The Billionaire's Voice (The Sinclairs #4) (8 page)

“Dark hair. Brown eyes. He just turned thirty.”

Tessa quickly thought about his age and description, realizing that they were definitely talking about the same guy. How many successful rockers named Xander could there be in the world?

Her heart ached as she explained, “I met him. Years ago when I lived in Boston. He was doing a concert there. He helped me. I only met him once, but I never forgot how much his assistance meant to me.”

Tessa quickly recounted how she and Xander had become acquainted, unable to imagine Micah’s younger brother as anything other than how he’d been with her . . . an adorable, cheeky rock star.

“Sounds like something he’d do,” Micah agreed. “He’s . . . different now.”

She couldn’t help but be sad about such a nice guy having something so terrible happen to him. Life was so damn unfair sometimes. “Maybe it will just take some time,” she suggested, her heart squeezing like it was being clenched by a merciless fist.

“He’s not getting better.” There was sadness and frustration in Micah’s expression.

“He will,” Tessa told him, leaning her forehead against his. “I wish there was something I could do to help.”

Micah was assisting her right now in so many ways, and she wanted to give him something back. It was obvious that the devastating events that had occurred were getting to him. He’d lost his parents, and now he felt like he was losing his brother.

She squealed with surprise as he sat up and hefted her onto his lap. “You can. Give me your opinion. What do you think of me building my house right here?”

Tessa barely caught his words as she wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to steady herself. “Here?”

She sensed that Micah didn’t want to talk about Xander anymore, and Tessa let the subject go. He’d come here to escape for a while, and he deserved a chance to relax and forget about his troubles right now.

“Yep. I think this is a perfect place for a second home.” He tightened his arms around her.

“It’s beautiful here. Peaceful.” As she looked around, all she could see were trees and the massive coastline beyond. It was slightly elevated where they were sitting, so the views would be amazing.

“I thought so, too.”

“But I didn’t know you wanted to spend more time in Amesport. It’s a little tame.”

Micah lived for action, for new adventures. Amesport was fun in the summer because of the ocean and the tourists, but she was pretty sure he’d quickly get bored. It certainly wasn’t New York City.

“I want to build a home for both of my brothers, too. I want what Jared has: all of his family back together again. I won’t live here all the time, but I kind of like the idea of building us homes here like Jared did.”

Tessa caught a sense of longing she couldn’t explain in his sad smile. “So you bought up all the land on this side of town just to build a few houses.”

He shrugged. “It’s not like I can’t afford it. So yeah, I guess I did.”

“And the skating rink?”

“We Sinclairs like our space and our privacy,” he answered with a more genuine grin. “I bought the skating arena for the property it sits on, but if you think you’ll use it, I’ll reopen it.”

Tessa looked into Micah’s eyes, realizing he was serious. He’d reopen the ice-skating venue just to make her happy. “I’d love to see it open, but I’m not sure how much revenue it would bring. My dad never made much of a profit. It’s outside of town, and the tourists come for the coastline and the ocean in the summer. It was mostly locals.”

“Then I guess it needs to become the happening place in Amesport. Besides, I don’t need to make more money. I’d do it for you.”

Tessa’s heart did backflips as Micah moved closer, his stare becoming more intense.

“Why? You hardly know me,” she asked, perplexed.

Tessa squeaked as her back hit the grass again and Micah pinned her arms beside her head as he answered, “I know you, Tessa. I fucking feel you every single day. I can’t be in your company without getting a raging hard-on, and it’s driving me half-insane.”

His fierce expression made her heart pound hard against her ribs, so hard she could feel it
thumping
inside her chest. Micah’s body was resting on top of hers, his weight keeping her plastered against the ground. Her breath hitched as she answered slowly, “I don’t understand.”

“Then let me be blunt. I want to fuck you so damn badly that I can hardly draw a breath. I want to be buried so deep inside you that you lose yourself completely, and all you want is for me to fuck you hard and fast until you scream my name while you come.”

