Billionaire Daddy’s Secret Baby Sneak Peek
I had a one-night stand with a stranger on the worst day of my life.
Five years later, I am at a wedding.
The groom walks in…
And I watch as the father of my child says “I do” to my best friend.
Colin Prescott, my sexy as sin, yet arrogant protector who disappeared without a trace.
Turns out, he’s a hot-shot billionaire.
And my BFF is about to walk down the aisle with him.
She has no idea I know him, or that he’s the father of my child.
I don’t want to think about him.
But I burn with the memory of that night…when he devoured every inch of my body.
Now each moment with him sparks a carnal desire I can’t deny.
Until a shocking truth about their marriage changed everything…
And when the drama can’t get any hotter with lies and betrayals.
There is one more secret Colin still needs to know.
He's four and has his smile.
CHAPTER ONE
Mia
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” I groan as my car slowly sputters to death. My heart pounds hard in my chest as the car stops in the middle of literally nowhere. It’s past nine at night—a terrible time for my car to break down.
“Come on, baby,” I say, trying to start it one more time. “Come on, you can do it. Just twenty more minutes, please.” I pat the steering wheel, as if I can cajole the car into starting up once again.
It doesn’t work.
“Oh God.” I rest my head on the steering wheel. This is it. This is my last straw. Tears start to stream down my cheeks.
I get out of the car and pop the hood, praying that whatever’s wrong with the car is something I can fix. I scan the car’s insides in desperation.
“Come on, come on,” I whisper, hoping to find something out of place.
“Hey, pretty lady.” I hear a voice call out a few feet behind me.
A cold shudder runs through my body and I remain frozen to the spot, hoping whoever it is will leave me alone if I don’t turn.
“Yo. You deaf or something?” the person calls again, this time louder and this time closer.
I shut my eyes tightly, trying to stop a new wave of tears threatening to escape.
Why is this happening to me today of all days?
“Hey!” The voice is angrier now and even closer.
I turn and see a guy in a black hoodie and pair of dark pants slowly approach me. His face isn’t visible in the darkness, especially since his back is to the light.
“Look, I don’t want any trouble, okay? My car just broke down and I need it to start so I can get out of your way,” I say, trying to keep my voice from breaking. The last thing I need is to make this guy think I’m scared of him.
“Well, you should’ve said so. I’m an expert with cars.” He closes the distance between us. “I can fix it but it’s going to cost you.” He runs a hand over my cheek and I shut my eyes again, desperate to blink back the tears.
“Please,” I say, feeling small and helpless.
“Oh, don’t be like that,” he says, tracing his hands on my face. “I’ll be gentle.”
“Hey!” a voice calls from a distance.
We both turn and see another man approach us, a wrench in hand.
“If the lady doesn’t want your help, the best thing to do is buzz off.”
The creepy guy turns back to me. “Whatever. It’s not worth it anyway.” With that, he starts to run away.
“Hey, are you okay?” the man with the wrench calls out, a little closer to me.
I turn to look at him, and almost like a loose faucet, the tears start to fall freely from my face. I can’t do anything to stop them. “Yeah,” I say, blinking hard. I don’t want to break down in front of this total stranger, but I can’t seem to help it.
“Hey,” he says as he moves to stand in front of me. “Did he do something to you?”
“No,” I say, trying to look anywhere but his face.
“Did he touch you in any way?”
“No.”
“Did he?—?”
“For the love of God, I’m fine!” I feel the words escape in a jagged whisper.
He takes a step back and I feel a wave of guilt wash over me.
“Look,” I say, rubbing my hands across my face. “It’s just been one of those days. I’m sorry.”
The man nods. “Can I have a look at your car?” he asks.
I nod and gesture to the hood. “Knock yourself out.”
He steps over to the car and starts his own inspection.
I feel the cold night air start to get the better of me, so I wrap my arms around my chest.
