TheBillionairesPilot by Suzanne Graham

your
homework, young man. And you are a gifted negotiator. Estrella will accept this
agreement.”
    Evan got to his feet, holding in the
satisfaction that threatened to overwhelm him. Shaking Xavier’s hand, he said,
“It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Mitchell family.”
    “Yes, we are family now,” Xavier agreed,
patting Evan on the back. His attitude had turned around completely once he
agreed to the deal, making Evan’s head spin. “Now, let’s change into our swim
trunks and join our ladies for lunch at the pool.”
    As Evan walked alone to his suite, a rush
of relief swamped him, and he nearly stumbled. Xavier had bought Evan’s feigned
detachment about the deal and conceded.
    He threw a victory punch in the air when
he got to the privacy of his bedroom. He couldn’t wait to share the good news
with Cassie and engineer a celebratory kiss from her. Their first kiss this
morning had taken him by surprise with its potency, and he was anxious for a
repeat.
    Cassie had burst into a sexy bundle of
heat in his arms as he’d tried to keep their contact appropriate for public
viewing. If Xavier and Esmé hadn’t been present, Evan knew he would have taken
that kiss to the next level. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on her in
private.
    Stepping into his swim trunks, he grinned
as he thought about sharing this king-sized bed with Cassie. They certainly
weren’t going to be sleeping on opposite sides of it tonight. He’d spent an
uncomfortable night aroused by her floral smell and the small noises she made
in her sleep. The image of her standing with her hands on her hips, thrusting
out her pert breasts in that silky nightie had been permanently etched into his
brain.
    He wasn’t going to think about how she’d
chipped away at his pride with her ability to sleep so easily while he’d
suffered beside her all night. Up until their kiss today, he’d questioned
whether she was feeling this attraction between them. Now, he knew she was
equally affected; though, she seemed to have been trying to fight it.
    Yeah, tonight was going to be amazing.
They were going to celebrate his first major business deal and their blazing
chemistry by roughing up these sheets, and he was going to find out if a sub
truly hid beneath her protective layers.
    Dressed in swim trunks, a T-shirt, and
leather flip-flops, he left the suite and made his way outside. As he
approached the pool, he grinned as he caught sight of Cassie in a blue bikini,
lounging alone in the sun.
    Her body was small and compact, but curvy
at the hips and breasts. Her skin glistened with suntan lotion, smooth and
perfect, except for a three-inch scar along the outside of her right thigh. It
shimmered a lighter color than her tanned skin. In no way did it detract from
her beauty, but his gut tightened at the evidence that something had hurt her.
Had it happened during her time serving in the Army? Thank God, she was done
with that.
    “Hello, my darling.” He bent over her
chaise and dropped a brief kiss on her lips before she could react.
    Sitting up, she removed her sunglasses
and glared at him. “There’s no audience here. You can stop the playacting.”
    He took a mental step back. She was
right. He had to remember they were acting, but there was nothing fake about
the way he responded to her physically and how much he wanted her alone in
their bedroom.
    He looked around the pool area. “Where’s
Esmé?”
    “She said she’d be right back. She was
going to check on lunch.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “How did
the meeting go with Xavier?”
    “Good. Xavier signed, and I know just how
I want to celebrate,” he said.
    “How’s that?” She smiled brightly as if
she expected him to say champagne and caviar or something else equally clichéd.
    Bending down, he wrapped his hand behind
her head and drew her towards him. “With a kiss,” he whispered across her lips
before pressing firmly against them.
    She gasped, and he took the