The Billionaire’s Stubborn Lover (The Maxfield Brothers Series Book 3) Read online

  “You’re here now.”

  “Yes well, that wasn’t my doing. Gabe made it seem like the world was ending at Duncan Enterprises, and Stephen and I came rushing home to help,” Nathan said, and he couldn’t quite keep the bitterness out of his voice.

  “But you’re still here. So something made you stay.”

  He leaned forward and studied her. “Why the third degree? I can live anywhere I damn well please.” His words were crueler than he anticipated, and she sat back as if she’d been slapped.

  “If you didn’t want to talk about your past, all you had to do was say so,” she said stiffly.

  “I don’t want to talk about my past,” he said deadpan.

  “Fine.”

  Holding his breath, he waited for her to get up and storm off. When she didn’t, he had a newfound respect for her. She was tougher than she looked.

  Carolina folded her arms and stared at him. “You’re touchy.”

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. My relationship with my family is complicated. We’re working it out, but there are still some issues between us. I don’t really like to talk about it.”

  She smirked. “I feel the same way when someone asks about my ex-husbands.”

  “We’re learning things already.” Their food arrived, and as she eyed his spaghetti, he knew that he was forgiven. Giving her a healthy portion of his pasta on her plate, she beamed with excitement. “If you eat all of that, I’ll be very impressed.”

  “Never underestimate a mother’s ability to eat. We shove food in our mouths like bears newly awakened from hibernation because we never know when we’ll get the chance to eat again.”

  “All you have to do is call. It’s my pleasure to feed you,” he said with a chuckle.

  “I bet you say that to all the mothers you date,” she teased.

  As dinner progressed, he skirted around any other touchy subjects. After dinner and the bottle of wine, they walked arm in arm around the old buildings in silence. It wasn’t from lack of having anything to say. The more they walked, the more the sexual tension grew between them.

  “I have an hour before I have to pick up the kids,” she said in a low voice. “And we’ve pretty much seen everything that we can see here.”

  Nathan looked down at her. “What else do you want to do?” He kept his voice as even as possible.

  “You said you live close by?”

  “I walked here.”

  Carolina pulled out her car keys and smiled. “I think I can save us some time.” She had a knowing smile on her face, and he nodded.

  “I like the way you think.”

  They were parked outside his apartment in a matter of minutes. She looked up at the beautiful brownstone and gaped. “You live here?”

  “I need plenty of open space to work. Studio apartments let in lots of light and make me feel less closed-in. If you like this, you’re going to love the inside.” He grinned, and she punched him lightly in the arm.

  “Careful, or I’m going to change my mind,” she warned.

  Immediately, he pulled her into his arms. “No expectations, Carolina. I want you to know that.”

  “I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t know.”

  His fantasies from the shower reemerged in his mind, but he shoved them down. He meant what he said. Nathan was going to let her take the lead.

  Until she was more comfortable with him.

  She didn’t say anything as they climbed the stairs, and he pushed the key into the lock and turned it. Luckily, the only thing that was messy in his apartment was his desk. Like Gabe, he was a bit of a control freak when it came to his living area. He lived minimally, and that helped him stave off the chaos.

  Carolina, on the other hand, didn’t even stop to look around. As soon as the door closed, she was in his arms and pulling his mouth down to hers.

  So much for taking it slow. She practically devoured him as she pressed her lips to his. To his surprise, she wanted to take complete control. Pushing him against the wall, she tugged at his sweater vest until he pulled it off, then she attacked the buttons on his shirt. When she spread it open, she gasped.

  “Damn, Nathan. If I had known that you were hiding all this under your shirt, I might not have waited so long.”

  His muscles clenched as she lightly traced the lines of his abdomen with her finger. It took several deep breaths to get himself more in control. He was hard as a rock, but if he made the wrong move, he might lose her.

  When she reached for the buttons on his pants, he grabbed her wrist. “Whoa, baby. Let’s slow down.”

  Her eyes widened, and she stilled. He saw all the insecurities and doubts in her eyes, so he released her hands and tucked her hair behind her ears. “When I finally make love to you, I want to make sure that we have plenty of time. I don’t want to cram it between dinner and the kids.”

  Carolina bit her lower lip and pressed her body against him. “Oh really? You think it’s going to take longer than twenty minutes?”

  Nathan let his hands trace the straps of her dress. “To make you come as many times as I want? Yes.”

  Letting a small whimper slip out, she turned in his arms and rubbed her ass against his cock. “Carolina,” he said hoarsely.

  “We still have some time, and I want to play.” Coyly, she reached up and slipped one strap off her shoulder. Nathan leaned down and pressed his lips to her beautiful sun-kissed skin, and she shuddered. Slipping the other strap off her shoulder, he pushed her dress down to reveal her strapless bra. When she didn’t deny him, he unsnapped her bra and immediately filled his hands with her luscious curves.

  Her moan let him know that her breasts were sensitive, and he turned her around. Her eyes were completely dark with lust. “Is that what you call playing?”

  Just when he leaned down to take a nipple in his mouth, her phone rang. Her body immediately froze.

  “Carolina?” he murmured.

