Book 5 Is another standalone novel that also introduces new plot and characters while still maintaining the Billionaire's secret Baby series.
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One scorching night ended in me becoming a mommy.
My baby daddy never knew... until now.
I went to the retreat to relax, NOT to fall into bed with another arrogant prick.
Life had other plans in store for me though.
He's rich, maddeningly hot, and an overall grump.
We met in a sauna and things heated up immediately.
A one night stand never hurt anyone... right?
Wrong.
I got ghosted.
And pregnant.
Six years later he still didn't know he was a father.
Now he's back in town and fate has us crashing back into each other's lives.
He sees my daughter has his same warm eyes and I can sense his heart opening.
He knows my secret.
Will he finally step up for us or just shatter my heart again?
*Full Book starts here*👇
chapter 1
DEIRA
"Twenty bucks."
The words intruded into my thoughts, and I frowned.
"What?" I asked, shifting my attention across the table to Dani, my best friend of more than a decade. We were having breakfast in the dining room at the mountain lodge where we were staying. I'd entered a contest for a "luxury mountain retreat" on a whim and somehow, I'd won. I hadn't expected much, but now that we were here, luxurious was an understatement. Even the dining room was beautiful, with a row of glass doors that showcased the mountain view. It was autumn, and the foliage on the trees outside was gorgeous. I hadn't been looking at the trees, though.
"I'll give you twenty bucks," Dani said. In response to my quizzical look, she added, "To go flirt with that guy you've been staring at this whole time," she said mischievously and grinned at me. Whoops. I hadn't realized I was being so obvious. My eyes flicked briefly back to the man in question, who was having his breakfast across the room from us. I'd been admiring him from afar, noticing the way his shirt hugged his shoulders when he cut his pancakes, and how the morning sunlight was creating the slightest halo around his dark, curly hair. It reminded me of a Renaissance painting that I loved.
"I wasn't..." I started to object.
"Mm-hmm." Dani raised an eyebrow. She obviously knew exactly what had been going through my mind.
I sighed. "I thought I was being subtle."
"You were. But, hello! Lifelong best friend! I know when you're into a guy."
"I'm notintohim. I don't know him. I was just... admiring the view."
Dani took a quick look over her shoulder. She turned back and nodded approvingly.
"It's a good view. So?"
"So, what?"
"Soooo, twenty bucks. To go flirt with him."
"You're paying me to flirt with strangers now?"
Dani heaved an exaggerated sigh. "Well, I can't get you to do it any other way. Don't think of it as payment. Think of it as me betting twenty dollars that you won't have the nerve to do it."
"I don't have the nerve. Congrats. Keep your money."
"Deira!" She pouted and looked at me through her lashes. I laughed.
"Hello! Lifelong best friend," I echoed back to her. "Your tricks don't work on me." She dropped the pout and leaned forward.
"Thirty bucks."
"Dani!"
"I know you could use the money!"
"Wow, and what a good friend you are, to use that knowledge against me." I tried to keep the sarcasm light in my voice, though I was starting to get annoyed. Dani always meant well, but she was certain that all I needed in life was to have more sex with hot men I'd never see again. After all, it worked for her. Attempts to persuade her that we were different people in that regard had so far failed.
And it was kind of a low blow, to say I could use the money, because the truth was I could. It had been a rough couple of years.
"I'm not using it against you. You go flirt with that guy, you hit it off, you have a fabulous night...andyou're thirty dollars richer. Win, win, win, win."
I rolled my eyes. Across the room, the man stood up, seemingly done with his meal. He took one last sip of coffee, and even that was attractive to me. His hand easily wrapped around the coffee cup, making it look small. His grip was almost gentle, as if he was so assured of his dexterity he didn't need to hold tightly. He put the rim of the mug to his mouth, against his lips...
