The Billionaire's Desire (A Billionaire BWWM Steamy Romance) Read Free Page B

practicing a poise I didn't possess until it
was a mask I could slip into and wear comfortably.   My mother worked long hours and I was
left alone a lot, and I used that time alone to plan. Very soon I was able to
fit in anywhere I went. Adults praised my maturity, my poise, my professional demeanor. They didn't know it was the only
way I had survived.

 
    I spun
those skills into a business. After working at a bridal salon, I set those
planning instincts into motion for a client, who hired me to finish everything
for her when she suddenly found herself pregnant. That was the first time and
the last time in my business that I was caught unprepared. By the time my bride
waddled up the aisle, hugely pregnant, Sanniyah Jones Events was born and I was
off and running.

 
    Now I
can blend in effortlessly.

 
    But
Carter Easton's wealth is on another level entirely.  

 
    I swing
my car into the space where I'm directed, my mind whirling. A private island,
how could someone possibly need all that space, all that privacy? Reclusive be damned, he has to have an ego the size of the island
itself, I decide. A billionaire recluse, it is almost too clichéd to be
real. Deep down, he has to want to show off his fortune. That was probably why
he wanted to host the wedding. That had to be it.

 
    I accept
the pilot's helping hand and step in to the helicopter like it is nothing at
all to me. As he runs his checks, I'm sitting in the seat, trying to harden my
heart. This is no big thing to me at all, I try to say with my body language. I
ride on private helicopters every damn day.

 
    But it
is impossible not to feel my breath catch in my throat as we lift off and zoom out
over the white-capped ocean. It shimmers below us in the summer sunlight,
showing the colors of turquoise in the shallows giving over to the deep indigo
of the depths.

 
    Annika
Island is directly ahead, sitting like an emerald jewel in the sapphire sea,
curved like a crescent moon, the two points aimed towards the mainland. A huge mansion
sits above the bay, white and gleaming like a pearl necklace along the throat
of the island, clinging to the cliff through some marvel of architecture. As we
fly closer, I can see the white, sandy beaches in detail; little hidden coves
dotting the shoreline. My heart gives a little unwelcome lurch both from
jealousy and a twinge of fear. My hand wanders down to clasp my cellphone. I
still have full strength; I can call Tricia if I need to.

 
    The
landing is so smooth I barely realize we are on the ground until the pilot
turns to help me exit. The helipad is attached to an air-conditioned garage,
filled with cars, at least fifteen that I can see although three or four
hulking shapes underneath tarps tell me he has even more. Where the heck does
he even drive this many cars? He lives on an island and commutes via
helicopter! The ridiculousness of Carter Easton is firmly entrenched in my
brain by now.

 
      I am scoffing at him, even as the planning
wheels are turning. This is indeed an incredible location for a wedding. I step
out of the elevator into the first floor and stand stock still, taking it all
in.

 
    The
walls are all glass, doors flung open to the sea breeze, the scents of the sea
wafting in on the light breeze. I turn my head and inhale the whisper of
jasmine and wonder if it grows wild in the tress in the wooded interior.

 
    "Hello?"
I call into the wide-open space. There is no one there to greet me, which I
find odd. The helicopter pilot flew off immediately after dropping me off,
explaining that Mr. Easton allowed him to eat dinner with his family most
nights, and that he'd be back just as soon as I called. I try to ignore the
feeling of being trapped and tap out another message to Tricia. "Here on
the island. Will check in soon."

 
    "Hello?"
I repeat, stepping forward. The whole first level is wrapped in an immense,
deep deck as large as the interior space. I am already moving towards it