Billionaire Kisses (Love in Sandy Beach Book 2) Read online

  “Looking better,” Nik answered. “The rangers say the rivers are going down.”

  “That’s what we heard as well.”

  Nik held up his beer, as in salute to the changing weather. “Can’t happen soon enough.”

  “Where are you headed next?” one of the others asked.

  “Cairns. How about you guys?”

  “Not sure yet. We’re hanging out here for a bit longer. There’s this killer party happening next weekend with the full moon. The Staircase to the Moon they call it.”

  Staircase to the Moon? Oh yes, he’d heard about it. It was a natural phenomenon that occurred between March and October. When the full moon rose over the exposed mudflats at extremely low tide, it created a beautiful optical illusion of stairs reaching to the moon. Many tourists came to admire it and many more hippies used it as an excuse to get drunk.

  “Next weekend? But that’s ten days away,” Nik reminded them.

  “Yeah, but we’re in no hurry. How about you? Want to hang around and party with us?”

  Nik looked at the young men and even though the temptation was strong, he also knew he needed to stay as far away from that lifestyle as possible. No doubt, there’d be plenty of alcohol and even more drugs at this party. And while Nik usually never said no to any of it, that shit had gotten him into trouble. Hippies and a weekend full of drugs and alcohol were so not in his plans right now.

  “I don’t think so, guys.”

  “Oh, come on. It’ll be a blast and who knows, you might hook up with some sweet chick looking to have a good time.”

  Nik shook his head and declined their invitation with a smile. “Sounds interesting, but I want to be in Cairns for the kitesurfing championship.”

  “So, you’re just going to take off on your own? Man, that sucks. Traveling all by yourself. Better find a travel companion.”

  He hadn’t thought about that. “A traveling companion? How?”

  “Yeah, man. Check the Facebook group. There are always people looking for a ride. You’ll have someone to talk to and share the costs.”

  “Thanks, Austin. If someone comes up in the next day or two, I might be game. But I can’t stick around Broome any longer than that.”

  Chapter 3

  Reese thoroughly enjoyed her afternoon at the beach. She swam for a while and then spread herself out on the beach blanket she’d brought with her and almost fallen asleep as she relaxed in the warm sun. Luckily, she wasn’t one to sunburn easily, but she’d put on plenty of sunscreen just in case.

  When she began to feel the effects of the sun and the water, she slipped into her shorts and tank top, dusted off her flip-flops and returned to the center of town.

  Broome was an interesting little town, and famous for its saltwater pearls. Like every woman, she loved wearing beautiful jewelry, and the pearls exhibited in the many shops made her heart beat faster. She browsed in several of the shops until she found a beautiful pair of earrings. A brilliant white shimmering with all colors of the rainbow like only genuine saltwater pearls do, they called her name.

  When she tried them on with the help of the friendly sales woman, she immediately felt elegant and movie star like. And the price was phenomenal, the same quality would cost almost triple the price back in the States. She purchased a set for herself and then a smaller set for both her mother and her sister. They’d both be over the moon when she presented them with the beautiful earrings.

  Her hotel was right around the corner and she smiled at the young man behind the desk as she headed for the stairs and her room. She shucked her sand-ridden clothes and put on her bathrobe. After the long day at the beach and in town, she craved a shower to refresh before heading out in search of dinner, but first she fired up her laptop and checked her email.

  Most of the emails went straight to the trash folder, but the one from her twin brother caused a sense of panic to rush through her chest. He needed her to call home urgently. Terrence wasn’t prone to drama, and if he needed her to call him right away, it wasn’t good news.

  She opened up her Skype account and a few minutes later looked at her brother through the screen of her computer.

  “Terr, what’s going on?”

  “Hey, sis. How’s Australia?”

  Reese held onto her patience and reminded him, “You sent me an email to call you right away. So, what’s wrong?”

  “Wrong? Did I say something was wrong?”

  She blew out a breath and forced her heart to calm down. “No, but your email made it sound urgent.”

  “Well, the thing is, our band got a chance to audition for a major rock band. I can’t say which one yet, but they’re huge. This could be the break we’ve been waiting for.”

  Reese shouted out, “That’s so cool! You guys would be the opening act?”

  He grinned at her, his green eyes shining. “Yeah. The guys and I are all psyched about this opportunity.”

  “So that’s what you needed to tell me so urgently?” she asked. His happy face fell and she knew there was more to it.

  “Well, no…not exactly. See, the thing is…the audition’s next week.”

  She leaned forward, dropping her chin on her hand. “Next week? You’re supposed to meet me in Broome the day after tomorrow.”

  His eyes grew serious and he pushed his dark hair from his face. “I know, but I’m not coming.”

  Reese tried to hide her disappointment, but his next words confirmed that she’d failed miserably in that endeavor. “Hey, please don’t be too upset. This is the chance of a lifetime. I have to do it.”

  She kept silent, unsure what to say. Terrence had talked her into this vacation. He was supposed to meet her in Broome, and then they’d planned to rent a small camper van. They figured it would take them about two weeks to make the twenty-five hundred mile journey between Broome and Cairns, where their brother Chase was competing in the World Kiteboarding Championship.