“Okay, it looks like there’s something with the motor coil,” he announces after a few minutes.
“Motor coil?” I ask, confused.
“Yeah. It doesn’t suddenly go off. You should’ve been getting some warnings before it broke down. Something on the dashboard, weird sounds.”
I slap my left hand over my face, feeling regret for not taking care of things sooner. “Yeah. There were some warning signs. I thought I could do whatever I needed to do today and fix it tomorrow. I planned to take it to a mechanic and everything.”
“I’m afraid this car isn’t going anywhere tonight,” he says, looking at his watch like a doctor pronouncing the death of a patient.
“Great,” I say, wrapping my arms around my body once again, feeling the cold come down even harder for some reason.
I watch as a wave of concern grows on his face. Without saying anything, he takes off his coat and hands it to me.
“I’m fine,” I say, knowing I’m anything but.
“Take the coat. Please.” His voice is firm and deep. Something tells me he’s going to keep pushing if I don’t take it, so I do, feeling slightly better once I wrap it around my body.
“Thanks for your help tonight. I think I’ll just call an Uber or something, and send a tow truck out tomorrow to get my car.”
“I could drive you home, if you want.”
I shake my head. “The last thing I want to do is trouble you. You’ve done more than enough. I can take it from here. My house is just thirty minutes away.”
“What happened anyway?” he suddenly asks.
My eyes narrow. “What?”
“You said it’s been that kind of day. What happened today?”
“I don’t think that’s any of your business, thank you.”
“Please.” He calls. That’s when I look up at him for the first time. At his deep brown eyes and the calm demeanor on his face. The stubble around his jaw and his dark hair. For some reason, despite the darkness surrounding us, his face has never been clearer. I swallow.
He’s hot. He’s really hot.
“I don’t want to bore you with all of the drama.” I try to say it again.
“Try me.” He responds.
I swallow and look up at him again. How the hell do I start?
A Few Hours Earlier
I drag the tip of my lipstick along my lips carefully, my eyes laser focused on the mirror before me, like the slightest slip could ruin my life forever.
I study my face in the mirror, wondering if there’s anything I left out of place. My red hair is brushed out and shiny. I feel unsatisfied with the blush on one side of my face, and grab a tissue, ready to dab some of it off.
My phone buzzes on the dresser, interrupting my work, but I reach for it right away. It’s a message from Kevin, my boyfriend.
KEVIN: We need to talk.
ME: After my presentation.
I place the phone back on my dresser and study myself in the mirror again. I blot at the blush until it’s just the right amount. I rise from the chair and grab the pair of shoes I picked out the night before. I bought them solely for this presentation and I just know they’re going to bring me luck.
I work for a jewel company in downtown San Francisco and have been trying to get promoted to house director for the past two years. A month ago, an opportunity fell into my lap. I could get the promotion I wanted if I could make an adequate presentation on the ongoing market trends and give even more reasons why I think I can do better as a house director. And for a month, I’ve been working hard putting everything together and rehearsing everything I want to say.
I am not screwing this up.
The dark green shoes match my pantsuit perfectly. I spray on some perfume and feel almost ready to take on the day.
My phone buzzes with yet another message.
KEVIN: This is urgent, Mia.
I shake my head and swipe open the text. I’m trying to get in a calm zone. The last thing I need is a distraction from anything or anyone.
Especially my boyfriend.
ME: It’ll have to wait.
I grab the handbag lying on my bed and slip my phone inside before heading out of the house, affirming myself almost every step of the way. I’ve been working on this for weeks. I deserve it. I deserve the promotion.
My phone rings as I get into my car, and I throw my head back, wondering who it could be this time around. I take out my phone and see it’s Jessica, my best friend.
“What’s up?” I ask, putting the phone on speaker and starting the engine.
“Please tell me you’re out of your house already.”
“I just got in the car,” I say, and stare at the lit-up icons on the dash. I feel a wave of worry snake down my spine.
