Beauty and the Billionaire Bad*ss Read online

No, it was her own desire that was leading her to wicked thoughts. Her body burned for Carter’s touch, and she wanted him. She walked into the bathroom and stripped down to her underwear, trying to decide if she was brave enough to take what she wanted.

  She washed her hands in the sink, but as she was grabbing a towel, she was interrupted by Carter knocking on the door.

  13

  Carter

  After a moment, Carter opened the bathroom door and looked in through the small crack. “Everything all right in there, Scarlett?”

  “Um, I’m almost done,” he heard her whisper.

  Today in town had been a whole new experience between the two of them. She had been so carefree, easy to talk to. And damn she looked good in everything she wore.

  “May I come in?” He needed to brush his teeth, but he was also trying to catch a glimpse of her smooth flesh. Maybe brush past her and get to touch her once again.

  “Yes,” she responded. She stood in the plain nightgown they had bought earlier. It was gauzy and practically see through. She was looking at her feet, another sign of her complete innocence. She looked so sweet standing there.

  He took of his shirt and tossed it on the floor, walking over to the mirror. As he stood there washing his face she reached out and touched him.

  He stiffened as her fingers lightly stroked the scarred tissue of his back. As her hand crept lower, he twisted around, grabbing her wrist. “What kind of game is this?” he demanded, striving to look angry. He wanted her, he knew it, but he couldn’t have her. This would ruin his plan.

  At first his angry tone and gaze intimidated her, but then he watched as Scarlett forced her eyes to meet his. He knew what she would find there. Uninhibited lust.

  Allowing him to retain his hold on her wrist, Scarlett lifted her other hand to stroke his face. “It’s no game,” she said. “You may hate my father, but you don’t have to hate me. You can trust me, Carter.”

  He snorted in disbelief, wishing she would stop her light caresses. It was too distracting to him, he was falling too quickly into her trap. He couldn’t focus. “I can’t trust any Terini,” he said, about to push her away.

  She gave him an admonishing look, “You know you can trust me.” Scarlett pressed a kiss to his lips. His grip on her wrist slackened, and he released her arm before pulling her closer to him.

  He couldn’t do this, he just couldn’t. She was trying to trick him, to soften him up. The words danced through his mind, but held little meaning. It was hard to believe that this was a ruse, judging by her breathless little moans, and the way she pressed her body to his.

  As common sense warred with desire, and eventually lost, Carter deepened the kiss, exploring her mouth with his tongue, making her moans increase in pitch and tempo. She sounded so good, and felt even better. His hands settled on the curve of her waist, holding her firmly against him. He knew he shouldn’t be responding to a Terini, but was powerless to resist, even at the cost of his pride.

  He pushed her away slightly, towards the bed.

  “You really don’t want me?’ She pouted.

  “It’s not that. I want you. But I want to see you,” he growled. His eyes were locked on her hands as she playfully eased the gown up another inch before sliding it back down to her knees. She chewed on her lower lip, pulling the gown up farther, stopping an inch or so before she exposed herself to him.

  He waited a moment before his hands were on her. He slowly pulled the nightgown above her head and tossed it away.

  Carter forgot how to breathe as he took in the beautiful body below him. She was slender, with rounded hips and surprisingly long legs considering her short height. Her breasts were perfect, perky and round.

  Carter knew he’d been passive long enough. In one smooth motion, he pushed her back onto the bed, straddling her stomach. He laid kisses all over her soft skin, pausing to flick her nipples with his tongue. He knew she’d never been with anyone else, and he was going to make her first time memorable. She moaned at the touch, just as he expected.

  “Please Carter.”

  “Please what?”

  “Please make love to me.”

  It was exactly the type of desperation he was trying to create. Hell she was sweet, so innocent and precious.

