Billionaire’s Second Chance by Cheryl Lux
Chapter One
Nina
want to do right now is get married to anyone, trust me.” The sharp voice behind me made me freeze for a second, and every nerve in my body tingled.
I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
Jack Muller!
Seeing those dark, intense eyes again and his charming smile as I turned around made my throat dry. Why is he here? How is he here?
Different frenzied thoughts spiraled through my mind as his smooth baritone spilt more words, making my nerves rise to high alert and sending a wave of panic. A familiar memory of Jack’s gaze on mine, and his slender fingers wrapping around my throat entered my mind.
I remembered that image far too frequently over the past six years, and every time, it left my pulse skittering across the place.
Heated words flashed in my mind … I want more of you … Open your eyes for me, Nina.
The words mingled with moans and groans of dangerous pleasure. The mixture made my cheeks burn, and all of this happened in the split second that passed before Jack spoke behind me again.
“It’s an absurd plan that would never work, Ryan … you know that,” he continued, and I squeezed my eyes shut for a second before releasing a deep breath from my lips and nibbling on my lower lip.
“It’s worth a shot,” my brother replied before they reached my front. Ryan instantly beamed once he saw me. “Look who we have here,” Ryan cheered as they walked around the table and sat in front of me. “Nina,” Ryan continued.
“Nina?” Jack asked as he lowered himself to the chair opposite mine, and then his gaze landed on me. Ryan had mentioned having drinks with his friend tonight since it was my first night back in Denver, Colorado in six years, but he said nothing about that friend being Jack.
Dang it, Ryan. I should have known anyway—who else would Ryan hang out with besides his best friend, Jack?
I mustered up a smile and plastered it on my face. “Jack,” I answered, then released a short laugh. “What a pleasant surprise running into you here tonight.”
“I own the bar,” Jack answered, reminding me of his amassed wealth. “It’s been such a long time, Nina,” he added, then his gaze casually swept over my face, lingered on my lips then down my body. “How have you been?”
“I’ve been better,” I answered, not wanting to show my nervousness as my heart continued its pitter-patter against my ribs.
“Nina’s in town for a shoot,” Ryan said as he motioned for a bartender to come to our table. “I invited her for drinks tonight, and I said nothing about it because I wanted to surprise you both.” Ryan stopped, then laughed again and clapped his hands. “From the look on your faces, I’d say I got you both good,” he joked.
I rolled my eyes and gulped down the whisky in my glass. “Good thing you’ve ruined my night, Ryan,” I said to him.
“Ruined? The night’s just getting started, love,” Jack said on his end, and I whipped my eyes back to his to find him looking at me, a languid smile on his lips. “We’ve missed having you around.”
I scoffed at his statement and laughed. Missed indeed. The thing was, Jack and I could never stand each other. Not when he saved my brother’s life back in college, and not when they had become best friends over the course of the long summer.
“You have?” Ryan asked. “You two hate each other.”
“I know, right,” Jack answered. “My charm could never work on her.”
They both laughed, and I downed the second glass of whisky in front of me before adjusting the hem of my short, black dress.
Jack was a charmer to everyone, and I could understand why women flocked around him. He had an easy charm, a very dashing smile, and a body hot enough to make every woman crave, but not me. But those dark eyes though … my thoughts wandered for a second before I snapped back to reality.
Yes, he didn’t make me fawn or lose my mind at first, so why did it happen that one night? How the hell did I let Jack Muller make passionate love to me that one night six years ago? And worse, why did he choose to pretend like it never happened?
We’ve been over this, Nina, you had too many martinis for your own good, and a double malted scotch to crown it. You were tipsy, and things got out of control.
I didn’t realize my brother was speaking to me as I went over the details of the explanation I gave myself each time I remembered Jack or that night.
“Huh?” I asked, and blinked back to reality.
“How are the plans for the shoot tomorrow? Need any help with it?” Ryan interrupted.
“Aren’t you on a honeymoon?” I asked him, slanting him a heated look that screamed, “Why are you even here?”
“I am … but hey, I’m allowed to get a break, am I not?” Ryan asked.
“You just got married,” Jack and I chorused as we both looked at Ryan.
“Why would you need a break?” I queried, wondering what my brother was up to with his hotshot model wife. Their wedding secret was the talk of the town a month ago, and I had attended but still managed not to run into Jack, surprisingly, since he was away for a trip in Jeddah and couldn’t make it.
What kind of person misses his best friend’s wedding because of a vacation?
Ryan and Jack probably had an understanding that I wasn’t aware of, because Ryan wasn’t pissed he didn’t make it. What a bond, I thought as I listened to my brother talk about him and his wife some more before Ryan got on his feet and walked away to get himself a cigar.
“I didn’t expect to see you tonight,” Jack said the second Ryan left us to ourselves.