The hunger on his face was visible, and Tessa knew he wasn’t lying. Right now, he looked like he was a predator ready to consume her, and heat flooded between her thighs as she conjured up the image he was describing.

Both of us naked, our bodies entwined. Me, losing control while he pumps into my body until I’m screaming, helpless to do anything but climax.

Her belly tightened and her core squeezed so hard with desire that her entire body was shaking.

This is what it’s like for a man to really desire me.

It was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time, probably because she wanted him, too.

His face was close, so close she could feel his heated breath against her cheek. Temptation beckoned, the deep longing to feel the ultimate human connection with this man. Him. Micah Sinclair. The only man who’d ever made her tremble with a single touch.

“I can’t,” she whispered anxiously.

“Can’t or won’t?” His expression was anguished now.

“Both,” she answered vaguely.

There was nothing she wanted more than Micah. Her soul and body were begging her to give in, let herself wallow in the pleasure she knew he could show her, but her rational mind resisted.
Hard.

And then, he kissed her, his mouth diving for hers like he couldn’t stop himself. She relaxed for an instant, let herself follow where his dominant passion led. He cajoled, he teased, and he conquered. She opened for him, letting his tongue roam through her mouth like he owned it. Moaning as she allowed her mouth to meld with his, Tessa realized she was already drowning in sensation and Micah’s bold, commanding touch.

Just like I did at the skating arena.

She wanted to let herself go.

She wanted to fall into him and forget.

She desperately wanted the connection she had with him to grow deeper and deeper, until she didn’t know her own name.

But she couldn’t.

Turning her head, she separated her mouth from his and cried out, “No! I can’t. Please. I can’t do this again.”

He backed off immediately. “What’s wrong? Do what again?”

She caught the words on his lips, and she knew she had confused him. Maybe she’d given him the wrong signals when she’d let herself be swept away at the skating rink. She didn’t regret it, but she knew it couldn’t happen again.

Releasing her wrists, he quickly sat up and pulled her into his lap.

She turned her head and didn’t look at him until he forced her chin up with his fingers. “Tell me.”

Maybe he deserved an explanation, but she wasn’t sure what to say. She ended up blurting out exactly how she felt. “After I broke up with Rick, and my parents died, I went into a horrible depression. I’d lost my hearing, and that had taken away the man I loved. My career was gone, so I was just floating in limbo, everything I cared about gone. I’d completely changed to be the woman Rick wanted, and then I . . . wasn’t. My parents were gone, and I was all alone.” She stopped briefly to gather her turbulent thoughts, realizing she wasn’t making any sense. “He’s the only man I ever wanted, but he didn’t want me anymore, even though I did everything in my power to please him. In the end, it didn’t matter. He dumped me anyway when I wasn’t the perfect doll he’d turned me into, going to parties I didn’t care about, dressing the way he wanted, acting the way he wanted. None of that mattered anymore because I wasn’t the woman he wanted.”

“He wasn’t the man for you,” Micah interjected while Tessa took a steadying breath.

“No. He wasn’t. But I didn’t know that back then. I was young, and I
let
him become my whole world. He reinvented me because I was young, stupid, and I hadn’t completely found myself. Skating was my life. There was nothing else for me until I met Rick. I was too naive not to be programmed to make him happy. And it was nearly my downfall.”

She took a deep breath before moving her eyes to his and told him honestly, “I was so depressed that I tried to kill myself. I didn’t care whether I lived or died at that point in my life. That’s probably what your brother is facing now, except I wasn’t drinking or doing drugs every day.”

She waited with a heavy heart, knowing he’d look at her differently now, and she knew that rejection from Micah was going to hurt.

It took Micah a few moments to process exactly what Tessa had confessed. Once, she’d been so alone and so desperately lost that she’d wanted to take her life?

He knew he should immediately discard the thought that she would have followed through. She loved her brother, and, deep down inside, the will to survive would never have let her take her own life. Still, the thought of the world with no Tessa scared the shit out of him.

