The Billionaire's Hotline (Men of the Capital Series Book 1) by Cara Nelson Read Free Book Online Page A

this sound engineer I want to impress and I hear that musical appreciation is a big part of that.”
    “Thank you. That’s thoughtful of you.”
    “Stop being formal and tease me again,” he said, leaning in to kiss her, brief, gentle kisses that brought her closer to him, eager for more.
    “You surprised me when you called last night. I underestimated you,” Hannah said.
    “I surprised myself. I never thought I’d give up a blonde in the hand for a mockingbird in the bush.”
    “That was spectacularly horrid and corny.” She laughed.
    “Ah, but it was worth it to make you laugh like that. I can’t believe I made you cry.” Jasper ran both hands down the length of her hair and pulled her to him, his warm palm closing over her bare shoulder. “You have freckles,” he said quietly, bending to kiss them.
    “We’re in a public park.”
    “Very observant of you, yes,” he said, putting his mouth to her throat in a way that made her toes curl under with desire. She stifled a high-pitched noise and he pulled her to her feet. “Shall we adjourn to my apartment?”
    “No.” Her voice sounded ragged. “Let’s have a pretzel,” she suggested desperately, making her way to the soft pretzel vendor and securing a giant twist of salty dough. He shook his head when offered a bite, but subsided and waited for her to finish.
    “I suppose we should go to the concert hall now,” Jasper said, offering his arm.
    When his hired car pulled up and he seated her in it, they sped luxuriantly to the venue, his hand on her knee, hot through the thin fabric.  Their tickets were at the will-call window, but an usher made Jasper don a borrowed suit jacket to enter—it was tight across the shoulders and shiny with age. She knew he wasn’t dressed for the symphony and she had her suspicions why, suspicions that made her hold his arm more closely, rest her cheek against his sleeve when they were seated.
    The music was exquisite, and her trained ear appreciated the precision and brightness of the instruments and their players. During the final movement, she was preoccupied with how to get rid of Jasper and avoid ending up in his apartment with her borrowed dress on the floor. His practiced touch was overwhelming, a temptation nearly impossible to combat. When she turned to glimpse him, to gauge his interest in the music, she found that he was watching her, not the orchestra below. Startled, she flushed and he put his hand to her cheek. They sat motionless for minutes, his hand on her face, her eyes locked on his, breathless, before the music changed and the moment passed.
    “Thank you for a lovely evening. I know from that jacket that this isn’t what you had planned.”
    “I was going to return it, but I think I’ll give it a decent burial instead.” He regarded it critically, gesturing to Hannah to help remove it because the sleeves were so snug. She peeled the jacket off him and stepped back before she could be tempted to remove anything else.
    “It was a wonderful evening. I’m going to take a cab home. I have some work to do—”
    He caught her in his arms midsentence. “You’re lying,” he challenged, his face mere inches from hers.
    “What?”
              “Your voice lowered and you looked to the left. I have it on good authority that you just committed a classic lying tell. As a punishment for your utter lack of sincerity, I insist you come to my apartment for coffee.”
    “You don’t drink coffee.”
    “Interestingly enough, I have a French press and the ingredients to make a truly superior espresso, or so Miss Hollingford assured me.”
    “A French press? You might as well offer to show me your etchings.”
    “Etchings wouldn’t get you in the door. With a French press, you’re mine.”
    “How long have you had it? Does it still work?”
    “It had better. I sent Miss Hollister out to get one this morning in hopes of enticing you to my lair.”
    “It’s working. But I’m not sure I