Billion Dollar Mistake by K.C. Crowne

Chapter 2

LOGAN

Iwas taking a hell of a risk, sure.

But the biggest risks were almost always the ones most worthy.

And for a woman like her, there wasn’t a risk I wouldn’t be willing to take. She was stunning – perfect hourglass figure, brown eyes flecked with gold, a face so striking I couldn’t believe I was seeing it in person. The way her full lips formed into an “O” of surprise at my approach, her gorgeous eyes going wide, was enough to make my cock twitch.

But I put aside how impossibly sexy she was. There was a damn good chance I’d stepped into the middle of a sticky situation, and I had to be ready to navigate my way out of it if I had to. When I’d glanced back from the counter to look at her again, my heart sunk at the sight of her with a man who appeared to be her boyfriend. I’d been all ready to come over and introduce myself up until then.

However, I noticed right away that something was off about the way he interacted with her. The guy was happy to see her, no doubt about that. But the moment he’d put his butt in the chair across from her, she’d stiffened up, looking as uncomfortable as a kid in her first job interview.

Then he touched her. Whatever doubt I’d had vanished the moment he reached forward and placed his hand on her leg. The way she’d tensed up, her back going spear-straight and her eyes about popping out of her head, made me damn certain that whatever was happening, she didn’t want it.

So, I’d made the call. I trusted my gut, and my gut told me that this woman was about two seconds away from smacking the smirk off that prick’s face.

“Boyfriend?” the punk asked. All the smarmy confidence he’d had vanished in an instant the moment he heard the word. “Abigail, you didn’t tell me you had a boyfriend!”

Abigail. That solved the tricky part of her supposed boyfriend not knowing her name.

She was obviously as surprised as he was. That moment was the deciding point, the second I’d find out if I’d made the right call or if I was about to look like a total asshole.

“Well,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ears as she regained her composure. “That’s because you didn’t give me a chance to tell you I had a boyfriend. That’s the kind of risk you run when you’re in a hurry to get fresh.”

I allowed myself a small grin at the realization I’d done the right thing.

“Now,” she said. “He may look like a teddy bear, but what you’re doing underneath the table might put you on his bad side.”

Surprise took hold of the man’s face. Then, remembering where his hand was, he yanked it back and plopped it onto the table as if wanting to make sure I saw he was no longer touching her.

“I’m sorry,” I said, playing it cool. “Abby, did you want a few minutes to catch up with your friend?”

She shook her head and smiled. “Nope. We’ve done about all the catching up I care to do. Josh, feel free to take off when you’re ready.”

He got the hint. With a quick, nervous nod, he sprang out of his seat and rushed out of the café.

“Hey!” the barista called after him, a cup in her hand. “You forgot your cappuccino!” She imitated the snooty way he’d ordered his coffee, put-on accent and all.

“You want me to catch up to him and toss this in his face?” the barista asked. “I’m pretty quick on my feet when I want to be.”

That got a laugh out of the two of us.

“Nah,” Abigail said. “Keep that for yourself Melanie. It’s on me.”

The barista raised the cup in a cheers gesture, then winked and took a sip. More chimes sounded from the door as a group of a half-dozen men and women entered the café, the barista quickly going to work on taking their orders.

“So,” I said, turning my attention back to Abigail. “I’m happy to leave you alone as I understand if you wanted some time after that. But if you want to sell the whole boyfriend thing…”

She let out a light laugh, followed by a quick nod. “Sure, have a seat. Last thing I want is that dumbass running to my parents tattling that I lied to him about having a boyfriend.” She sighed, realizing something. “Then again, he’s going to do that anyway, which means that I’m going to have to hear it from them about why I’m dating someone they don’t know about.”

I slid into the chair, her nearness making my cock twitch again. I was eager to get to know her, but there was another part of me that was so overcome with attraction for this woman I’d only just met that all I wanted was to get her alone and ravish her like mad.

I put that aside as best I could. After all, she’d only just had some creep putting his hands all over her – no doubt the last thing she wanted was more unexpected attention.

“Wait,” I said. “You knew that egg?”

She cocked her head to the side, confused. “Egg?”

I chuckled. “Sorry, turn of phrase from where I’m from. I believe you would say jackass.”

“You would be correct. And where is it you’re from?” she asked. “Having a hard time placing the accent.”

