The Billionaire's Jackpot: Betting on You Series: Book Four (10 page)

He hoped she was going to enjoy herself during the time they weren’t spending together. Drew was getting together with the guys for the bachelor party tomorrow night, and having spoken to Lizette, Katherine could attend the bachelorette party the night after.
It’s going to be a hell of a week.

When Drew called Jon and Lizette to let them know Katherine would be attending the wedding with him, their response was exactly as he’d thought: Jon’s simple answer of “Great,” and Lizette’s over-the-top excitement, “Wonderful, now we’re all paired up.”

“It’s just a date,” Drew had responded, but Lizette had no problem telling him it was going to be one of many. He would’ve corrected her but the soon-to-be bride wouldn’t hear anything he had to say at that point.
Good luck, Jon, you’re going to need it.

It was amazing that in twelve months his three closest friends had all fallen into the tangled web of love. It was like a contagious disease.
Good thing I’m immune and always will be.

Katherine stirred in his arms again. If he didn’t get them out of the hot tub they would be wrinkled for a week. Standing up, he boosted her higher in his arms and headed back inside the penthouse. Blossom, who had stayed by the pool, followed them inside. As they approached the bedroom, Drew turned to her giving her a warning look. She let out a soft whine then laid down outside the bedroom door.

Once he laid Katherine on the cool sheets she began to wake. Sliding under the sheets with her, he pulled her into his arms. She threw a leg over his and placed her head on his chest. He tried to fight it, but there was no denying it. It felt nice.
Damn, this was not going to be easy.

‡

“B
achelorette party? Tomorrow
night?” KJ was barely able to control her gasp of surprise. She was Drew’s date to the wedding, but he hadn’t said anything about her going out with the girls for whatever they had planned. Spending most of her time overseas, there hadn’t been any time for such parties. If one of her friends got married, they did so back home, and she only was able to enjoy the picture, not the actual event. “Sounds wonderful.”

“I knew you would say yes,” Jill exclaimed. “The guys are going out tonight, so do you want to get together for dinner?”

And yet another thing he failed to mention. I wonder what else Drew hasn’t informed me of.
“If you don’t mind picking me up, I would love to go.”

“I will see you at eight,” Jill said before saying goodbye.

KJ placed the phone back on the nightstand and rolled back over, resting her chin on his bare chest. She looked at him with a bemused smile on her lips.

His left eyebrow rose. “Did I miss something?”

Snorting, she said, “Maybe I should ask you that question. That was Jill, and she was going over the details about the party tomorrow night.”

Drew smirked. “Would you believe I was going to tell you about that this morning?”

With a shake of her head she said, “I’m listening now. Is there anything else you may have failed to mention?”
Beside the two things I already know.

“There may be a few things. How about we discuss it over breakfast?”

KJ wasn’t about to argue with that. One thing about his penthouse, it didn’t seem to have any food in it. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

Though she absolutely loved lying in his arms, her stomach seemed to be in control at the moment. She kissed him on the cheek, hopped out of the bed, and headed for the shower. Twenty-minute showers were the norm, but today it was all business, no time to enjoy the multi-head shower jets. Spending too much time, he might change his mind and try delaying breakfast by joining her in there.
Would be enjoyable, but even better after I’m fed.

Drew had called
for his driver to pick them up while she got ready. Waiting, he noticed how bare his place looked since breakable items had been removed.
Doesn’t even look like anyone lives here.
Drew could only imagine what Katherine thought of the place.
Probably doesn’t believe it is mine.

He hadn’t thought it totally through when he invited her to stay. Drew wasn’t used to having anyone over except the guys so he had what he considered necessities: milk, cookies and beer.
What was I thinking bringing her here?
There was no reason to have anything beyond that because he ate out every meal. But then he remembered her home. It was stocked with cooking supplies and food.
And God, she can cook.
If she was staying with him for the next two weeks he better make her feel comfortable. Of course, food shopping in New York wasn’t something he had ever done, and he planned on keeping it that way. Calling his housekeeper, he gave her instructions to fill the house with all the supplies a woman would need in the kitchen as well as anyplace else.
Fuck. Dog food too.
He’d have to find out from Katherine what Blossom eats.
Jon and Ross would have a great time razzing me about that last phone call. Supplies a woman would need in the kitchen and anyplace else? Seriously? It was only for two weeks, then everything will return to normal.
Any leftover feminine junk can go to Lizette or Elaine. He wouldn’t need it anymore.

With that settled, he was confident Katherine would feel more comfortable being able to cook at the penthouse, and he would reap the benefits of home-cooked meals.
A win-win.

Surprisingly, she finished long before he thought she would. Any other woman he had been with needed a minimum of an hour to get ready, and that was if he asked them to hurry. It shouldn’t surprise him that Katherine didn’t fit the mold of anyone else and was out of the shower and dressed in fifteen minutes.
Must be the Marine in her.
She looked fantastic, as though she belonged on a cover of a magazine. If he didn’t know any better he would have thought she had a crew who had spent hours applying just the right amount of makeup to cover her flaws, yet she wore none.
And doesn’t need any.
Her natural beauty was mind-blowing.

