The Billionaire's Heir: Billionaire Obsession (Tycoon Billionaires Book 4) (14 page)

“But seriously, Adam is my kid brother and I’ll always feel protective of him. I’m proud of the man he’s grown into… and since he met Amy and she’s
forced
him to grow up – for which we’re all eternally grateful.”

More laughter.

“I want to welcome Amy into the family. We always look out for our own. Anyone who’s a Quinlan will always have us to fall back on…”

Ivan glanced at Jake again. He was now looking away from Dylan, probably trying to keep it together. Ivan thought it was brave of him to come to this wedding – but he could see how humbled he was by the whole experience. Was that hard-boiled detective actually softening in the presence of the Quinlans?

“And so please raise a glass,” Dylan concluded. “To my wonderful brother Adam and my new wonderful sister Amy. To Adam and Amy.”

The crowd echoed “To Adam and Amy” and raised their glasses. Dylan took his seat to the sound of applause, then Amy’s dad got up to give his equally as sentimental and loving speech. After he sat back down, Ivan led Samira behind the DJ’s booth so they could kiss in private.

“Let’s get out of here,” Ivan said, kissing her. “I need to ravish you.”

“What about your family?” Samira said. “What if anyone finds out about Jake?”

“How will they find out?” Ivan said between kisses. “It’s not like someone’s going to announce over the PA system that Clara’s long-lost twin brother – who was supposed to have died at birth –  was actually adopted out because of Jake’s blackmailing cop father – but now he’s back and secretly mingling with his biological family. Are they?”

Samira nodded. “I know.” She grinned. “Alright, come on – let’s go outside for some air.”

Ivan held her hand and they stepped out from behind the DJ’s booth. But then Ivan’s body filled with uneasy dread as he realized that the entire room had gone as quiet as a graveyard – there wasn’t even any music playing. And all eyes were on the two of
them
. His mom had dropped her drink and was frozen in shock. It was like surveying the aftermath of a massacre.

Or some shocking news…

Ivan glanced around to try to figure out what the problem was. It was almost as if they’d overheard what he’d just said to Samira about Jake – but surely there was no way that could’ve happened...

He slowly turned his head to look at the DJ, who was now reaching over to turn off the microphone. And then he realized that Jake’s secret was no longer safe with him.

Ivan sat on the hotel steps in the searing sunshine, with his head in his hands, wondering what else could possibly go wrong. His body throbbed with regret at his gaffe – he couldn’t believe he’d given the game away like that. But at least he had the beautiful Samira by his side, sitting next to him with her hand on his knee, trying to cheer him up.

“They all seem really pleased,” she said. “Stop beating yourself up about this.”

“Yeah.” He thought back to how it’d been just now, when everyone had unfrozen and turned to look at Jake. Jake had been glaring hard at Ivan as if he was trying to set him alight with his eyes… so much for keeping him a secret until
Ivan
gave him permission to approach the family…

But Samira was right – everyone
had
been pleased. His mom had drifted over to Jake, then she’d halted in front of him and studied her long-lost son, before throwing her arms around him and hugging him heartily – crying with joy on his shoulder. Jake had held her tight and tried not to cry himself. Then he’d been swamped with handshakes and hugs from everyone else. 

Ivan had decided to leave them to it, so he’d snuck outside to sit in the sunshine. It was lush out here – the hotel was set in acres of landscaped parks and wild woodlands – and the tranquil view helped to give Ivan some perspective. Perhaps it wasn’t as terrible as he’d initially feared.

He rubbed his eyes. “What a fucking bombshell that must’ve been to my parents.”

Samira squeezed his knee. “They’re delighted, Ivan. I’ve never seen anyone look so happy as your mom did just now. And your brothers and Clara seemed thrilled. Even Adam was smiling like crazy – despite this overshadowing his special day.”

“Well, I guess they’ve gained a new brother – that’s got to be good news.”

Samira opened her mouth to reply, but a pair of men’s boots stepped in front of them. She gazed up the leather trousers, past the open shirt, and into the eyes of Joseph Quinlan – making her heart wash with affection. She was a similar age to her youngest brother-in-law, so she felt connected to him. But it was more than that – there seemed to be an affinity between them. He was so sweet and friendly, and Samira was looking forward to them being friends.

“Hi, you guys,” he said. “I saw you escaping out here.”

Ivan gazed up at him. “Hey, Joe. How’s it going in there?”

“Amazing. Jake’s discovering how it feels to be famous. You two alright?”

“Yeah, we’re alright, huh, sweetheart?”

“We’re alright,” Samira said with a nod.

“Good.” Joseph sat down on the stone steps with them. “So what are we going to do about these drug dealers, then?”

Ivan shifted uncomfortably. “What drug dealers? And what do you mean ‘we’?”

