Seduction and Surrender (The Billionaire's Temptation Series) Read online

  “That may very well be the case, but I don’t have time to debate the matter further. I’ve got to get back to work.” Okay…so she was the world’s biggest coward. But she couldn’t have any sort of conversation with him if it involved him touching her, especially when her staff could see her. She had to maintain professionalism—and work was not the place for this sort of thing.

  “I’ll be here when you’re done for the night.” Quinn ran his hand down her arm and linked his hand with hers. “I need to talk to you, Emma, and I won’t take no for an answer.”

  “It’ll be way too late. I don’t usually get out of here until midnight, and by then I’m going to be tired, cranky, and smell horrible.” And she sure as hell wouldn’t have the wherewithal to think clearly around him—or resist him for that matter. Last night was evidence of that.

  “Midnight it is, then.” He leaned in and stole a quick kiss before turning and heading out towards the dining room.

  Damn him.

  ***

  With Quinn sitting in the dining room of her restaurant, Emma started the night feeling distracted, sensing his gaze drift towards her as he watched her work from a distance, their eyes meeting whenever she chanced a glance over at him. And damn but the Ryker boys were hot, the two brothers looking far too much alike with their striking good looks to be anything but family. Yet as they slipped further into dinner service, she no longer had the time to think about Quinn as the orders came in, one table after another.

  “What the hell is he still doing out there, Em?” Jake scowled as he glared in Quinn’s direction. He’d been in a mood all night. “He can’t just sit there.”

  “He can sit there as long as he likes if he’s eating and drinking, and at least the walk-in is getting fixed.” She hadn’t expected Quinn to hang out as long as he had, but he certainly seemed determined to do just that, and with his brother for company, they at least seemed to be enjoying themselves, no doubt running up a huge tab. That said, if he was expecting her to be bright and chipper after such a busy night, he’d be sorely disappointed. “Let’s wrap up this service, yeah? Then we can all get out of here.”

  Emma had just another few tables to complete, when Ryan, the repair guy, came looking for her. They stepped out of the kitchen and into one of the hall areas near the bar. “I got it up and running, so you should be all set. But…I’m not sure that the issue with the walk-in was due to a defect or wear and tear. Maybe it was an accident and someone didn’t want to take the responsibility, but I can’t imagine any sort of scenario where you’d accidentally get that kind of damage.”

  “You mean someone did this on purpose?” The betrayal stung worse than a hundred beestings.

  Ryan shrugged. “Look, I can’t say that. But if it were me? I’d start wondering who I’ve pissed off.”

  Her brow furrowed with worry and confusion. She truly couldn’t think of anyone who disliked her enough to do something so malicious, though there was another restaurant just down the road that had not been happy about her opening her doors. The owner was certainly a prick, and there were even rumors he had ties to the mob, but it’s not like she gave the guy access to her kitchen. That meant it was one of her employees, which would make perfect sense given the other “accidents” that had occurred. “Thanks for coming out on such short notice. Let me get my checkbook, and I’ll wrap you up some food and dessert to go since I no doubt ruined your evening.”

  She started moving towards her office when he stopped her. “I’ve already been paid, though I won’t say no to a bit of dessert for the old lady. And if you have any other problems, here’s my card. Day or night, it doesn’t matter. It’s never a problem.”

  Quinn. He must have already paid Ryan so she wouldn’t have to. She sent Ryan off with several boxes of food, though she was plagued by the gut-wrenching thought that someone had been malicious enough to cause her problems.

  Service was done by the time she got back and clean-up was already underway, though she couldn’t help looking around her at all the familiar faces and wonder if someone was harboring some sort of animosity towards her and the restaurant.

  With all hands on deck, it didn’t take long for them to finish up for the night. She turned to Jake as she unbuttoned her chef’s whites, making sure she kept her voice down so they wouldn’t be overheard. “The walk-in’s all set, though it looks like someone damaged it on purpose.”

  “Who the hell would do that, Em?” He shook his head, as a scowl darkened his handsome face.