“New Zealand,” I said. “Born and bred.”

She nodded, as if the pieces had clicked together. “A kiwi, huh? You’re a long way from home.”

“I am. But tell me about what happened. Your parents know this guy?”

“It’s even worse than that. Josh, the prick you scared off, was my parents’ idea of a date. Evidently, they looked at him and thought, ‘wow, that guy could be the perfect match for our daughter.’” She sighed and shook her head. “Sorry to drag you into this.”

“No apology necessary. I saw a situation that you didn’t look happy to be in, so I did what I thought needed to be done. Just glad my instinct was right and that I didn’t accidentally walk into the middle of a lover’s spat.”

“Oh, barf,” she said. “Even the idea of being lovers with that guy is enough to make my stomach turn. But…thanks. You didn’t have to do that.”

“Didn’t have to, but I did. And glad I could help out. I’m Logan, by the way.”

“Abigail. Abigail Whittington. But my friends call me Abby.”

I extended my hand across the table, and she took it. The sensation of her skin, soft and smooth against mine was enough to get my cock pulsing. I could only imagine what the rest of her felt like, the warmth of her body against my touch.

The shake over, I quickly took my hand back and pushed the fantasy from my mind.

She smiled, then asked, “So, what brought you to this particular café, anyway? I come here all the time and I’ve never seen you before.”

“You want the truth? Writer’s block.”

“Writer’s block?” she asked. “As in, ‘writing a novel’ writer’s block?”

“That’s the one,” I said. “I usually do all my writing in my apartment. The view there is enough to get me motivated. But today…I was having a harder go of it. So, I decided to come to Cherry Creek and hopefully find a little inspiration.”

“And what kind of inspiration were you hoping to find here? Does the sight of people paying twenty dollars for a mimosa get the creative juices flowing?”

I laughed. “Nah. I’m writing a character who’s a rich type, and I know Cherry Creek’s full of those sorts. I figured I’d come here, take in the sights, see if I could pick up on some details to get me going.”

“I have to admit,” she said. “I’m still a little hung up on the writer part. No offense, but you don’t really look the type.”

I grinned. “Is that right? What sort of type were you expecting?”

A tinge of red appeared on her golden skin, followed by a sexy-as-hell bashful smile. As I took in the sight of her, it was impossible to ignore the age difference between us. There I was, a man knocking on the door of forty, flirting with a woman who was likely no more than a few years out of her undergrad.

Was it wrong? Was I doing something I shouldn’t have? Then again, we were only talking. Nothing wrong with enjoying a conversation with a pretty woman, even if she happened to be a touch on the younger side.

Once the blush faded from her pretty face, she cleared her throat and spoke. “Sorry, not trying to offend. More that you look really…I don’t know, rugged for a writer. Like the kind of guy who’s more comfortable hiking up a mountain than spending hours behind a keyboard.”

I grinned. “Who says I can’t be both?”

She pursed her lips for a moment, then flashed me a cheeky smile.

“I feel like you’re pulling my leg,” she said. “Is that what’s going on here? You’re having fun with the naïve college girl, getting her to believe whatever outlandish thing you can come up with?”

And there it was – college girl. She looked a touch too old to be in her undergrad, but people did go to school later these days. Or maybe she was in grad school? Either way, she was too young for me.

I raised the index and middle finger of my right hand. “Scout’s honor. You heard of Jake Roland?”

She scrunched her forehead and gave the matter some thought.

“Jake Roland…wait, I do know that name. It’s this book series my dad was reading a few months ago, one of those action thrillers where the main character is jet-setting across the globe foiling bad guys or whatever.”

I tapped my finger onto my chest. “That’s me. Well, the writer. Jake Roland’s not real. Uh, kind of.”

“You’re kidding!” she said, her eyes lighting up. “That’s you? I mean, I’ve never actually read any of the books, but still.” Abigail leaned back in her seat, giving me a skeptical look, as if she were seeing me in a new and unexpected light.

“No offense – you’re not exactly the demographic we aim for. My biggest readers are guys like your dad, ones who like a little escapism featuring men who can do anything.”

“Men who can do anything,” she said with a smile. “And the James Bond-type women who hang off their arms?”

“No arm candy in Jake Roland-land,” I said. “But he does have a sidekick – Dr. Amy Sharpe. She’s an oncologist who graduated first in her class from Yale Medical. She’s a looker, sure, but she’s brainy and quick-witted and knows how to handle herself.”

