The Billionaire’s Game. 3
Kade’s heart squeezed and he gulped. Hard. Those three little words undid him, as did the soft sigh that came from her lips as she melted into his body. Her breathing evened out, and her body relaxed, trusting him to keep her safe as she slept.
I need you.
When was the last time anyone had ever needed him? His grip on her tightened reflexively, his need to protect her so strong that he had to force himself not to clutch her too hard.
Asha Paritala was still a mystery to him, yet he was drawn to her as he’d never been drawn to a woman before in his entire life. She burrowed into his side, seeking his body heat, nearly making him groan with frustration. He wanted her closer, yet he needed to move away to keep his sanity. She tested his control in ways that scared the shit out of him. When she sprawled on top of him, he gritted his teeth, but his arms wrapped around her and cradled her body over his, knowing he’d warm her. His body was on fire, and probably throwing off heat like a furnace. The thin nightgown she was wearing was an ineffective barrier between them, but Kade still wanted it gone. He wanted to be skin-to-skin with this woman in the worst way.
She’s sick. She’s vulnerable.
Those thoughts made him grip her just a little bit tighter.
I need you.
He could still hear her words echoing through his head in her husky, plaintive voice. Inhaling deeply, he let her jasmine scent fill every one of his senses.
She’s mine!
Kade shook his head at his wayward thoughts, but the gnawing in his gut just kept getting stronger. Every primitive instinct inside his body was screaming that this woman belonged with him. It was like everything had clicked into place—she had clicked into place—joining them together in an irrevocable way.
I don’t even fucking know her.
Problem was, something inside of him did recognize her, a part of himself that had been aching to find something or someone to relieve his emptiness. For the first time in forever, he wanted to stop running and enjoy the sensation of the woman in his arms, be intoxicated by her scent. Even though his body was clamoring to have her carnally, he also felt…at peace.
Kade shut down his brain and simply enjoyed the feel of her body on top of his, her slim, naked legs entwining with his more muscular limbs. He couldn’t shake the sense of rightness, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to lose it. Needing to investigate the strange reaction he felt toward her, Kade decided a few things then and there:
One: Asha was coming back to Tampa with him, even if he had to take her kicking and screaming to do it.
Two: He didn’t give a shit whether she was related to Max and Maddie or not.
Three: Once she was well, he was going to fuck her until neither one of them could move.
Four: For the first time in his life, he was going to become a hero, slaying every dragon and demon that plagued her.
Five: He was going to make her smile…a lot. Her stoic demeanor told him she hadn’t had much to smile about in her life.
One arm around her waist and one hand palming her ass possessively to keep her in place, Kade fell asleep quickly, and without his usual restlessness. In fact, he was almost content.
Kade didn’t let her get out of bed for several days, much to Asha’s dismay. After the antibiotics kicked in, she started to feel better, and being idle wasn’t easy for her. The last two years had been a frantic race just to stay fed and find a bed to rest, and lying around didn’t feel right to her. And she really hated being dependent on anyone. She’d been subjected to the will of others her entire life, and was just starting to get a taste of being free. Granted, she was barely staying afloat, but she was just starting to become solvent. If she could just keep getting regular jobs, put some money away, she could get a little place somewhere to call her own. Finally!
Survive. Survive. Survive.
“What are you doing?”
The deep baritone startled Asha. She guiltily slammed her drawing book closed and shoved it into her bag beside the bed.
Not wanting to admit she was drawing a picture of him, she answered Kade vaguely. “Drawing. How was your business?”
Kade had left the hotel room several hours ago, claiming he needed to take care of some business, but not before he’d made sure she had his cell phone number to contact him if she needed him. He smiled at her as he nudged the door closed with one powerful shoulder, his arms filled with bags and packages. She smiled back at him weakly, unable to keep herself from responding to his presence. How was it possible that she’d missed him? She barely knew the guy and he’d only been gone for a few hours.
Don’t do this to yourself, Asha. Don’t fill your head with nonsense about Kade. He’s helping you because he’s kind. Just be grateful for his kindness, pay him back, and move on.
