His Millionaire Maid(22)

The uneasiness in her stomach congealed into cold dread. "Who?" she forced herself to ask, sensing she wouldn't like the answer.

"A billionaire bastard named Carson Beaumont. Ever heard of him?"

Thank God he had his back to her or he surely would have noticed her  shock. She felt the blood draining from her cheeks, leaving her shaky  and weak.         

     



 

"Uh, n-no, don't think so." What else could she say? She hated lying  about such an important fact, especially after she'd promised him no  more lies, but what choice did she have when he'd just labeled her  father a bastard?

"You're lucky, then." Joe was still staring out the window. "Beaumont  wants this property because of the sea views and because it's the only  access to a huge plot of land farther back where he wants to build  another of his obscene megaresorts. He's already made me several offers.  Oh, not him personally, of course. He sends up his goons to do his  dirty work."

"Dirty work?" She felt as hollow as she sounded.

"Yeah. I think they've been whispering to the banks, discouraging them  from giving me a loan." His hands curled into fists, and his shoulders  grew rigid. "And they know my grandmother is in a nursing home. They  know to the dollar how much it costs me each month, so they're trying to  use that as leverage on me." Veins bulged in his hands. "Fuckers."

Nina sucked in tiny sips of air as her ribs threatened to crush her lungs. "That's vile," she choked out.

God, this was so much worse than she could have imagined. How dare her  father treat Joe-or anyone-like this? It was contemptible, immoral. Were  Beaumont, Inc.'s managers acting on their own or only carrying out  orders? It didn't really matter. Her father had always been a ruthless  businessman. He pressed his subordinates to get results, no matter what.  He was responsible.

What could she do about it, though? Should she call her dad and demand  he back off from Joe? But he wouldn't, because he'd never taken her  seriously and she wasn't the apple of his eye like Brooke was. He  wouldn't because business always came first. He wouldn't because she  never came first with him. What she wanted and what she cared about  didn't matter to him.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Joe's soft query came from closer than she'd expected, and she saw that he was right in front of her, eyes dark with concern.

She folded her arms around herself, feeling sick and cold. "I wish I could help you."

"You have helped me, just now." His mouth lifted in a small smile. "Thank you, Nina."

His thanks only made her feel worse. She didn't deserve his thanks. She was the enemy because of her name.

"I didn't expect such a bad storm. I've been trying to find the time to  weatherize this place before winter comes," Joe continued. "Guess I  should get a move on it now."

"Let me help you," she said, consumed by guilt. "When I'm free, of course. I won't neglect my duties at the inn."

He seemed surprised but pleased. "That'd be great, thanks. I'll see if I  can get some of my buddies to help over the weekend, too."

He shifted toward her, his hands gripping her elbows. He wanted to  uncross her arms, she intuited, and by the look in his eyes, he wanted  to kiss her. But this time, her desire was no match for a guilty  conscience, and she kept her arms firmly locked.

A frown touched Joe's brow, and some of the warmth ebbed from his eyes.  Instead of embracing her, he brushed her cheek briefly. "You must be  freezing. Let's get back to the inn."

She followed him out, her heart as heavy as the clouds hanging overhead.

 …

Work was a welcome distraction from a troubled conscience. The inn was  full that weekend, and Sarah was short in the kitchen again. Nina didn't  mind being the target of Sarah's quick temper. She preferred being busy  to dwelling on Joe's problems with Beaumont, Inc. and how she was  concealing her identity from him. When her shift on Friday night ended,  Joe told her to get a good night's rest and he'd see her in the morning.  She was almost relieved not to spend the night with him, but in the  small hours of the morning she woke up cold and lonely and missing the  heat of his body.

Saturday was hectic, too. After finishing her morning chores, she  discovered that Vince was preparing to go and help Joe weatherize his  B&B mansion, and immediately she insisted on going with him. At the  house were three men, all friends of Joe's. Joe was apparently up on the  roof. The men eyed her curiously when Vince introduced her but soon  turned their attention back to work.