“Ivan, you’ve got a suitcase full of cocaine under your bed, and I’m pretty sure you didn’t bring it back for personal use. My guess is you took it from a bad guy and now you’re trying to figure out how best to deal with the situation. Am I right?”

Ivan stared at his little brother. “You might be.”

Samira swept her hair out of her eyes as a gentle breeze caressed her skin. “The ‘bad guy’ has my passport, which I desperately need back, otherwise I’m facing deportation. Well, I’m facing it anyway, but without my passport, there’s no hope.”

“Well then,” Joseph said. “It’s just a game of swapsies, right?”

Ivan frowned. “Huh?”

“You’ve got his coke; he’s got Samira’s passport. So you offer him a swap, then you’re both happy.”

“Simple as that, huh?” Ivan said. “Joseph, sometimes you’re so…” he trailed off and shook his head.

“What, naïve?” He flashed a mischievous grin. “Genius?”

Ivan smirked. “Alright, so it
might
work. I’ll go back to Texas tomorrow to get Samira’s passport and take the coke as a way to force his hand.”

“I’ll help,” Joseph said. “I’ve got a particular dislike of drug dealers.”

“No way. I don’t want you involved in this.”

“I’ve dealt with worse… But, how come you don’t just tell the police?”

Ivan raised a skeptical eyebrow. “You really think they’ll believe we just happened to pick up the wrong suitcase?” He fell pensive for a beat, then he gasped. “Jesus, we were pulled over by a cop on our drive to the airport… imagine if he’d checked in the case...”

Samira chuckled. “That would’ve been a surprise for us all. Thank god customs didn’t check!”

Joseph frowned. “Oh come on, Ivan, you can’t seriously be telling me you think the cops wouldn’t believe you. I mean, if you just told them about Langdon, surely –”

“No cops, Joe.” He lowered his voice. “Don’t breathe a word of this, but Samira was trafficking drugs for him, and she can’t really hand-on-heart say she had no clue she was breaking the law. Right, sweetheart?”

Samira’s face flashed with guilt. “I never looked in the suitcases or asked any questions. I just wanted what was best for Quin.”

Ivan draped his arm around her shoulders. “It’s okay, sweetheart, you haven’t done anything wrong – Langdon’s exploited you. But after we get your passport back and get rid of the coke, he’ll be out of our lives forever.”

Samira leaned into his warm body. “I’m definitely looking forward to getting him out of our lives. But it’s a shame in a way, because I would’ve liked to get justice for his late-wife after what he apparently did to her. And he should be charged with planning to murder me, too.”

“I know what you mean,” Ivan said. “But let’s just get his coke back to him and your passport back to you before we start meddling in justice.”

“Alright.”

Joseph clapped his hands decisively. “So we just need to return the coke and use it as a bartering tool to get your passport back, Samira, right?”

Ivan shook his head. “I told you, Joe, I don’t want you getting involved in this. I’ll get Adam’s pilot to fly me back to Texas first thing. Jake can come with me – he seems like a good guy to have on your side in a fight – and he already knows Langdon. As long as he doesn’t pull any double-crossing selfish asshole shit.”

Joseph frowned. “Double-crossing? He seems really decent to me. I think you might’ve misjudged him, Ivan. I get the feeling all he wanted was a family.”

Ivan and Samira drifted back inside and strolled over to where Jake was chatting with his reunited mom. She looked shell-shocked from the revelation and she was crying, but Jake was comforting her, with his arms tightly around her, trying to make her feel better. Ivan knew he could’ve easily started demanding apologies for what had happened and upsetting everyone around him, but he was staying calm and behaving like an adult. Perhaps Joseph was right and he was a decent guy under all that smug private detective bullshit.

Ivan gazed around the room and saw that his father was deep in conversation with Clara. His dad’s expression was plastered with agitated worry – he clearly wasn’t taking the news as well as his wife.

Jake noticed Ivan and Samira, and excused himself from Mrs. Quinlan, coming over to join them. “Hey… well, that could’ve been handled better.”

“Jake, I’m sorry I outed you like that. I honestly had no intention to. You know I wanted to keep this a secret until I found out what sort of person you were.”

“It’s okay, Ivan. It’s awesome to finally get the chance to meet my mom. My real mom. Your family – I mean
our
family – are so friendly and welcoming. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do. But there’s plenty of time.”

“Yeah… actually, you and me are leaving for Texas first thing in the morning.”

Jake laughed. “Oh right. Off to finish what we started, huh?”

“Yeah. Our youngest brother’s not only a musical genius, but he’s pretty with-it when it comes to smarts too.”

They glanced over at Joseph, who was now kissing Ellie passionately.

“Looks like someone’s in for a fun night,” Jake said.

“I hope so,” Samira said, smiling at Ivan. She gazed at Jake. “And what about you Jake? Any romance in your life?”