“Neither did I,” I said, meeting his gaze squarely for a second before diverting my eyes and running the tip of my tongue over my lower lip.
Jack leaned back on his chair and rubbed a finger over his lower lip for a bit before he smiled again. “What’s funny?” I asked, suspecting he was thinking about something mischievous.
Jack shook his head slowly and lifted his right shoulder in a shrug. I noticed his shirt was unbuttoned at the top, and I caught a glimpse of his smooth, pale skin. “Nothing,” he answered. “I just realize you’ve changed a lot, and it’s not a bad sight to look at.”
I rolled my eyes and picked up the glass the bartender had refilled for me. “Don’t even think about it, Jack Muller,” I said as I swung its contents down my throat and leveled him a stern look, even though my insides were tingling and burning just from his looks.
It’s the whisky,I told myself as I continued. “Don’t even think about flirting with me.”
“Flirting?” he laughed, then dropped his tone a notch. “We both know we’ve gone past the flirting stage, Nina Pierce … we go way further back than that.” The right corner of his lips tipped in an outward smile again, and his gaze landed on my lips for a second, but I pulled my head on straight, ignored him, and rose to my feet.
No way, Nina.I cautioned my nerves before they could start a spiral and make me shiver for Jack Muller all over again.
was certain I had Jack Muller out of my system after I spent the night remembering the last time I saw him. Our relationship could be best described as a strange one. Jack and I could never get along, even though he was my brother’s best friend, and I liked to think that it was best that way.
I couldn’t tolerate his smug smile anyway, so what was the point?
The only problem was that same smile replayed itself every second in my head since I saw him last night.
“Hey, Nina, you ready for the shoot?” I turned to see Lisa Stanley, the director at the photoshoot today, standing behind me.
I smiled at Lisa and nodded. “Yes, I’m ready.”
“Good, because our star has arrived.” She squealed a little before leaving me in the studio again, and I lifted my camera from my neck, stared at my lens, and adjusted my focus to get a shot of the background we were about to use.
Our shoot today was for the cover of my company’s magazine, Page Six, and I was told it was an exclusive shoot with a billionaire here in Denver they were interviewing. I didn’t know who it was yet, but I was expecting this client to show up anytime from …
“Nina?”
I froze when I heard Jack’s voice behind me. It can’t be him, right? What’s he doing here? Why is he everywhere?
I squeezed my eyes shut and held my breath as he called again. “It’s you, Nina. I recognized you from the entrance. What are you doing here?”
His question went unanswered because I couldn’t stop myself from taking in his full looks. I always thought Jack looked good in suits, but today, he looked even better. His dark, sleek hair was styled to perfection, and the thick, spicy tobacco aroma of his cologne already tickled my senses just like it did that night.
The black, three-piece designer suit he wore was custom tailored for him. The look reminded me of a photo of him in the gossip columns I followed over the last year.
Everyone always wanted to have a piece of Jack Muller. They either wanted to pick his brain about his successful business rules or go to dinner with him. The latter always seemed to work out well for him, as I didn’t think there was any woman Jack had never been able to get.
I heard the thuds of his footsteps as he walked around me, then bent forward a little bit so he was on the same height level as me.
“You’re in charge of the shoot?” he questioned with a cute smile.
“Why are you everywhere?” I asked through clenched teeth as I opened my eyes and looked at him.
Jack shrugged as the corner of his lips curved into that smile again. “I’m not,” he answered, then chuckled. “Maybe you’re just fated to be around me?”
“An ill fate,” I muttered and rolled my eyes.
“What was that?”
I gave Jack a tight smile and was about to walk away when he took my arm and stopped me. “Nina,” he began in a low voice, then stepped close to me so he could whisper. “Maybe we should pretend to like each other here? I mean, for the sake of the others, so this shoot isn’t unbearable for everyone?”
I glanced over my shoulder at him, then slowly pulled my arm out of his hand. “Try not to touch me while we’re here,” I said, then kept my chin high and walked away from him without another word.
Jack’s eyes stayed on me as I exited the studio, and once I was out of his sight, I found a wall, rested my back against it, and sighed deeply. My heart was beating too fast. I could feel it thudding against my ribcage with constant pressure that threatened to leave me breathless for the rest of the day.
Why was this happening?
I thought I had rid Jack Muller out of my system but turned out that six years, was not enough to forget him or the passion he had made me feel. I felt my lower lip tremble as I kept trying to find balance, but my composure finally returned when I remembered his cold shoulder from the next morning, and his hurtful words when I confronted him later on.
It never happened, Nina. We were both drunk; I think we should leave it at that.
His cool, detached tone was all it took to remind me that Jack shouldn’t be on my mind. What we had was history, this was my present, and I had a job to do.