Without Warning: A Billionaire Romance (Playboys of New York Book 5), JA Low [book suggestions .TXT] 📗

“Do you need saving?” Didn’t mean for that to sound as flirting as it did.

“Not sure yet. I guess I’ll know when I reach the bottom.” She shakes the half-empty bottle, which makes me chuckle again.

“You live around here?” I ask, wondering if she needs help to get home. Maybe I do have a white knight complex? This thought makes me smile.

“Yep.” She points directly behind her at the incomplete resort.

“No, you’re not…” The tone of my voice changes because I know that resort is not complete yet. Is she a squatter?

“Um… yeah, I am.” She frowns at me angrily.

“I know the owners. Plus, the resort isn’t open,” I tell her.

“Really? You know the owners?” Raising a brow at me, I can tell she doesn’t believe me.

“Yes, Logan and Noah Stone,” I reply.

She doesn’t look convinced. I know the Stone twins from being in the same circles back in Manhattan. Even though we run similar businesses in the travel sector, we are vastly different. They’ve attended my family’s fundraising events. I’ve seen them at clubs with beautiful women draped over their arms. I’ve even seen them on my daily run in Central Park. Can’t really escape them.

“Really?” She stares at me. “Prove it.” The mysterious woman challenges me as she folds her arms across her chest stubbornly.

Challenge accepted. I pull out my phone, and dial Logan, then put it on speaker.

“Davenport, what do you want?” Logan’s gruff voice echoes through the night.

“There’s a beautiful brunette sitting on the beach drinking wine directly from a bottle, and she says she’s staying at your resort.” Looking down at her, I smile. “Just wanted to check if it’s true or if I should call the cops?”

There’s a pause.

Then Logan bursts out laughing.

“Lenna. Can you hear me?” Logan calls out.

My eyes widen.

“Yes,” she mumbles unhappily.

Okay, maybe she is staying at the resort.

“I’d like to introduce you to Rhys Davenport. The Stone Group’s biggest competitor.”

I chuckle. It’s nice of him to acknowledge that.

“Davenport, I’d like you to meet Lenna Lund, my HR Director.”

“Well, I’m glad we could sort this all out.” I smirk. “See ya around, Stone.” Hanging up on him before he gets a chance to say anymore, I smile down at Lenna. I’m glad she’s someone who’s supposed to be here because I didn’t really want to call the cops on such a beautiful woman.

“You thought I was a squatter, didn’t you?” she asks.

I hold up my hands and smile. “Well, yeah, but in my defense, I thought you were a very beautiful one.” Those chocolate eyes soften at my compliment.

“You can’t butter me up now after nearly calling the cops on me.”

I laugh. “I wouldn’t have called the cops on you, but I might have made a citizen’s arrest.” Flirtation swirls around my words.

“Wow! That doesn’t sound creepy at all.” She giggles.

“I was hoping for more suave than creepy.” I shrug.

It’s nice talking to a woman who doesn’t appear to be after me for anything.

“You might need to rethink your strategy.” She raises a brow at me.

“Well, it’s been a while since I’ve been single, so I guess I’ve lost my mojo,” I tell her.

“I doubt someone like you will be single for long,” she states, looking me over.

“You’d be surprised.” Shoving my hands into my pockets, not really wanting to tell this beautiful woman about my messed-up divorce.

“Sounds like there’s a story there.” She looks up at me.

“You’d be right.”

“I’ve got wine.” She shakes the half-empty bottle in my direction.

Maybe there’s a reason I ran into this intriguing woman. Just not sure yet what it might be. I take the bottle of wine from Lenna and plonk myself down on the sand beside her. “How much time do you have?” I ask as I take a swig from the bottle.

“I’ve got nothing but time at the moment.” She takes the bottle back and takes a sip.

So, I tell her everything.

Ariana

Eighteen Months Later

I’ve been talking to this guy online for the past month called Rhys Bailey, and the man is gorgeous. He looks tall and broad from the pictures he posted online. He has dark, black hair with stunning blue, almost aqua eyes that I just get lost in. Tomorrow night is the night we finally get to meet for the first time as he’s been in London for work.

I want to see you dressed in a trench coat and your best lingerie with sky-high heels for me tomorrow night, Rhys messages me.

A shiver courses down my spine with anticipation each time I read his dirty requests.

“I’m here,” Emma greets me at the designer lingerie boutique.

What a year it’s been for her so far. She got engaged to her husband, Anderson, in Vegas. I know that doesn’t sound right, but it’s a long story. Then, unfortunately, the next day, a drunk driver hit the car that had my friends, Emma, Stella, and Elise were in, and it changed our lives forever.

I’ve spent part of the summer up in The Hamptons with Stella while she recovered from her broken leg. Now she and EJ have found love with each other, finally, after all these years of dancing around one another.

While we were away from the city, Emma fled to France after the accident due to the large slash she, unfortunately, got across her face. She’s a supermodel and having something so traumatizing happen to her face was all a little too much for her, so she ran. Obviously, Anderson ran after her, but Emma wasn’t ready to deal with all her emotional baggage, and I understand that. Emma had a traumatic childhood, and I think the accident might have brought up some past wounds.

You can still see a faint scar across her face under her makeup. Still, in all honesty, she looks even more beautiful because she’s not so perfect anymore, and she’s become more confident because of it.

She and Anderson are getting married next year in Vegas. They’ve also traded