  “I don’t know, but we need to keep an eye out. And in the meantime, don’t say anything. I can’t afford to have this escalate.” She was exhausted and this bit of news had only drained her further. “I’m going to go. Quinn’s been waiting all night.”

  “That was his choice.” Jake leaned against the counter, his muscular arms crossed in front of his chest. “I don’t like him, Em. Not one bit.”

  She wanted to groan, way too tired to have this sort of discussion. “You never like anyone I’m dating.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “So now you’re dating him?”

  “No. Yes.” Coming in Quinn’s arms certainly seemed intimate enough, though she wasn’t exactly sure she’d say they were dating. So then, what exactly was she doing? “Ugh, Jake. You’re killing me. I’m too tired to think about this and have any of it make sense.”

  “Well, don’t let me stop you from hanging out with your boyfriend.” Jake motioned with his chin over her shoulder before turning to go.

  “Jake…” But he didn’t turn around. Just kept going as he shrugged out of his whites and whipped the soiled clothing into the laundry bag.

  “Hey… Everything okay?” She turned to find Quinn standing there, scowling in Jake’s direction.

  “Yeah. It’s just been a long night.” She glanced over in time to see Jake take off out the back door.

  Quinn put an arm around her and pulled her close, and tired as she was, she didn’t have the energy to fight him. “So, what the hell’s his problem? He better not be giving you a hard time about anything.”

  “Your clothes are going to stink and get filthy if you keep holding me.” She wasn’t ready to try to explain her relationship with Jake.

  For years, they’d worked together in other restaurants and had become the best of friends. Although she knew Jake wouldn’t mind pursuing something more, she just couldn’t go there, even if she’d thought about it from time to time. In the end, she always dismissed the idea, not wanting to ruin their friendship.

  “I’ve been thinking about holding you in my arms all night long, so if you think I’m going to let anything stand in my way—especially something that can easily be remedied with a bit of dry cleaning—then you can guess again.” He stole a kiss, and though she might soon regret it, she let him. “Are you ready to get out of here?”

  “I don’t know where you’re heading, but I’m going home to boil some water and attempt to take a hot bath.” It’d take a bit of finagling, and it might not be worth the effort when all was said and done, but she was desperate to soak the day away.

  “I think you should come home with me instead.” He cupped her cheek and stole another kiss, his touch warm and gentle, reminding her of everything those hands were capable of. “Let me draw you a nice hot bath. I’ve got a massive soaker tub with massaging jets, and I promise, sweetheart, I’ll take really good care of you.”

  The way he spoke those last words…they held so much promise. Too much. And though his tub sounded amazing, she knew that if she went over there, she’d have a hard time keeping things from getting far more intimate. “Quinn…what the hell are we doing here?”

  He nuzzled her, his words drifting over her skin like promises in the wind. “I’m going to take care of you, and you’re going to let me. That’s what we’re doing. And I’m not taking no for an answer.”

  Fifteen minutes later, they were pulling down his driveway. Emma had been sure Quinn lived in some slick penthouse-like condo that over
looked Portmore and the ocean, and could have graced the pages of any modern design magazine.

  She was wrong.

  Quinn’s home did indeed overlook the ocean, but it did so from a rocky bluff outside of town. It was big, but not massive, and the exterior was well lit with accent lights. Emma could only imagine how gorgeous it’d be in the light of day with the ocean view. And yet it was a reminder of just how different their lives were.

  He lived in a gorgeous seaside mansion, and she didn’t even have proper hot water.

  What the hell was she doing?

  She then remembered exactly how she’d come to find herself in this predicament. He was holding onto the lease of her restaurant. At least he was far less of a jerk than she’d first thought him to be—even if he still had his moments. “I didn’t get to thank you for sending your guy to fix my fridge. I really appreciate it, but…I can’t accept your charity. I’m perfectly capable of paying my bills.”

  “I know you’re perfectly capable, but Ryan’s on my payroll. I use him to maintain all my properties.” He parked in the driveway, turned off the engine to his SUV, and shifted in his seat to face her. “If you really feel the need to pay me back though, I can think of far more creative ways to call it even.”