Kade’s grin grew broader as he dumped the packages on the bed and asked jokingly, “Did you miss me?”
Yes!
To evade answering his question directly, she said as casually as she could manage, “It was peaceful. No one to boss me around.”
No one to fuss over me. No one to talk to or argue with.
It had been too quiet. She was getting used to the sound of his voice. Even when he sang off-key in the shower with more enthusiasm than talent, he made her smile.
“I don’t boss you around. I just keep you from doing anything detrimental to your health,”
Kade answered indignantly as he plopped on the edge of the bed.
Asha noticed him absently rubbing his right leg. “It hurts?”
Kade frowned, yanking his hand away as he answered, “It’s fine. Just habit.”
“It’s more than that. I can tell. You’re in pain. Don’t you have pain medicine for when it’s bad?”
“I don’t use it,”
Kade snapped.
Asha drew back at the fierceness in his voice. “I’m sorry. It’s none of my business. I was just concerned.”
Kade sighed, looking instantly contrite. “I used it a lot when I first got hurt. Too much. I started to like the fact that it not only took away the physical pain, but blurred me mentally, too. I could see it was becoming a crutch, an escape from the reality that I’d never play football again. I was running away from reality and I knew I had to stop before it was too late.”
The naked look of regret on his face made her heart bleed for him. “Football was that important to you?”
She didn’t need to hear his answer. Football was obviously as important to him as her art was to her, and she didn’t know what she’d do if she couldn’t draw and paint.
“It was everything to me,”
he answered sincerely. “It was the only thing I was really good at.”
Asha gaped at him. “That isn’t true. I’m sure there are plenty of things you’re good at doing.”
Kade let out a beleaguered sigh. “Okay. It’s the only thing I was good at when I was vertical.”
He gave her a wicked grin.
She blushed, her face heating as his eyes met and held her own. She wasn’t touching that comment. Something told her that he’d be much better with sexual banter than she could manage. If there was one thing she noticed about Kade, it was that he tended to avoid talking about himself, using self-deprecating humor when he wanted to avoid a particular subject. “So you stopped running away from reality?”
she asked, changing the subject as quickly as possible. She definitely didn’t want to talk about sex with him.
“Pretty much,”
he answered honestly. “I can’t say I don’t miss football, but I’ve faced the fact that I can’t play anymore, and I don’t take pain meds.”
He paused for a moment, still staring at her intensely. “Maybe someday you’ll tell me why you’re running.”
Unable to look at him anymore, she broke eye contact as she hedged, “Who says I’m running from anything?”
“You are,”
he answered sanguinely, picking up the packages on the bed and plopping them beside her. “I picked you up some stuff.”
“Why?”
Asha asked him, confused.
Kade shrugged. “Because it’s stuff you need and don’t appear to have.”
When she just continued to look at him dumbfounded, Kade started digging in the bags, dragging out items one by one. “You need a phone.”
He handed her the latest model iPhone. “And a laptop.”
He removed the computer from the box and set it on her lap. “You can’t run a business without the basics.”
Tossing another bag to her, he said mischievously, “And a few other necessities. Not exactly seductive bedroom attire, but it’s an appropriate nightgown since you’re sick. And the jeans and shirts look like you.”
Asha looked up at Kade, so shocked that she could barely speak. “I can’t pay for these right now.”
“They’re a gift. I don’t expect you to pay for them,”
he growled, affronted.
Pulling the nightgown from a bag—which also included new toiletries, jeans and shirts, new drawing pens and a drawing pad—she stroked the silky material. It was pretty and feminine, a beautiful pink that would cover her entire body modestly. Everything female inside her wanted to don the nightgown, feel the silk of the material caress her body and make her feel feminine. But she finally told Kade, “I can’t take these things. They must have cost a fortune.”
“I said it was a damn gift,”
he said almost angrily. “And it didn’t cost a fortune. It’s just a few things you need.”
“I’ve never really had a gift,”
she murmured softly, continuing to stroke over the soft material of the nightgown, unable to look at Kade because her eyes were filling with tears. “And I don’t even know you. I can’t accept this.”
