Her Guardian Billionaire (Forbidden First Time Romance) Read Free

glass. “There’s no way to shortcut time, Anna.”
    “So that’s it, hmm? Time is all people need to heal old wounds and learn to live again? Well, then, you should be an expert at it.”
    “I think I manage just fine.”
    “All alone, without a family, a wife, children? A man in his fortress. Yeah, I’d say you’re an expert.”
    James set his glass on the table and stared at his ward. She’d always been feisty. Opinionated. The handful of times they’d run into each other and chatted—talking politics or current events—she’d never backed down. But she’d never pushed him or goaded him into anger. A thrill ran through him as he imagined bending her to his will, binding her arms behind her back and hearing her beg for it.
    He flashed a smile and took another sip. “I have you.”
    “Not yet.”
    James sputtered, nearly choking as he stared at her. She can’t be serious . Anna couldn’t possibly be interested in him. She’d have her pick of any eligible young man in the city. He had to be imagining things. “So, any lucky guy you’re seeing?”
    Anna swirled her drink around in her glass and licked her lip. Her tongue traced a path over her soft skin and he wanted to dive in and chase it down.
    “Not a one.”
    “Not possible.” The woman oozed sex—it screamed at him from across the table. She might not be shoving her tits in his face and hiking up her dress, but as she crossed her legs—sliding one silky smooth thigh over the other—she had to know the effect.
    She shrugged and took a drink. “I’ve never found the right guy.”
    “Never?”
    She shook her head and James reeled. “Are you telling me a woman as gorgeous and smart as you has never had a proper boyfriend? I don’t believe it.”
    “Well, you can believe whatever you like, but it’s true.” She drained the rest of her second glass and leaned back in her chair, showing off the necklace as it sparkled between her breasts. Shit . He stared at the diamond as the light split in a thousand tiny cuts, casting rainbow shadows over her bare skin.
    “What about in college? Boarding school?”
    “Nope. I know it sounds crazy, but I want something…more.”
    “Like what?” James’s breath hitched as he waited, staring at Anna with a mix of hope and dread.
    “Someone bold, assertive. A real man.” Pulling herself off the chair, she leaned forward, letting the necklace slip between her cleavage. “Someone like you.”
    Jesus . He’d invited her to drinks to get over his ridiculous obsession, not give into it. No matter how many times he’d fantasized about her, how many times he’d wished they’d met any other way, the truth remained. He could pass for her father and had taken her in, made her his legal ward. She might turn twenty-one at midnight, but that didn’t change anything.
    He couldn’t give in to his wants. He couldn’t take what he didn’t deserve.

    I said it. Out loud. Anna’s heart thrummed in her chest and blood whooshed through her veins. She’d seen the way he looked at her—watching the necklace dip lower and lower between her breasts, glancing at her leg as she crossed it over and back. He wanted her. He just needed to admit it.
    “I’m thirty-nine, Anna.” And gorgeous . She loved his short and sexy beard and his hair long enough to hold onto. Mmm . She could run her fingers through it all night. And his body. Oh, god . She’d stolen enough glances while he swam or worked out to know how much muscle a well-cut suit could hide.
    “So? That’s not old.”
    “I’m your guardian.”
    “That doesn’t matter.”
    “How can you say that?”
    “We hardly know each other.”
    “I know enough.”
    A bolt of anger welled up inside her and Anna slapped her hand on the table. “Stop arguing!”
    James’s eyes flashed to match her own. “I don’t take orders from anyone.”
    “Then don’t. Take what you want instead. Take me.”
    With a groan, he reached out, grazing her cheek with his palm. The