Billion Dollar Bear: BBW Paranormal Billionaire Romance (Bad Boy Alphas) (10 page)

      Crystalle’s
mouth formed a little ‘o’. “You met someone?” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“Who? When? I don’t see how you could have possibly found the time…”

      “It was
that client you were drooling about last weekend,” Becca interrupted. “You
know, the one who you were saying I should jump into the sack with. Jericho Knight.”

      “Oh!”
Excitement lit Crystalle’s eyes. “So you jumped in bed with him, just like I
said you should! Oh, I knew you had it in you!” She clapped her hands and
practically squealed, and then stopped, some of the excitement dying away.
“Except that he broke your heart, didn’t he?” Her eyes darkened. “What did he
do to you, Becca?”

      Becca
sighed. “Nothing. We had a great time. But then he had to go back home… and I’m
still here. Having to forget him…having to pretend nothing happened between us.”

      “Oh.”
Understanding softened Crystalle’s eyes. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. That must be
terribly hard.”

      Becca bit
her lip. “He sent me flowers the other day. And a round trip ticket to Chicago,
to spend the weekend with him.”

      Crystalle’s
jaw dropped. “And you didn’t ask me to put in for the time off?”

      Becca
looked away. “I hadn’t decided to go.” Pulling the tickets out of her purse,
she looked down at them again for the umpteenth time. She’d meant to rip them
up and throw them away, but every time she looked at them she couldn’t quite
bring herself to do it. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”

      Crystalle
jumped up out of her chair and bustled around her desk. “Oh my goodness,” she
breathed. “You weren’t kidding.” She stared at the tickets, and then tapped Becca
on the shoulder. “What are you still doing here? That flight leaves in six
hours!”

      Becca
gaped up at her, confused. “You’re saying I should go?”

      Crystalle
scowled at her. “Of course you should go! What is wrong with you?”

      Becca
glanced down at the tickets, then back up at her boss. “But the weekend is our
busiest time – ”

      “Really?
Who cares about that? Besides, you haven’t taken a vacation in over a year, so
you’re long past due for some time off.” Crystalle took Becca by the upper arm
and pulled her out of her chair. “You get on that plane and show that glorious
hunk of a man just how much he’s missing. By the time you’re done with him,
he’ll be begging to get on a plane and come back home with you. That’s how
special you are. And don’t you ever forget it.”

      Becca’s
smile widened. “You really think this can all work out?”

      Crystalle
shrugged. “I really can’t say. But you’re never going to know if you don’t give
it a chance. Now go!”

Jericho gritted his teeth as the phone in
his pocket buzzed. Checking the time on his dash’s digital readout, his blood
pressure spiked a little as he noticed he was five minutes late to pick up Ravena.

     
That’s
probably why she’s calling
, he groused to himself as he fished his phone
out of his pocket while simultaneously navigating through the jammed streets of
Chicago during rush hour.
Damn traffic.
He should have left at least a
half-hour earlier, but without Emerson – who’d had plans for the evening
already – to get on his case about being on time, he’d lost track of the
hour.

      Of course,
his being late also might have had something to do with the fact that he didn’t
actually want to see Ravena at all.

      Swiping at
the screen, he expected to see a missed call, but instead there was a text
message from an unknown number. An international number.

      A horn
blared, and he glanced up from the screen, and then slammed on his brakes as he
realized he’d crossed into the middle of the intersection on a red light.
Jamming the car into reverse, he hastily shot backwards and out of the path of
an SUV manned by a rather angry-looking housewife who jabbed a one-fingered
salute in his direction.

     
Yeah,
okay. So I deserved that.

      Unwilling
to cause an accident, he laid the phone face down on the passenger’s seat and
waited until he could pull over into a safe spot before he looked at it.
Parking the car in a red zone, he killed the engine, the snatched the phone up
again and pulled up the text message.

      “
Got
your flowers. I’m at the airport now. Pick me up at Terminal 7? :)”

      Pure
excitement blasted through the sludge of misery that had been clogging his
chest for the past few days. A mile-wide grin spread across his face, lighting
up his eyes as he realized his wish had come true. “Holy shit. She’s here. In
Chicago.”

       Ravena
is waiting for you.

      Cursing,
he pulled out his phone and shot Ravena a quick text.

“
Sorry, can’t make it tonight.
Something came up.”

His knew Ravena would be furious that he
was canceling, never mind that he was doing so to spend time with another
she-bear – but he really didn’t care. He hit the send button, and then
composed another text for Becca.

     
“Sit
tight. I’m on my way.”

