Billionaires Galore!: Bedded by the Billionaire. Leanne Banks
a variety. Vanilla with chocolate frosting, chocolate with chocolate frosting, chocolate with vanilla—”
Alex extended his hand into the container. “I’ll take the chocolate with—”
Lilli lightly swatted his hand. “It’s Max’s birthday. He gets to choose first.” She glanced at Max. “What kind do you want?”
I want Lilli with Lilli frosting, he thought and cleared his throat. “Chocolate and chocolate,” he said and nodded toward the staff. “Go ahead, help yourself.”
Each of his employees took their treats and wished him a happy birthday before they left. Alex lingered an extra moment. “For your information, my birthday is November 16 and I love cupcakes.”
Max felt a surge of possessiveness. “Call a bakery,” he growled.
Alex laughed and shook his head. “You’re a damn lucky man, Max. Happy birthday,” he said and left the office.
Closing the door, Max turned toward Lilli, who was sitting in a chair across from his desk, biting off the top of a chocolate cupcake. He walked to the chair across from hers and sat down. “What possessed you to do this?”
“You’re not angry, are you?”
He shook his head. “Off guard. Surprised.” And a few other things he didn’t want to name. “You didn’t answer my question.”
She licked her lips and he wished he could do it for her. “It occurred to me that you may not have celebrated your birthday very much when you were in boarding school. That was a bad habit to start at such a young age,” she said in a chastising voice that made his lips twitch. “So I thought I should get you back on track.”
“Why?”
She met his gaze and he saw a flash of deep emotion shimmer in her eyes. Max could identify things that held a high value and what he saw in her gaze was more precious than all the gems in the exclusive jewelry store down the street.
“I think you are an amazing man. So the day you were born should be celebrated.”
Her simple explanation held no false flattery. He heard the sincerity in her voice, saw it on her face, and it was the most seductive thing anyone had ever said to him. Lilli, pregnant or not, made him hungry for more of her. Standing, he took her hand and pulled her close. “Marry me.”
He saw the desire and fear collide in her gaze. “It’s right,” he said. “For all of us.”
“How can you be so sure?” she whispered.
“Be honest, Lilli. Underneath it all, you want it, too.”
She closed her eyes for a long moment and he could feel her heart hammering against him. She took a small shallow breath and opened her eyes. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Max made the arrangements so quickly Lilli barely had time to catch her breath, let alone her sanity. Three days before he’d scheduled a private wedding ceremony with a judge who was a friend, he and Lilli shared late-night conversation on the patio.
“I picked this up today. Let me know if you like it.” He casually slid a box across the table toward her.
Curious, she opened the box. Shocked at the diamond ring winking back at her from the velvet fold of the box, she choked on the water she had just swallowed.
Max patted her on her back. “Are you okay?”
She coughed, tears coming to her eyes, then waved her hand. “Yes.” She coughed again and shook her head. “I didn’t expect an engagement ring.”
“Of course I’d get you a ring.”
She stared at the ring, almost afraid to touch it. “The stone is huge.”
He was silent for a moment then laughed under his breath. “You’re complaining about a large diamond?” he asked in disbelief. “That’s a first.”
“I’m not complaining,” she quickly said. “I just didn’t expect it. When I think about us getting married, I haven’t thought about diamonds, or even rings.”
“Then what have you been thinking?”
She bit her lip, reluctant to reveal the fact that she was wondering if it was such a smart thing to marry Max. She shrugged, not meeting his gaze. “More about how all three of us will adjust to family life.” She hesitated. “Wondering how you and I will adjust to being married.”
“I think we’ve demonstrated we won’t have any problems,” he said, sliding his hands over her neck, making her feel as if her collarbone was a sensual hot spot for the first time in her life. It amazed her that he could make her feel so sexy with just a touch.
She closed her eyes for a second. “In bed,” she said in a voice that sounded small to her own ears.
His hands stilled. “What do you mean?”
“Well, it may be a rumor,” she said, trying to keep a light tone, “but I hear married couples tend to spend a lot more time out of bed than in bed.”
“Damn,” he said. “So you may actually have to join me for dinner most nights and we’ll have to do things together.” He walked around her chair and bent down over her, meeting her gaze. “Sounds rough, but I think I can do it. What about you?”
She smiled reluctantly. “Probably,” she said.
“But you’re still bothered.”
“You have to admit this isn’t the typical romantic wedding. We don’t even have a honeymoon planned. For that matter, how did you find out my ring size? I didn’t know yours.”
“While you were sleeping,” he said and added, “in your bed. Say what you want, but sex between us will take away a lot of your doubts.”
The notion filled her with a combination of anticipation and anxiety. Would she have any leftover reactions to that last experience with Tony? So far, Max seemed to push everything from her mind, but him.
“So try on the ring. Maybe you’ll like it better on your finger,” he said casually and plucked the ring from the box and slid it onto her hand.
It fit perfectly. It sparkled like a bright star. “It’s beautiful,” she said and wiggled her finger. “Does it come with a crane?”
Lilli woke up the next morning full of anticipation and hope. She was just two weeks from her delivery date, two weeks from when she would hold her baby in her arms. The excitement inside her seemed to build with each passing hour. And she was getting married in just two days.
Glancing at the diamond ring that felt heavy on her finger, she fought the slivers of trepidation that stabbed at her. She felt as if she were on the precipice of falling completely in love with Max. What if she spent a lifetime waiting for him to love her and he never did? What if he fell out of lust with her and left her? Or worse yet, what if he never allowed himself to love her, but stayed with her even though he was miserable?
Lilli shook off the thoughts. She had every reason to hope everything would work out well. The sun shining brightly outside seemed to invite her to take a short stroll along the driveway that led to Max’s home and then down the block. The fresh air cleared her head and the sunshine gave her a boost of optimism.
Returning from the stroll, she spotted a car parked in the driveway. It was a Jaguar, so she knew it didn’t belong to any of her friends. Mallory drove a BMW.
Curious, Lilli entered the house and overheard a woman talking with Ada, the assistant housekeeper. “I left some of my things here several months ago. I just want to pick them up.”
Recognizing the woman’s voice as Kiki, Lilli stiffened. She turned away to quietly climb the stairs. She didn’t want a confrontation with the woman.
“Oh, look, the sweet mother-to-be. Don’t run off. It’s been too long. We should