Good grief. I shook my head and blinked hard. Maybe Dani was right. If I was getting this excited over a cup of coffee, I probably did need to get laid. I sighed again and turned my attention back to my eggs and juice, which suddenly seemed very boring. Dani tapped the table with her nails.
"Can't you just have a little fun?"
"I am having fun. I'm having fun with you. We're having a girl's weekend. Speaking of which..." I checked the time, "we're going to be late for our massages."
"You could skip the massage."
"Are you kidding me? Did you look at the prices when we got here? I'm not skipping anything on this itinerary because I'll never get to experience luxury like this again. I am going to squeeze every last drop I can out of this all-expenses paid trip, Dani, and I'm going to enjoy it. That is fun for me."
Dani shook her head.
"The sad thing is, babe, I believe you. That really is your idea of fun."
"And because you're my beloved friend who I chose to accompany me, you should just gratefully accept it, and stop trying to pay me to flirt with strangers."
"Oh, now look who's using her friend's broke-ness against her!" But Dani laughed and scrunched her nose, which meant she'd accepted defeat-at least temporarily. "Okay, let's go get very expensive massages."
As we headed for the door I took one last look, but the man was nowhere to be seen.
Definitely for the best, I told myself.The last thing you need is a man.
The massage roomswere a contrast to the dining hall. They were small, cozy chambers with dim lighting, filled with low, meditative music. Dani was a few feet away, chattering happily to her masseuse, who murmured a response from time to time. I was trying to memorize all the details of the experience, because I was hoping to blog about it later. Up until this point, I had only blogged about art that I liked, but I was trying to expand to include more personal content. I focused on the sensations so I could describe them later: the gentle pressure from the masseuse's hands, the sweet orange scent of the massage oil, the towel wrapped around my torso-which was the softest thing that had ever touched my skin. The masseuse moved up to my shoulders and her thumb deftly dug deep into a knot I hadn't even realized was there. The release felt so good I let out an inadvertent moan and immediately felt myself blush.
"Sorry," I whispered, keeping my eyes tightly closed.
"You're fine, dear," the masseuse said softly. I felt a wave of gratitude wash over me. She was an older woman, and I suddenly thought about how she reminded me of my Aunt Vicky. The same kind, unflappable presence.
Aunt Vicky would have loved this trip, I thought, then realized to my horror that tears were welling up behind my closed eyelids. I blinked hard and sat up, hearing a slight noise of surprise from the masseuse.
"You okay, dear?" she asked.
"Yes, I'm fine, I just... I think maybe the incense is giving me a headache," I lied.
The other masseuse, her knuckles deep into Dani's shoulder blade, frowned.
"But there's no incense."
Out of the corner of my eye I saw my masseuse give a slight shake of her head.
"Deira, you okay?" came Dani's muffled voice from her massage table.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I'm sorry."
"It can be a little overwhelming. Maybe you'd like to take a moment in one of our private saunas? I don't believe any are booked for the afternoon."
"Oh, I don't think that's included in our stay..." I said, and regretted it, because the idea of being alone for a minute sounded really good.
"You let me worry about that, dear," the woman said, and gave me a friendly wink. "Come on, hop down and I'll walk you over. It's just across the hall."
I took her outstretched hand and eased myself to the floor. She gently guided me out of the room and into another section of the resort, a long hallway made of wood with many doors off each side. She consulted a chart on the wall and then ushered me to one of the doors, unlocking it with a key that she fished out of her uniform pocket.
"Here you are, dear. Take as long as you need."
"Thank you," I told her as I stepped across the threshold. She cheerfully nodded and then disappeared as the door swung closed behind her.
The room was small and made of the same wood as the corridor outside. It was dark and expectedly humid, with benches along the walls and a raised platform in the middle. Atop the platform was a pile of stones, and beside it was a bucket of water and a ladle for pouring water on the stones. I added a ladle of water to the rocks and watched the steam rise before sitting down on one of the benches. I took a deep breath and felt the emotions about Aunt Vicky rising to the surface again.