The Billionaire and the Beauty: A Second Chance at Love Romance (One Pass Away: A New Season Book 5), page 18
THE
BILLIONAIRE
AND THE
BEAUTY
ONE PASS AWAY: A NEW SEASON
BOOK FIVE
©2021 MARY J. WILLIAMS
Copyright © 2021 by Mary J. Williams.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.
First E-book Printing, 2021
DEDICATION
To all the friends, lovers, and everyone in between.
Never give up on your dreams.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Writing isn’t easy. But I love every second. A blank screen isn’t the enemy. It is an opportunity to create new friends and take them on amazing adventures and life-changing journeys. I feel blessed to spend my days weaving tales that are unique—because I made them.
Billionaires. Songwriters. Artists. Actors. Directors. Stuntmen. Football players. They fill the pages and become dear friends I hope you will want to revisit again and again.
Thank you for jumping into my books and coming along for the journey.
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
Please visit me at these sites, sign up for the Mary J. Williams newsletter, or leave a message.
Bookbub
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MORE BOOKS BY MARY J. WILLIAMS
Harper Falls
If I Loved You
If Tomorrow Never Comes
If You Only Knew
If I Had You (Christmas in Harper Falls)
Hollywood Legends
Dreaming with a Broken Heart
Dreaming with My Eyes Wide Open
Dreaming of Your Love
Dreaming Again
Dreaming of a White Christmas
(Caleb and Callie’s story)
One Pass Away
After the Rain
After All These Years
After the Fire
Hart of Rock and Roll
Flowers on the Wall
Flowers and Cages
Flowers are Red
Flowers for Zoe
Flowers in Winter
WITH ONE MORE LOOK AT YOU
One Strike Away
For a Little While
For Another Day
For All We Know
For the First Time
The Sisters Quartet
One Way or Another
Two of a Kind
Three Wishes
Four Simple Words
Five More Minutes (The Sisters Quartet Christmas)
Six Days (The Sisters Quartet Wedding)
Rock & Roll Forever
Almost Paradise
Almost Blue
Almost Everything
Almost Home
Almost Like Being in Love (A Rock & Roll Forever Christmas)
One Pass Away—A New Season
The Devil Wears Blue Jeans
The Back-Up Plan
The Last Honest Man
The Heartbreak Kid
AUDIOBOOKS
ONE PASS AWAY SERIES
After the Rain – click here
After All These Years – click here
After the Fire - click here
HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS SERIES
Dreaming with a Broken Heart – click here
Dreaming with My Eyes Wide Open - click here
Dreaming of Your Love - click here
Dreaming Again - click here
Dreaming of a White Christmas - click here
HARPER FALLS SERIES
If I Loved You – click here
If Tomorrow Never Comes – click here
If You Only Knew – click here
If I Had You – click here
THE SISTERS QUARTET
One Way or Another - click here
Two of a Kind - click here
Three Wishes - click here
Four Simple Words - click here
Five More Minutes - click here
Six Days - click here
THE HART OF ROCK AND ROLL
Flowers on the Wall - click here
Flowers and Cages - click here
Flowers are Red - click here
Flowers for Zoe - click here
Flowers in Winter - click here
ROCK & ROLL FOREVER
Almost Paradise - click here
Almost Blue - click here
Almost Everything - click here
Almost Home - click here
Almost Like Being in Love – click here
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
MORE BOOKS BY MARY J. WILLIAMS
AUDIOBOOKS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
EPILOGUE
PROLOGUE
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Felicity McClain gripped her partner's broad, naked shoulders with one hand, the headboard with the other, and came with the kind of intensity only he had the skill to elicit from her body.
As she savored the tingling, all-encompassing rush of orgasm-fueled adrenaline, Felicity tried to shut out the creeping sense of guilt for as long as possible. She understood the implications of tonight’s actions. She knew her conscience would pay the price for a long time to come.
For now, in this oh so fleeting instant, Felicity clung to the man, and the riot of pleasure of lying in his arms, for as many precious moments as possible.
Royce Patterson fell to her side, his breathing ragged, the honed muscles of his arms no longer able to support his weight in the aftermath of their lovemaking.
And that’s what just happened. They made love. For a long time, Felicity insisted what they shared was just sex. Amazing, yes. Mind-blowing, no doubt. Worlds apart from anything she’d experienced before—though she kept that bit of information to herself almost as long she denied her love.