  She shook her head with a small smile, and couldn’t help teasing him just a little. “You had your chance last night, Quinn. Should have taken me up on it when I was willing.”

  “No worries, sweetheart…I’m sure you’ll be willing again by the time I’m through with you.” Before she had a chance to protest, he was coming around to her side of the car to get her door, a gentlemanly gesture that always caught her off guard these days.

  She thanked him, and then followed him into his home, her breath catching not only with the beauty of it, but because there were a whole lot of dogs barreling towards them. “Holy smokes.”

  Okay…maybe not a lot of dogs, just two really big ones and one that looked awfully strange, like something big had hooked up with a Bassett or a Corgi, resulting in a relatively large head running around on a long torso with short feet.

  Once Quinn got them to settle down, he pointed to them, starting with the largest. “That’s Tiny, Rex, and Dublin. And to them, you probably smell like one giant steak, so they’ll happily be your new best friends.”

  Putting out her hand, she gave them a chance to sniff her before giving them all a pet and a scratch, loving their happy energy and wagging tails. She hadn’t pictured Quinn to be the type to have pets, and she loved that they were mutts. Probably shelter dogs. And damn if that didn’t make her like Quinn all the more—a feeling she was still trying to fight. “They’re really cute. I love dogs, but my hours are too crazy and my apartment’s way too small.”

  “Well, you’re welcome to hang out with these guys whenever you want. As for your apartment…” He pulled a set of keys off his keychain and offered them to her. “I want you to stay in my loft. It’s in the building where I have my office so it’ll be close to your restaurant, and I never use it for anything but to get changed before meetings, or if I’m having a really late night working.”

  She was already shaking her head, and he now had her wondering how smart it was to come here. “No way, Quinn. That’s insane. You don’t even know me. And what happens when you get tired of me and move on to dating supermodels again?”

  “Then let me get to know you better—and you can still keep your apartment on the side if it’ll give you some comfort to know it’s there if you ever need it.” He cupped her cheek, his green eyes so intense against his dark, roughed-up hair. “But you can’t tell me your place is amazing when you don’t even have hot water, and frankly, I don’t like the fact that there isn’t even a decent lock on the front door. It’s not safe, Emma, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let anything happen to you. You either move into my apartment, or I’m buying your apartment building and renovating it.”

  “You cannot be serious. You realize that that’s not normal, right? You’ve only just met me, Quinn. And you can’t just buy the building I live in and renovate it because I don’t have hot water and won’t move into your loft. What the hell is wrong with you?” Not only should she not have come here, but it was a huge mistake. Huge.

  “What’s wrong with me?” He scoffed out a laugh and started to pace, looking like some madman, his height and build making the large space feel small as he towered over her, his muscular form coiled with tension. “What’s wrong with me is that I can’t get you out of my head, no matter how hard I try—and believe me when I tell you, I’ve tried. There’s no way you should have this sort of effect on me, kitten, and yet I think about you constantly—and I worry about you. So, is it so wrong that I want to help you? I know this might seem like a lot to you, but from where I stand, it’s nothing to buy your building or let you stay in my apartment.”

  “Or fix my fridge.” She sighed, unsure of what to think especially after he’d confessed to so much.

  “I like you, Emma. A lot. And just so we’re clear, this never happens. Not to me. So don’t go thinking you’re just one of many. Because you’re not. You’re the only one.”

  Chapter Eight

  Quinn wanted to groan. What the hell was wrong with him? He knew she was far too independent to want to accept his help, but instead of taking things slow, he’d all but asked her to move in with him. Could he be any more stupid? Yet the woman made it so he couldn’t think straight. All he wanted to do was ravage and possess her. Claim her as his own—just like she’d already laid a claim on him, making it so he didn’t want anyone but her in his bed.

  “Come on. Bath.” He grabbed her hand and all but hauled her towards the master bedroom, all in an attempt to keep from ravaging her in his entry hall or doing anything more stupid than he’d already done.

