Beauty and the Billionaire

I shook my head and let her close the door. "All business with you. That's a bad habit you need to learn to break."

"Goodnight, Penn. Sleep tight," Corsica whispered.

Her breathy words teased me all the way down the hallway. "If I sleep at all," I muttered as I strode into my suite and left the door open. Just in case.

Despite my wild hopes, and even wilder fantasies, I was shocked as hell when Corsica leapt into my bed. At first, I was certain it was a dream. She was in nothing but a pair of pale pink, lacy underwear and a white tank top. Then, I realized soft sunlight was just touching the top of my bedroom windows.

"You weren't kidding, your father is an early riser," she squeaked. "I had to race down here while his back was turned. Good thing he couldn't find a coffee mug."

"What does it matter? You think he's going to check in on us? We're not in high school," I mumbled. Corsica slipped under the covers and inched towards me. I turned on my back and raised a knee to hide the obvious response my body was having.

"The coffee's for you. He made us both a mug," Corsica whispered. She slipped under my arm and pressed her body along my side. "Just pretend like I've been here all night."

"You wouldn't be wearing so many clothes," I said.

Her cheeks warmed with a blush, but she snuggled into the crook of my arm and feigned sleep. I wrapped my arm around her and ached. Corsica's body fit against me perfectly, every inch touching off an electric need for her.

"This was your mother's idea," my father called. He nudged the door open and stood with his eyes closed. "Is it safe to come in?"

"No," I said.

"Penn! Don't be rude," Corsica's voice was muffled as she wriggled closer to me. I didn't know if it was shyness or the spreading heat I felt from her, but I didn't complain.

My father strode in and set down the coffee mugs on my bedside table. Then, he produced an envelope from his pocket and handed it to me. "Like I said, this was your mother's day. All I want to say is happy birthday."

"Thanks," I managed, but Xavier was already heading for the door. He waved a hand over his shoulder.

"Is it really your birthday?" Corsica asked.

"Yes. I'm officially thirty."

She shifted against me, one leg rubbing across my thigh. "Really? I didn't know you were so old."

"Yup," I groaned. "I'm all grown up, and I know exactly what I want for my birthday."

I rolled Corsica onto her back and watched her eyes flash wide as she felt my need for her. Those lips of hers parted in a shocked cry as I leaned down for a kiss. She wriggled against me until she felt the resulting heat between us. I nibbled her delicious lips and prayed this wasn't all a dream.

"Your ride's here," my father called.

"Ride?" I lifted my head then groaned as Corsica slipped out from under me.

She lifted the curtain and gave a surprised giggle. "Horses! There's a man unloading horses in the driveway."

Corsica bounced back onto the bed and grabbed the envelope my father had left. I took it from her and tore it open roughly. The passion she'd awoken was still throbbing through me, but I knew the moment had passed.

"It's an itinerary," I grumbled. "Horseback ride along the beach. Breakfast at the resort. Spa treatments, then dinner."

"How

can you frown at that?" Corsica asked. "It sounds like a wonderful way to spend your birthday."

I groaned and sat up. "Normally I spend my birthday out in the far canyons with a six pack of beer."

Though even I had to admit later my mother had chosen well. Corsica was a natural on horseback and the sight of her long legs in the saddle was a great gift. The morning was mild and sunny, the famous Monterey weather lending the whole morning a sweet warmth.

It wasn't until we sat at a private table on the resort's patio, overlooking Monterey Bay, that something else my mother said came back to me. What if Corsica was just a gold-digger?

Behind her, a tableful of tourists snapped discreet pictures of me. I was, after all, the founder and face of the top outdoor sports equipment company.