“A woman after my own heart,” she said with another smile. “Especially the oncologist part.”

“That right? You’ve got an interest?”

“More than an interest,” she said, turning her computer around and letting me get a look at the screen. “It’s my passion.”

I furrowed my brow and glanced at the screen. It was a web page for an oncology study guide, the diagram of a lymph node.

“Well, how about that?” I asked. “As a matter of fact, I —”

I didn’t get a chance to finish. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I knew I couldn’t ignore it – duty always called in my line of work.

It was a text from Lola at the downtown clinic where I volunteered.

“Excuse me,” I said as I slipped my phone out of my pocket.

“Sure.”

Hey, I hate to bother you on a Saturday, but is there any way you could come down for an hour or two around one o’clock? We’re kind of slammed here and Jen had a family thing come up.

I checked my watch, seeing that it was a little after noon. If I wanted to get there in time, I’d need to get moving.

“Shoot. Well, so much for a quiet afternoon.”

“What’s up?”

“Got to run and help out at one of my jobs.”

“A job? I figured you writer types made your own hours.”

“We do. But that’s not the only thing I do for a living.”

“Oh, yeah? Wow, you’re just full of surprises.”

All I wanted to do was keep talking to Abigail, to ask about her interest in oncology and tell her about my writing and teaching and all the rest. But I had to get going.

We needed to go on a date. I fired off a quick text to Lola to let her know I’d be there. Then I turned my attention back to Abigail.

“What’re you doing tonight?” I asked.

“Tonight? No plans, really.”

“Then let’s grab a bite to eat.”

Her eyebrows arched in surprise.

“Are you serious?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? You seem like a person I’d like to get to know better.”

She opened her mouth, as if her instinct were to say “no.” But then she closed her mouth and gave the matter some thought.

“You know what? Sure. Let’s do it.”

“Great, where do you live? I can come pick you up.”

“I’m over in Aurora, but…I’ll meet you there. I’m more of a go-my-own-way sort of a girl anyhow.”

Abigail was bold and confident and not afraid to tell a stranger what she wanted. All were traits I already liked about her.

We exchanged contact info and set a time and place.

“OK, I should get going,” I said.

“Same here. Last thing I need is you-know-who showing up again.”

“Walk you out?”

Another smile. “Sure.”

We collected our things and headed out the door, the barista giving Abigail a strange, knowing smile as I held the door open. The day was bright and sunny, a perfect Saturday afternoon in Denver. I had no problem putting in some hours at the clinic, of course, but it’d be a damn crime if I didn’t at least get in a bike ride or run while the weather was this nice.

“I’m over here,” Abigail said as we made our way down the sidewalk. She nodded toward a dark blue BMW hybrid. It was a pretty nice car for a woman in her mid-twenties – nice enough to get me wondering what the story was with this girl.

When we reached the car, she came to a stop, turning to me with a sly smile on her face, her eyes narrowed. If I hadn’t known better, it sure looked to me like she was asking for a kiss.

“This was a nice surprise,” she said. “This day’s taken all kinds of weird turns, but at least it ended up here.”

“It’s not over yet,” I said.

“That’s right. We still have tonight to look forward to.”

Her tongue moved over her lower lip, her eyes on me. Everything about her was screaming “kiss me, you idiot!”

So, I did.

I leaned forward and placed my lips on hers. It was a bad idea – who the hell kissed a girl he’d only just met at a coffee shop in the middle of a Saturday afternoon? Me, I guess.

But the moment my lips touched hers, I knew I’d made the right call. My heart raced the moment my mouth met hers. Her taste was incredible, sweet and intense. I felt myself harden and part of me wanted to take her right then and there.

I held back, however, lifting my lips and backing away from her.

“Wow,” she said. “One more surprise to add to the list.”

“Hope it was a good one,” I said. “See you tonight.”

She slowly waved a goodbye to me as I turned to leave, a big smile on my face.

Once I was back in my car, the reality of the situation took hold. Namely, that she was young. What the hell was I doing going out on a date with a woman that age? Hell, she was young enough to be one of my students.

But the kiss had sealed the deal. There was no denying the way I felt, what I wanted.

And I couldn’t wait to see her that night.

* * *

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