In the end, Royce won. Not through force or intimidation—though in the business world, he was a master at both. With Felicity, he used a method neither was used to. Patience.
Over time, Royce won her love, a feat Felicity thought impossible for one simple reason—before him, she would have sworn her heart was made of ice. At least the part capable of caring for another human being. And she wasn’t alone in the assessment.
Bad Bitch. Felicity couldn’t remember exactly when she acquired the nickname or who coined the moniker. But it stuck and few if any could argue the accuracy of the words.
Rather than take offense, Felicity embraced her reputation enthusiastically adding to her growing reputation as a difficult, opinionated, impossible woman.
Even her love for Royce could be categorized as nothing but selfish. If she cared about him more than herself, she would have ended their relationship before it began.
Plain. Simple. Undeniable. Felicity was a bitch. She was bad. Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending on who you asked—she never paid too high a toll for her misdeeds. She feared her lover, in the days, weeks, and months to come, wouldn’t be as lucky.
Royce Patterson was about to discover the price of loving a selfish woman. And like someone who dropped a bomb on an unsuspecting city, she wouldn’t be around to deal with the aftermath.
Sitting up, Felicity reached for the nearest item of her discarded clothing. In the heat of passion, she hadn’t worried about her exit strategy. Though her body still buzzed with lingering pleasure, her brain was back to thinking straight.
Blue jeans came first before she pulled a plain black t-shirt over her head. She grabbed two scraps of lace from where they had landed on a nearby chair, balling them into her fist. It wouldn’t be the first time she left a man’s apartment with her underwear tucked into her purse. Felicity let out a silent sigh and made a mental note, a promise to herself, that it would be the last.
“Don’t go.”
At the sound of Royce’s voice, Felicity stopped halfway to the door. She’d hoped he wouldn’t speak, that he would let her go without a word. She should have known better. He wasn’t the kind of man who gave up easily—or at all. He could probably count on one hand the number of times he lost a battle.
A bitter pill to swallow, today the great Royce Patterson would have to accept defeat.
Turning, Fe
Naked, Royce was a fantasy come to life. His limbs were long, his muscles toned, rippling under warm, supple skin. He lay with his back against the headboard, sexily disheveled dark hair falling across his forehead, one leg slightly raised. The stark white sheet hovered low on his hips.
“You present a tempting picture,” Felicity answered in her breeziest voice. In contrast, her heart pounded hard in her chest and her palms grew damp. “Too bad I don’t have time for another shimmy through the sheets.”
“Felicity—” Royce closed his eyes for half a second as though gathering his thoughts. When his lids opened, his irises blazed a fierce, roiling blue. “We’d already said our goodbyes. Then, tonight, you show up on my doorstep. What am I supposed to think?”
“Jackpot? Bonus farewell?” With a casual shrug that she didn’t feel, Felicity pushed a strand of sable-colored hair behind her ear. “We slept together on our first date. Sex on my last night in the city is a nice bookend to our relationship. Don’t you agree?”
“Since you’re the one who broke up with me—without my consent—the answer is no.”
“Breakups are rarely equitable,” Felicity said as she placed the strap of her purse over her shoulder. “Did you honestly think tonight was more than a pleasant trip down memory lane? Something other than a final screw for old time's sake?”
“Yes.”
One thing Felicity had always admired about Royce was his blunt, often disconcerting honesty. The man could tell a lie with the best of them. However, where his feelings were concerned—where she was concerned—he didn’t hesitate to express what was on his mind.
“My plane leaves in a few hours and I still need to say goodbye to Mac.”
“I don’t give a shit,” Royce said with a sneer. “You always put your brother first. For once, let the great Joshua McClain wait his turn.”
Royce’s relationship with Felicity’s older and one and only brother was contentious at best. The men came to blows, once, then managed to lower the temperature to a simmering reluctant tolerance for the other’s existence.
Strong personalities, alpha males. Used to getting their way through any method necessary. One who spent his entire life protecting her. The other who might have agreed to stay best friends if Mac hadn’t thrown the first punch—both figuratively and literally.
Felicity stopped trying to figure out how to mend the rift long ago. They were grown men and the last thing she wanted was to play mommy toward either of them. The idea made her shudder.
Just as Felicity avoided the subject of her boyfriend when her brother was in the room, she left Mac’s name out of all conversations with Royce. Tonight, was different. She needed an exit strategy even if it opened a new and messy can of worms. Right now, she had no room to be picky.