  He stripped off his pants and boxers, and spread her legs. Kissing in the insides of her thighs he could feel her trembling beneath his touch. He kissed her mound again and again, finally sticking his tongue into her sweet juices. She tasted so good. He slowly pushed in one finger and then two, feeling her sex pulse around him. He needed to push her a little, get her ready for him. He pumped slowly as her juices leaked out, running down his hand. He put his thumb on her clit and rubbed in small circles as she moaned.

  “Oh yes Carter!” Her hips bucked wildly and he quickened his pace as she screamed for more. But just as her orgasm began to crash over her, he stood and put his member between her legs, rubbing it on her clit. He pulled back and used his hand to guide himself into her.

  She was so tight.

  So warm.

  So wet.

  Fuck she felt good around him.

  He noticed that her moaning became more agonized as he slowly pushed himself in a drew back out. He moved quicker but didn’t become forceful, it was her first time after all. That would come later, and he would enjoy every second of that too.

  He pumped in and out, coming to his own orgasm, he felt her walls pulse around him as her mouth opened into a beautiful o. He shot his seed into her and collapsed down on top of her. He looked at her to see her smiling beneath him. Laying a soft kiss on her lips, they became entangled in the sheets and feel asleep, him still cradling her soft naked body in his arms.

  14

  Scarlett

  “I wish we didn’t have to go back.” Scarlett sighed, dressing in the trousers and tank top from yesterday. “This was exactly the break I needed.”

  “We’ll come back a few more times before we fly out,” Carter promised. “I need to get you alone again,” he added before wrapping his hand around her waist and kissing her passionately just as he did the night before. Whenever thoughts of last night crowded into her mind, she was powerless to resist the flush that followed, or the erotic thoughts that flowered from the images.

  “You do.” She responded, happy to honor his demands.

  “Are you ready?”

  “Yes, sir.” Scarlett snapped a jaunty salute.

  Carter rolled his eyes, “Then let’s go.”

  Nodding, Scarlett followed him from the room. They checked out at the desk and walked back to the small dock where the powerboat was anchored. It had been in the open all night, secured only by a rope, but it remained.

  Carter held the boat for Scarlett as she scrambled inside and climbed in behind her. Soon, they were on their way, and the wind made conversation nearly impossible, as it had yesterday.

  Today, the temperature had barely hit seventy, and the wind made Scarlett chilly. She huddled in a miserable ball, trying to stay warm. Sighing, Carter drew her to him, practically holding her on his lap. As they approached the dock he signaled for her to get back to her seat. She had a feeling that would happen. Last night would be a secret from his family. Because of their hate for her father.

  After anchoring the speed boat, Carter helped her out, and they walked up the path to his home. They were surprised to see his family and Darren gathered in the sitting room, his sisters pacing frantically. “Where were you?” Lydia demanded. “We were worried sick.”

  “I was on Mykanos,” said Carter. “I have been there many times before, often staying the night, without informing you.” Scarlett could see he was annoyed with her questions, narrowing his eyes at his sister.

  “That was different,” said Thea.

  “How so?” Carter crossed his arms.

  “You were with her,” Thea spit out. “We had no way of knowing what she might do to you. She could have killed you and dumped you in the sea.”

  �
��Me? Kill him? How dare you?” She threw up her hands. “I’ve done my best to be polite to you, but all you do is rip into me. I’m sick of this. I have done nothing to you to deserve your treatment, and I fail to see how you could speculate about me doing away with your brother, even in your wildest dreams.”

  “Yes, it would be quite difficult for her to overpower me,” Carter said, his lips twitching.

  Lydia ignored Carter’s contribution. “You are a Terini, and that justifies my hatred of you. You are more than capable of the most foul deed ever dreamed up by man, and I have no doubt you would murder as easily as anything else you do.”

  Scarlett sighed deeply. “I’m going to my room.” She pushed past him. But instead of rushing upstairs she waited behind the wall, she had to list, to know if he would defend her.

  “Why must you taunt her so?” asked Carter in an icy voice. “She is not her father.” He blinked as he realized he was defending her.