“You will accept because you need them. And how is it possible that you never received a gift? Never?”
Kade asked in a confused voice.
Asha shrugged, still not meeting his eyes. “I just never have.”
Kade moved closer, reaching out a large hand to gently tip her chin up. “Then let me explain the protocol. You thank me sweetly and accept what I give you so you don’t hurt my tender feelings.”
Giving her a lopsided grin, he added, “A thank-you kiss or hug would be appropriate.”
Asha impatiently brushed away a tear that escaped from her eyes, staring at him in indecision. He’d helped her so much, possibly saved her life by getting her medical treatment. How could she take anything more from him? Conversely, she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Although he’d mentioned it in a joking kind of way, rejecting gifts that he’d bought for her specifically might hurt him. He’d looked so excited when he’d given her these gifts. “I’ll pay you back,”
she told him, deciding it was a good compromise. She did need the items, but he’d spent way more than she’d ever be able to afford. Obviously, he liked top-of-the-line products.
“Asha…you are not paying me back. A gift doesn’t require repayment. I wanted to pick these up for you. It’s no big deal to me. Understand?”
he answered in a low, warning voice.
“It’s a lot of money. Can you afford it?”
She blurted out her anxious thoughts aloud before she could censor them.
His gaze went from intense to amused. “I think I can swing it comfortably,”
he answered, unable to keep the laughter out of his voice.
“Be serious,”
she said anxiously. “I don’t want to hurt you financially. You’ve already done so much for me, paid my hospital bills—”
“I’m a billionaire. I’m half owner of Harrison Corporation. Plus, I was a professional football player for eight years and made millions from my contracts, which I invested well.”
Asha had already assumed that Kade wasn’t hurting for money…but his words shocked her. “Then why are you here? Why are you helping me?”
Why would someone with that much money waste any time on her?
Kade lifted a brow, a gesture that looked both questioning and admonishing at the same time. “What? Just because I have money should mean I don’t do favors for friends or family? It means I should be a prick to a woman who’s sick?”
Well…she hadn’t meant that...not exactly. She let out a soft sigh and gave him an apologetic look. She was being judgmental because he was wealthy, and there was nothing she disliked more than making untrue assumptions. “I’m sorry. This whole thing just seems so unusual. I don’t know any rich people, but I’d think that they wouldn’t spend their time tracking down unimportant people they didn’t know.”
“You aren’t unimportant, and I was available since I’m not able to play football anymore. Max needed to spend time with my sister or he would have come himself. It’s personal to him. He wouldn’t have sent an employee to talk to you.”
Asha ran a hand over the laptop, admiring the shiny, new surface. How long had it been since she’d had anything brand new? She bought everything secondhand at bargain shops or thrift stores, conserving every penny. But his gifts touched her, and meant so much more than the money he’d spent. It was almost as if he was encouraging her art career by giving her the laptop, the phone, and drawing supplies. “Thank you,”
she finally murmured. “This means more to me than you’ll ever know. But I am paying you back for my hospital bills and the medicine. I don’t care how rich you are,”
she finished stubbornly.
“I won’t take it.”
Kade crossed his arms and gave her an intimidating stare, a look that she was actually getting used to seeing. “You thanked me sweetly enough. I’m waiting for my kiss.”
He turned his head, giving her his cheek playfully.
“I don’t want to infect you,”
she answered hesitantly.
“You won’t. You’ve been on antibiotics long enough, and it isn’t as if we haven’t breathed the same air. We’ve slept in the same bed for days.”
He leaned even closer, tapping his cheek with his finger expectantly.
Asha’s memory of the first several days of her illness was spotty, but relief flooded through her that she could finally touch him, and she sprang at him, throwing her arms around his neck and landing a loud, smacking kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, Kade. I’m not sure how to repay you for helping me, but I’d like to try.”
Where would she have been had it not been for Kade? He’d taken care of her when she was sick, sheltered her while she was recovering, and now he’d given her things that would help her get more business.