“We spent months practically living in each other’s back pockets, yet you still don’t understand how I operate?” Felicity’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “Mac doesn’t come first in my life. At best he lands at a shaky fourth.”
“Please.” Royce rolled his eyes. “You’ve handed me the same line a thousand times.”
“Then let me go for a thousand and one—just to be clear,” Felicity said, meeting his gaze, her eyes unwavering. “Now, always, I put my needs, desires, and wants first. And second. And third.”
“I won’t ask where I fall in the Felicity McClain hierarchy.” Royce’s laugh held little humor. “My ego can’t take the blow.”
If Felicity had an ounce of lingering doubt that her decision to leave was the right one, the bitterness and hurt in Royce’s deep, rumbling voice quickly mended any cracks in her resolve. He was better off without her. Period. End of story.
“Your ego will be just fine,” Felicity smirked. “Though if my leaving takes a little air out of your sails? No harm done.”
“Fuck you, Felicity.”
Anger. Good. If Royce hated her, he could start to move on. With her back still to Royce, Felicity let out a sigh of relief. A second later, she pulled in a determined breath, turned, walked to the bed, and bent her knees until her dark eyes were level with the deep blue of his.
“Don’t forgive me,” she said with a sincerity and earnestness she rarely showed to anyone. “Curse me. Talk trash about me to your friends. Hate me. Forget the good times, remember the bad. Then, the last thing I’ll ever ask of you, forget you ever knew me.”
Through her parting words, the expression on Royce’s face remained cool and detached. If she didn’t know him—if she hadn’t seen the flicker of something dark and dangerous in his eyes—she could have believed he didn’t care. That he’d already taken her advice to heart.
Knowing there was nothing more to say, Felicity shifted her gaze from his and rose to her feet. She’d barely reached the other side of the room when Royce slammed his hand against the door, preventing what she hoped would be a swift, smooth exit.
“Not so fast, slick.” Royce’s breath brushed against the top of her head. “You had your say. Now it’s my turn.”
So much for smooth and swift, Felicity thought with a stifled groan. Seemed he was in the mood for something messier. Because she knew she deserved whatever he wanted to hand out, she didn’t protest.
Royce moved closer—just a fraction. Felicity closed her eyes as the heat of his body reached out, tempting her to lean into his warmth one last time. To prove how little his presence moved her, she turned and leaned her back against the door and tipped her head upward.
“Speak your piece,” Felicity told him, coating each word with the ice that naturally ran through her blood whenever she wasn’t in his arms.
“I can be just as selfish as you,” Royce said. His full lips quirked into a humorless smile. “Not like you cornered the market.”
Felicity shrugged as if to say, what’s your point? Unimpressed, Royce’s smile widened enough to show a set of strong, white teeth.
“If I want to love you, I will. Today, tomorrow, for as long as I choose.”
“But—”
“Leave, Felicity. Run. Hide.” Royce leveled his gaze with hers. She didn’t see a spark of anger or a trace of hate—just determination. “I won’t follow. Nor will I hire someone to make certain you’re safe and well.”
“I should hope not,” Felicity sputtered, appalled at the idea.
“But I will hold you in my heart,” Royce continued. “When you’re ready to come home, I’ll be here. Waiting.”
“You can’t.” Panic made Felicity’s heart skip several beats. “I won’t come back to Seattle. Never.”
“Then I guess I’ll spend the rest of my life pining for a lost love.” Royce didn’t seem concerned by the idea. “Stubborn. Selfish.”
“Crazy,” Felicity told him.
Royce straightened, taking away the heat of his body. Felicity breathed deeply, desperate for one more hit of his scent. And she called Royce crazy.
“Go on.” He reached around and opened the door. “I won’t stop you.”
Felicity curled her hand into a fist to stop herself from touching him.
“Don’t wait for me, Royce.” Please.
Done, having said what he wanted to say, he flopped down on the rumpled sheets.
With a flick of his wrist, Royce gave her a brief wave, pulled up the covers, and turned off the bedside lamp. He closed his eyes and settled his head onto the pillow.
“Goodbye, Felicity.”
Not exactly the exit she envisioned, Felicity thought as she quietly let herself out of the house. A dense fog had settled over the upscale neighborhood. She didn’t need her eyes to avoid tripping over the beautifully landscaped yard and slate-covered walkway.
Memory helped her get from Royce’s front door across the cobblestone driveway. Pride did the rest to keep her wobbly legs from collapsing beneath her. If she tripped and fell now, she might not get back up.
