Matchmaking the Billionaire (Billionaires & Babies Book 2) Read online

  He narrowed his eyes as she went for another angle. She snapped a picture—it seemed important to memorialize that look on his face, the one she got often while bantering with him. The one that said, I think you’re funny, but hell if I’ll laugh and let you know.

  “You’re hilarious,” he finally said.

  “I know.” She grinned and snapped a couple more pictures. “I think I have enough pictures displaying your massive wealth. Any other places you’d like to showcase?”

  He cocked a grin. “My massive wealth. Not the only massive thing we’ll have to include in my profile.”

  She couldn’t stop the laugh that erupted. “Good lord, Nick. Not in front of your subordinate, okay?”

  He jerked his head in the direction of a path leading through the landscaping. “Come this way. I’ll show you around.”

  She followed closely as he led her down a stone path cutting through weeping willows and variegated ferns and all manner of rose bushes. The yard was shaded and lush. Not exactly what she’d expected from her status-obsessed boss. She’d have figured him more for penthouses and helicopter pads. Though he might have a helicopter pad hidden back here somewhere.

  “Over here.” Nick pointed to the back of the yard. What looked like a quaint log cabin was surrounded by fencing. As if on cue, a black dog bounded through a pet door, barking wildly as Nick approached. He grinned over at her.

  “What’s this?” Haley asked.

  “My dog sanctuary.” He strode over to the dog, who stood on his hind legs waiting to greet his master. Nick cradled the lab’s face with both hands, speaking in soft tones. “This is Chester. And inside are a few more.”

  “Wow.” Haley cocked a hip as Nick petted Chester’s head lovingly. She hadn’t expected this tenderness. Not by a long shot. “Why aren’t the others out here?”

  “They’re recovering. It’s an animal rescue, actually. I take in abused pets.”

  Haley blinked, trying to ignore the way that piece of information made her belly flip. Don’t let this change how you see him. After all, he’s still your shallow boss. Except maybe not so shallow after all. “That’s noble. How long have you been doing this?”

  He shrugged. “Close to seven years, maybe. Dogs come and go. Chester’s been with me for almost five. He’s my best bud.”

  Haley grinned as Nick scratched vigorously behind Chester’s ears. This was the stuff that she wanted to capture. She took her camera from around her neck and snapped a few pictures.

  “Don’t use those,” he said. “Nobody wants to see a guy with his dog.”

  “Oh, really?” Haley snapped one more picture for good measure. “Some women do. You’d be surprised.”

  “Yeah?” Nick straightened, sending her a playful smile. “Like you?”

  The question made her mouth clamp shut. Heat flooded her face, and she hoped, prayed, that he didn’t notice her reacting to his sudden interest in what she thought.

  “I’m partial to a guy with a pet, sure.” She tried to play it cool. “It’d be even better if you had a couple cats draped over your shoulders.”

  “Now that,” he said, “will never happen.”

  Her heart raced as he showed her around the sanctuary, introduced her to the other doggie residents. His words echoed through her. Had he just been playfully curious, like a rhetorical question, or had that been thinly veiled interest?

  The concept of Nick being interested in her was both provocative and taboo. He was her boss, but more than that, she was supposed to be saying no to men.

  Especially when it came to billionaires.

  She actually had a track record with billionaires, and as far as she was concerned, it was one and forever done. Amanda’s father—the billionaire jerk who’d knocked Haley up—had forced her into a settlement and an NDA. He’d never wanted kids and paid her a one-time sum to get her the hell out of his life. Haley had popped the money right into a trust fund for Amanda’s college expenses, not expecting that her pregnancy—and ensuing maternity leave—would put her right back at the starting line in terms of her career.

  Haley glanced at her phone. It was time to leave. Amanda was happy and safe with her grandma, but Haley needed to escape. Get out from under Nick’s captivating gaze, the spell of his too-easy grin. She needed time to recalibrate. Regroup. Remember why Nick was just her boss and everything was platonic and normal between them.