Kade wrapped his arms around her, surrounding her with his warmth. He smelled so good that Asha lingered longer than she really thought was needed for a thank-you hug. But she couldn’t help herself.
Kade drew her closer and pulled her effortlessly onto his lap, resting her head against his broad shoulder and answering huskily, “That was the best thank-you I’ve ever received. It’s all I need.”
Asha sighed happily and snuggled into his muscular body, so warm and comfortable that she never wanted to move. Eventually, she’d have to give up the sense of security she felt when she was close to him. She was alone, had always been alone. But for just a little while, she let herself relax and be comforted by a man she was slowly learning to trust.
Kade had had a reputation for being one of the calmest and most focused quarterbacks to play football. He’d rarely gotten rattled on the field. Winning had been his objective, and he’d never let his emotions get in the way of that goal.
But he wasn’t on a football field, and he was far from tranquil at that particular moment.
What woman Asha’s age had never received a gift?
Hell, he’d been a stupid jock, but even he had given his girlfriend great presents and remembered her birthday. He remembered special occasions for all of his friends and relatives.
She really has been alone. Really alone.
Kade held Asha even tighter, realizing she was falling asleep against his shoulder. She was still pretty sick, but she was improving. He hadn’t had any business to do in Nashville. He’d dashed out strictly to get her a few things she needed. Now, he was glad he had. Like it or not, Asha was going to learn to accept that she wasn’t alone anymore. She’d have Max and Maddie.
And she’ll have me.
The proprietary beast that kept rearing its head when it came to Asha was back. Admittedly, Kade wasn’t sure it ever really went away. It seemed to always be there hiding just beneath the surface, and it was clawing its way out easier and easier every day if there was any threat or slight to Asha.
Kade shifted her slender weight, tucking her sleeping form back into the bed, questions forming one right after the other in his mind.
Why had she always been alone?
What kind of a life had she lived?
Hadn’t anyone ever been there to take care of her?
He knew way too little about her, and it rankled. He wanted to know everything about her. She fascinated him in a way that he was pretty sure wasn’t exactly sane, and that was perhaps actually a little bit obsessive.
Asha tossed restlessly in the bed, as though haunted by dreams. Kade shucked his jeans and shirt and slipped into the bed beside her. She reached for him immediately, crawling all over him to absorb his warmth. Smiling ruefully, he had to admit that he was getting used to this specific brand of torture. He’d be disappointed now if she didn’t seek him out in her sleep.
Stroking her hair and rubbing his hand comfortingly down her back, he whispered, “I’ll find out what your troubles are and take care of them. You’ll never be alone again.”
Asha Paritala deserved much more than the deal that fate had obviously handed her. And Kade was determined to change that destiny for her, whether she wanted his help or not.
While Asha slept, Kade started making plans, arrangements that he was determined to put in motion the very next day.
And so…he did.
Two weeks later, Asha found herself standing in the middle of Kade’s enormous home, terrified to touch anything. The mansion was pristine but sterile: a house that felt nothing like a home. “You really want me to do your walls?”
she asked distractedly, looking at the humungous living room and shaking her head. “What single guy has white walls and white carpet?”
she added, realizing too late that maybe he wasn’t single. She had never asked, and the only thing he’d said about marriage was his joking comment about marrying a woman who liked his shirts. Even though she had spent the last few weeks with him recovering in Nashville, she knew very little about his personal life. Wanting to pay him back for everything he’d done for her, she had hesitantly agreed to his offer to decorate his walls. She owed him a debt greater than money, but she was determined to work off some of the hospital fees he’d paid for her.
Kade shrugged as he came up beside her. “I didn’t decorate it. It was done by a professional and I gave her permission to do whatever she wanted. I was on the road a lot.”
