Secrets on the Sand (The Billionaires of Barefoot Bay #1)(14)
Author: Roxanne St. Claire

“What?”

“I spoke to—”

She swiped her hand through the air to silence him. “I heard you,” she repeated through gritted teeth. “I don’t believe what I heard, but…why would you do that?”

“You left your employee badge and master key in my bathroom.”

The sting of embarrassment mixed with fury, tingling her skin and sparking her nerves. “So you took it to the owner of the resort?”

He nodded, crossing his arms. “At her house. I met her husband, too, and their baby.”

He’d gone to Lacey’s house? “I’m dreaming, right?” She choked the words. “Tell me this is a nightmare. Any minute I’m going to wake up and realize this isn’t happening, that I had a horrible day that has spilled into a really…bad…”

Her words faded as he reached out and brushed his knuckles along her jaw, sending a thousand goose bumps to join the chills of fury she already had. “Not a dream. I know what you want, and I have a check in my—”

“I don’t want your damn money!” Jerking back from his touch, she practically spit the words at him.

“Mandy, I want to help you.”

“In exchange for what?” She slammed her hands on her hips. “You want to buy sex? I’m sure there’s plenty of places you can do that on the Internet or over on the mainland.”

“Sex?” She had to give him credit, he looked pretty horrified.  “I’m not here to buy sex.”

“I admit,” she said, anger still rolling through her veins like lightning. “You don’t look like you need to do that, but, whoa, buddy. I know…people…guys…men like you have—”

“You don’t know men like me.” Now he sounded mad. Oh, that was rich.

“I do—”

“You think you know men like me. But I guarantee you, Mandy, you have never met anyone like me.”

She opened her mouth to argue, then shut it, only because of the raw sincerity in his voice and eyes. Maybe she didn’t know a guy like him.

“I am not here to buy anything.” He tunneled his fingers into his hair and slowly swiped it back, leaving it a little tussled and messy. And sexy as hell.

She closed her eyes, trying to look disgusted but really forcing her brain to cooperate and stop thinking of him that way. She couldn’t.

“I feel incredibly responsible for your losing your job and…I told you this afternoon, you did me a favor a long time ago and I never forgot it. I know you need this money to get started and, hell, Mandy, I’ll never miss it.”

Lucky bastard. With a little grunt, she turned and headed into the kitchen to get away from the overwhelming sight of him. But of course he followed her. She stood at the sink, her fingers splayed on the porcelain, staring out at her mother’s tiny backyard.

“I don’t mean to sound so cavalier about money.”

Judging from his voice he was about a foot behind her. Maybe two. Too close. She gripped the sink until her arms shook.

“But I give to charity and—”

She turned slowly, a rueful smile on her lips. “Charity? I guess that’s not quite as bad as what I thought.”

“Mandy.” His eyes softened, and he lifted his hands in supplication. “I’m trying to help you.”

And just like that, she felt everything melting. Her heart. Her fury. Her complete inability to trust anything with a Y chromosome.  “I know,” she whispered, hating that her voice cracked and her eyes stung. “I have…issues.”

He managed a smile. “I noticed.”

“I had a bad…marriage.”

“I figured.”

“He hurt me.”

His eyes flashed. “I’m sorry.”

“I kind of hate men.”

He fought a smile. “I’m getting that.”

“Especially men with money and power and…all that entails.”

“I don’t know what that entails, Mandy. I’m just a guy who’s done really well in business, and that’s turned into a lot of money.”

“A lot,” she repeated.

“A whole hell of a lot,” he agreed. “I’m not going to apologize for that or for every asshole who doesn’t know how to treat a woman.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper—his check, no doubt. She didn’t have the nerve to look at it or the wherewithal to take her eyes off his. “I have absolutely zero expectations from this and, if it will make you happy, we can consider it a loan with no interest and no due date.”

“Which makes it a gift, not a loan.”

His lips curved. “Semantics. Is that a yes?”

“No.” She inched back, hitting the sink, her gaze slipping to his hand before returning to his face.

Five thousand dollars… from a drop-dead god of a man who could wield that power…

“You’re thinking about it,” he said, fluttering the check.

On a sigh, she looked again. “I could get bonded and buy equipment and rent the office and hire…oh.” Disappointment thudded again. “Never mind. This is a waste of time.”

“Why?” He stepped closer. “I can help you do all that stuff. I’ve started dozens of businesses.”

The offer slayed her, it was so genuine. “I mean it’s a waste of time because I need customers. Lacey will never give me the outsourcing business now, even if I could put the whole package together. She was so mad this afternoon, she was spitting nails. I’m done at Casa Blanca.”

“I don’t know about that,” he said. “Her husband seemed reasonable, and she believed me when I told her what happened.”

She searched his face, daring to hope, daring to dream. “Really? What did they say?”

“I wasn’t quite sure, but I get the impression she’s been in your shoes before, having to take a risk.” He paused and gave her a meaningful look. “I get the impression her husband helped her.”

“Oh, yeah. I’ve heard stories about how they met on the beach and fell in…” Her voice grew tight. They fell in love, got married, had a baby, and lived happily ever after.

Fairy tales that sure didn’t happen to every woman.

“Anyway.” Amanda waved off the thought. “I have to think about this.”

“Bad idea.” She could have sworn he took a step closer but didn’t actually seem to move. Somehow, he was…trapping her. And, damn it, she liked it.