His rage at all of the tragedy that this one small woman had lived through pounded at him relentlessly, making him incapable of saying much of anything.

Finally, he asked, “Have you ever thought about it again?”

She shook her head. “No. I went to counseling. It took me a while to resolve my issues, to really grieve for everything I’d lost. That was a turning point for me. Everything happened so fast that I never really had a chance to mourn. I guess everything stayed bottled up until I finally cracked.”

Micah stood, unable to find the words to say, unable to comfort her. He was too busy being angry at the world, pissed off that Tessa had needed to endure so damn much that it nearly broke her.

Nearly. But it hadn’t.

He stood and held out his hand to her, then pulled her to her feet. “Everything better now?”

It was a dumb, awkward, almost polite question, but he had to ask.

She nodded. “Better,” she agreed. “I’m still working on awesome.”

Micah didn’t talk much as they made their way back through the woods, lost in his own thoughts. He wished he knew how to comfort Tessa, but he wasn’t sure how.

One thing he knew for sure, he damn well was going to get her to “awesome” as soon as he possibly could. She’d had enough shit in her life. It was beyond time for her to become “breathtakingly amazing.”

CHAPTER 7

The last thing Kristin Moore wanted to see today was Julian Sinclair walking into Shamrock’s Pub. It had already been a shitty day, and seeing Julian come through the door made it an explosive-diarrhea kind of afternoon.

Her parents’ bar and grill was between the lunch and dinner rush, and even though it was a Saturday, there was only one couple at the far table having a drink. The tourist season was over, and there wasn’t much happening before seven or eight o’clock these days once the lunch crowd had departed.

Of course, Julian swaggered straight to the bar where she was wiping down counters, and plopped his tight, gorgeous ass down on a barstool. “How are you, Red?”

His tone was taunting, like he was already ready for a fight. “Fine, until you got here,” she retorted, her teeth set on edge.

What was it about Julian Sinclair that put her immediately on the defensive? In addition to the fact that he was one of the most perfectly gorgeous men she’d ever met, he was a superstar and a billionaire. His platinum-blond hair and deep-blue eyes would turn any woman’s head. His perfectly toned body, complete with bulging biceps, would make them do a double take and keep right on staring. He looked the part of a Hollywood A-lister.

He was an amazingly generous tipper, something she’d found out the night of Hope Sinclair’s winter ball, when he’d left her a wad of hundred-dollar bills that had helped her make her rent and pay some bills that month.

Unfortunately, he
still
irritated the hell out her.

“Nice greeting. I thought this was a tourist town,” Julian said drily.

“The tourists are gone for the season. So what do you want? You’re slumming it pretty far from Hollywood, aren’t you, Hotshot?”

“Can I just get a beer?” he asked in a less sarcastic tone.

Kristin’s gaze inspected his face carefully for the first time since he’d walked in. She’d gotten distracted by his perfectly toned body as he’d come in and sat down.

Now that she had a chance to see him clearly, he looked worn out, and he had some obvious lacerations on that perfect face and a few on his neck. Julian was dressed casually in jeans and a deep-blue polo shirt that matched his eyes, but Kristin couldn’t help but notice that he might be just a little bit leaner than he had been the last time she saw him. Granted, he was still gorgeous, but a little worse for wear.

She turned silently and went to the service area in the back of the bar, returning a few minutes later to place a well-loaded fish sandwich in front of him, along with a glass of milk.

“I asked for a beer,” he said irritably.

She nodded at the sandwich. “I think you need that more. What happened to you?”

“Action movie,” he answered as though those two words explained everything.

“Looks like you got in the middle of the action and came out the loser,” she shot back, wanting to smile as he picked up half of the grinder she’d put together and started to eat.

“I didn’t lose. We were out in the damn wilderness and I was trying to do as many of the stunts as possible on my own. I got a little banged up.” He took another bite and swallowed before adding, “I guess I was hungry. This is good. Is it poisoned?” He didn’t seem concerned, because he continued to devour the meal, washing it down with large gulps of the milk.

