Yours Completely: A Cinderella Love Story (Billionaires and Brides #1) (40 page)

“No, that's all right.” I shook my head, realizing that she couldn't see me through the phone. If Jackie was there, then he was fine. Besides, Jackie would talk my ear off about her bowling game instead of telling me about my Dad and my stomach was rumbling. I liked her a lot, but the woman loved to talk. “Will you have him call me this evening?”

“Of course,” the nurse promised. “He actually wanted me to tell you he'd be calling you if you didn't.”

I laughed and thanked her before hanging up the phone. I was so glad dad was doing all right. I was glad Jackie was there taking care of him. It made me feel less guilty knowing that someone who loved him was with him. I trusted Jackie enough to entrust my father into her care.

I ran a brush through my hair one last time, smiling into the mirror and deciding that I looked very pretty this morning. It probably had something to do with how happy I felt. Kissing a gorgeous man on the beach had that effect on me. I winked at the mirror and hurried down the stairs to the kitchen to stop the rumbling in my stomach.

I could hear Charlotte's sweetly pitched voice contrasting with Bastian's deeper tones long before I entered the kitchen. I walked in to see him at the stove cooking something while Charlotte sat at the table with her laptop reading off numbers and figures.

“Good morning, sleepy-head,” Bastian greeted me, talking over Charlotte's readings. I beamed at him. “Want some food?”

I nodded and sat at the table next to Charlotte so I could watch him. He moved so smoothly in the kitchen that it was like watching someone dance.

“Rough night?” Charlotte asked, glancing back and forth between the two of us with one eyebrow raised.

“It started out that way,” I said, unable to stop the grin forming on my face. “But it's been a great morning.”

“Oooooookay...” Charlotte shook her head at both of us, and then went back to her computer. Now that I was there, she just mumbled quietly as she input information.

It wasn't long before Bastian brought over three plates of big, beautiful sandwiches with artfully arranged potato chips on the side. Since I didn't see a bag, I had a feeling they were homemade.

Bastian's arm grazed mine as he set the plate down in front of Charlotte, sending a surge of electric desire straight through me. It was like the hours between our kiss and this minute had never passed. All I could think about was kissing him again.

I looked up at him and immediately blushed and looked away. Just looking at his face reminded me of kissing him. And now I wanted to do so, so much more than just kiss him. My fingers ached to touch his skin again and to tangle in his hair.

Charlotte watched me closely for a moment, before swallowing her bite of grilled cheese and looking over at Bastian. “I don't know what put you in such a good mood that you made your Famous Grilled Cheese,” she said, taking another bite and turning to look pointedly at me. “But thank you.”

I blushed and giggled nervously, trying not to look up at Bastian. “I didn't do anything...”

“I don't want to know,” Charlotte quickly amended, holding up her hand. She looked back and forth at the not-so-secret gazes between Bastian and me. “So seriously, I do not want to know what the two of you were out doing all night.”

“Who says we were out all night?” Bastian asked, smiling. I had to struggle not to giggle like a school girl at anything he said. It didn't help that my stomach was full of happy butterflies or that I suddenly was finding everything very amusing. I was drunk on happiness just by being around him.

“I don't want to know.” Charlotte shot him a dirty look. “I don't want to know so much that I'm going to take this delicious sandwich to the other room. You two can sit in here making googly eyes without me. I'd like to keep my lunch down.”

She picked up her plate, but left smiling.

“You think she suspects anything?” Bastian asked, taking the last bite of his sandwich.

I giggled, and took another bite of my sandwich. It was definitely the best grilled cheese sandwich I had ever eaten. Three kinds of cheese and the bread was toasted to perfection. I knew that grilled cheese wasn't usually a gourmet event, but Bastian made it one.

“Okay, sister in the room,” Charlotte announced, walking back into the kitchen with one hand covering her eyes as if she were afraid she might see us doing something naughty. As tempted as I was to take Bastian on the kitchen table, she had no reason to cover her eyes.

“I'm seriously just eating a sandwich,” I told her. “And now that sounds dirty.”

Charlotte snorted and dropped her hand. “I'm sorry to interrupt your
sandwich,
” she said the word slowly and deliberately. “But Leo's here for the conference call.”

