. But even as he thought that, he began to think of his own story with Roxie. Heck, he thought a book could be written about them, if someone wanted to take the time. They’d had their ups and downs, hell, were still going through a down time. It might make a decent story. He chuckled. Nah. His life wasn’t entertaining enough to read about.