Rock Star Billionaire

"Doing what?"

"Why are we staying away from each other when we both want it?" he asked. I winced as he said it because I wasn't sure I knew why. I just knew that I'd done my best to keep up appearances and not put either one of us in an uncomfortable position.

"Because it's the right thing to do," I said, trying to hide how I really felt.

"What if I say that I don't care anymore?" he asked as he moved dangerously close. "What if I say that every night, I lie awake in bed thinking about how it felt to have your body pressed against mine, your lips touching mine? Do you know how much I want you to be close to me all the time?"

"I … I … I …" I stuttered as he reached out and ran his fingers down my cheek. I shivered as I felt his hand slide around the back of my neck. He pulled me to him. I let go and melted into his arms.

"I don't want this distance between us anymore, Leah," he said as he bent down and lightly brushed his lips across mine before he slowly kissed his way across my jaw, whispering in my ear, "I know you don't really want it either, do you?"

"No," I sighed as he flicked my earlobe with his tongue. "No, I don't."

With that, Jack wrapped his free arm around my waist and pulled me against him as he kissed me hard and deep. I slid my arms around his neck and returned the kiss with all the fierce longing I'd felt since the last time we'd kissed. He spread his lips and urged mine apart as he slipped his tongue inside my mouth and teased mine. I could feel the deep well of desire suddenly explode and course through my veins as we let our mouths pick up where we'd left off.

"Jack," I sighed as I pulled back from the kiss. "Jack, stop …"

"What? What's wrong?" he asked as he furrowed his brow. "Something wrong?"

"No, just not here," I said resting my palms on his chest and looking up at him. "I can't do this here. Not now."

"I see," he nodded stepping back.

"I'm not saying no," I reassured him. "I'm just saying not here. I don't want it to be like this."

"I understand," he said. "You're right. It needs to be special."

"Don't get me wrong," I said with a half grin, "You're pretty irresistible, and I'm not sure that I could actually say no to you if you really set your mind to it."

"This is good to know!" he laughed as he stepped around to his desk and picked up the phone. He turned his back and spoke quietly for a moment, then hung up and smiled at me. "Will you come with me? There's something I want to show you."

"Of course," I said, wondering what was going on.

"This is something I've wanted to show you for a while, but I wasn't sure if I ever would," Jack said as he reached out and took my hand.

I took a deep breath and followed him.

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Jack

I knew that what I was about to do was risky, but I also knew that if things went the way I hoped they would the payoff would be worth the risk. As Jimmy drove us through Brooklyn, Leah and I discussed the future plans for Baby Steps and what we hoped to accomplish with the expansion. There was a nervous energy underlying our conversation, but neither one of us was willing to be the first to acknowledge it.

I knew Leah had to be curious about where we were going, but to her credit, she kept her questions to herself, occasionally looking out the window to gauge where we were and where we were headed. I wanted to keep the destination a surprise, so I just kept talking.

We finally pulled into the circle drive in front of a red-brick house with a wraparound porch and white trim. I got out and went around opening Leah's door, only to find that she was halfway up the walk already.

"Wow, this is pretty spectacular, Jack," she said as she noticed the brightly colored flowers that lined the walk and breathed in the scent of freshly cut grass. "Ahh, that's summer to me! Hey, we're not far from your mother's, are we?"

"She's less than a mile away," I nodded as I followed her lead and inhaled deeply. "If you think the outside is amazing, just wait until you see the inside."

We walked up onto the porch, and I quickly slipped the key into the lock and pushed open the front door. I motioned for Leah to go in first, and I was rewarded by her reaction to the interior.

The whole house had been gutted and most of the walls on the lower level had been removed. There was a large winding staircase that led to the second floor, but aside from that the

entire first floor was an open space that flowed from one room to the next. The wood floors had been polished to a high shine, and the walls were an earthy taupe accented by white crown molding. As she moved from the living room and its floor-to-ceiling front windows to the kitchen where stainless steel appliances and white cabinets gave the area a professional but welcome feel, Leah just shook her head.

"Is this your new home?" she asked turning around to look at me.