      It took
him another hour of fighting through snarled traffic to get to the airport, but
the sight of Becca standing at the curb, one hand on a bright red suitcase, as
she scanned the lines of cars, lifted the tension headache from his throbbing
temples and brought a smile to his face. She wore a dandelion-yellow sundress,
her reddish brown hair loose around her heart-shaped face, and looked
deliciously fresh for a woman who’d just hopped a transcontinental flight and
traveled over four thousand miles to see him.

      Her
whiskey eyes lit as she spotted him in the crowd, and she lifted an elegant
hand to wave to him. Jericho thought his heart would burst from all the
excitement; he barely had the car parked before he hopped out and pulled her
into his arms.

      “Becca.
I’ve missed you so much.” Her sweet vanilla-cinnamon scent enveloped him, as if
welcoming him home, and unable to wait any longer, he crushed his mouth against
hers and kissed her as though this were the first and last time he ever would.

* * *

The bundle of raw nerves that rustled in
Becca’s chest evaporated instantly when Jericho took her into his arms, and
kissed her with every ounce of passion he’d ever showed her during their time
together in Paris. The sheer emotion that flowed through his body, and into
hers, eradicated every doubt and fear she’d had that he wouldn’t show up, or
that the spark between them might have faded even one iota. Their passion
burned bright as ever, so bright she was surprised their clothes hadn’t
incinerated on the spot as soon as he’d touched his lips to hers.

     
Now
that would have made quite a spectacle
, she mused, her lips curving against
his.

      He pulled
back and traced his fingers along the lines of her mouth. “You’re smiling,” he
said, his gorgeous blue eyes dancing.

      She
grinned up at him. “I’m just so happy to see you. I was worried you would leave
me stranded at the airport.”

      He growled,
his eyes lit by the excitement that she was finally standing here, in front of
him. “I would never do that to you.” Reaching around her, he lifted her suitcase
and then walked around the side of the car so he could put it in the trunk. “Go
on and get into the car,” he called. “I’ll be right in.”

      Nodding,
she approached the sleek Audi R8 with a kind of reverence, even running her
hand across the shiny silver exterior before sliding into the car. She even
double checked her dress to make sure there was nothing on it to scratch the
red leather of the interior, and then sank back into the chair with a sigh.

      When Jericho
entered the vehicle, she was fully reclined in the seat, her eyes closed and an
expression of pure bliss on her face. He arched a brow when she actually
groaned, shifting in the seat a little bit.

      “Enjoying
the massage feature?” he asked, unable to resist teasing her a little.

      She opened
a lazy eye. “It’s genius. I didn’t even think cars had these.”

      Jericho
smiled slyly at her. “It’s not a standard feature on the Audi R8… but they were
kind enough to customize it for me.”

      Becca
considered that as Jericho shifted the car into gear and slowly eased his way
into airport traffic. She knew that Jericho wasn’t exactly pinching pennies or anything,
but now she was getting the idea that he wasn’t just pulling in a good salary,
but that he might actually be very wealthy. She pursed her lips as she eyed the
expensive suit he was wearing. Looked like Armani, and definitely not something
you pulled out of your closet for just any occasion.

      “So did
you dress up just to pick me up from the airport, or what?” she said, plucking
at the mother of pearl buttons on his cuffs.

      An
uncomfortable expression rippled across Jericho’s face. “I was on my way to an…
engagement, before I received your text.”

      “Oh.” Her
stomach shifted uneasily as it twitched with guilt. It didn’t occur to her that
he might have made other plans after he didn’t hear back from her. “I’m sorry I
messed up your evening.”

      A smile blossomed
across his face, and he took her hand in his to give it a gentle squeeze. “You
didn’t mess up anything,” he said, a kind of quiet joy in his voice. “If
anything, you made this night ten times better for me. I’ve never had a better
excuse to skip out on a boring evening.”

      She
laughed a little. “Well then I’m glad to be of service then,” she said, and
settled back in the cushy leather chair, her stomach settling again. “Where
exactly are we headed?”

      Jericho
glanced sideways at her. “I thought we might grab a bite to eat. You are
hungry, aren’t you?”

      Becca
nodded. “Famished. They served us lunch, but that was hours ago.”

      “Excellent.”
Jericho squeezed her hand again. “That means we can put that appetite of yours
to good use.”

      Becca
thought they were swinging by a take-out joint or maybe a small restaurant on
the way to Jericho’s apartment, so when he parked in the underground lot of a
massive steel and glass high-rise building, she was puzzled. The confusion
escalated when they entered a fancy elevator and Jericho pushed a button that
went straight to the top floor.

      “What are
we doing here?”