He scoffed. “Nah. The only person I love is the guy I see in the mirror on those rare occasions I bother to shave.”

Samira squeezed him on the arm affectionately. “There’s someone out there for everyone. Even a tough guy like you.”

Jake opened his mouth to argue, but Mr. Quinlan strode over, looking upset.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve showing up like this without warning.”

Jake’s friendly expression morphed to anger. “Hey,
you’ve
got a lot of nerve exchanging
me
for your freedom – even though you were blatantly breaking the law and should’ve been punished accordingly.”

“Now, listen here you little piece of shit, I don’t know who you think you are, but–”

Ivan put out his hands to prevent a punch up. “Dad, please stop it. Jake, maybe you should go.”

Mr. Quinlan’s eyes welled with tears. “How do you think this is affecting your mother, huh?”

Ivan glanced over. “She looks happier than I’ve ever seen her.”

“Don’t you cheek me, Ivan. This man may be genetically related to us, but his upbringing would’ve made him sour. Just like his old man.”

Jake gazed blankly at Mr. Quinlan. “
You’re
my old man.”

“You know who I mean. That asshole who forced me to choose between my freedom and my family. You think you can just waltz back in here and drag up the past again?”

Samira stepped forward. “Mr. Quinlan, please don’t think I’m speaking out of line, but Jake had nothing to do with what happened when he was a baby. I know you’re upset right now, but I wonder if you’re more upset with
yourself
than Jake.”

He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. Then his face softened. “Of course I’m upset with myself, Samira. You think I haven’t spent the last twenty-four years upset with myself?”

“But now Jake’s
here
,” Samira said, smiling gently. “And this is your chance to talk to him about what happened. So he can understand. But don’t push him away... I’d give anything to see my parents again. I know what it feels like to be separated from my family. It’s horrible…”

Mr. Quinlan looked at his shoes, then he shifted to gaze at Jake. “I guess she’s right.”

“I guess she is,” Jake said.

Mr. Quinlan thrust out his hand and Jake shook it slowly. “Wanna grab a beer?” Mr. Quinlan asked.

“Sure.”

They started to walk toward the bar. “Hey,” Mr. Quinlan said. “Did you catch the Yankees game last week?”

“Oh, I’m a Mets fan, sir.”

He stopped dead in shock. “You are?”

Jake chuckled. “I sure am.”

“Well, we’d better change that by taking you to a Yankees game. What are you doing next weekend?”

Ivan and Samira watched them for a moment, then he turned and kissed her on the cheek. “Shall we get out of here?”

“Check on Quin?”

“Yeah, something like that. There’s someplace I want to take you.”

“Hmm…. I like the sound of that.”

****

Samira had no idea where Ivan was taking her, which was as exciting as a childhood Christmas morning. When they’d left the grand hall, she’d expected to go to the room to see Quin – and to perhaps ask the babysitter to give them some time alone. But instead, he led her out of the hotel and toward the back of the building, where earlier Adam and Amy had been posing for photos. It was lush and green out here, albeit very warm. The grounds were huge and sprawling, and Samira was intrigued as to what her gorgeous husband could possibly be up to.

As they strolled around the corner, Samira’s heart filled with joyful surprise and she halted. There was a beautiful white horse standing in the middle of the grass, waiting patiently with a smartly-dressed groom. The horse was eating hay. The groom was smiling kindly. Samira assumed this horse must be here for the happy couple, but her insides skipped with delight as Ivan strode over and took the reins. “Thanks, buddy. We’ll be a couple of hours.”

“Yes, sir.”

The groom wandered back toward the hotel, leaving them alone.

“Ivan, what’s going on?” Samira asked, unable to stifle her grin.

“I said I was taking you someplace, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, but I thought you meant…” She trailed off and laughed.

He held out his hand. “Come on, let’s go.”

Samira drifted over and patted the horse, who whinnied gently. Then – trying to be as ladylike as possible in her glamorous gown – she stuck her foot in the stirrup and climbed up into the luxurious saddle.

Ivan climbed up behind her, wrapping her in his arms and pressing his thighs against hers from behind. He took the reins, nibbling her ear and turning her on as he leaned close.

“I love you,” he said.

Samira could barely speak with happiness. “Ivan… this is amazing.”

He geed the horse on, and they started to walk across the lush grounds in the sunshine.

Samira leaned back against him, relishing the feel of his gorgeous muscles under his suit jacket. “Thank you so much for this. I love horses...”

“I know you do. And this is just the transportation to where we’re going.”

“Where
are
we going?”

“You’ll see. Enjoying the ride?”

“I am. This horse is beautiful. And I have a gorgeous hunk straddled behind me!”

He laughed and kissed her on the cheek as she relaxed into him.