  “That’s Carlo’s ringtone. It might have something to do with the kids. I’m sorry,” she said as she stepped away.

  Nathan ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath as she pulled her dress up over her breasts and fumbled in her purse for her phone.

  “Hello?” she said in a shaky voice. She listened for a moment and turned to look at him. There was regret written all over her face. “Of course. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

  Nathan picked up her bra and handed it to her. “Got to pick them up early?”

  “Yes. Carlo is getting called away for work. I’m sorry about this.”

  “Don’t be. Like I said, we didn’t really have enough time to do what I’m hoping for, so it’s okay.” He watched as she turned her back on him to put her bra back on and slip the straps of her dress back on her shoulders.

  “Tell me that I can see you soon.” Reaching out, he gripped her hips and pulled her lightly against him.

  “I hope so.” Turning, she gave him a light peck on his lips and walked out.

  Nathan headed to the bathroom to take his second cold shower of the day.

  8

  “Carolina, you promised that you’d come over tonight and help me shop for the nursery,” Angie muttered. Carolina shifted her phone from one shoulder to the other and snagged the note that one of the waitresses held out to her.

  A table wanted to speak to her. “Are they leaving?” she whispered to Ashley.

  “They just ordered dessert.”

  “Okay, I’ll be there in a minute.” She switched her attention back to Angie, and at the same time, she started digging through the new files of paper that she’d organized. Somewhere in there was the mortgage application that she was looking for. “I know Angie. I was on my way out the door, but one of the cooks was late. I promise that I will still be there, but I need to take care of one last thing before I leave.”

  Relief washed over her when she found the packet of information. “And while I’m there, we can talk about how we’re going to convince Momma t
o buy rather than rent a new space for the restaurant.”

  There was silence on the other end, and Carolina frowned. “Angie? Are you still there?”

  “Yeah. Mom’s not taking my phone calls. I think she’s upset about losing the building. But, hey, that’s not your problem. Promise me, you’ll be here soon?”

  “I’ll be there in an hour.” Carolina confirmed. She shoved the papers and her phone in her purse and stopped by the kitchen. “Guys, I’m going to talk to a table, and then I’m heading out for the night. If you have any questions, call me.”

  She hurried toward the table and sighed in frustration when she realized who it was. Sandra Malcolm came in with one of her girlfriends or with a new boyfriend at least once a month. And each time she was in, she complained about something.

  Shooting Ashley a dirty look for not telling her it was Sandra, she plastered a fake smile on her face. “Ms. Malcolm, welcome back. How can I help you today?”

  Sandra’s hair was perfectly coiffed and pulled back in a bun. The woman looked like she was in her thirties, but Carolina imagined that she was closer to forty than thirty. The woman shoved her glasses up her pointy nose and scowled at her. “I see that you removed the brownie from the dessert menu.”

  “Oh gee, sorry, but it was never really on our regular menu. We were running a special that week with an ice cream topped brownie. It was for the Daddy-Daughter Date week.”

  “Well the rest of your selections are ridiculous. What are sopapillas anyway?”

  Despite the fact that Sandra kept coming around, she still didn’t seem to understand that Maria’s was a Latin American Fusion restaurant. To Sandra, Mexican food meant Taco Bell. Without letting her smile slip, Carolina did something that always chipped away at her soul. “Why don’t you enjoy our fried ice cream on the house?”

  Sandra sniffed, but Carolina could tell that she was satisfied. Bidding them goodbye, she grabbed Ashley’s arm and dragged her to the door. “First of all, I hate you for not warning me who it was! Second of all, make sure her dessert is free.”

  Ashley shrugged. “Last time I told you that it was Sandra, you slipped out the back. Hey, before you go, I wanted to let you know that I think the interview at Topeka’s Steak House went well. Hopefully they’ll be following up with my list of references.”

  Carolina’s shoulders slumped, but she nodded her head. “Of course. Um, congratulations, I hope you get the good news soon.” She hated these conversations. It was important for her to make sure that her staff was taken care of, but she was also afraid that there wouldn’t be any staff left when they finally settled on a location.

  She really needed to get her mother to understand what was going on.

  Bonita was watching the kids, so Carolina drove straight to Angie’s. The house was absolutely beautiful at night where it sat perched above the Pacific Ocean. The moon rose over the crashing waves, and Carolina wistfully thought that Angie really did have the happily-ever-after fairytale ending. The job of her dreams. With the man of her dreams. A beautiful house on the water. And, to top all that off perfectly, a baby on the way.

  At no point in any of her marriages had she ever felt as happy as Angie looked these days. Of course, when she opened the door, she looked less than happy.

  “Are you dating Nathan?” was the first question out of her mouth.

  “I don’t know if three dinners, two of them with my kids, counts as dating,” Carolina said flippantly as she handed her sister the designs. “These are Anita’s and Bonita’s opinions about the nursery. Let’s crack open a bottle of wine and do this.”

  She squeezed past Angie’s big belly and walked straight to the kitchen. Angie waddled behind her. “In my book, three dinners certainly does count as dating. I thought you were going to take some time after Carlo.”