  She shrugged out of his grasp and stood her ground, looking at him with a scowl. “Quinn…stop. What the hell is wrong with you? You can’t just push me around and make demands.”

  “New deal. I’ll sign over not just your lease, but the real estate you currently rent for your restaurant. You’ll own that part of the building free and clear so no one can ever take it away from you. But in exchange, I get you. Every part of you. However, whenever, and wherever I want you.” He had to have lost his mind. There was no other logical explanation.

  “You. Are. Insane.” And the way Emma was looking at him, Quinn had to wonder if she was right. “You need to take me home. Right now.”

  “No. No fucking way.” He ran a rough hand over his face and let out a weary sigh, his head and heart a jumbled mess. There was no way he could let her go when he so desperately wanted her, needed her. “After you take a bath. If you still want to go then, I’ll take you home.”

  Without another word, and knowing full well that she might just walk out the door, he turned and walked towards the bath, hoping she’d eventually follow.

  She didn’t.

  By the time he caught up to her, she was at the end of his driveway. “Emma…stop. For fuck’s sake, don’t make me toss you over my shoulder.”

  She kept going, completely ignoring him.

  When he grabbed her hand and forced her to come to a standstill, she glared at him through her tears. “I can’t do this, Quinn. I don’t quite get what the hell it is you want from me, but I can’t do it. You can’t just buy me. That’s not how I work—not even for my restaurant.”

  “I keep saying the wrong thing, Emma, and it’s killing me to see you cry.” He brushed her cheek dry, wondering how he could be such an idiot. “I don’t know...maybe it’s because I’ve spent the last decade dating women who only want something from me. But I really like you—you and you alone. I just don’t know how to make things right between us.”

  It was hard for him to see her upset, and that, in and of itself, was damn curious, since he normally kept his distance, emotionally. He’d learned early on that caring about the women he dated only put him in a vulnerable position, and that was somethi
ng he avoided at all cost. So then what the hell was it about Emma that was so different?

  He frowned at her, suddenly annoyed with himself for wanting her so badly. And want her he did. More than anything—or anyone—he’d wanted in a very long time.

  “Look…I appreciate your generosity, but when you tie it to sex or having me do what you want, it feels like you’re just trying to buy me, instead of taking the time to get to know me and actually like me for who I am—as a person, and not just some passing fancy or obsession. And damn, Quinn—I really want to like you. But how the hell am I supposed to go there if I’ve been forced into it because of some agreement or struck bargain? It’ll always get in the way.”

  He could be such an idiot where his emotions were concerned, which is why he preferred to treat his dealings with women as business transactions. With a deep sigh, he gently pulled her close and held her to him, relieved when she nestled against him instead of pulling away. “I want to let you set the pace, Emma, but I can’t. I can’t help myself where you’re concerned, because you’ve gotten under my skin and I’ll never have any peace until I’ve made you mine. My only excuse is that wanting you is screwing with my mind. But I won’t take no for an answer—I can’t. So if you don’t want your restaurant tied to what we’re doing here, then that’s fine. I’ll renew your lease. Give you whatever it is that you want. But I will have you, Emma. And I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you want me just as much as I want you.”

  Letting her off the hook for the restaurant was the only way—even if he lived to regret it. He couldn’t let her walk out of his life, since every moment that passed, he found himself liking her more and more, even if like wasn’t anywhere near a strong enough word. And though that might be insane—especially for him—he couldn’t help himself. She’d been his only thought for months now, and he only wanted her more now that he’d gotten to know her better.

  “Wow…that’s some sort of declaration.” She crossed her arms and gave him the sort of look one of her chefs would get when she was running her kitchen. And damn, but it was all he could do to not want to toss her over his shoulder and haul her to his bed. “So, then, how exactly does this play out if I say no to sleeping with you? I seriously don’t think this whole alpha-male caveman crap includes rape, which means that you do not get to tell me how this is all going to go down. I tried that last night, and I wasn’t really a fan since you decided to cut our night short.”