Asha desperately wanted to ask him why he hadn’t consulted his wife, girlfriend, or significant other, but she stayed mute. It was none of her business. She was here to work. Although, she really did hope he wasn’t married or involved. She’d started to have broken memories of the first few days of her recovery. And she was pretty sure she had woken up several times in the mornings, draped over Kade like he was her personal large pillow during the first few hazy days of her illness and several mornings after that. It was like she couldn’t stop herself or her subconscious mind when she was sleeping. She wanted to be near him, and she sought him out. He’d treated her kindly, but still, it was more intimacy than she would ever want to have with another woman’s man. “What exactly did you have in mind?”
Kade frowned. “I don’t really know. I haven’t spent much time here. I just know it needs some color or something.”
Asha rolled her eyes, wanting to laugh at Kade’s irritated look. She didn’t think he had a clue what he wanted. The house was beautiful, but it definitely didn’t reflect his personality. To her, Kade was light and color, a bright star in a dark night. He just didn’t realize it. He’d taken care of her for the last two weeks while she’d been recovering. He’d treated her like she was someone he cared about, which was a novelty for her, and he made her smile…a lot. After offering her—almost a complete stranger—work in his home, claiming he loved the photos of the walls she’d designed, he’d transported her in a private jet to Florida.
The trip to Florida had been her first time flying, an adventure she’d never forget. But it had also made her realize how large the gulf was between her and Kade, how different their circumstances. The house he lived in just made the distance even wider. Telling her that he was rich was one thing, but seeing it once they had left his hotel was completely overwhelming.
“Can you show me the other rooms?”
she requested.
Kade dragged her from room to room, giving her a workout just from traipsing through his huge home. The rest of the house was pretty much the same, black and white, with no color and nothing that personally reflected the Kade she was beginning to like more and more. She couldn’t say she really understood him. He was quirky and smart, and handsome as sin, but he rarely talked much about himself. Really, he didn’t talk about much except his football career. Asha was beginning to believe Kade really did think that the only thing he could do was play football. And it had been his entire life. But he was so much stronger, so much more special than he thought. She admired the strength it had taken for him to stop escaping into pain drugs and face reality. Many men in his place wouldn’t have had the strength or inclination to do it.
They stopped when they finally reached the kitchen. Kade reached into the refrigerator and handed her a bottled water and grabbed a beer for himself. He did it casually, as though it was nothing that he remembered her drink of preference when he hardly knew her. Kade did that a lot, and it always astonished her. He remembered those little things about her.
“Well, what do you think?”
he asked, his voice a little uncertain.
Asha watched as he tipped his head back slightly and swallowed a swig of the beer, watching the corded muscles in his neck flex as he swallowed.
I think a man should never look as sexy and hot as you do when you’re just standing there drinking a beer.
“It doesn’t matter what I think. It matters what you think,”
she answered with a slight cough, opening her bottle of water and gulping it to try to cool herself down. Kade Harrison made her edgy in a way that was uncomfortable. And it wasn’t his fault. He was just too sinfully handsome and his consideration was so unusual for her that she wasn’t quite sure what to make of him. He was kind when he really didn’t need to be and had nothing to gain from being nice. He asked her opinion a lot. And he talked to her instead of at her. Oh, he was bossy…but only when he was worried or concerned. Kade Harrison was so different from any man she’d ever known that she still was looking for his motivations. But it seemed as if he had none. He was just being…Kade.
“You’re still sick. You’re coughing again,”
he answered huskily, his large hand reaching out to touch her face.
“I’m fine,”
she argued, knowing her feverishness had nothing to do with her previous illness and everything to do with him.
“I’m pushing you. I’m sorry. We can talk about the house later,”
he said contritely.
Asha backed away, his touch disconcerting. While she was sick, she’d savored every contact. But it was different now that she was well and healthy, and when he touched her, it made her yearn for much more than a comforting contact. Now that she was well, she knew how very dangerous those longings could be. “I want to get to work. I have to find a place to stay and we should work out exactly how long this will take, how many walls you’d like done,”
she answered in what she hoped was a professional voice, trying to control her rioting emotions.
“All of them,”
Kade answered, setting his beer on the kitchen table and folding his arms in front of him. “It will be a long project, and you’re staying here with me. God knows I have plenty of room.”
