Rise of the Billionaire (14 page)

Jeremy
returned to the seat behind the computer he’d used as an access point and motioned for the small group of men and women to gather behind him. He said, “I’ll add some block codes that you can change and encrypt after I’m gone and at least you know you’ll block anyone from gaining remote access to your system. I can also build in the equivalent to roadblocks so if anyone did break your code, they would only gain access to a limited area before encountering another encryption. That would at least buy you time to stop them.”

Ted sought the agreement of a tall, thin man in the back and then nodded. “Do it.”

There was a beauty to the ease with which Jeremy closed out the distraction of his audience and performed the complex task. Jeisa had always known that Jeremy was intelligent, but here he was, surrounded by some of the greatest minds in the country, and they were in awe of him.

He wrote down a few codes on
a piece of scrap paper he found beside the computer and handed them to Ted. “These will allow you to update the others. Change them as soon as I’m gone. I made them so tight that I shouldn’t be able to break them if you do it right.”

The man in the back walked forward,
then gave him a wide smile. “If you ever need a job, you can have Ted’s.”

Ted didn’t seem bothered by the threat. He countered with, “If you decided to come work here, Jeremy, I’m sure they’d also offer you his job.”

The tall man’s smile dimmed. He seemed about to say something more, but the woman who’d been gushing over Jeremy chimed in, “Or you could start your own university. I’d transfer for you.”

Jeisa rolled her eyes.
I may throw up.

Jeremy stood
and walked over to put his arm around Jeisa. “I have more on my plate than I can handle already, but I appreciate the offer.”

Jeisa looked up at him, not quite sure if he was referring to the employment or the blatant flirtatious offer
from the blonde woman.

More than he can handle?

He’d better be referring to me and only me.

He winked at her and Jeisa relaxed, leaned into his embrace, and for a moment forgot they weren’t alone.
He’d asked her for a week so he could sort out his feelings. One week was beginning to feel like forever. She raised herself up on her tiptoes and kissed him with all the pent-up emotion coursing through her. He lost himself in the kiss, seemingly as oblivious to those around them as she was.

One of the men said, “He is the luckiest bastard on the planet,” and the mood was broken.

“I’d say she is,” the adoring post-grad student countered with a sigh.

Another man
veered off on a tangent. “I don’t believe in luck. It implies a randomness that is disproved as patterns of behavior eradicate unknowns.”

Excited by the impromptu debate, another man added,
“Unknowns can never be fully eradicated, so some randomness will always exist, and therefore so will luck.”

Jeremy
ended the kiss with a chuckle and whispered in Jeisa’s ear, “I think we should go before they decide to keep us for observation.” He pulled back, still holding Jeisa’s hand in his, and said, “Thank you for the tour and for letting me play a bit with your server.” He handed the tall man his card. “Call me if you have issues.”

They made
a hasty escape, hand in hand, not slowing until they reached the outer door, where the driver met them. They fell into the limo, laughing against each other.

Jeisa said, “I thought they were going to ask you for your autograph.”

Jeremy sat back, satisfied, and held her to his chest, admitting, “It was fun to be the cool guy for once.”

Jeisa traced his chin with her forefinger
. “Is that what you want, Jeremy?”

He took her hand in his, holding it to her chest. “I used to think it was all I wanted.”

Jeisa held her breath. “And what about now?”

Jeremy’s mouth closed on hers and instant heat flooded her.
When they touched, the questions that plagued her were washed away by the urgency of her desire. He slid her sideways onto his lap, settling her on the evidence of his need for her. “Now I want you.”

Oh, God.

His words shot through her, erasing the last of her coherent thoughts and replacing them with a need so intense she followed her impulse and sank to the floor between his feet. On her knees, she pushed his legs apart and kissed him while unbuckling his belt. Her hands greedily sought and freed his erection.

She sat back on her heels and met his eyes, loving how they burned for her. She felt herself pulsing and moistening with excitement
, and suddenly she understood how pleasing someone else could be just as exciting as being pleased.

She leaned down, took him into her mouth
, and lavished him with the same amount of attention he had shown her earlier. She licked him, cupped him, welcomed him deeply into her mouth. When he was moaning with pleasure, she stood, dropped her panties to the floor, sheathed him in the condom she’d felt in his pocket earlier, turned around and lowered herself onto him. In this half-seated position, she found the ecstasy of control. His hands slid up her dress and cupped her bare ass. She sat back and his hands came around to her front and cupped her breasts as she raised and lowered herself again and again onto him. She swung her head wildly to one side, baring her neck to him and loving how he plundered it with his hot tongue.

When she thought it couldn’t get better, he eased her forward and put a hand on her back to steady her. They joined together again and again in a rhythm they created.

Withdrawing from her for just long enough to change his position,
he turned her so she could brace herself on the bar on the opposite wall of the limo. Steadying himself by placing one hand next to hers, he held her still with his other and thrust inside of her again—sending a flood of heat through her. Bent over as they were, his breath was hot on her back as the intensity of his thrusts increased and sent her over the edge into a sobbing state of bliss.

He paused, then slowly began to move again, deeper and more powerfully than before. She’d barely recovered
, and the sensation was almost too much to bear. She looked up and caught his eyes, hot with desire, in the mirror in front of her and couldn’t look away. This time he was in control, rolling his hips and reaching the spot that sent shivers of pleasure through her.

God, let the airport be further away than I remember. I don’t want to stop.

