The Billionaire's Desire (A Billionaire BWWM Steamy Romance) by Mia Caldwell Read Free Book Online

their shot. My mother's
face, pinched with worry, still haunts me to this day.

 
    "Carter
honey, your father and I will take your car tonight. Get them out of your
hair."

 
    I
thanked her quickly, handed over my keys, and ducked into the safety of their
Buick. I drove to a hotel on the outskirts of town, reveling in my peace and
quiet.

 
    My
parents ended up in a fiery wreck, run off the road by the paparazzi that
thought they were me .

 
    Those
men were in prison now, but the full force of my lawyers couldn't bring my
father back to walk Camilla down the aisle. They couldn't bring my mother back
to smile and offer to make me a sandwich, no matter the time of day. They
couldn't give me respite from the guilt that sent me to live in shame on a
glorified sandbar, as far removed from the public eye as I could get.

 
    All of
these thoughts assault me as I step out into the smoggy, dirty air of the city.
I can practically feel the grip of the panic closing around my throat in a
chokehold. I rushed into the building, but it is cold comfort once I am inside.

 
    Two hours,
that's all I need, then I can go back to Annika Island and my fragile peace.

 
    The internet connection on Annika is spotty at best. The
conference room at Easton Ventures is much more reliable. Still, I can't shake
the feeling that I have been dragged to this conference by my board for no real
reason. They just need me here, a visible reminder to the investors that I am
still the head of this company.

 
    And
that I am still sane.

 
    So I
play my part. I banter, and smile. I poke holes in the market projections that
cause the accountants to scramble. And when all is said and done, I lean back
in my chair and think about Sanniyah.

 
    For one
brief moment with her, I felt like my old self. Hungry, instead of hollow.
Brave instead of paranoid.

 
    I need
to get that back.

 
    I need
to get her back.

 
    Benson
pulls up, and I sprint inside the car. We race back to the airport but it isn't
until we are in helicopter, waiting for clearance to take off, that I come to
my senses.

 
      I'm pissed off at myself, tired of hiding
like a frightened mouse.

 
    I
should have fucking kissed her.

 
    "Hold
on, Benson," I bark. "Don't take off yet."

 
    The
impulsivity I'm known for takes hold of me. I grab my phone and scroll to
Sanniyah's number. Then I text her. And I tell her exactly what I am
thinking....

 

 
 
 
 
    Chapter Twelve

 
 
 
    Sanniyah

 
 
 
    "Go
see Dad." Tricia ripped into me pretty badly with only three words. I know
I should go see him. But I still can't. Seeing him would make it real.

 
    So
instead, I take the easy way out. Fifteen minutes before I have to be at the
Ferrara-Dickenson wedding, I call my mother instead.

 
    "Hey
there mama!" My voice is so bright and cheerful I want to punch myself.

 
    "Hey
there, baby girl."

 
    Mama
sounds tired and not at all happy to hear from me. But I soldier on anyway.
"I had a few minutes before I have to start working and I just wanted to
check in. How are you doing? How's Daddy?"

 
    My
mother's long silence is making me squirm. When she finally does speak, she is
deliberately ignoring my questions. "I'm out taking a walk. Needed the
sunshine. I've been cooped up in that house for too long."

 
    "Who's
taking care of Otis?" I ask, and then silently curse myself for calling my
stepdad by his first name. A bad habit all three of us hate.

 
    She
ignores my misstep for once. ""You remember Mrs. Parker down the
block?" she asks.

 
    "The
one with the birthmark?"

 
    "You
be nice," she admonishes, but I can hear her smile when she continues, "I
know, I can't stop looking at it either. But she's a nice lady and she's been
helping a lot. Keeping my azaleas pruned and everything."

 
    I try
to picture this Mrs. Parker, but all I can conjure is the port wine stain that
splotches her cheek. Then I feel horrible.

 
    I feel
even worse