Rocked by the Billionaire: A Billionaire's Club Story by Mandy Baxter Read Free Book Online Page A

deal with it on my own.”
    Kayleigh spun on a heel and hightailed it for the foyer. She couldn’t get out of there fast enough and her stomach was churning and bucking like the thirty-year-old washing machine in her basement. The cherry on top of this miserable morning would be to puke all over Ryder’s fancy hardwood floors.
    “Oh shit!” Her face met a solid wall of muscle that knocked her off balance. Strong arms reached out to steady her and her previous mortification rose to new heights as she looked up to find Luke staring down at her, his expression pinched.
    She’d assumed Luke would be staying with Ryder and she’d come anyway. But hadn’t that been the point? Some small part of her had hoped she’d see him.
    His big body crowded her, but Kayleigh stood her ground. She refused to let Luke think he had
any
effect on her. His expression further darkened and a thrill of anticipation shot through her. He leaned down over her head and his deep, heady words were for her alone. “Back for more? I laid in bed, wide awake all night. The smell of you on my fingers drove me fucking
crazy
. I’m ready for round two.”
    He was trying to shock her, or hell, maybe to embarrass her. To make her pay for throwing him out last night. Well, too damned bad, buddy. “I told Ryder I wanted you to leave town. Unfortunately for me, he likes having you around.” She looked down at his hands still wrapped around her upper arms and he let go, cupping the back of his neck with one large palm. “Rejection hurts like a bitch, doesn’t it?”
    His whiskey gaze hardened but he kept his cocky smile intact. “I don’t mind a little pain.” Kayleigh’s eyes met his and a flash of heat licked up her spine. “As long as you promise to follow it up with pleasure.”
    So much for standing strong against Luke’s advances. When he talked to her like that, his words smoldering with heat and innuendo, her knees went weak. He leaned back and her body followed, metal drawn to a magnet. How could she possibly keep her distance when everything inside of her screamed to get closer? An uncomfortable silence descended and Kayleigh’s throat went bone dry. “I … um, I was just leaving.”
    “Let’s go for a ride.”
    She’d just told him that she wanted him to leave town forever and still he was coming on to her? The man was
relentless
. “That’s probably not a good idea.”
    His eyes sparked with mischief, reminding her of the Luke of her childhood. “What’s the matter? Worried you’ve lost your touch in your old age? Or maybe that you can’t keep your hands off of me?”
    Kayleigh snorted. As far as keeping her hands off of him went … any time spent with Luke would be a test to her restraint. “Don’t flatter yourself, Lucifer. You’re not that irresistible.” World’s biggest lie, right there. But his ego didn’t need any more stroking.
    “Hey, it’s not my mind that’s in the gutter, honey. I was talking about horses. But if you’d prefer to mount up, I’m sure I could—”
    “If I’m not mistaken, cattle and horse thievery is still frowned upon around here. I doubt Ryder would appreciate us taking off with any of his stock,” she interrupted with a nervous laugh. Anything to keep him from finishing that sentence.
    Luke reached out and took her hand in his. So gentle. So unlike the cocky bravado he readily displayed. It wasn’t that his gentleness was better, just … different. Tentative. His touch was the plea that pride refused to allow him to speak. He didn’t want her to leave. And despite her earlier words to Ryder, Kayleigh wasn’t sure she wanted to leave, either.
    “Ryder doesn’t own every horse on this ranch. Come on, do you have something better to do this morning? Maybe a stack of macaroni art that needs to be graded?”
    A challenging brow arched over one eye and Kayleigh couldn’t help but laugh. “I can spare a couple of hours to help you relearn how to ride. L.A. has probably brainwashed