  “No.” Thea moaned. “The worst has happened.”

  “No way!” Lydia protested.

  “What are you talking about?” Carter feigned amusement.

  “You’ve fallen in love with her, a Terini.” Thea cursed in Greek.

  “That can’t be true, brother. You would not do that to your family.”

  “Do not be foolish. She is simply a means to an end, nothing more.”

  Scarlett couldn’t bear to listen to the rest of the conversation and abandoned her hiding place around the corner. Some compulsion had urged her to stay, to hear his sisters, hoping that a reasonable explanation for their behavior would be offered. She bit back a sob as she ran to her room, wishing she’d never heard those damning words. She wanted to pretend that Carter had slept with her because he wanted her, maybe because he was starting to love her as she was beginning to love him.

  The truth was so much more simple, plain, and devastating. To Carter, she was an inconvenience, a way to toy with her father. He probably considered last night a small consolation for the trouble she’d put him through. He was a man, not going to refuse what was offered, especially when she’d been so humiliatingly willing. Scarlett’s face flamed as she remembered begging Carter to make love to her. At the time she’d assumed he was prolonging her pleasure, but now she knew he was prolonging his own. Playing with her had must have brought almost as much satisfaction as the sexual release, if not more.

  Scarlett threw herself on the bed, finally giving in to the sobs. She was falling in love with a man who hated and despised her, who regarded her as a pawn in a game of war he was playing with her father. The worst part was, she didn’t know how to stop falling for him. How did she turn off her emotions? She might as well rip the heart from her chest and grind it under her heel. And she could never do it as effectively as Carter had done with a few careless words.

  Carter

  Athena shook her head at Carter as his sisters left the room. “It’s not like you to lie. You’ve always been truthful.”

  “I’m not lying,” Carter said in a voice that rang with conviction.

  She nodded sagely. “That is the worst kind of lie, Carter. The kind you tell yourself,” she added, leaving him in the sudden silence as she swept out of the room.

  Carter looked up to meet the recrimination in Darren’s eyes. “What?” he bit out. “You disapprove of my game?”

  “She’s not a game,” Darren said in a mild tone. “She’s a nice girl, and she doesn’t deserve what you’re doing to her.” He shook his head and left Carter as well.

  Carter shook his head, marveling at how quickly everyone could abandon a person. His sisters had departed after hearing what they wanted to hear, going about their lives. Then his mother and her ridiculous accusation, followed by Darren’s disapproval.

  “Dammit,” Carter cursed, drawing himself up sharply. He had to separate the truth from the lies, the pretense from the reality, before he could allow himself to trust her enough to love her.

  15

  Scarlett

  Scarlett awoke with a pounding head and a dry feeling in her mouth. She sat up, lurching a bit in the afternoon heat. Too busy sobbing, she hadn’t turned on the air conditioner before lying down.

  She still wore the rumpled slacks and white halter, so apparently she’d fallen asleep sometime during that storm of tears. Her head was pounding more now, and it took her a moment to realize the pounding was an external sensation. She rose from the bed and walked onto the balcony, looking up at the sky, seeing the helicopter approaching the island. Without interest, she turned from the balcony and went to the bathroom, where she took a long shower, forcing herself not to think of Carter and his hurtful words.

  After dressing, Scarlett sat on her bed, wondering what she should do with herself. She was hungry, and dinner was fast approaching, but she didn’t want to face Lydia and Thea. She was also in no hurry to see Carter again, knowing she would have to pretend that she’d never heard the damning words he’d spoken.

  She would have to paste on a false smile, pretending like they’d never slept together, and that he’d never used her. Scarlett would have to hide the love growing in her heart, and she didn’t know if she could do that. She wasn’t an actress by any stretch of the imagination, and she wasn’t good at lying. Too practical.

  Eventually, Scarlett decided she would have to go down to dinner if for no other reason than her pride. She wasn’t going to let any of them intimidate her or treat her as an inferior. With a sigh, she got off the bed and left her room.