  Nick had been the only employer since Amanda was born to see her potential. Finally, finally, she was climbing the ladder again.

  Which meant no flings with any billionaires and definitely no lusting after the boss.

  It hadn’t gotten her anywhere the first time around. And it almost certainly would lead nowhere if she were to try again.

  3

  Nick couldn’t wait for Haley to arrive.

  It had been just over a week since Haley had come to his house, taken his profile pictures, and set up his profile on her new app. And in that ensuing weekend, he’d been on two dates with the very first matches produced by her programming.

  And they’d sucked. Majorly.

  Nick wasn’t the only one starting to find matches. Haley’s app had spread like wildfire once the office caught wind of it. Colleagues shared it with friends, who shared it with family, who shared it with more friends. Combined with a limited marketing plan, the app had reached a pool of over a million people in just a week. Married Ever After was officially in beta mode, and in a huge way.

  They’d set an appointment specifically for Monday morning to go over the results of his first dates. Once the clock showed eight a.m., his knee started bouncing. He’d gotten into the office early today, admittedly. But some things couldn’t wait.

  Namely, things like winning this damn bet.

  Though he wasn’t sure if he was more excited about tweaking his dating pool or seeing Haley again.

  At 8:02, the sound of high heels clicking on the hallway floor made him sit up straight. Haley rounded the corner into his office a moment later. Her eyes lit up as she came in, her dark hair glossy and straight, those big lips perfectly red. The sight of her stole his breath. It took a moment to register that she’d tossed him a bright, “Good morning, Nick.”

  He tried to look casual, gesturing for her to sit down. “Hey. Morning. Let’s get to it.” He adjusted his position in his desk chair, consciously not looking at her sexy figure as she eased into the chair facing his desk. He loved and hated their meetings, precisely due to how easy it was to lose himself in looking at her.

  “I hope you have good news for me,” she said.

  “Unfortunately, I don’t.” He leaned back in his chair. “Both dates were a bust.”

  Her face fell. “Oh. Well, that’s unfortunate. But it’s not like we expected you to find your soul mate on the first try.”

  “I’m not even looking for my soul mate,” he reminded her. “I’m looking for a wife.”

  She paused, her ruby red lips parted. “Right. Well, we can tweak the profile based on your feedback. But I need really detailed feedback. Otherwise we’ll keep running into the same problems.”

  Nick drummed his fingers together as he thought. “For starters, they both were just…bland.”

  Haley nodded, bringing out a notebook. She scribbled notes quickly as he spoke.

  “Neither of them really made me laugh. They didn’t even seem to really care they were there with me.”

  She paused, looking up at him. “So, you want someone who can make you laugh, and someone who is proud to be seen with you.”

  Nick thought over her words a few times, then nodded. “Yeah.”

  “I thought you just wanted hot.”

  “Well, sure. I do. Trust me—I love hot.”

  Haley scribbled a few more things, nodding. “Good. This is good information. Anything else?” When he shook his head, she added, “You know, first impressions are statistically shown to often be inaccurate. Would you be interested in taking either of these ladies out again? You mi
ght have better luck on the second try.”

  He shrugged. On both of his dates, he’d spent the majority of his time waiting for his first chance to excuse himself, while also thinking about Haley. Wondering what she did on the weekends. Whether or not she wore the same red lipstick she wore to the office. What little noises she might make if he was ever able to kiss that precise dip in her neck, the dip he’d been eyeing since her first day on the job. How she’d sound once he finally got her wrapped around him, tangled in his bed sheets.

  “I’m pretty sure about these two,” he said, clearing his throat as if it might help erase the fantasy of Haley riding him, her naked breasts bouncing in his face. That fantasy had accompanied him into the shower too many times to count over the past months. “Let’s go with a new round.”

  “Okay.” She nibbled on her bottom lip, tapping her pen against the notebook. “Are you sure there isn’t anything else? I mean, let’s be honest, I know you’re hung up on looks. Don’t you at least have a preference for blondes or something? I can narrow your matches down further.”

