S*x and Secrets: Alpha Billionaire Forbidden Romance Read Free

speak.
    “The interview?”
    I slung a leg over his and nuzzled closer to his neck. I loved the smell of his skin after sex. I inhaled deeply to get a hit of testosterone, pheromones and sweat. “No shop talk. It’s against the rules,” I reminded him.
    “I’m just interested in what you do, babe. I’m not trying to fish for intel on your company.” His voice was calm and level. Convincing.
    I grinned against his skin. “Good. Because as fucking sexy as you are, my lips are sealed, and you’re not getting anything from me.”
    A low chuckle rumbled from his chest. “I have my spies for that.”
    “And we have ours. So we’re even,” I said, with a small satisfied smile twisting my lips.
    It was our fierce competitive natures that caused the sparks to fly whenever we faced off in the boardroom, causing quite a few eyebrows to lift. If only they knew that we were drawn to one another like magnets, that it was all a farce and that we couldn’t fight the chemistry that buzzed between us even if we tried.
    If anything, it was a huge turn-on. If we’d opposed one another in the boardroom during the day, we’d fuck even harder that night when we got together behind closed doors.
    His hand spread wide at the back of my neck so that his thumb and index finger could massage the tender knots in my neck and shoulders. I purred like a kitten, loving every moment of the sweet torture under his strong fingers.
    “Even? I’m glad you think so but I’m not too sure about that. Do you know that of all the challenges I’ve faced in my life, getting you into my bed was one of the biggest?”
    I cracked an eyelid open to stare up at him. His face was solemn and his jaw set squarely.
    “Hmmm . . . I’m not sure I can believe that. I’ve seen you in action. You thrive on challenges, Mr. Barrington. They’re what you have for breakfast.”
    He chuckled. “Everything is different with you. Usually I can walk away if something doesn’t go my way. But with you . . . I wanted you in my life, and I wasn’t giving up.”
    I pulled my head away slightly so I could get a glimpse of his steel grey eyes. I’d always been one for reading people through eye contact, so I needed to make sure he wasn’t just saying shit to make me feel good.
    I swallowed hard. “Really?”
    “Yeah.” He pressed his forehead against mine. “My billions are useless. Unlike most women, cold hard cash and everything I can buy for you didn’t make you fall into my bed. For the first time in my life I had to use more than money to get what I wanted with a woman.” His lips brushed against my cheek. “You really made me work for it.”
    I traced the back of my hand along his jawline. “And so it should be. Anything worth having is worth fighting for.” I let my words sink in before I continued. “I learned that at a very tender age. Growing up in poverty isn’t much fun, and it sure teaches hard lessons.”
    “That’s pretty tough for a kid. I’m sorry you had a hard childhood.”
    “Hey, I’m not looking for pity. It made me tough and resilient. Like iron being forged in an oven to harden the steel. The toughest steel makes the sharpest swords, you know.”
    “Did you have anybody to help you through those times? Other family?” It was the first time Levi had ever questioned me about my childhood. I’d told him questions of a personal nature were off-limits when we first got together and so far he’d stuck to it.
    Yet there was something different in the air between us that night. A shift of sorts I didn’t quite understand. First the invite to stay and now delving deeper into my private life. Normally I’d cut him off, but I was in an introspective mood, something that always happened around the time of my birthday, so I was being lenient in ways I’d not been before.
    I closed my eyes and for a brief moment let the memories flood through me. “No. It was just me and my mother. On days she couldn’t cope with life, she’d watch