Her Guardian Billionaire (Forbidden First Time Romance) (2 page)

 
A movement out the window caught her eye and she gasped. He was there—poised on the back of his stallion like a damn prince charming, head pointed toward her window. Anna’s pulse quickened, and the curtain shook with her trembling hand. He was staring at her. She knew it.

Without thinking, she reached out—hand palming the glass, lips parted in anticipation—waiting for him to rescue her. But she wasn’t a princess and James Davenport wasn’t a savior. He spurred his horse on with a flick of his crop and disappeared without so much as a nod.

I need to grow up
. The curtain fell back into place and Anna bent to pick up the dress. She slipped out of her robe and put it on, zipping it up and tucking away her ragged emotions.
Grace and dignity. That’s what he’ll see
. With a deep breath, she picked up her purse, turned off the light and shut the door on her life.

The chauffeur waited outside the black Bentley with a smile stuck on his face.

“Your bags are in the trunk, miss. Are you ready to leave?”

Anna nodded and handed him the final bag. “Thank you.”

She slipped into back as the chauffeur placed the bag in the trunk.
This is it
. She closed her eyes and leaned back on the seat, breathing in the scent of sumptuous leather for the last time. Goodbye upstate New York, hello NYU. Any other woman in her position would be thrilled. Starting her life, out on her own—finally—but she couldn’t shake the sense of loss.

“Miss? Are you all right?”

Anna shook her head and opened her eyes, squinting into the open door. “Malcolm? Is that you?”

“Yes, miss. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“No, I’m just…leaving.”

“Yes, I know. And I’m sorry to delay you, but Mr. Davenport asked that I give you this.” Her old friend held out a white envelope, and Anna frowned.

“Okay. Um, thanks.” She took it and set it on her lap before giving Malcolm a nod.

“Miss? Mr. Davenport would like you to read it now, please.” He gave her a small bow, and she sighed. James couldn’t even be bothered to tell her goodbye, but she had to read his letter while sitting in the driveway? What could it be?

She opened the envelope and pulled out a single sheet of thick cardstock.
Is this an invitation?
She wrinkled her nose and began to read.

Anna,

Please join me for drinks in honor of your birthday tonight. Eight o’clock in the wine cellar. I hope you enjoy your present.

James

She turned it over and looked around, eyes darting in confusion.
What present?

“Miss? Mr. Davenport also asked that I give you this.” He held out a slim, black velvet box, and Anna took it with shaking fingers. He never sent gifts. And he never invited her to anything.

She opened the lid and all thoughts disappeared. A platinum necklace sat inside, with the largest diamond pendant she’d ever seen. It hung from the chain like a ripe pear, luscious and sparkling. It had to cost a fortune. And he wanted her to have it?

Anna opened her mouth to speak as she glanced up at Malcolm, but no words came out. He smiled and gave her a nod.

“Can I help you out of the car, miss?”

“I…I guess so. Yes. Thank you, Malcolm.”

“My pleasure, Miss Anna. I’ll let Mr. Davenport know to be expecting you.”

“Y—yes. Please.” Anna stepped away from the car and glanced up at the house.

“Oh, and miss? I’d wear something…nice.”

Anna glanced at the trunk and back at Malcolm. “Everything is packed. Should I bring it back inside?”

“I’ll take care of it, don’t you worry.”

“Thank you, Malcolm.” Anna watched as the butler spoke to the chauffeur before disappearing inside. In moments, the car had driven away and she was alone. She stood in the driveway, staring up at the mansion she’d lived in, but never called home. James was in there somewhere. And in a few short hours, she’d be sitting across from him, drinking a glass of wine and trying not to lose herself in his brown eyes.

Somehow, she didn’t think she’d succeed.

James tightened his navy tie and smoothed the silk beneath his jacket. Nagging whispers crept into his mind and he frowned at his reflection. He never doubted anything. Except Anna.

For years, she’d been an afterthought. The girl he’d plucked out of desperation in an effort at damage control. The girl who his security guard orphaned with a stray bullet two days before Christmas. He’d needed to do something to show his company’s compassion and dedication. To turn the focus off his business and onto his charity. Maintain the image.

He’d given her everything money could buy—new clothes, books, wait staff—and shipped her off to boarding school. The simplest way to wash his hands of it all and go back to his solitary existence.

She’d come back in the summers, of course—a gangly teenager he never even noticed. A mouse of a thing who kept to herself and left him alone. The way it should be.

But then she grew up. Graduated college at twenty with a body no man could resist. Rich chestnut hair, pouty pink lips, and hips that screamed dominate me. And he wanted to. All night long.

Legal status be damned, he couldn’t stop imagining her. Blindfolded, bent over, begging for him to take her again and again. Her back arching in need, lips whispering his name as he claimed her for his own.

If she were any other woman—a stranger he’d met on the street, an employee, shit, even a maid—he’d just take what he wanted. But not his ward. Not a woman he’d taken in as an awkward teen, even if he didn’t raise her. He ran a hand through his brown hair, tucking an errant strand behind his ear.

He should have sent her away. Ushered her out the door like he’d promised all those years ago and been done with it. But he couldn’t. Not without saying goodbye.

Turning away from the mirror, he buttoned his suit and took a deep breath.
Drinks
. One night to talk, smile, drink champagne and flush her out of his system for good. Then he’d be able to breathe.