If he didn’t stop thinking of her looks he wouldn’t leave the penthouse for breakfast or anything else.

“You were quick.”

Not stopping to chat, she headed for the glass elevator and pushed the button. “I’m that hungry.”

Point taken.
His last-minute fantasy of spending another day in bed enjoying all she had to offer abruptly ended.

‡

T
he waitress took
their orders and scurried away. An awkward silence lingered between them. KJ didn’t like to ask a lot of questions. Being a very private person, and never wanting to be put on the spot herself, she spent most of her time doing the listening. Things with Drew were different. Had it been just his timing or was it something more, deeper? Did he encourage an inner need to open herself up and share with him more of the person she was, not who she pretended to be? In the short space of time she’d had with him, she’d been more at ease within herself.
Refreshing.
She recalled how easy he had been to talk to at the fundraiser, which was why she had been keen for him to call her in the first place.
Why had he not called me? He’s
definitely interested now. I wonder what changed?
She wondered if she should ask, but maybe she didn’t want the answer.

She had put herself out there for him, but he hadn’t shared much of anything with her. Odd, because he was so easygoing, and easygoing men are usually talkers. When she thought back over the last few days it dawned on her. He always answered her questions with a sarcastic comment or a joke.
What are you holding inside, Drew, that you don’t want anyone to know?
There was only one way to find out.

“Drew, I have met some of your friends and they are wonderful. You haven’t spoken about family, though. Do you have any?”

Lines of concentration deepened along his brow and under his eyes. It was apparent she hit a topic he didn’t want to discuss. It was tempting to bypass it, change the subject, and ask him something different, yet she clamped her jaw tight and stared, waiting. He looked around as though hoping the waitress would be approaching with their food so he could avoid answering. Drew was out of luck. She was heading in the opposite direction. KJ felt a sweet satisfaction knowing he had no way out.

When his gaze finally returned to her his answer was short. “I have parents.”

Not the breakthrough I was looking for. Come on, Drew, spill it.
“I assumed you weren’t hatched or delivered by aliens.”

Drew’s left brow lifted a fraction in amusement yet his tone was dry. “No such luck.”

His comment left the door wide open, and she wasn’t about to miss the opportunity. Mr. Easygoing had issues like the rest of the world. Now she had a starting point, and if she played her cards right, he would confide in her as she had done with him. “And why is that?” KJ rested her elbows on the table and leaned in closer, her eyes studying his face intently.

His mouth thinned with displeasure and his eyes darkened. “Like many people, we are not a tight-knit family. Nothing more.”

“Tough childhood?” she prodded.

With a heavy sigh he shook his head. “You’re really not going to leave this alone, are you?” Her response was a simple sweet smile. “I’m an only child and my childhood was great or so I thought. When I turned sixteen my eyes were opened to the truth, and it wasn’t pretty.”

“What changed?”

“I realized that my happy home was anything but. My parents had stayed together because neither of them could afford to survive alone financially. It had seemed petty at the time, but I later understood they fought over everything they didn’t have and blamed each other for the hardship. Once money was no longer an issue, you would have thought things would have improved, and they would’ve finally been happy. Things did change but they weren’t for the best.”

KJ had been able to live comfortably all her life as she didn’t require much. She had seen many families break because of lack of money, never one from too much money.
It has to be something else, whether he knows it or not.
“Why do you think that?”

“Instead of enjoying their good fortune, they spend all their time trying to outshine each other and make the other miserable in the process, both refusing to leave the house, hence making it one very unhappy home.” Drew’s face was marked with loathing.

She had never met them and only was getting to know Drew, but her gut was telling her he was missing something, whether it was by his choice or theirs she didn’t know yet. “When was the last time you saw them?”

“I saw my mom for Mother’s Day and my dad for Father’s Day.”

“Drew, just because they are not getting along doesn’t mean you should avoid them.” Her tone of voice was meant to encourage him, but the response she received said it hadn’t.

His nostrils flared and his jaw tensed for the first time. “The only reason they are still together is because of me. Otherwise they would have split thirty years ago and maybe, just maybe, they would have found some form of happiness away from each other.”

He was blaming himself for their mess? It’s never the child’s fault, and it amazed her that even as an adult he still carried a burden that wasn’t his.
No wonder Blossom likes him so much. He needs her too.
Suddenly that made more sense for her. She knew how instinctive Blossom’s attentive nature was, and although she had always responded warmly to anyone they passed in the neighborhood, Drew had been the first person she’d actually shown preference to. The way Blossom had played with him last night was something she’d never seen before. Had she known he needed that type of friendship? Or did she consider herself off duty for the night? Either way, it was refreshing to see them both so relaxed.

“Sorry, Drew, I didn’t know how much it still affected you.”

His tone softened. “I should be apologizing to you. You are here on vacation not to hear my family issues.”

KJ reached across the table and touched his hand. “Vacationing could’ve been done anywhere. I came here specifically to get to know you better, and that was a good start.” There was still so much she wanted to ask and even more to learn, but if she pushed her luck, he would put up the wall again, and she might not ever get to know the real him. Over the next two weeks she intended to find out.