Falling for the Billionaire

5

"I'm glad you like it. That will make this easier."

The hair on the back of her neck went up.

"Make what easier?"

Jake turned, his hands casually pocketed. "You can't go back to your place."

"No..." She looked around in stunned refusal.

"Yes."

"You can't–"

He motioned to the room around them with one hand. "It's already done. As you saw, you'll find that whatever you need for Colby is already here. Your personal things are being shipped over or stored as we speak."

"I already told Dominic that I wouldn't take his charity. I don't want this place."

"That was before your interview."

"I fixed that. The interview won't air."

"Lil, it's not that simple. Even without airing, your interview has caught the public's attention. And that means paparazzi..."

"Why would people care about me? I'm not marrying a billionaire."

"No, but your sister is and that is a fact that, no matter how much you'd like to pretend it doesn't matter, does."

"I won't stay here."

"You don't have a choice." His expression hardened.

Her mouth went dry. "What does that mean?" Was he threatening her? Jake was smooth, but he was no one's lapdog. Although he deferred to Dominic, she didn't doubt that he was a force to be reckoned with on his own.

He approached her and spoke in a tone she was sure he used during his business negotiations. "It means it's the only course of action that makes sense and you'll see that once you calm down."

Of course he wasn't threatening her–he'd have to muster up enough emotion to do that.

Lashing out, she said, "Really? Once I calm down? Forgive me for having an emotional response to manipulation. Sorry that unlike you I don't blindly follow Dominic's orders. We're not all his puppets."

Lil felt a slight triumph as her barb brought a flush to his cheeks. Still, his voice remained maddeningly even and rational. "Luckily, your opinion of me has nothing to do with the outcome of this situation. You'll stay here, not because Dominic told you to and not because I told you to; you'll stay because you and your daughter are no longer safe at your old house. If what you said earlier is true and you do base all of your decisions on her welfare, then you'll accept this as necessary."

How easily he threw her words back at her.

Lil hugged Colby closer. Stuff like this didn't really happen, did it? "There has to be another way. What if I said yes to temporary security?"

He shook his head calmly. "You'll have security here."

"You can't do this," she said desperately.

"It's done," he replied with a finality she couldn't accept.

"I can't believe Abby went along with this! How could she think she could just spring this on me and I'd be okay with it?"

He shrugged. "She may not know I'm here."

"So, this isn't even her idea? It's her crazy lover's? But why send you? Anyone could have broken the bad news to me." The answer came to her with sickening clarity. "Oh, wait, you're the fixer, right? That's what Abby told me. Dominic breaks all the rules and then sends you in to smooth it over. I'm just a problem he sent you to fix." She hated that her accusation ended with what sounded suspiciously like a sob.