  “Sis, I’m terribly sorry…”

  She took in a long breath and forced a smile to her face. “Don’t be. This is a great opportunity for you.”

  “I’ll see you in Cairns then?”

  “You’ll come just for the championship?”

  “Yes. I couldn’t cancel the flight, but they charged me only fifty bucks to change it.”

  Reese sighed. “Okay, Terr. See you then.”

  “Yeah, I’ll see you then. And be safe, okay?”

  “Yes, of course I will. I expect to hear great things about your band.”

  “I’ll send you an email as soon as we hear something. Love you, sis.”

  “Love you too.” Reese exited Skype and closed down her laptop. She sat on the bed for a minute, and then forced herself to get up and get ready to head into town.

  Under the shower, she tried to decide whether she should fly to Cairns, or follow through on her original plan to drive across Australia. The idea to rent a car on her own crossed her mind, but making that long of a drive by herself was too foolhardy to even attempt. She was strong and independent, but twenty-five hundred miles alone in the outback was asking for disaster.

  But then she remembered overhearing people talking at the beach. Apparently, it was rather common to find a travel companion. That was the solution. She’d do just that. Right now.

  She washed the sand from her hair and as she closed her eyes to rinse it clean, an image of the arrogant man from the beach popped into her head. He’d pushed all her buttons, and if the smirk on his face was anything to go by, he’d done it deliberately.

  How she hated men like him. His muscular body was drool-worthy, but everything else? He was so not her type. No, she didn’t fall for the Mediterranean type who was too sure of himself and out to charm woman after woman. No way. Reese Paxton was done with men. Especially with good-looking men.

  Reese finished her shower and got dressed, pushing thoughts of the handsome man from her mind. She put on a miniskirt that made her legs look miles long and a simple peasant blouse with a drawst
ring around the neck. She tied it in the front and slipped on some leather sandals. Then she tied her natural curly hair up with a ribbon, in a feeble attempt to keep it at bay.

  After being a control freak her entire life, she’d finally found a way to use her control freak tendencies for good. She made a living organizing people and things. Office spaces, kitchens and closets, houses, and on occasion – the lives of her clients.

  But her hair was the one thing she’d never been able to control. It curled and did its own thing; no matter how much time she spent trying to tame it. It was a constant reminder she couldn’t organize everything. Not her hair; not her love life.

  Her wild curls resisted every treatment and she had even resorted to straightening them which had made her look like a fifty-year-old lady. So, she had gotten used to confining it. Her ex, Alex the jerk, had constantly nagged her that she needed to get her hair under control. She had to ‘look the part’ if she wanted to be seen in public places by his side. That was one of his excuses for not taking her to official events. Not that she’d been too keen on it, but every time he attended a formal meeting, he’d go alone.

  Now she knew the real reason. Lying and cheating bastard.

  Pushing those thoughts away, she grabbed her purse and headed out. Her first stop was the tourist information office, where she inquired about possible travel companions. The lady at the desk gave her some helpful information and even let her post a note on the blackboard for anyone who might happen to read it.

  “You know, dear. You should head over to the YMCA. That’s where all of the long-term travelers hang out. I’m sure you’ll have a better chance there.”

  “Thanks. I’ll do that. Have a nice day,” Reese told her as she headed back out into the evening air. She crossed the street and headed for the YMCA, but it was packed with single males in their twenties when she arrived. So she turned around and headed for the small diner the next block over. After dealing with the arrogant stranger on the beach earlier, she was in no mood to put up with boys and their antics.

  She ate a meal and decided she’d return to the YMCA the next morning, hoping there wouldn’t be a crowd of boozed up guys in the lobby of the small café. She so didn’t want to deal with their drunken advancements.

  Broome was packed with tourists, surely someone was headed the direction she needed to go. Twenty-five hundred miles away. To Cairns.

  Chapter 4

  Nik left the YMCA and returned to his camper van. He opened the fridge and pulled out another beer, gulping it down in one long sip.

  His mood had only worsened as the night had progressed and he couldn’t get the brunette from the beach out of his head. Why the hell did his body react so strongly to her? He sure needed her as much as he needed the plague.

  When his cell phone rang, he answered it and immediately wished he hadn’t. His night had just gone from kind of bad to shitty in seconds.

  “Daphne, what’s up, sis?”

  The eleven-year-old girl was bawling into the phone and it took several attempts before Nik got her to calm down enough to talk.

  “Daphne, sweetheart? What’s happening? Calm down and talk to me. You’re scaring me.”

  She took a shuttering breath and then blurted out, “Dad is going to divorce my mom!”

  Nik felt his heart break for the young girl and wished he were there in person to give her a hug. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry.” And he truly was. While only his half-sister, she was the only person in his family he could actually say he loved. He’d been looking out for her since the day she was born, and it broke his heart to know she was suffering so much. And alone.

  He was used to the constant fighting between their dad and her mother, and as this was his father’s fourth marriage, another divorce wasn’t all that surprising to Nik.

  But Daphne hadn’t ever gone through something like this and she was clearly upset by the news. Her crying intensified and he was helpless to console her. Damn. He wanted to hit some sense into his father.

