Read Online The Billionaire Bargain (Millionaire's Club) by Barb Han - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Barb Han
Tags: Contemporary, multicultural
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herself during this ordeal.
That needed to change.
The bed held little appeal when she got there. She wanted to cry for how hopeless she felt. She wasn’t hydrated enough to form spit.
Water would help. She moved to the kitchen.
Placing her empty water glass down on the counter next to the sink, she couldn’t help but notice a stack of tabloids. She thumbed through them. Beautiful women and Daegen. What he ever saw in her when supermodels literally clamored for his attention was beyond understanding.
A headline stopped her. Her heart plummeted to the floor.
Daegen Tan...a father? She overheard him tell his assistant there were no Tan kids.
Nah. Couldn’t be. His position on marriage had been clear. They’d never even broached the subject of kids. He’d always insisted on using protection when they were together even when she’d reassured him she was on the pill. Was he only that careful with her?
Panic knotted her stomach as she stood there, frozen, gripping that rag until her knuckles went bare white. His eleven-year-old son had been abandoned. Left in an orphanage. Tension pulled taut across her shoulder blades.
Daegen. Could. Not. Leave. His. Son.
She scanned the article with a heavy weight on her chest. It didn’t seem right to dig into the details. This was almost as bad as rummaging through his dresser to search out his secrets. She’d never been able to get him to open up to her or talk about his past. Clearly, the rest of the world knew him as well as she did.
When Daegen strode through the door wearing the expression of a wild animal, Rae gasped. Heat spread through her with a wave of nausea. She felt lightheaded and colors turned gray.
Then everything went black.
****
Daegen closed the gap between them in time to spare Rae’s head from slamming against the floor. A nasty cut on her forehead came from hitting the counter on her way down.
He scooped her up and took her to his bed where she belonged.
Dammit.
He scanned her body for other injuries as he tried to wake her. He pulled off his shirt and rolled it into a ball, carefully placing pressure on the cut to stop the bleeding. With his free hand, he checked her pulse. It was strong.
His muscles strung tight. He took a deep breath. It was then he realized he’d been holding his breath.
Her gaunt eyes told him she wasn’t taking care of herself. It was just like Rae to throw herself into caring for someone else so deeply she neglected herself. When she had a goal, the devil himself couldn’t rise up and stop her.
Guilt nailed him for giving her a hard time earlier. He’d grown angry when he saw her with Steve. He’d interpreted her actions as flirting and saw red. His brain centered on one word. Mine.
What if she was sick? a little voice asked.
Daegen’s heart squeezed. He suppressed the question trying to rise about her inheriting her father’s illness.
More than likely, she’d been neglecting her body, and it caught up to her. Even so, he phoned his personal physician. Daegen wouldn’t truly relax until she’d been completely checked over.
He applied pressure to her forehead long enough to stop the bleeding and made sure the cut didn’t need stitches.
The doctor arrived ten minutes later and reassured Daegen she was fine after a preliminary check.
“Shouldn’t she be awake by now?” Daegen asked, his fingers clenched.
“Her vitals are strong.” The doctor held up a vile of blood. “I’ll let you know what I find here.”
Fear chipped at Daegen’s resolve. “You don’t think there’s anything really wrong with her, do you? There’s a family history of a rare blood disease.”
The doctor gave a reassuring smile. “Probably a combination of jet lag and hunger. At the worst, she might be dehydrated or anemic. But we’ll rule out those scarier possibilities to be safe. When she wakes, make sure she forces fluids. I’ll have the results of her blood work within the hour.”
“She’s
That needed to change.
The bed held little appeal when she got there. She wanted to cry for how hopeless she felt. She wasn’t hydrated enough to form spit.
Water would help. She moved to the kitchen.
Placing her empty water glass down on the counter next to the sink, she couldn’t help but notice a stack of tabloids. She thumbed through them. Beautiful women and Daegen. What he ever saw in her when supermodels literally clamored for his attention was beyond understanding.
A headline stopped her. Her heart plummeted to the floor.
Daegen Tan...a father? She overheard him tell his assistant there were no Tan kids.
Nah. Couldn’t be. His position on marriage had been clear. They’d never even broached the subject of kids. He’d always insisted on using protection when they were together even when she’d reassured him she was on the pill. Was he only that careful with her?
Panic knotted her stomach as she stood there, frozen, gripping that rag until her knuckles went bare white. His eleven-year-old son had been abandoned. Left in an orphanage. Tension pulled taut across her shoulder blades.
Daegen. Could. Not. Leave. His. Son.
She scanned the article with a heavy weight on her chest. It didn’t seem right to dig into the details. This was almost as bad as rummaging through his dresser to search out his secrets. She’d never been able to get him to open up to her or talk about his past. Clearly, the rest of the world knew him as well as she did.
When Daegen strode through the door wearing the expression of a wild animal, Rae gasped. Heat spread through her with a wave of nausea. She felt lightheaded and colors turned gray.
Then everything went black.
****
Daegen closed the gap between them in time to spare Rae’s head from slamming against the floor. A nasty cut on her forehead came from hitting the counter on her way down.
He scooped her up and took her to his bed where she belonged.
Dammit.
He scanned her body for other injuries as he tried to wake her. He pulled off his shirt and rolled it into a ball, carefully placing pressure on the cut to stop the bleeding. With his free hand, he checked her pulse. It was strong.
His muscles strung tight. He took a deep breath. It was then he realized he’d been holding his breath.
Her gaunt eyes told him she wasn’t taking care of herself. It was just like Rae to throw herself into caring for someone else so deeply she neglected herself. When she had a goal, the devil himself couldn’t rise up and stop her.
Guilt nailed him for giving her a hard time earlier. He’d grown angry when he saw her with Steve. He’d interpreted her actions as flirting and saw red. His brain centered on one word. Mine.
What if she was sick? a little voice asked.
Daegen’s heart squeezed. He suppressed the question trying to rise about her inheriting her father’s illness.
More than likely, she’d been neglecting her body, and it caught up to her. Even so, he phoned his personal physician. Daegen wouldn’t truly relax until she’d been completely checked over.
He applied pressure to her forehead long enough to stop the bleeding and made sure the cut didn’t need stitches.
The doctor arrived ten minutes later and reassured Daegen she was fine after a preliminary check.
“Shouldn’t she be awake by now?” Daegen asked, his fingers clenched.
“Her vitals are strong.” The doctor held up a vile of blood. “I’ll let you know what I find here.”
Fear chipped at Daegen’s resolve. “You don’t think there’s anything really wrong with her, do you? There’s a family history of a rare blood disease.”
The doctor gave a reassuring smile. “Probably a combination of jet lag and hunger. At the worst, she might be dehydrated or anemic. But we’ll rule out those scarier possibilities to be safe. When she wakes, make sure she forces fluids. I’ll have the results of her blood work within the hour.”
“She’s
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