“I guess you’ll find out in about ten minutes,” Kristin answered cheerfully. “The toxin is pretty fast acting, Hotshot.”

He grinned at her, never slowing down as he finished off his dinner. “You wouldn’t bump me off. You like arguing with me too much, Red.”

God, she hated that nickname. Her flame-red hair and her rounded body had been her two most hated body traits in her teen years, and she’d had guys call her that a lot back then. It didn’t exactly bring back fond memories, and Julian had used that name from the time he’d met her, which had probably put her on the defensive with him almost immediately.

Kristin felt her heart skitter, that stupid smile of his getting to her. “Maybe I’m tired of fighting with you.”

“Nope. I don’t buy that. You like it,” Julian answered right before he took the last bite of his sandwich.

Kristin turned and cut Julian a piece of pie, setting it carefully on a small plate before grabbing a spoon and putting it all in front of him.

“I don’t like arguing,” she told him honestly. “I just can’t seem to help myself.”

Insults sprang from her lips so easily when she was in Julian’s company. Usually, she didn’t have a hair-trigger temper, even though she
was
a redhead, but he seemed to bring out the worst in her.

“How do you know I like chocolate? I could be allergic,” Julian purred huskily.

Kristin had given him a piece of the daily special. It was a creamy milk-chocolate pie with whipped cream on the top. She hadn’t really had much choice. They only had one kind of pie. “Maybe I was hopeful. Are you allergic?”

“No.” Julian picked up the fork and dug into the pie.

“Too bad. Maybe you just look like the kind of guy who gives in to temptation . . . often,” Kristin snapped.

Julian looked up from his plate and pinned her with an unnerving stare. “I don’t.”

The words were hoarse and genuine, which confused Kristin enough to look away from his hypnotic gaze. It was about the only plain speaking he’d ever done in her company, and she shuddered, knowing that those two words were meant as so much more than just a denial. He was trying to tell her something.

“So what
are
you doing here?” she asked in a rush, eager to change the subject.

“The movie just wrapped. I was looking for Micah. His employees said he was here.”

Moving a short distance away from Julian, Kristin put her elbows on the bar. Her feet were killing her, and she knew she looked disheveled. Her hair was starting to come loose from the hurried French braid she’d done earlier that morning, and the white apron she was wearing had splatters of food decorating the front from lunch service. “I haven’t seen him. I didn’t even know he was here.”

“He’s here. He’s staying on the Peninsula in Jared’s guesthouse. But I checked. He’s not there. Jared said to try Randi’s old place. I guess Micah bought some land out there, along with Randi’s old house.”

Kristin was surprised, and very little shocked her. “He bought an old house outside town? Why?”

“He bought a bunch of property. Some of it’s on the coastline. He told Jared it’s an investment.”

“Why here?” Kristin was still baffled about why some guy with almost unlimited amounts of money would want to buy property in Amesport.

Julian shrugged his broad shoulders. “Why not? He could build up the land, expand the economy in town. I guess I get his plan. But he’s not usually a real-estate investor. I think he might have other motives.”

Kristin didn’t like Julian’s evil grin one bit, and she hated the thought of Amesport becoming a completely commercial town. The area had built up over the years, but Amesport still had a small-town feel, and she liked it that way. “What kind of motives?”

Julian pushed his empty plate away and polished off his milk. “Just a hunch. I’ll find out if I’m right eventually.”

Kristin glared at him. “So you’re not sharing?”

“Red, if I’d known you wanted to share, I’d have saved you some of that pie.”

He was deliberately misunderstanding her, goading her now. He obviously wasn’t going to spill any information. “If you think he’s out at Randi’s old place, why did you stop here?”

Julian stood up and pulled out a wad of money from the pocket of his jeans and dropped it beside his empty pie plate. “I thought I wanted a beer,” he said vaguely.

“Do you still want it?” Kristin tried to ask politely. After all, he was a paying customer.