  Only brunettes with ruby red lips. He blinked, averting his eyes. “Sure. Blondes sound good.” She made a few more notes, and finally the question he’d been dying to ask came burbling up. “What about you? Are blonds your thing?”

  She cast him a sharp look, somewhere been shock and suspicion. “What do you mean?”

  “The type of guy you date.” He shrugged. “I can’t imagine your type. It’s like you don’t even have one.”

  “Are you trying to say I’m a spinster?”

  Not in a million years. “Maybe.”

  She cocked a smirk. “I don’t have a preference, actually, because I’ve stopped dating.”

  “Oh.” He tried to act less than half as interested as he actually was. He sniffed, jiggling his mouse, bringing his computer screen to life. “You’ve already dated all the men in San Diego?”

  “No. Just enough to know that there aren’t any worth dating.”

  Her comment begged a response, but he had to walk the line carefully. Both as boss and now new dating protégé. What a horrible position to be in.

  “Ouch. Don’t tell my dates that, okay? You’ll lose me the bet.”

  “Sorry. Maybe you’re the last decent guy in the city,” she conceded, closing her notebook.

  “So maybe you should match the two of us,” he said, the words burning on his throat as soon as he said them. What the hell are you thinking? He couldn’t stop it, at this point. “Just for shits and giggles.”

  She blinked, that perfect mouth rounded with surprise. “Nick. I am not going to marry you.”

  He flashed a cheesy grin. “Not even if I split the winnings with you?” Now he was just spewing whatever occurred to him. He’d officially gone off the deep end. He didn’t want to marry her, either. Or anyone, really. But he did want to take her out. See what else there was to learn about her. Find all the fascinating curves of that sexy body.

  She snorted. “Five hundred grand isn’t worth the lifetime commitment.”

  He sighed, clicking through screens on his computer. “Yeah. Maybe you’re right.” He opened his mail and then closed it again. “But I really need to win this bet.”

  “I’ll find you some new matches by the end of the day. And if you have time in your schedule, we can even get you set up for a midweek date or two.” She stood, sending him an exaggerated wink. “I’ll have you married off in no time. Promise.”

  A smile lingered on his face as she walked out of his office, the arc of her hips holding him captive.

  He enjoyed this chance to meet with her more frequently, even if the aim was to pair him off with someone who wasn’t her. But if they couldn’t be a match, then they could at least have fun.

  And Nick intended to have as much fun with Haley as possible.

  4

  Amanda was running a fever. With Haley’s mom, her usual child care fallback, out of town for the day at doctor’s appointments, Haley called into the office.

  “Hey, Nick,” she said, already wincing at the apologetic tone in her voice. She hated having to call in for child-related things. She always feared it would come back to bite her somehow. Even though Nick’s company had been good to her so far, she didn’t trust the tech world even a little bit. “Listen, you think I could have a remote day today?”

  “Sure.” His smooth tenor immediately calmed her. His voice had always had that effect on her, even when she didn’t want to admit it. “Everything okay?”

  She nibbled on her lip as she stroked Amanda’s hair. The poor girl hadn’t even been able to get out of bed today. “Yeah, for the most part.”

  “You sure?”

  She hesitated. “Just got a sick baby today. She’s got a fever. I need to stay home with her.”

  The silence on the other end of the phone unnerved her. Like maybe he was trying to find a diplomatic way to say no. Or maybe he hadn’t heard her. Sometimes he could be so distracted, even when she was sitting right in front of him. It was the little things like that that annoyed her—how she could be in front of his face, and he’d focus anywhere but on her.

  “You have a daughter?”

  She pinched the bridge of her nose. “You didn’t know?”

  He was quiet for another couple of moments. “Yeah. Take the day at home. No worries.”

