The Billionaire’s Game ~ Kade (Billionaire’s Obsession #4)(16)
Author: J.S. Scott

“My foster mother always told me I was too fanciful. My drawings, my reading, my mind always everywhere except on the practical things in life,” Asha said with a sigh. “I guess in some ways, I didn’t completely conform to being the practical Indian woman they wanted.”

“You don’t need to conform. You come from an Indian heritage, and you can be proud of that. Many Indians are kind people. But you’re also American. And the majority of American women don’t put up with a whole lot of shit.” He lay back on the bed and stretched out his legs, his right calf starting to ache. Catching her around the waist, he pulled her down against him, resting her head on his chest.

Her head popped back up and she looked at him excitedly. “Have you been to India?”

He nodded. “Several times. Harrison Corporation has business interests there.”

“What’s it like?” she asked wistfully. “Isn’t it strange that I was raised in the Indian culture, but I’ve never been there?”

“I’ll take you there one day. At least you can probably speak the language,” he answered jokingly.

“Only if we go to Andhra Pradesh or an area that speaks Telugu,” she answered thoughtfully. “My foster parents and ex-husband were all from there and spoke Telugu. I never learned much Hindi.”

“It always amazes me that two Indians can’t necessarily speak to each other because there are so many languages in India,” Kade answered.

Asha laid her head back down on Kade’s chest and started to fiddle with the buttons on his red shirt that was decorated with dancing banana characters. “I know women get beaten there too,” she said hesitantly. “I’ve been reading a lot about India when I get the chance. The domestic violence there is pretty bad. It’s almost as if it’s acceptable. Are most women treated badly there?”

“Hitting a woman is never acceptable for any reason,” Kade grumbled. “Men who beat women, American or Indian, are f**king cowards, too afraid to pick a fight with someone who might actually win and mess them up.” He sighed as he continued, “I wish I could tell you that things are great, but the domestic violence rate in India is high. I was there on business, and I never was totally immersed in the culture, but it’s still a patriarchal society and there’s a large percentage of men there who don’t value their women the way they should. And equal opportunity is definitely not there, even though there are laws to protect women now. They’re just basically not enforced. The younger generation is trying to bring about change, but it’s an uphill battle.”

“And divorce is still taboo,” she added wistfully.

Kade couldn’t lie. “For the most part…yeah. It’s not widely acceptable. But you aren’t in India, Asha.” Trying to change the subject, he asked curiously, “You’ve never told me why you still use your father’s last name? If you were married, didn’t you take on his last name?”

“My married name was Kota, but I took my father’s name back when I divorced Ravi. I guess it was my way of taking control of my own identity again.”

Kade actually liked the fact that she had taken her father’s name back and no longer carried the name of an ass**le. “Will the butterfly ever escape from the cocoon?” he asked distractedly, his hand toying with the silky strands of her hair.

Her head came up and she gave him a shy grin. “It’s a process. Every time I feel like I’m progressing, I’ll make the wings emerge a little further.”

Kade felt his heart lighten at the sight of her smile. He decided that he wanted to see that happy expression on her face constantly, every hour, every minute of every day. She’d seen enough pain and conflict in her twenty-seven years of life. Asha was born to shine, and Kade wanted to make everything easier for her after the f**ked-up deal she’d had. “When do you think that might happen?”

She grinned broader. “After that experience on the kitchen counter, I think I at least need to poke another tiny bit of the wing from the cocoon.”

Kade groaned inwardly, his swollen c**k twitching with the desire to do some poking of its own. Her smile made his heart swell, and the fact that she was comfortable enough with him to mention that earth-shattering, intimate experience now without hesitation made him feel like they were caught up in their own little world.

She belongs with me.

Kade couldn’t stop the possessive, animalistic need to conquer her, to hold her so close she’d never go away. If she did, the light that she’d turned on inside him would die. Something was happening to him, something incredible. And he didn’t want the exhilarating feeling to end. Bit by bit, the darkness inside him was being chased away by Asha’s glowing presence.

With a mock growl, he flipped her over, pinning her body beneath his, and it felt f**king fantastic. Holding her arms captive over her head, he felt carnal satisfaction at having her exactly where he wanted her. “I’d be more than happy to go for making the butterfly emerge completely.” In fact, he was fairly certain he was going to go insane if he didn’t get inside her very soon. He wanted the damned butterfly spreading its wings to hurry up and fly.

Kade felt her body tremble beneath him, her expression part longing and part trepidation. He knew he was pushing her too hard, too fast, but he couldn’t seem to control the urge to take her. Watching her, and feeling her climax beneath his fingers had been incredible, but he wanted to give her more, show her that a woman’s pleasure could be much more than tolerable. And selfishly, he just wanted her to want him.

Gritting his teeth with the pain of wanting to f**k her until she was screaming his name, he watched her face, waiting for a sign—any damn sign—that she wanted the same thing he did, felt the same way he was feeling.

“I’m here to do a job,” she said brokenly. “I can’t do this.”

“Fuck the job. This is about you and me. It’s never been about the job. You’re incredibly talented, and I wish you’d do your magic on every damn wall in this house, but it isn’t why I wanted you here,” he admitted, frustrated.

“You brought me here because of your sister and Max?” she asked, her voice resigned.

“I brought you here because I couldn’t let you go. It’s pretty simple. I just want you,” he said hoarsely, knowing he was giving her enough rope to hang him, but he didn’t give a shit. For once, control and keeping his emotions in check didn’t mean a goddamn thing to him. “I want to breathe in your scent, and I swear, from this day forward, the smell of jasmine will always make my c**k hard enough to pound nails. I want to taste your orgasm on my tongue, make you come until you can’t think about anything but me. And I need to be inside you, f**king you until you don’t even know your own name.” Kade swallowed hard, and added, “Then I want you to sleep with me, and I want to keep you so close that you’ll never know another moment of wondering if anybody wants you—because I do, Asha. I want you enough to make up for every person in your life who didn’t.”