“I think my car might have a problem,” I say, almost absent-mindedly, to my friend.
“What, it’s not working?” Jessica asks.
“It is, but I’ll take it to the mechanic tomorrow to be safe.”
“I hope everything will be okay. But I was just calling to tell you I got the job,” Jessica says, her words causing my eyes to widen.
“The VP job?” I ask, feeling my hands falter on the steering wheel.
“The VP job,” she confirms. “I’ll be leaving for London in a week.”
“Oh my God!” I scream excitedly. “I’m really happy for you, Jess. You deserve this.”
“I know. We’ll talk more after your presentation. For now, hurry up and get to work on time,” she says, and hangs up.
With my hands tight on the steering wheel, I finally leave my house and get on the highway. Jessica has been my best friend since college, and we tell each other almost everything. She’s been vying for the job she just got for almost a year. I’m extremely glad she was finally able to get it. While I’m certainly over the moon that my friend gets to move up in her company and her career, I’m going to severely miss her. I hope she’s going to miss me too.
I get to work with ten minutes to spare and look at myself in the rearview mirror one more time before getting out. My hand is wrapped right around my bag as I walk briskly into the building.
“Hi, Ms. Ravenwood,” Holly, the receptionist, greets me, a giant smile on her face.
I return the smile. “Hey, Holly.”
“Big day, huh?”
“Wish me luck.”
My phone buzzes again as I step into my office and shut the glass door gently behind me. I pull it out of my handbag and see a third message from Kevin.
KEVIN: This can’t wait. Call me.
I look up at the giant wall clock behind my chair. I only have six minutes. I most definitely don’t have time for whatever Kevin wants to talk about. I shake my head and type on my phone as fast as I can.
ME: You know I don’t have the time, Kevin. My presentation is in a few minutes.
I put my phone down and grab the files in my desk drawer. I take a few deep breaths to center myself, putting Kevin out of my mind for the time being. I’ve been preparing for this opportunity for a long time. I’ve got this. I’ve got every situation mapped out and have prepared for any and every possible question the supervisors could throw at me.
What could possibly go wrong?
There’s a soft knock at my door, and I look up as Henry, one of the supervisors, pops his head into my office. “Ravenwood,” he greets, his voice warm. “You’re on in a few minutes. Are you ready for this?”
I look up at him and smile. “More than I’ve ever been for anything.”
“Good. You’re going to crush it. I know that,” he says, and walks away.
I smile and grab a few more files before heading out of the office and towards the conference room.
I am going to crush it. I’ve gone through the material millions of times. I know the pages in and out. Nothing can be thrown at me out of left field. Nothing should surprise me.
I stop before the door leading into the conference room and stand for a minute, taking another series of deep breaths. I can see the supervisors inside, all settled at the long table. This is it. This is probably what makes or breaks my desperate need for a promotion, and probably my career.
Henry’s eyes shift to the door and he sees me behind it. I smile at him and he returns it, this time with reassurance. My phone buzzes in my pocket as I reach for the doorknob. I shut my eyes in frustration and pull it out. It’s Kevin again. What I see on the screen makes my heart skip a beat.
KEVIN: I think we should break up.
My eyes blur and I can’t help but wonder if misread what was there. But I know I didn’t. The words are there, staring back at me like a sleep paralysis demon.
I think we should break up.
I blink back tears. I did not prepare for this.
Like that isn’t enough, another text appears on the screen.
KEVIN: I don’t think this is working for me anymore.
I remain frozen at the door, reading the texts over and over. Why is this happening to me now? Why is Kevin intent on doing this at this exact moment?
I have no idea what I should send as a response.
I look up helplessly, struggling to maintain my composure, and see Henry waving at me to get inside. I nod and push the door open, feeling internally destabilized. The utter confidence I had felt a few minutes ago has completely disappeared. Now I’m just running on absentmindedness and I know, as I walk to the screen, I’m going to screw this up.