  “When are you coming home? I miss you so much,” she sobbed.

  “I miss you too, sweetheart.”

  She whispered almost inaudible, “You’re the only good in my life.”

  Her remark pulled at him. Nik didn’t consider himself a good person, on the contrary. He was a rebel. He never did what was expected of him and defied social expectations just to gain a reaction. The bigger the reaction, the more he enjoyed himself.

  Daphne was the only person in the world capable of bringing out the good in him. His father was a complete asshole and his biological mother was a typical trophy wife. Her life revolved around her status and how much money she had. She’d never cared for her only son and had left his upbringing and care in the hands of different nannies.

  The same had happened to Daphne, and whenever he saw her, he remembered how much he’d hated his childhood and how his parent’s lack of love had sucked the life out of him. He’d sworn to protect Daphne as best as he could and provide her at least some family connection.

  He thought of his grandfather, Nikos Petridis Senior, and felt a measure of respect for the man. His grandfather had been the only one while he was growing up to give him any encouragement or discipline. And you shamed him.

  “Daphne, I can’t come home for at least another month. You know that.”

  “Maybe if you talked to grandfather…”

  “You know that won’t work.” He absolutely couldn’t fly home right now. His grandfather had exiled him for three months to grow up and figure out what he wanted from his life. And he respected his grandfather too much to ever dare to go against his orders. Ever.

  “What am I going to do?” Daphne cried into the phone.

  “You’re going to do what you always do. Go to school. Be a good girl. And try not to let their fighting get to you. This has nothing to do with you. Remember that.”

  “I wish you were here,” she cried again.

  “I promise to visit you as soon as I can. I know right now it seems hard, but I’ve been down this road a few times and it does get better.”

  She sniffed and sounded hopeful for the first time in their conversation. “Promise?”

  He smiled into the phone. “I promise.”

  “Okay. I love you, Nik.”

  “Love you too, sweetheart. Goodnight.” Nik tossed the cell phone onto the counter and cursed a blue streak. How dare his dad do this again?

  He grabbed two more beers and downed them both, hoping the alcohol would dull his pain and give him a chance to sleep tonight. His thoughts revolved around the little girl who was stuck in a household of hate and she needed him. But because of his stupid actions, he couldn’t help her. His guilt ate at him, and he despised how selfish he had lived his life.

  After more beer, he finally fell asleep. The next morning, he woke up with a crick in his neck from having slept in the chair, a partially full can of beer sitting next to him, and a hangover that promised to remain with him for the rest of the day.

  His first thoughts after how bad his head hurt were of Daphne and the pain and guilt that came with them.

  Feelings? Shit, I hate them.

  As he rummaged through the bathroom cabinet for some aspirin, he cursed the fact that his little sister even existed. She made things so much more difficult, because he couldn’t ignore her. Not even by drowning her out in a sea of alcohol.

  Then he felt ashamed. He loved her. He couldn’t say that of many people in his life.

  Chapter 5

  Reese woke up the next morning with a sense of urgency to get to the YMCA and find a travel companion. She truly didn’t want to fly to Cairns, having looked forward to the overland journey, but there was no way she could make the drive on her own.

  She arrived at the YMCA a little before lunchtime, and approached the young man sitting behind the counter with a smile. “Hi. The lady at the tourist info told me here would be the best place to find a travel companion?”

  He grinned at her. “S
ure is. You can post a note on the board, or…”

  “You looking for a friend?” a voice with a British accent asked from behind her.

  Reese turned to see a red-haired and goofy looking dude smiling at her. He lounged against the counter, and looked her up and down before holding out his hand. “Hi, my name’s Austin. And you are?”

  She almost laughed at the eager look upon his face. He must be barely twenty. “Hello. I was inquiring about finding a travel companion.”

  “What? You’re not going to stick around for the celebration?” Austin asked, a thick auburn eyebrow lifted in question.

  In spite of herself, she was curious. “What celebration?”

  “Nah. You can’t be serious. Such a beautiful girl and you haven’t heard about the Staircase to the Moon. It’s next weekend. Supposed to be a lot of fun,” he told her with a waggle of his eyebrows. “Party under the full moon, lots of people on the beach, clothes optional.”

  Next weekend? Shit. “Look Austin, I’m sure it will be the party of the year, but I can’t hang around here for another week. I need to get to Cairns.”

  “Cairns? Hey, there was a dude in here yesterday who’s heading to Cairns. Let’s see, his name was…Nik. Nice guy, but kind of a stick in the mud if you ask me. He wasn’t interested in partying either. I don’t know what’s wrong with you Americans.”

  “Sorry to burst your bubble, Austin, but not everyone is interested in partying until they forget what they were celebrating.”

  He looked crushed, but when a busty blonde walked into the building, he quickly recovered his swagger and started to turn away. Reese stopped him. “Hey! You don’t know where I could find Nik, do you?”

  “Not really, but he mentioned going to the kiteboarding event in Cairns tomorrow or so. He has one of those crazy huge camper vans. Wanted to go for it alone, but I told him it’s not a good idea. You can try to contact him via the Facebook group most of us hang out on.”