The Billionaire's Secret: Billionaire Obsession (Tycoon Billionaires Book 5) (9 page)

While Astrid’s dad was trying to locate Emma, Astrid called the sheriff to tell him not to worry about investigating the break-in and to drop his enquiries. She asked Jake to be discreet, not wanting anyone in the town to know the thief had been Emma all along, so he agreed to keep that a secret – but he wanted to know Emma’s motives. He was sure there was something more happening here than just sibling rivalry, but he needed to gather more information before he could understand the full picture.

Martin located Emma in the park, and she reluctantly came back to the house with her dad. The family wanted to talk to her in private, so Jake excused himself and went outside for a cigarette, not wanting to intrude. He leaned against a sturdy tree and lit up, noticing a middle-aged woman approaching, pushing a rickety bicycle. She had wiry hair and huge glasses, and she looked as if she was desperate for some gossip. Jake had noticed her outside the church when they’d first arrived – she’d been blatantly staring at him, eagerly waiting for something to happen then too.

“Are you here with Astrid?” the woman asked.

Jake took a drag on his cigarette. The mention of her name made his insides lurch with desire, but he didn’t want to give this local busybody anything new to gossip about. He knew how judgmental small-minded people like her could be. “I’m a friend of the family.”

She eyed him up. “Really? What’s your name?”

“Jake. Jake Quinlan. And you are?”

“Morag.”

He offered her a cigarette. “Smoke?”

She shook her head tightly. “No. Any news on the break-in?”

“Not yet.” Jake gazed at her for a moment. “You got any ideas who it could’ve been?”

“No.”

“You seem to be a woman who knows what’s going on around here. Have you seen Astrid’s ex-boyfriend Simon recently? Think it could be him?”

Morag frowned. “Hmm… I might’ve seen him talking with Emma yesterday afternoon.”

The hairs prickled at the back of Jake’s neck. “Oh yeah?”

“Yes. Emma
was
with a man yesterday now I think about it. In his car. Might’ve been Simon.”

Jake ground his cigarette against his boot. “Okay. Thanks.”

She squinted at him, seemingly shocked that she’d given him any useful information. She gave him a suspicious look, then wheeled her bike away. Jake wondered what Simon would want with Astrid’s diaries – and why Emma was helping him.

Perhaps it might come to light at dinner...

The dining room at Astrid’s childhood home was the center-point of family life. It was a large room with an old fireplace and wooden floorboards, and a natural homey feel. There was an antique china cabinet pushed up against the wall, displaying old plates and ceramic trinkets, and the rustic table in the middle of the room was huge – making Jake feel as if he was in an old episode of
I Love Lucy
. Sally was even wearing an A-line gingham apron, which she took off after she’d set down a bowl of mashed potatoes on the table – nestling it among the other bowls of food.

Astrid sat opposite him and he smiled at her, but she looked away, still angry about what he’d done. He kicked her gently under the table, making her laugh out loud.

The others looked over at this seemingly spontaneous outburst.

“You okay, Astrid?” her mother asked.

“Yeah,” she said calming down. “Just remembered something funny.”

Jake winked at her, feeling like a teenager. It was liberating…

Sally passed him a bowl of beans. “Help yourself, Jake.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” He scooped some onto his plate, then he gazed at Emma, who was here under duress. She was making it very clear she wasn’t happy. Jake could feel the sulky sparks fizzing from her aura.

Jake swallowed his mouthful. “So, Emma, what were you doing meeting up with Simon yesterday?”

Astrid dropped her fork with a clatter. “Simon?”

Emma gazed coolly at Jake. “You don’t miss a trick, do you? Been asking all around the town about me, have you?”

Martin shot his youngest daughter a warning glance. “Emma, Jake’s a guest in this house. And
you’ve
got a lot of explaining to do. Answer his questions.”

“All right. If you must know, yeah I met up with Simon.”

Astrid’s body was frozen with tension. “You should stay away from him, Emma. He’s not a good person – believe me.”

Jake frowned. “Why did he want Astrid’s diaries, Emma?”

“Because he’s obsessed with her. He misses her.”

Martin shook his head wearily. “Stay away from him. And don’t ever betray your sister again. Understand?”

Emma threw him a coy look. “Yes, daddy, of course.”

“Good girl,” Sally said. “Now, Jake, eat up. You’ll need lots of strength for tonight.”

Jake glanced at Astrid. What the hell did
that
mean?

Martin chuckled. “We’re having a few friends over later. We like to gather around the piano and sing. It’s what passes for entertainment in these parts. Astrid’s staying – aren’t you, sweetheart?”

Jake glanced at Astrid who was delicately cutting up her food. “Yeah, I may as well while I’m here.”

Jake caught her eye and they shared a smile, which she quickly stifled. He wasn’t ready to leave her yet – especially not if her ex was around. “All right, Martin, thank you. I’d love to join you for that.”

****

Jake checked into the local hotel, which was an old gothic building that had been run by the same family for years. His room was surprisingly modern, with varnished floorboards, magnolia walls, and an inviting double bed with a cream comforter. He suppressed a desire to roll around on it later with Astrid… she was clearly still mad at him.

But what if he could find a way to apologize to her properly – by making her body ring out in pure lust all night long?

He went shopping for a razor and toiletries, then headed back to Astrid and her family to join their entertainment. Martin greeted him with a hearty handshake, and led him to the living room, which reminded Jake of a parlor room from the Wild West days. The garish wallpaper and old window-frames were charming, and the antique furniture had been pushed up against the wall, to make a clearing for people to socialize and perhaps even dance.