Nina was doing her best to caulk a leaky window when Joe walked up to her.

"Hey, you're here," he said, surprise and pleasure on his face.

As always, her heart flipped at his appearance. "I said I would be."

"You didn't have to, you know."
         

     



 
But she did, she really did-to make up for her dad causing him trouble,  however small the gesture. The more she got to know Joe, the more she  admired him. He didn't deserve to be bullied into selling his dream. She  wanted to help him succeed in any way she could.

"I know I don't have to; I want to. But I'm not exactly the world's best  handyman." She gave a wry nod at the smeary line of filler she'd laid  down.

"Here, let me teach you." Before she could blink, Joe had wrapped his  hand around hers holding the caulking gun. There was no one else in the  room. He leaned into her, his breath feathering her cheek. "See, you  just need a steady hand … "

Their bodies melded together. His groin nestled against her ass. His  hand wasn't so steady, and neither was her heart. "Joe … someone might  come in."

Reluctantly, he let her go. "Maybe we can meet tonight?" His voice was thick with need.

She nodded, her blood fevered. But before she could say anything, Joe's  friend Paul walked into the room, Joe stepped away from her, and the  moment was over.

With a sigh, Nina returned to her task. She hadn't been at it five minutes before her cell phone rang.

"Hey, girlfriend," Lindsey chirped in her ear. "Thought I'd better check  on you, since I haven't heard from you in more than a week."

"Oh, hi, Lindsey." Nina paused to check the room was empty. She didn't  need anyone overhearing her conversation. "Sorry I haven't called  earlier. Things have been … hectic." That was one way of putting it.

"Glad to hear you're still alive, at least. Can you tell me where you're staying in case I need to get a hold of you?"

"Sure. I'm at the Comet Inn in Hartley."

"Uh-huh. So how's the whole incognito thing going?"

"It's been … interesting."

"Oh, yeah? Whatcha doing right now?"

Nina held up a caulk-spattered hand and chuckled. "You'd never guess.  I'm covered in grime, I look awful, and I have hours of work ahead of  me, but somehow I'm enjoying myself."

"Hmm. You sound different. More relaxed and carefree." Lindsey paused. "So. What's his name?"

Nina spluttered. "His name?"

"The name of the guy who's made you so relaxed and carefree."

Nina rolled her eyes. Lindsey knew her too well. "His name is Joe. And it's not what you think."

"I'll bet. It's probably worse." Lindsey chuckled. "Have fun, darling.  Just don't get too involved. Remember you're returning to San Francisco  in two weeks."

Nina sighed. "I won't forget." But she had managed to push that inconvenient fact to the back of her mind.

"I'll leave you to your fun with Joe. Just be careful, okay?"

"Yes, Mom. Thanks for calling."

Lindsey's advice was sound, but how could she be careful around Joe when  all he had to do was walk into a room to get her hormones jumping?  She'd practically swooned when he'd suggested they might meet that  night, and as the afternoon wore on, she found herself praying her hopes  would come true.

To make matters worse, it was such a struggle pretending there was  nothing going on between them when she was microscopically aware of his  presence. Each time he came close to her, her entire body fluttered with  anticipation, and just the sound of his voice in another room was  enough to make her prickle with pleasure.

She wasn't being honest with him about her identity, but there was  nothing fake about her body's reaction to him. She wanted to be with  him, desperately. She wanted another blissful night with him, where hot,  earthy sex would make everything else inconsequential. Where she could  forget who she was, where she came from, everything. She wanted to lose  herself with Joe.

But Saturday night she fell asleep on her own, again.

After several hours at Joe's B&B, she and Vince returned to the inn  to prepare for the evening rush. Joe stayed behind and didn't come back,  even when dinner was in full swing. She overheard Sarah asking Vince if  he knew where Joe was, and Vince had replied that Joe was still at the  B&B and wasn't expected back.