  His words rattled around inside her for a while after they’d hung up. Picking apart what his reaction meant; if knowing she had a child changed how he saw her; whether or not their fun, flirty banter would continue the same as before. Despite not wanting—or needing—a man, she liked the way she and Nick interacted. Sometimes, she could swear there was attraction there. Other times, she was convinced that he was just a bored, vapid rich guy who would say anything to get a rise out of anybody.

  But worst of all was how much she wanted to know the truth about him.

  Amanda slept a lot that day, so Haley was able to get a good amount of work done on the app. She even reconfigured Nick’s results and had two brand new matches who were very eager to meet him. As she conferred with the ladies over email, Haley reminded herself to be excited.

  Because despite the hopefulness of matching Nick with someone and getting the green light for her app, the distant anxiety of losing Nick hovered over her.

  Even though he’d never been hers to begin with, she didn’t want to lose the small kernels of warmth they shared. Ever since she’d started at his company, they’d had a unique connection. Almost like instant friends, but always careful to keep it on the professional side. She looked forward to the meetings in his office, the additional time she just got to be around him.

  But what if that ended soon?

  What if one of these women was The Wife?

  Around three, Haley called into Nick’s office with updates. He picked up on the second ring.

  “Haley.” His tenor made her belly flutter. “All good on the home front?”

  “Absolutely. In fact, I have two new matches for you.” She described each of the women, and they talked a bit about what the next set of dates might be like. “So, sound like a plan?”

  Nick hummed low. “Sure, why not. But I wanted to go over a few things with you about other aspects of this program. Some potential issues came up while I was reviewing the progress today.”

  She frowned, her stomach tightening. Of course, he would call an impromptu meeting on the one day she was out of the office. “Shit. Um, yeah, did you want to schedule a call later, or…”

  “No, this is an in-person meeting.” He sighed. “Well, since you’re remote today, why don’t I come to you?”

  She blinked, looking around the living room of her apartment. Toys were everywhere—Barbie dolls clogging the hallway, the tiny plastic hamburgers from the child-sized kitchenette stuck in between couch cushions. She wasn’t ready to receive her billionaire boss. “You want to come to my house?”

  “You’ve been there all day with your sick daughter. Maybe you nee
d a grocery delivery or something?”

  Words evaporated off her tongue. This was far sweeter than she wanted to admit. All she could do was force out, “Sure.”

  “I’ll see you around six, then.”

  She hung up feeling giddy, almost delirious. Nick was coming to her house. Was this a seduction tactic or simple niceness? Did other bosses offer the same? She tried to imagine if Nick was a Nicole; would the house call feel half as special? It didn’t matter. She got to work picking up toys and unwashed plates in the kitchen so she’d have a chance at not scaring him off.

  Time crawled by. Amanda had just woken up when the knock on her door sounded. Haley tucked Amanda in on the couch with her favorite cream-colored blankie before hurrying to the door. Nick grinned on the other side, two big paper bags cradled in his arms. Somehow, he was hotter than yesterday. He’d styled his longish black hair with a wave in it, her secret favorite.

  “Wow. Hi.” She stepped aside, gesturing for him to step in. “What’s all this?”

  “Dinner.” His gaze swept toward the couch, and his face softened. “Aw. Poor girl. I brought some things she might need. Wasn’t sure what you had so I just brought it all.”

  She led him to the kitchen, and he set the bags down on the dinette. Her eyes grew wide as he unloaded the groceries first—every brand of child-safe fever reducer, because he wasn’t sure which one she preferred, followed by vitamin C packets for her—“preventative measures,” he said—and then bananas, oranges, avocados. From the second bag he unpacked their dinner: creamy barley soup, thick slices of baguette, and a heaping pile of noodles covered with pesto.

  “Holy shit,” Haley murmured, looking over the spread. He’d brought enough for the three of them, with leftovers for tomorrow. “This is so nice. How much do I owe you?”

  He shook his head tersely. “Come on. It’s on the house.”

  “This is a lot of food,” she insisted.