The atmosphere struck Jake like a vacation, and he relaxed into the friendly vibe that was making this place buzz. Although the cooler and darker fall nights were drawing in, it was as if someone had switched on the sunshine. Martin introduced Jake as their guest of honor to the thirty-or-so people here, all dressed in their finest, ready to have some fun. Sally was playing the piano, surrounded by a few other musicians, including man playing the banjo and a woman playing the guitar. Various others were rattling tambourines. The music was upbeat, and Jake allowed himself to sink into the cheerful ambience.

He spotted Astrid chatting with a couple of older ladies, so he made his way over to say hello. A few people welcomed him as he walked across the wooden floor – and he realized there was a true sense of belonging here that he’d never noticed about the small town where he grew up, which had just been stifling.

“Good evening, Jake,” Astrid said, breaking away to talk to him. She looked stunning in a vintage red dress, with her hair twisted on top of her head. Her bright red lipstick made him want to kiss her passionately. She was truly stunning.

“You look beautiful,” he said.

She chuckled. “Thank you.”

“Has Simon showed up?”

“No. hopefully he’ll stay away. He’s not very popular after what he persuaded Emma to do. She still won’t tell me why he wanted that diary. But maybe the great detective will get to the bottom of it.”

He caressed her cheek. “I won’t let him hurt you. If comes anywhere near you, he’s dead.”

She opened her mouth to reply, but Emma flounced over. She was wearing a clingy, revealing dress and – although she did look pretty – she wasn’t a patch on her sister.

“Jake, would you like to dance with me?” Emma asked, tilting her head and gazing at him with her big eyes.

“Dance?” he said.

Emma chuckled. “Don’t say it like I’m offering you torture. Look, other people are dancing, so I thought we could too. We should make friends after what happened earlier. Okay?”

He glanced at Astrid, who shrugged. “Dance away.”

“All right,” he said. “I did have a few questions I wanted to ask you.”

She grabbed his hand. “I like the sound of an interrogation. Come on.”

She and Jake walked to the center of the room, so he put his arms around her, making sure there was plenty of space between them. She stepped forward, trying to press against him, but he held her at arm’s length.

She smirked confidentially into his eyes. “Frigid, Jake?”

“Just not easy.”

“Oh, that hurts.”

They moved in time to the music. He gazed at her. “You know you’re a lousy thief, right?”

“Really?” She ran her hand along his ass and fingered his back pocket. “I wonder if I could steal your wallet while we’re dancing.”

“Keep your hands were I can see them, sweetheart.”

She chuckled. “If you say so.”

“Why did you really break into your sister’s room? What do you want with Simon?”

She smirked. “I intrigue you, don’t I?”

“I’m just wondering what you’re hoping to achieve. So why did you do it?”

“You ask a lot of questions.”

“Just doing my job.”

“Your job is to pump me for information? You might need to try harder to get it out of me…”

“I’m not interested in games, Emma.”

“Oh, that’s a shame.” She fell serious. “I was bored, okay. Simon showed up and asked me to get Astrid’s diaries, so I said it sounded like a fun thing to do. It’s tearing me apart living here. It’s so dull.”

“So why not move? Astrid did.”

“She went to college. I can’t leave here. Where would I go?”

“Wherever you want. Art college? There are some great art colleges.”

“Would you take me away?”

“Me? No, Emma. It’s not like that.”

“What is it you like about my sister? You know she’s not mentally sound, right?”

“And what would you know about that?”

“I’ve read her diaries…”

“She’s all right. She just has panic attacks. What she needs is support from her family. Not a sister with a grudge.”

She grinned excitedly into his eyes. “Come away with me, Jake. Think of all the fun we could have.”

He stepped away. “I’ve had enough of your sort of fun. Thanks for the dance.”

He walked off, abandoning Emma on the dancefloor, where he could sense her fuming. He didn’t want to purposely humiliate anyone, but he also didn’t like people playing games with him. He spied Astrid dancing with an older man – probably making his day. But Jake needed to talk to her, so he interjected. “Hey, I’m going out for a cigarette. You wanna join me?”

She gazed blankly at him. “What girl could possibly refuse such a romantic proposition?”

“Ha ha. Are you coming, or not?”

“Sure.”

They strolled out into the chilly night and sat on a rickety old bench in the front yard. Jake lit up a cigarette. Astrid shivered in the cold, so he took off his suit jacket, then draped it around her shoulders – holding the cigarette between his lips.

“You look like James Dean,” she said, drawing his jacket around herself.

He laughed. “Before or after the accident.”

“Stop it. You know you’re a handsome guy.”

“And you’re a beautiful woman.”

“Hmm… You seemed to be getting friendly with my sister.”

“I wanted to find out more about her motives for stealing your diaries.”

“Oh sure.”

“Listen, Astrid, I’m really not good at this sort of thing, but I’m sincerely sorry for what happened with my brothers. I really regret what I did.”

“You were spying on me…”

“I know. I never meant to hurt you. I wanted to tell you the truth. But I just… I couldn’t.”

“I know – it wasn’t personal. I just feel stupid and used.”

He held her hand and realized she was trembling. “I didn’t mean for you to feel like that.”

“I get that you’re sorry. I do believe you. I just don’t know if I can trust you after such a betrayal. How can I believe you?”

“I understand. You think I’m full of bullshit.”

She gazed into his eyes – touching his soul. “I don’t think you’re full of bullshit, Jake. I think you’re full of secrets. And you seem to be guarding so
many
. I wonder whether you ever let anyone in. I feel like the stalking thing was just the tip of the iceberg.”

Jake’s defenses hardened against her. How did she know all this? It was as if she was able to look deep in his core and see all the bad stuff he was hiding. He wanted to run like hell – to not let her in. If she found out his inner-demons, it would be over anyway. But he didn’t want it to be over. He needed to fuck her again. To love her.