  “It’s been a year, Angie. That’s a record for me.” Carolina opened the wine cabinet and pulled down a bottle of red. Pouring herself a glass, she sipped it slowly and leaned against the counter. “I have had a hell of a day. If we don’t convince Momma to buy new premises soon, I’m going to lose the restaurant.”

  Angie narrowed her eyes. “Stop changing the subject. Why Nathan? He’s family.”

  “He’s your family. Trust me, he is not mine,” Carolina said with a knowing smile. And after seeing that sculpted body of his, she was very glad for that.

  “His brother just married his ex-girlfriend. Are you sure you want to go down that route?”

  “Nathan does not seem to mind. The nursery?” She pushed off the counter and headed to the stairwell. “Are you going to tell anyone the baby’s name? You’re due soon. It’s going to be really embarrassing if you have that baby and faint, and I have to name her. I think Carolina would be a great name for your daughter. Or what about Princess. That would be a great name for a little baby girl. Or maybe Aloha, that would make a great name and so unusual or maybe...”

  Angie followed slowly behind her as they climbed the stairs. “Do it and die,” she groaned between breaths.

  Carolina opened the door to the nursery and gasped. “Angie! You haven’t done a single thing!” All the gifts from the baby shower were still piled in the corner, and while it looked like she’d tried to put the crib together, it was still in pieces in the middle of the floor.

  “I know!” she wailed. “I’ve been so busy! Stephen is supposed to paint when he gets back, but I haven’t chosen a color. He says that if I don’t have a color picked by the time he gets back, the walls are going to stay white.”

  It was going to be a long couple of hours. Carolina downed her glass of wine and wondered if she should have brought the whole bottle. But she had to pick up her kids later, so she would have to deal with Angie and her mess sober.

  Clapping her hands together, she turned and faced Angie. “Paint samples?”

  Her sister waddled over to the corner and shuffled through the boxes before she finally pulled the samples out. “I don’t want pink or purple. I’m thinking gray or turquoise might be calming. What do you think?”

  “Gray is great for accent colors. You could do a bright yellow trim. Or you could do this pretty sea foam green trim,” Carolina said with a cheerful smile.

  Angie immediately looked better. “Oh, that’s such a good idea. Okay. That’s one thing that I can check off.” She flipped through the designs that their other two sisters had picked out. “Have you seen these? They’re straight out of designer catalogues.”

  Carolina looked over her shoulder and snorted. “Whoever designed those did not have any children. Look, stop worrying about the way the nursery looks. Start with the basics. Crib. Rocking chair. Changing table.”

  Rubbing her belly, Angie closed her eyes and sighed. Slowly, she sat on the only chair in the room. “Carolina, I don’t know what I’m doing. You, Anita and Bonita are such natural mothers. What if I’m the type of woman who puts my career first? What if I can’t figure out how to balance the two?”

  “Sweetheart,” Carolina murmured as she sat down on the floor next to her sister. “I was eighteen when I had Tamara. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. You know that. You were there. Don’t you remember yelling at me because I wanted to marry the father of my child?”

  Angie chuckled at the memory. “That’s true. You never did listen.”

  “I’ve done a lot of things wrong in my life, but my children? They’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. And when you give birth to that beautiful baby girl, I know you’re going to feel the exact same way. And you are going to be surrounded by family who are going to drive you up the wall with advice. And don’t forget, Stephen’s already done this once before, he will be able to help you.”

  “God.” Angie frowned. “At least then I’ll be able to drink whiskey again.” She reached over and patted Carolina’s knee. “Do you really like him?”

  Carolina took a deep breath. “I think that my life is crazy and chaotic, and I think there is no room for someone like Nathan Maxfiel
d. But when I’m with him, I forget all about that.”

  “Have you…?” Angie raised her eyebrows.

  “Not yet. There is never time, and to be honest, I’m a little nervous.” She turned her head and looked at her sister. “Angie, if you don’t want me to date Nathan because he’s part of your family, I won’t see him anymore. But if you’re against it because you think that it won’t work, we already know that, you’re not telling us anything we don’t already know. But somehow...”

  “I don’t want to see you get hurt again. And I don’t want to do anything else to break up the Maxfield brothers.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that,” Carolina promised. “I’m an adult. I know what I’m getting myself into, and I can take care of myself.”

  Angie gave her a bittersweet smile. “I know, Honey. But you’re still my baby sister.”

  Carolina crawled forward and snagged the instruction sheet that was lying on top of the little stack of wood. “And now your baby sister is going to put your baby’s crib together.”

  Just as she opened the manual, her phone rang. Digging it out of her purse, she sighed. “Sorry Angie. It’s Bonita.”

  “Dammit,” Angie swore.

  “Don’t get upset,” Carolina said to her as she answered the phone. “I promise I’ll find time this week to come by and help you with all of this. Bonita? What’s wrong?”

  It turned out that Tamara and Julio had their own food-eating contest and were now throwing up. Great. That was just what she needed. Giving Angie one last apologetic glance, she grabbed her purse and left.

  Nathan was setting the dimensions on his 3D printer when someone knocked on his door. Frowning, he crossed his apartment and threw open the door. “Gabe? What the hell are you doing here?”