The Billionaire's Baby (The Romero Brothers, Book 5) by Shadonna Richards Read Free Book Online Page B

hated that
she felt a magical spark between them again. A chemical
reaction of overwhelming proportions.
    Or was that her
imagination? Amber fought to ignore the feeling. Back then , Jules was all about sex . It seemed evident that he’d
changed. But after that sweet heat turned disaster of an ex, Rex, she did not
want to risk having her heart singed again in another failed relationship. She
just couldn’t bear it—again. Jules was merely being a gentleman. Nothing
more. It could never lead to anything more than his friendly support.
    People could genuinely
tell who cared for them when they were at their lowest. When they were most
vulnerable. Jules was that caring person and Amber would be eternally grateful
to him. God, what if Jules hadn’t been there for her? She would have ended up
alone in the ward. Venus just had a baby, so she was unable to visit. Her body
was still healing. And Amber’s aunt was simply too busy running the café in
Amber’s absence. And it was a good thing. Amber wanted things to run smoothly
at the Murray Café in her absence. Amber enjoyed working at the café and
chatting with customers. Sometimes her working relationship with her aunt got a
bit out of hand with her aunt’s mood swings but the smiles on the faces of
satisfied customers who loved to come in and share how their day was going
really made Amber’s day.
    Amber really
didn’t have a whole lot of close friends. Mostly acquaintances but not the huge
lot like the Romeros had.  
    When she was
released from hospital Jules was by her side, amazingly supportive as always. Amber
was visibly relieved to have a ride home in Jules’s comfortable SUV. He told
her he couldn’t stand the thought of her having to take the bus in her
condition knowing full well that she was having some sort of joint pain related
to her pregnancy.

 
      When they finally arrived at Amber’s
apartment above the café and Amber turned the key in the lock and opened the
door, Jules stood there, perplexed. He glanced around the cramped studio apartment.
Was Amber crazy? How could she even think of having a baby there? He saw a
small, old couch with a couple tears in the fabric and a few stuffed pillows
and a throw blanket on it. It looked as if Amber used it as a bed.
    The kitchen walls
were dotted with grease stains and were so dark he couldn’t tell if it was the
color of the wall or the stains. A container of cleaning solution sat on the
counter along with a cloth. The small window had a crack on the lower left
corner and some white duct tape over a part of the broken pane. The carpet was
old and tatty. Nothing seemed to be new in the joint. It looked as if frozen in
a bad time warp capsule from the 1980s . Amber was
staying there? His heart fell to the ground. A sinking feeling slammed into
him.
    The room was the
size of a guest bathroom at Romero Manor, his family’s estate. In fact, it was
the size of his own bathroom at his penthouse condo on
the lakefront. No way in hell was he going to leave Amber there. This was no
place for a woman and her growing baby.
    “What?” Amber
said as she walked into her apartment. She appeared nervous and bit down on her
lip, rubbing her belly. “What is it?” she asked, gaping at his expression.
    “Since when have
you lived in a…bachelor pad?”
    “Since I lost my
job at the embassy, I had to downsize. And oh, I know the window looks bad. It
happened recently. Someone must have tossed a rock and it hit the window. I’ve
already gotten some estimates from a glass replacement company to have that
replaced. It should be done by the end of the week. I know it doesn’t look like
a palace but it’s not like I have to pay rent or anything.”
    “But doesn’t your
aunt own and live in a nice house on the east side?”
    “Well, yes. But
she has tenants there, so…it’s not an option for me. Aunt Mavis said I could
use this space until I get myself back on my feet.”
    “How sweet of
her,” Jules said in an