The Playboy Billionaire (The Romero Brothers, Book 3) (9 page)

Was his grandfather right about him? Was he
too controlled by the addictive sexual magic of having a beautiful woman in his
arms and underneath him in bed?

But this one seemed oddly, different.

He was more than interested in having Miss
Monroe in his bed. He wanted to get inside her mind. Her soul. He wanted to
know everything about this woman. And he didn’t know why. What had gotten into
him all of a sudden? This wasn’t usually his style. He cared deeply for people.
But when it came to attraction, he had often had only one thing on his mind.
But not now.
He felt, oddly, drawn to Miss Monroe.

“They’re no longer around,” she said softly,
her eyes filled with sorrow.

“I’m truly sorry, Miss Monroe.” His gut
twisted inside. He could see pain flash in those beautiful dark brown eyes of
hers. The large chocolate eyes framed by adorable black curled lashes.

Call it the Romero bloodline in him. The
fact that his name meant protector but he wanted to comfort her. He sensed
there was a whole lot more to her parents being just "no longer around."

“It’s okay. It was…a couple years ago.”

“Was it an accident?”

She pressed her lips together firmly and
shifted in her seat before answering him. “I don’t know.”

His brows drew together. “What do you mean,
you don’t know?”

“The police said it was accidental. But the
original fire marshal report suspected arson.”

“So you think someone may have tried to
kill your parents? Why?”

“I…I don’t know. I really don’t want to get
too much into it right now. I…”

“I’m sorry to probe. I was concerned.”

“Oh, no. Please. I’m glad you asked. I mean,
thank you for your concern. I…I’d better go now.”

He nodded politely and in a gentlemanly
fashion rose as she, too, got up from her seat.

Blue drove down the main road heading into the
city, still breathing hard. Her mind was reeling with delight from the passionate
kiss with Zack, the electric sensation dancing through her body. She could not
believe what had just transpired.

Zack
Romero.
The notorious playboy with a hard-ass body.

Have
mercy, Lord. This man is simply exquisite in every way. Unforgettable. That’s
what this day will be. Unforgettable.

She pressed her right foot on the gas,
glancing at the display clock on her dashboard of her Ford. She also caught the
fuel gauge and realized she should have filled up her tank before leaving
Mayberry Hill. But it would only be another thirty-five minutes before she
would be back in the city. She could refuel at the station near her apartment. The
sky was turning a musk color as the late afternoon turned to early evening. Her
cell phone buzzed and she instinctively reached for it on her seat. She often
placed it by her seat when she was driving so she could see the display in case
it was a call from her sister. Whenever she left the phone in her purse while
driving, she would let it ring so that she didn't end up taking her eyes off
the road to fish for it.

Of course, she could just learn to use her Bluetooth,
which would solve all matters.

The caller was an unknown number. Again.
She carefully kept her eyes on the road while reaching over and grabbing the
phone then hitting the answer button and speaker option.

“Hello?” she answered but the caller hung
up.

Again.

It had happened quite a few times in the
past week alone. She wondered if it was a wrong number and the person on the
other end of the line realized it then dialled the intended number.

Blue shrugged then replaced the phone on
the passenger seat. There were very few cars on this stretch of road going into
the city. It wasn’t a very busy road considering. But she didn’t mind being
able to drive to the limit with little traffic on the road. The window of her
Ford was cracked open and the breeze from the speed of the vehicle whisked her
hair and cooled her skin. The air conditioner wasn’t working so she was glad to
have the gentle breeze from outside.

She enjoyed clear summer days. Blue relished
in the thought of no cares for a change. She guessed the magic of excitement
did that to a person.
Inner excitement over having this wonderful
opportunity to work with her new boss—or client, however she looked at
it.
This was her first major assignment since starting her fledgling production
company.

Zack Romero.

“God, you’re incredible, Zack,” she said to
herself, grinning from ear to ear.

Blue's mind drifted back to his alluring
face and delicious appeal. Oh, if only she could be with a man like that. She
knew that was farfetched. He clearly was a bachelor for life. She’d read about
him beforehand. He had given interviews a while back about not being a marrying
man. Not that she could possibly have a chance with him.

But, oh, he kissed her. It was as if a part
of him stayed with her. The soft tingle of his lips on hers was pleasantly
memorable. Zack Romero had kissed her.

Zack had a compelling presence.
Mesmerizing. He had that special something about him. Blue couldn’t quite put
her finger on it. But it wasn’t often she met a man who had that raw electrical
effect on her. When he shook her hand earlier in the day, there was a surge of
power that coursed through her veins. The man oozed charisma from every pore of
his body. His hands were strong yet smooth.
His eyes, so
captivating.
She had a chance to finally be up close with him and her
body reacted in such a surprising way. Her mind turned to scrambled eggs for
one thing. All she could do was gush uncontrollably at his masculine sexiness,
his delicious scent, his gorgeous features and strong, tall athletic body.

He was like something out of a magazine, a
Hollywood blockbuster action film or something, but not real life. Yet the
feelings that pulsed through her body being with him, so close to touch, were
mind-blowing. He made her feel giddy with lust all of a sudden.