I don’t want this to ever end.

He reached around her and sought her clit with those talented fingers of his. He claimed her nub with hi
s fingers, rubbing with an ever-increasing speed as he took her from behind. She gasped for air, cried out his name, and they came together with one final, shuddering thrust.

The limo came to a gentle stop at the entrance of the airport.
She and Jeremy quickly replaced their discarded clothing and disposed of the evidence of their coupling. Jeisa smoothed her hair, hoping she didn’t look as wantonly wild as she felt.

Neither moved even as they saw the jet through the window
—a reminder that even life’s most amazing days come to an end. Tucked into his side, Jeisa peered up at Jeremy and said, “Thank you.”

Jeremy kissed her forehead
. “I think you already thanked me.”

She playfully slapped his thigh. “I mean it. This was wonderful.”

Jeremy raised her chin with his hand and said, “It’ll only get better, I promise you.”

The very savvy limo driver parked in front of the jet but made no move to interrupt them.

Jeisa laid her head on Jeremy’s shoulder and tried to simply savor their closeness, but her mind raced on mercilessly.
Hold onto a little piece of your heart
, she warned herself, but she knew it was too late for that.

He has to love me
—he just has to.

Back on the jet after takeoff, Jeremy hugged Jeisa to his side on the main area couch. Although liftoff had only taken moments, the physical pain of sitting separately in their own chairs had made it feel like an eternity and he’d taken her eagerly back into his arms as soon as it was safe. The intensity of their connection was more than a little unsettling.

He worked up his courage by mentally rehearsing what he was going to say.

Jeisa, I should have said this before, but I had to make sure I didn’t really love Alethea.

No,
don’t mention her.

Jeisa, I’m an idiot because I love you.

I mean, I’ve been an idiot—I do love you.

He rubbed his chin in her hair and breathed in the
scent of her shampoo, marveling that he’d never smelled anything so wonderful.
I should leave the word “idiot” off.

H
is phone vibrating in his breast pocket was an unwelcome interruption. He shifted Jeisa slightly to one side and checked the caller ID.

Alethea.

He turned off his phone and slid it back into his pocket. Jeisa tensed in his arms.

“You could have answered it,” she said slowly, straightening away from him.

“It wasn’t important,” he said, watching Jeisa’s expression tighten with emotion.

“Was it Alethea?”

He didn’t bother to deny it. “Yes.”

“Is there a reason you feel that you can’t talk to her in front of me?” Jeisa turned on the couch and hugged her legs to her chest.

Only about a million.
“I thought now was a bad time.”

“I know you still work with her. I’m not a fool
. I know that means you have to talk to her. Ignoring her phone call doesn’t make her go away.”

Jeremy reached for Jeisa’s hand but she scooted back
, away from him. “I can call her back if you want.”

Jeisa stood and turned her back to him. “No, I don’t want you to call her back.”

Jeremy went to stand behind her. “Then I’m confused.”

She spun around, hands on her hips
, and said, “And how do you think I feel?” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I can’t do this. I thought I could do this, but I can’t. I’m losing my mind.”

He reached out for her but she stepped back. “Jeisa
. . .”

“No, don’t touch me.
When you touch me I forget how much the rest of this hurts.”

He pocketed his hands and rolled back on his heels. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. He’d thought they were having the kind of first date people share
d a secret smile about together on their fiftieth anniversary. Had he misread the situation that badly? “I don’t understand.”

She covered her eyes with one hand, hugging herself with her other arm
. “I can’t have sex with you anymore. Not like this.”

What did she
mean
like this?
“I thought you said it was wonderful.”

She lowered her hand, her eyes now shiny with tears
. “It was wonderful. Too wonderful. I came here because I love you. Today was amazing—all of it. You showed me how good it could be between us. I can’t help falling deeper in love with you, and it terrifies me.”

“Because you think I don’t love you?” he asked with relief. That was easy enough to rectify. “Jeisa, I do.”

He wasn’t prepared for her angry denial of his admission. “Don’t. Don’t say it now. Not when I just told you that I’m not having sex with you anymore if you don’t. How am I going to believe you? I’ll always wonder if you only said it because I forced you to.”

“But I do love you.”

“See, I don’t believe you. You’re only saying it because I cornered you into it.”

Man, women are a puzzle.
Jeremy sought clarification before deciding how to proceed. “So, let me get this straight. You slept with me because you love me. It was so good that it made you love me more, but you don’t want to sleep with me again. Ever?”

Jeisa’s face flushed with anger. “I didn’t say ever. Don’t twist this all up.”

I’m trying to untwist it,
he thought. “Okay, so the problem is that you don’t think I love you.”

“No, the problem is that I let myself get tangled up in a situation that was wrong for me from the start. I shouldn’t have taken that job at Corisi Enterprises. I should have never lied about my typing skills. I should have called my father and told him the truth. Then I wouldn’t have met Mrs. Duhamel and started working with you.” She waved an angry hand in his direction. “I came here because I wanted to be a strong, independent woman. And look at me. I’m lying like a teenager and practically begging some man to love me while I try to quit yet another job that I’m not qualified for anyway.”

Jeremy grasped onto the only part of her tirade that made sense to him. “What are you lying about?”

“You. Me. Everything. My father thinks I’m an
au pair.”

Amusement made the sides of Jeremy’s mouth twitch as he suppressed a smile. “You told him you’re
babysitting me?”