“Nope.” He moved lightning fast and grasped her braid before she could back away from the bar. “I think you gave me what I really needed, Red.” He’d moved in quickly, his warm breath tickling her ear. “I only want one more thing.”

Kristin felt her body react to his nearness, and it made her almost speechless. “What?” She hated herself because the word came out sounding breathless.

“More dessert,” he whispered huskily, tilting her head with her braid as his lips covered hers.

Kristin was startled for a fraction of a second before her entire body began to ignite. She wrapped her arms around Julian’s muscular shoulders, trying to tug him closer, desperate for body contact.

The embrace only lasted for a short time, but it was enough to shake Kristin to her core. Julian wasn’t shy, and he openly devoured her as the couple in the corner watched curiously.

As he raised his mouth, Kristin opened her eyes, not sure when she’d closed them to savor the moment.

He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, then ran the back of his hand down her cheek. “I won’t say I’m satisfied,” he rasped. “But I got what I came for.”

She came out of her daze as he released her.

What? What had he come for? For a beer? To kiss me senseless? To fill his empty stomach? What?

Kristin never got to ask. Julian departed as quickly as he’d entered, leaving her with only a glimpse of his completely edible body as he walked out the door.

Julian finally got his beer as he sat in the living room of Dante’s house, shooting the breeze with his male cousins and his oldest brother, Micah. Evan was the only one missing, still off on his delayed honeymoon with Randi.

“You look like hell,” Micah mentioned casually from his seat in the chair next to him.

“Thanks, bro. Nice to see you, too.” It wasn’t like Julian didn’t know he’d lost some weight while he was in the Australian outback filming, but he was sick as hell of being reminded he had a few bruises and scrapes. They’d heal, and he wasn’t as worried as his agent that his perfect face would have a scar.
Jesus!
He was tired of everybody worrying about how he looked.

“I’m glad to see you, but it looks like it was a rough job,” Micah answered frankly.

“It was.” He didn’t want to dwell on his latest project. It was a high-profile movie, hyped and anticipated, but for Julian, it hadn’t been that much of a challenge other than performing some of the stunts. Honestly, he missed the much rawer film that had won him the Oscar. The current movie he’d just wrapped would be a blockbuster because of the special effects, but it didn’t have a whole lot of substance.

“What made you stop here before heading back to California?” Micah asked curiously.

“I’m not sure. I guess I wanted to see what you were up to. When I found out you were here, I thought I’d take a break. It’s peaceful.” He was bullshitting himself and Micah. Amesport was fairly quiet once the tourists were gone, but it was far from relaxing with Red living here.

“I thought maybe you wanted a ride,” Micah said wryly.

“Got my own jet now,” Julian shot back at his older brother with humor in his voice after a few chugs from his beer.

“About time,” Micah grumbled, taking a pull from his own bottle.

“So what are you doing with the property you bought, Micah?” Grady asked from his seat on the couch. “Hopefully not a subdivision.”

Julian looked at Grady’s unhappy face, knowing he was possessive about two things: his wife, Emily, and the town of Amesport. Grady had been living here much longer than his brothers, and he liked the seclusion of the Peninsula and the town of Amesport in general.

Micah held up a hand defensively. “I’m not building it up. I’m building a house for myself on the coast, and vacation homes for Julian and Xander. I want to open the old skating rink, too, since I have the property.”

“What for?” Dante asked curiously. “It didn’t do much when it was open, from what I understand.”

Julian looked at his brother and smirked. It was kind of fun to watch Micah squirm.

Micah shrugged. “It’s still viable, and it gives the locals something else to do.”

Julian wanted to call
bullshit
on his brother, but he didn’t.

“You’re building for yourself?” Jared asked, sounding astonished. “Damn. It would be great to see you guys around, even if it was only for a vacation.”

Jared had always been the
fixer
among the Sinclairs, the one who valued family. He’d done much the same thing as Micah was doing now in order to get him and his family all together again.