Stepping into the hall, he gave his butler a smile.
So attentive
. “Malcolm.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Ensure that we’re not disturbed. No calls, no interruptions.”

“Yes, Sir.”

James strode down the hall, tugging his shirt sleeves out of his jacket as his shoes echoed on the marble. The wine cellar sat on the opposite end of the house, and the walk afforded him time to prepare. By the time he pushed the thick wood door open, he’d composed himself.

Or so he thought.
Damn it to hell
. Anna stood by the table, teeth digging into her plump, pink lip as she drummed her fingers on the table. The necklace he’d given her nestled between the swell of her breasts and his dick twitched as he thought of taking its place.

A black dress hugged her curves, and a pair of stiletto heels stretched her legs for miles. She was all woman. And spectacular. “The necklace suits you.”

She gasped and looked up, black lashes fluttering against her cheeks. “Oh! Hello, Mr. Davenport. Thank you for this—it’s beautiful.”

“James. Call me James.”

She nodded, and he motioned to the waiting chair. “Sit. The champagne’s waiting.”

“You know I’m not twenty-one for a few hours yet.”

“I’m not counting. Are you?”

She shook her head, slid onto the seat, and James did the same. After spreading his napkin in his lap, he lifted the bottle from the chiller.

He filled two glasses and raised his. “To your twenty-first birthday.”

With a brief smile, Anna raised the glass to her lips and drank. The bubbles slipped past her pout, disappeared down her throat, and James almost groaned out loud.
Mmm
.
To be that champagne
.

As she set down the glass, she pressed her lips together and glanced at the table.

“What is it?” Holding back was easy to spot.

“Oh—it’s just…Why did you invite me here? And give me this?” She stroked the necklace, running her fingers up and down the chain like a snake charmer from across the world.
Mesmerizing
.

“It’s your birthday. I thought drinks and a present were in order.”

“You’ve never given me a present before. You’ve never even said happy birthday before. Why the change?” Her green eyes rose up to meet his, and he had to look away. When she put it like that, he sounded despicable.

“Yes. Well, I’m here now. Happy birthday.” James took another sip of champagne and leaned back in the chair, looping an arm over the seat as he commanded his body to still. Women didn’t fluster him, damn it. “So, tell me. What are your plans post-college?”

Anna scrunched her eyebrows and set the glass down. “I’m attending NYU. A Ph.D. Program in Psychology.”

James cocked his head to the side. “Ambitious. And what would be your focus?”

She gave him a tight smile and focused on the bubbles in her glass. “Well, to be honest, I’d like to explore tragedy. How it shapes people’s lives, transforms them. For some, it gives purpose, for others…the opposite. I want to know why.”

James swallowed a mouthful of champagne and frowned. “Haven’t you had enough tragedy in your own life? Why do you need to examine other people’s grief?”

She jerked her head up and a flash of emotion sparked in her eyes. “I want to help them. If there’s a way to ease the hurt and anguish, I want to discover it.”

James snorted and poured them both a new glass. “There’s no way to shortcut time, Anna.”

“So that’s it, hmm? Time is all people need to heal old wounds and learn to live again? Well, then, you should be an expert at it.”

“I think I manage just fine.”

“All alone, without a family, a wife, children? A man in his fortress. Yeah, I’d say you’re an expert.”

James set his glass on the table and stared at his ward. She’d always been feisty. Opinionated. The handful of times they’d run into each other and chatted—talking politics or current events—she’d never backed down. But she’d never pushed him or goaded him into anger. A thrill ran through him as he imagined bending her to his will, binding her arms behind her back and hearing her beg for it.

He flashed a smile and took another sip. “I have you.”

“Not yet.”

James sputtered, nearly choking as he stared at her.
She can’t be serious
. Anna couldn’t possibly be interested in him. She’d have her pick of any eligible young man in the city. He had to be imagining things. “So, any lucky guy you’re seeing?”

Anna swirled her drink around in her glass and licked her lip. Her tongue traced a path over her soft skin and he wanted to dive in and chase it down.

“Not a one.”

“Not possible.” The woman oozed sex—it screamed at him from across the table. She might not be shoving her tits in his face and hiking up her dress, but as she crossed her legs—sliding one silky smooth thigh over the other—she had to know the effect.

She shrugged and took a drink. “I’ve never found the right guy.”

“Never?”

She shook her head and James reeled. “Are you telling me a woman as gorgeous and smart as you has never had a proper boyfriend? I don’t believe it.”

“Well, you can believe whatever you like, but it’s true.” She drained the rest of her second glass and leaned back in her chair, showing off the necklace as it sparkled between her breasts.
Shit
. He stared at the diamond as the light split in a thousand tiny cuts, casting rainbow shadows over her bare skin.

“What about in college? Boarding school?”

“Nope. I know it sounds crazy, but I want something…more.”

“Like what?” James’s breath hitched as he waited, staring at Anna with a mix of hope and dread.

“Someone bold, assertive. A real man.” Pulling herself off the chair, she leaned forward, letting the necklace slip between her cleavage. “Someone like you.”

Jesus
. He’d invited her to drinks to get over his ridiculous obsession, not give into it. No matter how many times he’d fantasized about her, how many times he’d wished they’d met any other way, the truth remained. He could pass for her father and had taken her in, made her his legal ward. She might turn twenty-one at midnight, but that didn’t change anything.

He couldn’t give in to his wants. He couldn’t take what he didn’t deserve.