Charlotte managed to only blush a little, but her cheeks still told the full story about how she felt about Leo. Bastian sighed and stood up, putting his plate in the sink before standing beside me.

“Dinner?” he asked. His eyes sparkled and I wondered just what he had planned. I hoped it involved him shirtless.

“Yes, please,” I answered, a little too breathless. He grinned as if he could read the dirty thoughts in my mind. I wanted to kiss him again so badly it was driving me crazy.

Bastian grinned and walked past me to the door, skimming his hand along my shoulders as he passed. The deepest parts of me tightened at his wonderful touch, my skin aflame from his fingers. If he did this to me all day, I would go insane for sure.

Charlotte waited until he passed her to leave before giving me two big thumbs up. I laughed as she then followed him out. As much as she joked, I was glad she liked the two of us together. I knew I didn't need it, but I was glad to have her approval.

“H
i, Daddy,” I said, picking up the phone and grinning from ear to ear as I set down my work. I glanced at my watch and saw it was much later than I thought. I had worked all afternoon and into the evening without realizing it.

“Hi, kiddo,” he replied, sounding relaxed and happy. “How's work coming?”

“Slow but steady,” I told him. “I'll get it all done in time. How are you?”

“As good as can be expected. The food here is terrible,” he complained. I could hear the TV on in the background. “They won't let me have any salt.”

I smiled, thinking of him pouting while watching Jeopardy in bed. “At least I'll get the appraisal done on time,” I promised. “That should make you feel better.”

“Don't work too hard,” he cautioned. “You should have some fun while you're out there. You need a little distraction.”

I thought of how Bastian kept finding excuses throughout the day to walk through whichever room I happened to be working in, even if Charlotte or Leo happened to be with him. It made it very difficult to concentrate, knowing he was there, watching me with his blue-gray eyes. I had at least managed to sneak in one short kiss before Charlotte nearly walked in on us.

“What about you, Dad? What was the test for today?” I asked, changing the subject. I didn't want to talk to my father about Bastian or the way he kissed.

“Dr. Verner assures me that he's getting good data,” Dad explained. “It looks like I'm going to need a pacemaker, but I'll let him explain it to you when you get here.”

“A pacemaker?” I felt a jolt of panic again. Pacemakers meant that something was wrong. I shook my head. I already knew something was wrong, but it was still difficult to let the reality set in.

“Yes, and don't worry, Ava.” Dad turned down the TV in the background. “He says once it's in, I'll be right as rain. It's a very simple procedure. I even get to go home the next day. No more scares. I'll be back to usual.”

“I wish I could be there for you, Dad,” I pouted. I wanted to run out the door and hop on the first plane home. “I feel so guilty. You're sick and I'm here, and...”

“No,” Dad interrupted me. “No, Ava. Do not feel guilty about this.”

I played with a strand of hair, twirling it between my fingers. “Can I feel a little guilty about it? I mean, it's your heart.”

“Ava,” Dad warned, his voice going deep. That tone used to scare me when I was a child and it hadn't lost much to the years.

“Please?” I begged. “It feels like such a big deal.”

“Fine, you may feel a little guilty.” He sighed, giving into me. “You can make it up to me at Christmas and make me an extra batch of those cookies I like.”

“Done,” I promised, my heart feeling a little bit lighter. It wasn't a real solution to my guilt, but at least Dad sounded like himself again. “I'm glad you're feeling better, Dad. I don't know what I'd do without you.”

“You'd do just fine,” he assured me. “You're strong. Like me. Besides, you aren't getting rid of me that easily. Dr. Verner says with this new pacemaker, you'll be struggling to keep up with me.”

I smiled, knowing that my dad was going to prove Dr. Verner right even if it killed him.

“Everything's going to be just fine, okay?” Dad's voice was soft. I heard a voice in the background that I assumed was a nurse. “Hey, honey- the nurse is here to check my vitals. Can I call you in the morning?”

“Yeah, I'll be waiting for it,” I answered. “I”m glad you're doing good, Dad.”

“Better than good,” he promised. “I love you, Ava. More than words.”