“No one else lives here?”
she asked casually, although her heart was pounding and she held her breath while she waited for his answer.
“No. Just me. It’s always just been me.”
He pulled out a chair and motioned her to sit. “You need to take it easy. Sit and tell me what your thoughts are on what I should do with the house if you’re that determined to discuss it. I want your opinion.”
Asha sat, staring up at Kade as he towered over her. He wanted her opinion? Why? She’d expected him to just tell her what to do and she’d do it. “The house needs to be a reflection of you. Whatever makes you feel at home.”
Heaving a masculine sigh, Kade sat in the chair across from her. “I don’t really know. I’ve spent most of my life wrapped up in my football career. I traveled, stayed in a lot of hotel rooms. I don’t know shit about what makes a home. I lived and breathed football.”
She released her pent-up breath before asking, “And what do you live for now that your football career is over?”
With Asha knowing next to nothing about football, Kade had needed to explain exactly how the game was played while she was recovering, and what his role had been as a quarterback for the Florida Cougars. Obviously, he was a well-known athlete, and probably most people would have recognized him. But she wasn’t most people, and she’d lived in a very small world up until two years ago. She could feel his sense of loss, the longing in his voice whenever he talked about his team. It made her have the crazy compulsion to hug him close and tell him that he was so much more than just a game.
His blue eyes pierced her with a confused stare. Asha could feel Kade’s despair as he answered, “My friends. My brother and sister. I’ve learned that there are very few things that are constant in life. I was cocky, a star quarterback who had everything, and then had it ripped away in a matter of moments. I don’t count on much of anything anymore.”
Looking away as though he’d said too much, Kade took another slug of his beer.
Asha felt a shiver run down her spine, all too aware of just how fleeting and rare happiness could be. She’d lived most of her life doing what she thought were her duties, her obligations as an Indian woman. Conflicted, she’d spiraled downward as the burdens began to chafe, wondering who she really was and what she was meant to do with her life. “Sometimes even the things you think are constant really aren’t,”
she murmured thoughtfully.
Kade’s head jerked around to look at her again, his eyes probing. “Why? Tell me what your life was like. I can guarantee you that my sister, Mia, will be paying us a visit as soon as she knows we’re back. You can’t go on forever denying that you’re probably related to her husband. Your mother’s maiden name was the same as Max’s and Maddie’s, and there’s a good chance you’re half-siblings. They’re good people, Asha. You could have a lot worse people to call family.”
“I don’t have family,”
Asha cried painfully, the words coming from her aching gut.
Kade looked at her, perplexed. “You had adoptive parents—”
“Foster parents. I was taken in by an Indian family when I was three, after my natural parents died. I was fed, clothed, and raised as an Indian woman. I went to school, but I wasn’t allowed to have American friends. I was married at the age of eighteen by arrangement to an Indian man who wanted to immigrate to the United States, a cousin to my foster parents,”
she finished breathlessly, hardly able to believe she was spilling her guts to Kade. He did that to her, made her want to tell him exactly how she felt because she knew he wouldn’t judge her. It felt strange, being able to actually talk to a man about her feelings.
“Did you love him?”
Kade asked huskily.
Asha lowered her eyes, staring blankly at her bottle of water and playing with the label on it nervously. “I didn’t know him, didn’t even meet him until we married.”
“What kind of fucked-up deal is that?”
Kade asked angrily. “You were sold?”
Shame washed over her as she answered in a whisper, “Not exactly. My foster parents had financial difficulties. How could I not do what they wanted? It was expected of me. They had fed and clothed me for fifteen years. They were counting on me to help them. My ex-husband Ravi’s family had some money. My foster parents had debt. Ravi’s family was willing to give them the money and settle their debt in exchange for his marriage to me.”
“It’s no different than being sold,”
Kade grumbled, knocking his chair over as he rose and moved around the table, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet. “No woman should feel she has to marry. Did you fall in love with him after you were married?”
Asha looked up at Kade, unable to lie to him. “No,”
she whispered. “We were married for seven years and I brought him nothing but disappointment.”