Blue’s crazy ex-boyfriend, Elliot, her
former colleague at Channel 31 News, never had that kind of effect on her.
There was never any spark, one she’d always read about, with Elliot. She really
liked him then. Sure, he was a fair kisser and she enjoyed being around him when
they’d first started dating, until she realized that he was a real actor, not a
journalist. The guy turned out to be a creep, an emotionally abusive, jealous
dude who didn’t want her to have any friends. He’d always criticized her weight
and told her to lose her "baby fat" and she’d be fine. Her friends at
the station warned her that he was seeing other people and she never believed
it until she saw it with her own eyes. She’d caught him necking a fellow co-worker
in the lunchroom after hours when most people had left the office.

When she tried to end it with him, he
turned all crazy on her.
Kept calling her and hanging up,
telling her co-workers all sorts of crazy lies.

Blue shuddered at the thought. The past was
the past. It was dead and gone. Why bring up a dead memory to haunt the
present?

Blue was so past that. She had learned to
move on earlier. A bit of Yoga and positive thinking exercises really helped
pulled her through it all. Of course, the last draw was the cell phone recorder
fiasco that cost her a job at the station but now she realized it was a
blessing in sweet disguise. She’d never been happier to be her own boss,
however challenging it was at times.

Blue remembered reading somewhere in one of
her self-help books about when you keep on the positive side of
things,
you realize nothing happens to you, it happens for
you. She wanted to believe that the universe would be good to her.
She’d been through so much painful hell
,
it
was insane
. Losing her parents still caused her heart to ache as if
someone had taken a knife to her and left it impaled in her chest.

Think positive, Blue.

She gazed at the cars speeding past her on
the road, the trees whizzing by as she drove 80 km per hour in this zone.

Count
your blessings, not your troubles
, she reminded
herself.

She was blessed to have sought gainful
employment in this tough economy. That was a miracle. And this project would be
the best thing to boost her business upward, not to mention the credibility it
would lend to her business as word got around of her documentary on one of the
most prominent families and businesses in the province.

In short, the universe had provided a
much needed
way out for her at the nick of time. Courtney’s
tuition was coming up. Not to mention paying off loans and taking care of her
parents’ affairs since they did not have adequate insurance. She was also able
to come up with the rent for at least the next twelve months. Maybe she could
even manage scraping together a down payment to finally own her own home.
Courtney could have more room for herself, too. It sure was a challenge being
cooped up in the little apartment with her young adult sister. But finally,
there was hope.
A new beginning.
A chance
to set things right.

Thank
you, Universe.

Thank
you, Mr. Romero.

Blue surprised herself when her mind
drifted again. She had a vision of Zack Romero. She was alone with him in the
most fascinating penthouse suite. He was moving his hand slowly down her back
making her dizzy with unbridled excitement. Her nipples strained through her
bra while he slowly undressed her like James Bond did in one of the earlier
movies, smooth and suave. Her dress was on the floor before she knew it and she
stood before him as he delighted in her body. He then lowered his head to hers
and pressed his luscious lips to hers and kissed her so passionately, she
forgot where she was. Heck, she forgot WHO she was! He then slowly unhooked her
lace bra and she felt his hand move slowly down her body where he…

Blue shook her head and blinked hard,
trying to shift the focus back on the road.

Did he harbor some magical mystique that
drew women in to him like a magnet? Everybody’s heard of the Romero men’s
sexual appeal and potency. The reputation of the brothers had been reputed to
have spread
far and wide for years.

Blue was still grinning while behind the
wheel. She’d better keep her focus on the road and her mind out of the naughty
gutter or else.

She peered in the rearview mirror and
noticed that a blue SUV was driving close behind her. In fact, he’d been tailing
her for quite some time now. An uncomfortable feeling befell her and she just
couldn’t figure out why.

She decided she was going to turn off the
main road. Maybe check a few emails on her smartphone then get back on the
road. The paranoid princess inside her just wanted to make sure she wasn’t
being followed.
For whatever reason.

She remembered that day at the cemetery, a
few weeks ago, she felt as if she were being watched.

You’re
not being watched or followed,
Blue
. It’s all in your
silly imagination.

Blue stopped the car and put her gear into
park and waited. She looked at the rearview mirror again. Slowly, the blue SUV,
the same vehicle that was shadowing her since she left the Romero estate had
turned on the street she was parked.

Oh, God!

Her heart pounded hard, knocking the chest
wall inside her with a heavy beat. She felt her body turn cold. Her worst fear
confirmed.

She was being followed.

Blue, panting hard, fiddled with the
gear shift
after turning on the ignition. She quickly
reversed then turned her car around.
Should
I call 9-1-1?

And
say what, idiot? You think you’re being followed while you are safe in your car?

She hit the gas and continued on.
Unfortunately, there were no other cars on the road.

Great!

The trouble with travelling out of town
from the city was that oftentimes some of the roads could be so isolated.
Lonely driving. Thank heavens, the sky was still light enough.

Breathing hard and fast, Blue floored it while
glancing up every so often in her rearview mirror. She was going to die
tonight, she thought with terror.

Somebody was trying to kill her.

The blue SUV drove faster, tailgating her.
She couldn’t quite see who it was. Blue couldn’t tell if it was a man or a
woman or more than one person. The windows of that vehicle were tinted dark.

Crap!

Keep
calm, Blue. Nothing gets done in a panic.

Yeah, tell that to her body. She was so tense
she could barely steer her car. She pressed the gas pedal harder trying to outrun
him. Trying to shake him off. But it was no use.

She felt a bang and her body flung forward
in her car. His truck nailed her from behind. The driver struck her bumper on
purpose. What the hell was going on?