Billionaire Undaunted: The Billionaire's Obsession ~ Zane by J. S. Scott Read Free Book Online Page A

had been a kind, quirky, intelligent adolescent, and as he matured, he obviously hadn’t changed. Granted, he’d become a lot bossier and determined to have his way. But the heart of the young man she’d known hadn’t really altered.
    “I never stopped thinking of you as a friend, either,” she admitted, knowing she had thought about him a lot more than she should have over the years. “You were always nice to me, too, even though I was overweight and not very popular in high school. It meant a lot to me.”
    Actually, all of Chloe’s brothers had been nice. But since Marcus and Blake were older, they’d been graduating when she and Chloe were just starting high school. Tate had always been sweet, but the girls had always been drawn to him, and he’d practically had his own harem, even in high school. Since Chloe, Tate, and Zane were so close in age, Ellie had always wondered how Chloe’s mom could have survived being constantly pregnant for well over two years.
    Tate was younger, closer in age to her and Chloe, but she’d never had more than a casual acquaintance with him. It was Zane who had caught her attention back then, probably because he was so much more approachable, so much more like her. He was almost always alone, and probably felt like he didn’t fit in. They’d struck up a friendship when she’d seen his frustration at the tediousness of organizing his research. She’d offered to help put everything in a likely order after questioning him about the different portions of his notes. Even though the material was way over her head, she had put things in a logical order, which didn’t take a genius.
    He shrugged. “I liked you. And I don’t like all that many people.”
    Ellie laughed at his bluntness, a part of Zane she secretly adored. He wasn’t much for small talk. If he appeared socially awkward sometimes, she attributed that to his intelligence. He didn’t communicate on the same level as most people did. It wasn’t that he couldn’t; he just didn’t, probably because most people were too intimidated to have a conversation with him. If she didn’t know him, Ellie wondered how daunting it might be to approach a man who had one of the smartest scientific brains in the country. Fortunately, she knew there was so much more to him than just the geeky science nerd he claimed to be.
    As Ellie thought about all of the things Chloe had shared with her about her brothers over the years, she suddenly remembered something, a fact that had eluded her until today. “Don’t you have a girlfriend who’ll be upset if I’m staying with you? Isn’t she coming here for the holidays?” she asked curiously.
    “No. I’m not interested in a woman who just pretends to like me for my money or Colter status.”
    Her heart sank as she thought about the fact that women probably did pursue him just because he was a billionaire Colter. “Not all women are like that, Zane. Haven’t you met somebody you just connected with on another level?”
    “No,” he said simply.
    “But you’ve dated. Chloe told me you had a girlfriend at one time.” Ellie could still remember how she’d felt when she knew Zane was getting serious with a woman from Denver. Even though she hadn’t seen him in a long time, Ellie had still felt an odd sense of…loss.
    “I did. But it didn’t last long. She got bored and moved on to someone else. She found out I didn’t live a glamorous life full of endless parties and exotic vacations. After a while, she figured out I actually worked. A lot. I gave her all of the material things and money she wanted, but not the lifestyle she’d dreamed about.”
    Ellie crossed her arms angrily. “Then she wasn’t worthy of you. Good riddance, I say.” She hesitated before asking, “Did she hurt you?”
    He was silent for a moment, as though he was considering her question. Finally, he said, “Not really. That was when I figured out I was better off without a relationship. Now I just fuck and