  As she walked into the sitting room, she noticed it was much noisier than usual. She was surprised to find several more people milling around the room, and first thought Athena was hosting a party. Then she saw the four children and figured it must be a more intimate occasion.

  The man closest to her turned around, and she saw the resemblance between him and the rest of the Braxton family. His eyes appraised her in a lazy fashion, and she was surprised to see a smile form on his lips. “You must be Scarlett.” A sudden hush fell upon the room. “I am Elias Braxton, Carter’s younger brother.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “The pleasure is mine. It isn’t often that our entire family gets together.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “Come meet the rest of the brood.” He led her forward, stopping before an elegantly dressed woman with a cap of soft black hair, wide eyes, and pale skin. “This is my lovely wife, Giovanna.”

  Scarlett shook her hand, surprised that there was no coldness in her gaze. “Lovely to meet you. Please call me Vanna.” Vanna spoke with a thick Italian accent.

  “We live in Rome,” Elias said as he led her to another man, his features plainly Italian. “My brother-in-law Dario, and my sister Ekaterini.” Their receptions were both warm as well. “Dario is Vanna’s brother,” Elias said as he led her to the children.

  They lined up in a neat row, from tallest to smallest, and Scarlett immediately found them enchanting. “Aristotle, eight; Aleni, six; Fabrizio, four.” Each of the children smiled at her. Elias knelt in front of the smallest child, who waved at him and lifted her arms. “And this little one is Catherina. Ekaterini has dubbed her Cat until she has a chance to grow into her name.”

  “You have beautiful children,” Scarlett murmured, conscious of Carter’s eyes upon her from across the room. Lydia and Thea also regarded her avidly, but with intense dislike.

  Elias nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, they are all saints,” he said with gusto, earning a chuckle from Vanna. “Only the three oldest belong to us. Cat is our niece.”

  Dinner was a loud and boisterous affair. Scarlett remained quiet for the most part, content to listen to the family speak to each other, often in loud, but loving, tones. She learned that Elias helped Vanna and Dario manage their father’s export business, and had been the one to introduce Ekaterini, the youngest Braxton child, to Dario three years ago. They lived in Rome and didn’t find as much time to visit as they all would like. Upon learning that Carter would only be on the island for twe
lve days, Elias had organized their vacation, practically closing down their shipping offices. “Family must come first,” he said. “Just as our father taught us.” A toast was drunk in honor of Santori, and then Elias raised his glass once more. “A toast to Justin,” he said.

  Lydia’s expression froze, and tears leaked from her eyes. “I won’t drink a toast to my dead husband with her sitting at the same table.” She glared at Scarlett.

  Scarlett set aside her glass. “If you’ll excuse me,” she whispered to no one in particular, rising from the table before protests could be made. She hurried from the room. To her surprise, Carter followed her, stopping her in the hallway just a few steps from her bedroom door.

  “Wait, Scarlett,” he said, taking hold of her arm and ending her flight. “You don’t have to leave because of Lydia.”

  “It will make her more comfortable,” Scarlett said in a distant voice, keeping her eyes from his. “It’s her home, and I’m not even a guest.”

  “Lydia enjoys drama.” Carter dismissed it with a wave of his hand. “If your presence wasn’t stirring her up, something else would be.”

  Scarlett refused to meet his eyes, and tried to shrug his hand off her arm. “Please let go of me,” she said firmly. “I’ve lost my appetite.”

  “Impossible.” Carter chuckled. “I’ve yet to see anything impair your...healthy appetite.”

  “Being at the same table as the Braxton family is rather awkward, don’t you think?”

  “Why are you acting this way?” he asked, forcing his features to remain slack.

  “I’m not acting any way,” she answered. “I’m just tired, and I’m fed up with your sisters. I’d like to go to my room now.”

  “I’d like for you to join us,” he said, releasing his grip on her arm. “Elias and the rest of the family have been very warm to you.”