Hotshot Boss (Alphalicious Billionaires 10)

Frick. The guy looked like he had a billion bucks. He was naturally athletic and filled out his six foot something frame well. His muscles were streamlined glory, not that chunky nasty stuff that guys strived for in the gym. He had that effortlessly natural looking form like he rolled out of bed looking that way and stayed that way. The hours in the gym were definitely kind to him. His abs were carved so deep that he had a damn eight pack. His legs were muscular, and his chest and shoulders were so broad it looked like he could lift his entire stupid mansion and hold them up there like a fucked-up version of Atlas holding up the earth.

Lexi tore her eyes away and focused on the kids. Noel was pretending to be a shark, bobbing and splashing around. Austin loved it. He waved his arms, splashing the water, and giggling while she held him.

Even focusing on the kids didn’t help. The cool pool water didn’t help either. The internal burn wasn’t giving it up. Curtis James was freakishly gorgeous and just about every single detail including that wicked V that disappeared into his trunks was burned into her memory. The heat building inside of her was uncomfortable and she cursed him. He was doing that crap on purpose. Tempting her. It was some kind of game for him. Maybe the whole weekend with the kids thing had been concocted. No, she realized, he never would have done that. His hatred of children was no secret. He would have come up with something else to get her alone if he really wanted her.

He was toying with her because it was fun for him. Maybe he got off on the cat and mouse power trip bullshit.

And there she was, feeling sorry for him with the talk of his grandpa that morning.

Eff that. She was done feeling anything for the TFB. She was shutting down. She was going to be like a rock, not a piece of straw swayed by the slightest breeze. She was one thing that Curtis was going to be denied. The one thing in his whole entire life. She was off limits. Forever. No matter what her traitorous body was telling her. It was shameful to even be feeling that way around children. She blamed the TFB for that too. Igniting R-rated feelings inside of her when she was there taking care of two little kids. What was wrong with him?

Oh right. He was horrible beyond belief.

A true monster. A sexy, evil monster. Damn it. Just an evil monster. He was a bad apple. A truly rotting, nasty, shitty, wormy rotten apple.

Just then, said rotten apple peeled himself out of the lounge chair. He stretched, showing off the full length of his muscular form, his swim trunk riding dangerously low. Good god, did he have to be so damn… sexual? He was like one of those annoying pimples right on the end of your nose that wouldn’t go away and you couldn’t help see it every single time you looked down.

“I’m going to eat your face!” Noel screamed in delight, her sharkiness at an all-time high. Austin let out a scream of delight as his sister grabbed at his bare little toes and pretended to eat them.

Lexi watched carefully, just to be sure that they were all still having fun and that Noel didn’t accidentally bite off one of her little brother’s toes with her set of pearly little choppers. She was thankful she could focus on that and not on what was going on a few feet away.

She couldn’t not notice. Curtis without a shirt was like a panther. Lethal. Dangerous. Sleek and otherworldly beautiful. Something that a person should never look away from when it was so close. Something predatory and fearful, something that lured a person to their doom with a combination of feline grace and effortless elegance.

“Uncle!” Noel screeched when she noticed Curtis and his intent became clear. “Jump in!”

For once, he did as she asked. He took a running leap and jumped into the deep end of the pool, six feet away, tucking his legs in and creating a massive splash that pretty much soaked the three of them. Lexi spluttered. She’d done her best to angle away and shield Austin. Despite being soaked, he clapped and screamed in delight. Noel brushed water from her eyes and also let out a wild cheer.

“Uncle! I want to do that! I want to jump into the pool too!”

Austin let out another scream in agreement. He slapped at the water with his chubby fists.

“Uncle, horseback ride!” Noel demanded. “Please? Can you give me a horsey ride around the deep end?”

Lexi had already pointedly told Noel it was off limits to go over there, even with a lifejacket on. With Austin in her arms, she’d be slowed down if anything happened.