The Billionaire's Baby Bargain (A is for Alpha) (7 page)

And the red Gazanias he’d purchased for her from a vendor on the street. She’d clutched them all night, burying her nose in them and inhaling with a look of pure enchantment.

When they’d driven home she’d been all too tempting while curled up against him, her cheek pressed to his chest. She’d chatted, asking him seemingly innocent questions about his life. Ones he’d managed to brush off with vague answers.
 

He never let a woman get too close or know too much about him. He was a fascinating enigma to the media, and he’d learned over the years that even the most rubbish information—like what kind of wine he drank—could be prodded out of a waitress looking for a bit of extra change in her pocket.
 

But he sensed he didn’t have to worry about any of that with her, and if she’d found his responses odd, she didn’t remark on it. Which drew him to her even more.

When they’d arrived back at the resort, he’d had to restrain himself in the elevator up to the penthouse. They’d just barely made it in the door before he’d taken her again on the glass table just inside the entryway.

What was it about Chloe that was simply irresistible?

As if she could hear every thought that raced through his head, Chloe stirred. She cuddled closer and nuzzled his chest.
 

Andrés body began to respond and he made a low rumble of approval in his throat.

“What time is it?” she asked, her voice still husky from sleep.

“A little after nine,” he murmured.

She gasped and jerked away from him, climbing out of bed. “Oh jeez. I’m going to be late. Again.” She moved to the dresser and fumbled through her backpack they’d retrieved from her work locker last night, along with a change of clothes.

Letting his gaze wander over her, his groin tightened with need once more. “Come back to bed,” he commanded softly.
 

Chloe paused and cast an incredulous glance over her shoulder. “Andrés, I just told you that I have to work.”

One phone call and he could have Chloe cleared from the schedule without repercussions. His mind wandered, already planning a trip they could take around the countryside. She’d confessed to not nearly seeing as much of Spain as she’d wanted to.
 

But before he could make the offer, she’d already grabbed her clothes and disappeared into the bathroom.

A thump sounded, and Andrés glanced back to the dresser to find her backpack had fallen down and half the contents spilled out.

With a sigh, he climbed out of bed and went to clean it up. He closed his hand around what looked like a leather diary with several papers falling out. He was about to place them back in the backpack when he spotted his name written on one of the papers.

The nape of his neck prickled with suspicion, foreboding built in his gut.
 

He pulled the paper free from the book and glanced over it. The sound of the shower turned on as he moved blindly across the room to grab his mobile off the bedside table.

Cristos
, it was impossible. He could not have been so blind.

A slow throb began in his temple and his jaw flexed as he speed-dialed Pablo’s number. Anger began to brew hot in his belly as he paced the room. “Pablo. I need you to call Modern Coquette magazine and find out if Chloe works for them.”

And heaven help her if she did…

Chloe stepped out of the shower and hurried to get ready. She was going to be in such trouble. Estella Martinez was not going to be forgiving two days in a row.

She shouldn’t have been careless enough to oversleep. And after spending the night in the room of a guest, no less. And yet she couldn’t bring herself to regret it.

Last night had been incredible. Andrés had literally and figuratively swept her off her feet on multiple occasions. The dancing, the dining, the discussion. The lovemaking… Just the memory of it had her cheeks flushing and heat sliding throughout her body.

After one last quick glance in the mirror, Chloe opened the bathroom door and stepped into the massive bedroom. But it was empty. In fact, it was entirely too quiet in the penthouse.

She grabbed her backpack off the dresser and then left the bedroom. She glanced over the lush interior of the penthouse and discovered the balcony door half open. Andrés stood outside, looking out over the water. Her heart fluttered with just a glance at him.
 

Tucking a damp hair behind her ear, she walked out to join him. “I need to leave for work,” she said, surprised to feel her cheeks were reddening. That she could even be shy after the night they’d shared seemed silly.

Andrés didn’t respond at first, and there was a stillness in him that sent a frisson of unease through her. He turned slowly to face her, his eyes shockingly void of emotion. “Yes. I supposed you’d better.”

There was no warmth in his tone. Something had happened. Chloe swallowed hard and a massive knot formed in her stomach. For a moment she was certain his icy disposition was due to something she’d done, and had the crazy urge to retreat and run. But she stood her ground, silently chiding herself for being a fool to take whatever was bothering him personally. Perhaps he’d just received upsetting news?
 

It couldn’t be directed at her. Not with the passionate night they’d shared. Never had she felt more cherished and desirable. Never had she connected with someone on such a deep level like she had with Andrés.

Chloe took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, only wanting to see the hardness from his eyes vanish for a moment. “I’ll miss you,” she said softly. “Will I see you later tonight?”

Andrés’ mouth curled slightly, but it was hardly a smile. If anything, his eyes grew even colder. Instinctively she went to pull away, but his fingers tightened around hers.

“Actually, no. I don’t think you will see me.”

Her confidence faltered, her stomach took a nosedive. She said faintly, “Oh. You have other plans?”
 

Again no reply. Until he suddenly jerked her hard against him, his arms wrapping around her like steel bands.

Chloe’s heart slammed into her chest and she ran her tongue over suddenly dry lips. His move wasn’t about passion. This gleam in Andrés’ eyes might’ve held a flicker of desire, but there was so much more anger. And this time she didn’t fool herself into thinking it wasn’t directed at her.
 

“Andrés.” She whispered his name, almost a plea, needing to know what she’d done. Whatever it was, she needed to set it right.

“Did you think I wouldn’t find out,
cariño
?”