      “Eating,” Jericho
explained, and then pushed her against the wall. “Though since we have a few
minutes, we might as well use them wisely.”

      He kissed
her passionately, his tongue doing a dangerous tango with hers, and her
heartbeat pounded wildly as his erection pressed into her hip. She had missed
him so much, and the sensation of having his body pressing against hers, his
masculine scent wrapping itself around her in a cocoon of desire, made her weak
at the knees. She couldn’t get enough of him, her hands clutching at his
shoulders, as he lowered his face to the crook of her neck and she shivered
when his teeth grazed her skin and he bite down gently.  She felt his
breath against the side of her neck, just under her chin, as he whispered words
to her of how much he missed her, and how happy he was that she was here.

“Not a day went by that you weren’t on my
mind…I couldn’t stop thinking about you, and this,” he kissed her hard, his
tongue ripping through her lips, as his hands gripped her ass, pulling her in
tightly. “…this beautiful body, and how it feels in my hands.”

Moisture gathered between her legs as she
throbbed, all the pent-up sexual frustration from the last few days shooting
straight through her, causing her to shiver with her need for him.

      When the
elevator doors opened again, her face was flushed, and her hands flew to her
mussed hair to try and pat it down in some semblance of order as Jericho pulled
her into the lobby of what looked a hell of a lot like an upscale restaurant.

      An
ultra-upscale restaurant.

      “Leave
it,” Jericho murmured as he tucked her into the crook of his arm. “I think it
looks sexy…especially since I’m the one who messed it up.” He approached the
maître de, who was dressed in white and standing behind a kind of podium with a
ledger on it. “My usual table, please.”

      “Mr. Knight.”
The elderly man’s eyes lit with recognition and warmth. “How wonderful to see
you again.” He smiled at Becca, and if he thought she was a little underdressed
to dine at the restaurant, he gave no indication. “Right this way.”

      He led
them through a maze of tables and chairs, many of them already occupied, and up
a staircase to a second floor. Becca forced herself not to crane her neck as
she looked all around – the place was dripping in crystal and gold and
platinum, with midnight blue and white table cloths and chairs and matching
flower arrangements, and a huge glass dome that arched over everything, offering
them a panoramic view of the sky.

      The maître
de seated them at a table next to the glass that gave them a breathtaking view
of the Chicago coastline. Becca’s gaze lingered on the skyline long after the
waiter came and took their order for drinks, her eyes brushing against the
streaks of color the sunset painted across the sky and the water.

      “This is
incredible,” she finally said when the waiter delivered their drinks and they’d
ordered their food. She lifted her peach bellini to her mouth and took a sip,
which then turned into a long drink.

      “What is,
the view or your drink?” he teased, his eyes sparkling.

      “Both.”
She lowered her drink, then reached across the table and grasped his hand. “Jericho,”
she paused, and he could see the uncertainty in her eyes, “I feel like you’re
not being totally honest with me.”

      Jericho didn’t
take his eyes from her face as he lowered his own drink – a glass of red
– to the table. “I’m not sure what you mean,” he said, but something like
guilt flickered in his eyes, and she knew she had him.

      “I think
you do.” Becca lifted an eyebrow and looked around. “You sent me first-class
tickets, picked me up in a very expensive car, and took me to a restaurant that
serves hundred-dollar steaks. I get the idea that maybe you’re not just a
high-paid lackey at a company.”

      Jericho
sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. “Oh, that.” He smiled at her, but she
could see what looked like relief burning in the depths of his eyes, and it
confused her. “ I just didn’t want you to think of me differently,” he began.

      Becca
squeezed his hand. “You promised you would explain everything if I came to see
you,” she reminded him.

      “I did.” Jericho
took a deep breath, as if steeling himself for something. “I don’t just work
for the family business, Becca. I own the family business.”

      Becca
nodded as he confirmed what she had suspected. “Is it really a real estate
business?”

      “One of
the biggest in Chicago.” Jericho took another sip of his wine. “My father
started it, and it was heading in a decent direction before we were embroiled
in a long, drawn-out war with a rival clan that eventually got him killed. I
inherited what was left of the business and turned it into what it is today.”

      He spoke
flatly, as if he was simply reciting facts, but Becca saw the pain that flared
deep in his eyes, however briefly, and it made her heart ache. “I’m sorry for
your loss,” she murmured, picking up his hand and pressing a kiss to his
knuckles. “It must have been incredibly hard.

      Jericho
closed his eyes, savoring her touch. “It was,” he said, his voice rough. “But I
made the best of a dire situation.” His eyes popped open. “I didn’t just
inherit the business when my father died, Becca. I inherited the entire clan.”