I smiled. It was something we had said for as long as I could remember. My mother used to say, “I love you more than words can say,” but as a child, I couldn't repeat the phrase properly. It had morphed into, “I love you more than words,” and stuck. I knew Dad was feeling better if he used that expression.

“I love you too, Daddy,” I replied. “More than words.”

I hung up the phone with my heart feeling heavy and light at the same time. So many emotions were rushing around my head that I didn't know what to feel. At least until my stomach rumbled. Then I decided I felt hungry.

I head down to the kitchen, hoping to see Bastian or Charlotte on my way, but the house was deserted. The kitchen was dark and empty. I knew Bastian was busy with work today and an idea came to me. He probably hadn't stopped working long enough to realize it was dinner time.

I pulled out a platter from one of the many shelves and began piling it high with cheeses, crackers, cut fruit, leftovers from Lucia, and whatever else I found in the fridge that looked good. Once I had enough to feed four people, I snagged a bottle of wine and four glasses from the pantry and headed upstairs.

It took some balance, and I decided that I had a future in waitressing if I ever needed one, but I managed to get all of it upstairs and in front of the doors to Bastian's study. I set the tray down on the hall table long enough to knock on the big doors before picking it up.

I heard the turn of a lock and the door opened to reveal Bastian. He smiled as soon as he saw me and then grinned as he saw the food.

“I brought provisions,” I announced.

He held open the doors to let me in to his sanctuary. “Come on in.”

I carefully maneuvered past him, trying to keep my attention on the very full tray of food and not on how close he was. I nearly dropped the platter and the glasses were slipping by the time I set them down on the table by the couch.

“Where are Charlotte and Leo?” I asked, looking around. Bastian was the only one in his room, though every light was on.

“They left,” he explained, sounding tired. He ran a hand through his hair, mussing it's already tussled locks further. “The app's a mess, so they took the helicopter to the mainland to meet with Gabe and the programmers directly.”

“I'm sorry, Bastian,” I said quietly. My heart thrilled a little at his name. And that we were now alone in the mansion. In his room. “I guess I didn't need to bring up so much food, then.”

He looked at the food and then at me. The gleam in his eyes left no doubt that he wanted me more than the food. “More for me, then.”

My heart fluttered and I felt my face heat. I could still taste his kiss on my lips from this morning. All day, he was all I had thought about. He was all my body had craved. I ached for his touch again. I wanted more than just a kiss. I looked over at the bathroom door and remembered the way the water had run down his chest, the muscles and the soft skin. I wanted so much more than a kiss.

“Thank you for bringing this all up,” Bastian said, drawing me back from my memories of his naked body. He was wearing long dress pants and a light blue, button up dress shirt. I thought he looked better with just the towel, but I wasn't going to complain.

“You are very welcome,” I replied, picking up the bottle of wine and reaching for the corkscrew. I, of course, put it in at an angle and was left struggling to try and remove it without sending wine everywhere. The cork was stuck and I was using all my strength and getting nowhere.

“Here, let me.” Bastian reached for the bottle, taking both it and my hands in his. I trembled slightly, exhilarating at his touch. His hands were strong and warm, and sending electric currents of want straight through my spine.

In a smooth motion, he uncorked the wine as if it were the easiest thing in the world. “We should let it breathe for a few minutes,” he said, setting it off to the side.

“Breathe,” I repeated, more to remind myself to do so than to agree with him. He was so close to me now that I could smell his cologne. It was light and clean, yet incredibly masculine. It drew me in closer to him, making me want to rub myself all over him like a cat in heat. I couldn't think of anything but how much I wanted Bastian to do more than just stand here and breathe.

I looked up at him. Every fiber of my being wanted me to throw myself at him, to kiss every inch of his skin I could get my lips on. From the way he was looking at me, he felt the same. The sexual tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. I couldn't stop thinking of our kiss. My hands on his chest. His taste. His fingers tangled in my hair...

The wind ruffled the curtains as it came in off the ocean, and as if on cue, our willpower to stay apart broke at the same time. Whatever was holding us back and keeping us acting like civil, rational adults was blown away on that wind.

A low growl rumbled in his chest as he slid his hand into my hair and put the other to my hip. He pulled me into him, pressing his body against mine as our lips collided. His lips were on mine, stealing my breath and making my knees wobble and go weak.