“Find out what? I don’t understand. Please, Andrés, whatever I’ve done—”

“You are a reporter?”

She faltered, blinking in surprise. He knew about her job at the magazine? That wasn’t something she’d shared with anyone in Spain, and didn’t really want anyone to know about due to the article she was working on.

So how had he discovered it?
 

Chloe swallowed hard and then finally admitted, “I’m a part-time columnist.”

“You were going to exploit me?” He stroked his thumb down her jawline. It was a light caress, but hardly tender. If anything, there was a tinge of fear in her when he approached the pulse in her neck.

“No,” she whispered, with a short jerk of her head in denial. “Of course not.”

Andrés arched a brow. “You had no intention of writing about me whatsoever?”

Dammit. Her cheeks flooded with heat. How did he know this? Yes. She’d considered adding her romance with him in the article to put a spin on things. Had even taken notes if she’d decided to do it. But she would’ve been discreet with no last names or identifying factors about him.

“You knew who I was all along, didn’t you, Chloe?”

Apparently not. The heaviness in her stomach grew. Rose upward until it filled her throat with tightness. Oh, God. She was missing something. Something big. Just who was Andrés that he’d get so upset about her writing about him?
 

She shook her head faster. “No. I promise you—”

“I’m usually quite careful,” he continued softly. “Having the women in my bed thoroughly researched ahead of time.”

The women in his bed. And she’d just become one of them.

 
“A confidentiality contract signed,” he continued. “But you slipped under the radar. And that was your plan all along, wasn’t it,
cariño
? With that innocent act?”

She blanched, struggling to catch her breath. “No.”

“I’ll bet it was all staged. Bumping into me that night.”

“No.” She jerked away from his grasp, putting distance between them. Each accusation he made stabbed into her like toxic darts.

His eyes glittered with disgust. “And the American attacking you on the beach. Was that arranged as well,
cariño
? A friend of yours, perhaps? Is that why I’ve been unable to locate him?”

She was going to be sick. The loathing on his face made everything inside her crumple with pain, made it almost impossible to breathe. What kind of woman did he think she was?

Chloe wrapped her arms around her stomach and choked out, “You think I planned that?”
 

“And why wouldn’t you? Gaining my trust by playing the damsel in distress—giving me access to your body,” he rasped and then gave a slow, cold smile. “In fact, I doubt this is your first time. Do you make it a practice to seduce men to get a story?”

Fury overrode the pain, and she lashed her hand across his face with a tortured cry.
 

Andrés grabbed her by the wrist and hauled her back against him. “Never make the mistake of hitting me,” he said, his tone turning glacial. “Even if the truth isn’t always pleasant to hear. Were you really so naïve to think you would get away with it?”

Her mouth opened and it was on the tip of her tongue to scream the truth. That she had no idea who the hell he was. That she’d never slept with a man for a story and that he was only the second man she’d ever slept with, period.
 

But why bother? Why defend herself to a man who was obviously nothing like she’d thought? He’d been an illusion. The passionate, considerate person she’d begun to fall for had just tainted himself with hideous words and accusations. He wasn’t gentle or loving but instead an assuming, ruthless bastard.

Researching the women he sleeps with. She wanted to get sick. Wanted to purge her ridiculous notions of who she’d thought Andrés was.

The only thing he’d gotten right about her was that she was naïve. Her heart clenched and she blinked back tears. God, she was a fool.

The blood raged in Andrés veins, but he held his anger in check.

Chloe’s cheeks filled with color and that sensual mouth that continued to tempt him began to quiver. She seemed about to say something, to explain—as if there could be an explanation—and then her mouth closed with obvious resolution.

Andrés wanted nothing more than to claim that mouth in a kiss, even now with how furious he was at her deception. Her soft curves pressed against him and his groin stirred, pressing into the softness of her belly. Still holding her with one arm, he lifted her chin so he could search her face

For a moment he could’ve sworn he saw pain in her eyes, but then she squeezed them closed. Something inside his own chest tightened and he drew in a slow breath.

“It is much too late for regrets,
cariño
,” he said, surprised to find his tone gentling.

Her lashes fluttered back up and there was such intense anger in her gaze, he knew he must’ve imagined the previous emotion.

“The only thing I regret is ever letting you touch me.”

Andrés allowed the foreign feeling of disappointment to flow through him. The laugh he finally gave was derisive. “You touched me as well. Quite skillfully, might I add. But then it was all in a day’s work. No?”
 

She was a good actress. Quite good, really. The way she feigned shock and the flicker of hurt in her eyes. But he didn’t believe they were valid emotions for one moment. He was done playing the fool. He was done letting his desire for her control his mind.

“There will be no article about me, Chloe,” he warned in a hard tone.

She gave a bitter laugh and shook her head. “Trust me, the article my editor approved would be a far cry from the one I’d be tempted to write about you at this point, Andrés.”

So she admitted it. Made no attempts to even deny she’d been seeking to use him in a story. His jaw hardened and any potential for sympathy faded. He released her, forcing himself to ignore the tightening of his chest and step back.

“I’ll leave now.” She turned, her body stiff as she strode toward the door.

Everything primal within him protested her leaving, and he cursed himself for the unwanted reaction. She hadn’t been real. Chloe had been nothing but a carefully created fantasy to manipulate her way into his life. Control his emotions. All for the credit of an article in some trashy American magazine.
 

 
But she was a fool. Andrés Montero would never make the mistake of opening up and giving anyone ammunition for a story about himself. And even more so, he would never let them into his heart.