HER SECRET MILLIONAIRE
Novella
Prequel to MEDDLING WITH A MILLIONAIRE
ISBN: 9781311819857
When the handsome, down-to-his-last dollar cowboy who sweeps you off your feet turns out to be a millionaire, most girls would be thrilled. Not Jaime Burnett. Negative experiences with the rich guys her mother frequently pushes at her have left her feeling less than perfect. And it breaks her heart that the cowboy she's falling in love with isn't the man he's pretending to be.
For Cody Montgomery it was supposed to be a quick casual fling. A couple weeks of fun and he'd move on. But he underestimated how much he liked being with a woman who didn't look at him with dollar signs in her eyes. And when his deception blows up in his face, the only way he knows to get back in Jaime's good graces is to shower her with the one thing she isn't interested in: his money.
The scent of hay, horses and red-blooded male filled the sparsely furnished studio apartment above the barn. Jaime dug her toes into rough wood planks as Cody came up behind her. “I really can’t stay.”
His fingers grazed her shoulder as he slipped her hair warm aside and nuzzled the sensitive skin below her ear. He dislodged her bra strap with an expert flick of one finger and fanned his hand over her stomach. Gentle pressure coaxed her backward until her back met his bare chest. Her hormones hummed at the contact.
“Baby, it’s just a party.”
“I’ve promised I’ll be there.”
At the rate things were going, it wouldn’t require a whole lot to convince her to skip the event. Already her muscles were yielding to the notion of spending the evening wrapped in Cody’s arms.
“You’ll be bored to tears.”
He had that right.
A long gown of olive silk hung from the closet door. The last thing she wanted to do was zip herself into the designer original her mother had found on her last trip to New York City.
“This afternoon was great,” she murmured.
A low hum vibrated against her neck, almost a purr. “And the evening will be even better.”
“I can’t imagine how.”
Her fingers skimmed along steely forearms and tugged at the hands gliding over her torso. The wispy caresses tantalized and teased, driving her mad with longing. The man sure knew how to wreak havoc on her willpower. The longer she let this go on, the less likely she was going to leave.
“Give me a chance and I’ll show you.”
Desire simmered beneath her skin. Cody’s words stoked it into a rapid boil.
“But you’ve been showing me all afternoon.” She trembled as his teeth nipped at her shoulder. “Aren’t you exhausted?”
“With you I can go on all night.” A fact he’d demonstrated frequently these last two weeks.
“What if I come back later?”
“I need you now.”
His urgent tone thrilled her. Knowing she disturbed him was the biggest turn on. It gave her a sense of power lacking in her personal life. Cody made her feel beautiful and adored. Heady stuff for a girl who’d never known her father, been ignored by her stepfather, and bullied by her mother.
“What are you doing to me?” she mused out loud.
“Let’s get you out of these,” he suggested, tracing the edge of her panties. “And see if we can figure it out.”
“That feels incredible,” she gasped. “But I’ve got to get moving.”
He bracketed her hips with his long fingers and guided her rocking pelvis against his arousal. “Baby, you already are.”
His hoarse chuckle cleared a little of the sensual fog from her brain. “No, I mean, I’ve got to leave. The party…”
“No one will notice you’re not there.”
“My mother will. She’s already complaining that I’ve missed two family dinners and skipped our bi-weekly lunch.” But even as she spoke, Jaime’s determination wavered. From the instant she’d locked eyes with the tall cowboy in the bar two weeks ago, she’d been hot, wet, and ready for anything he wanted to do with her. “I can’t not show up tonight, too.”
“She’ll get over it.”
“My cousin won’t. It’s her engagement party.” Although with three hundred guests invited, it was hard to imagine Gwen would have time for more than a wave across the room.
“You’re so beautiful she’ll be happy not to have the competition.”
Usually she wouldn’t believe a compliment like that, but she’d come to trust Cody’s honesty these last two weeks and knew if he didn’t mean it, he wouldn’t say it.
He cupped her breasts, his caresses reverent and arousing. Even with the barrier of her bra between his warm hands and her hot skin, sensation rocked her, agitated her judgment.
“Everyone will wonder why I didn’t show.”
“You’ll have a great story to tell.”
She reached up and back and dragged her fingers through his thick wavy hair, letting him play her body with the finesse of a virtuoso. “This isn’t the sort of thing I talk about.”
“I thought women loved to share the details.”
He sucked on her earlobe. Hot, unsteady breath flowed into her ear.
She hummed. “I’d rather not share you.”
“Honey, I’m all yours.” He said it like he meant it. Like he wasn’t leaving for God knew where in three days. Like this two weeks meant something more to him than great sex.
She turned in his arms and nudged him backward toward the bed. “Well if that’s the case, maybe just a couple minutes more.”