She enjoyed the sunshine on her face as they rode for the next ten minutes, walking out further into the hotel’s secluded grounds – away from the family and wedding celebrations. Then, as they turned a corner, Samira saw a clearing of grass, where someone had placed an iron table and chairs – upon which was a bottle of Champagne and nibbles. There was a picnic rug on the ground nearby, and Samira realized with grateful joy that Ivan had organized all this for her. What a gorgeous guy…

It was stunning out here. A lake ran through this section of the grounds – the trickle of which was the only sound – other than the gentle birdsong from the trees on the outskirts of the nearby wood.

Ivan gently tugged the reins and the horse halted, then they both dismounted.

She didn’t know what else to say. “This is amazing, Ivan.”

“You’re amazing, sweetheart. You more than deserve to feel special.”

He gestured for her to take a seat on one of the chairs, so she sat down and gazed up at him as he remained standing. Her heart thumped with delight as he sunk to his knees at her feet.

“Ivan, what are you doing?”

He held her hands. “Samira, I know we’re doing everything the wrong way round, but somehow I love it. We’re already married, but my proposal back in Texas wasn’t worthy of your greatness.” He delved in his suit trouser pocket, revealing a velvet jewelry box, which he opened, and Samira gasped as her eyes fell on a silver engagement ring, set with the biggest and most sparkling diamond she’d ever seen. “Will you marry me?”

She burst into laughter. “Yes!”

They both stood up and he picked her up and spun her around, kissing her and smiling with joy.

“I didn’t think anything could top the happiness I felt when I married you,” she said, as he placed her down. “But today I’m even happier.”

“Me too,” he said. “Come on, let’s sit by the water and enjoy the peace while we can.”

They sat on the dry grass by the crystal stream and Ivan wrapped his arms around her.  Samira breathed in the beautiful scenery – the blue sky, fluffy white clouds, and the green trees of the surrounding woodland. She loved the tranquility here – it was like an oasis of calm – a private universe just for them.

She gazed into his eyes. “Everything’s perfect in my life now… I just need my passport back, then I can apply for my visa to stay here with you.”

“Don’t worry – I’ll get your passport back, no matter what.” He winced. “God…”

“Is there something wrong?”

“It’s just that…” he sighed. “When I was shopping with Clara earlier she said she really likes you…”

“Well, that’s good, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but she also thinks you’re too naïve and trusting. She said you’ll get in trouble again if you don’t toughen up and start being more suspicious of people like Langdon.”

“Oh…”

“But, the thing is, sweetheart, I don’t think you
should
change. You’re perfect just the way you are. Always keep that innocent spark, won’t you?”

She smiled. “I did what I did with Langdon out of desperation – I want to stay in this country so badly, and I needed to protect Quin. But as for being too trusting… well, maybe I do give my heart away too easily – I run off and get married in Las Vegas and I fall in love with gorgeous hunks. But I
like
the way I am. I like seeing the good in people – to trust them and give them the benefit of the doubt. It makes
my
life more pleasant, you know?”

“I know. And I think you’re perfect.”

“Well, that’s good, because I think that about you too. It must be fate!”

He chuckled, then gestured toward the lake. “Wanna go skinny dipping?”

She burst into laughter. “Ivan, I can’t swim.”

“I’ll take care of you.”

“What if your family sees us?”

“Who cares?”

Samira grinned. She was sure Ivan never used to be this reckless. Maybe she
was
having a bad effect on him. But maybe that was a good thing. As for not being able to swim… she trusted Ivan with her life.

He offered his hands to help her up, and she chuckled nervously at the prospect of being naked out here, but it was incredibly liberating too.

Ivan stripped off his suit jacket and dropped it to the ground, then his tie and shirt came off too. Samira watched him, captivated by that incredible toned torso of his, which she still couldn’t believe she owned for eternity. He pulled her close and kissed her hard, then he unzipped her dress and let it drop to the ground so that she was wearing her bra and panties. She undid his trousers and pulled them down – taking his underwear with them – so he was now standing there in all his naked glory.

“You’re so handsome,” she said.

He caressed her bare shoulder. “
You
need to be naked too if we’re doing this properly.”

“No way. I’m keeping my underwear on.”

He gazed lovingly at her. “Alright. Come on, ready? You can see the bottom – you’ll be able to touch it with your feet when we’re in. So we’re gonna jump in together…”

“Oh god…”

“You’ll be alright. You know I’ll take care of you.”

“I trust you, Ivan.”

They linked fingers and strode together toward the water, then they jumped holding hands. Samira relished the thrill of flying through the air, before she splashed down into the icy water, shrieking loudly as she realized it was freezing. Still gripping Ivan’s hand tightly, she stretched her legs down and touched the silty floor, then she hugged him – already shivering. 

“You okay?”