Read Online The Billionaire Next Door (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Collection) by Judy Angelo - Free Book Online

than that, she’d become a friend.
    The only problem was, she was a friend to whom he was
growing more and more attracted with each passing day.
    And who could blame him?  When you had a neighbor…a
friend…as sexy as Solie Felix there was little you could do to resist.  He’d be
ashamed to admit the number of times he’d grown hard each time she’d come
close.  But it wasn’t just her physical beauty that drew him in.  It was the
way she carried herself, so bold and fearless, and if necessary, so ‘in your
face’.  He actually admired that.  He’d grown so used to women fawning over him
that Solie was a refreshing change. 
    So refreshing that it was disturbing.  It felt too much
like he was at the top of that slide that ended with you tumbling into love. 
Attraction he could deal with, but love?  Forget it.  Not after what he’d gone
through with Lily Caruso.
    With a grunt, Ransom flung himself back into the sofa
and glared, unseeing, at the television screen.  At that moment he made a firm
decision.  He might give in to this attraction he was feeling for Solie,
probably even pursue her – he was a man, wasn’t he? – but he would never
consider bringing love into the picture.  Too debilitating, too dangerous and
way too overrated.
    His mind made up, Ransom settled back into the cushions
and turned his attention back to the game.  Semi-distracted, he watched for another
twelve minutes until the Miami Heat wrapped everything up in a neat package and
were being interviewed by reporters.  It was only then that his thoughts honed
in on other matters…
    …foremost of which was that renegade kid brother of
his.  Who needed concussion headaches when you had Rafe?
    He decided to call Ryder to get the details.  He reached
for the phone.
    His brother picked up on the second ring.  “ ‘Sup?”
    “Not much,” Ransom replied, his tone casual.  “What’s
the latest news on Rafe?  Come to his senses yet?”
    “Nope.  He says he’ll be out there at least a year or
two.  Says he’s got nothing to keep him on dry land.”  Although Ryder’s voice
was calm, Ransom could sense his annoyance.
    “Even though he knows it bothers the heck out of Mom.”
    “Even so.”
    Seconds passed as Ransom mulled over the situation. 
Finally, he spoke.  “I’m going out there,” he said.  “I’ll knock some sense
into him and bring him back.”
    “Don’t be an idiot,” Ryder said, sounding unimpressed
with his declaration.  “You’re recovering from a serious injury.  You’ll only
make things worse, getting all stirred up by this.  Next thing you know, one of
us will have to go out there and rescue you, too.”
    “Not gonna happen.  I’m good.  I’ll be back in the
office tomorrow.”
    Ryder chuckled.  “Sure?  Did your bulldog babysitter
give you permission?”
    Great.  That was what you got for sharing your secrets
with your brother.  “Don’t you worry about that.  I’ll be in the office tomorrow
and on the weekend I’ll be on my way to Alaska.”
    “Ransom, listen to me.  You can’t make a man do what he
doesn’t want to do.  It’s not like when we were kids and you used to bully us
all.”  Ryder almost sounded exasperated.
    “I said, don’t worry about it.”  Ransom was nonchalant. 
“And, for the record, I never bullied any of you.”
    That made Ryder laugh.  “Let’s not go there, bro.  I
would win that debate, any time.”
    “Yeah, yeah.”  Ransom shrugged it off but his brother
was right.  He’d been a tyrant of a teenager, that was for sure.  Who would
have thought he would have dropped his bossy ways and turned mellow at the
grand old age of thirty-five?
    “Seriously, though, just let Rafe work out things for
himself,” Ryder said as if that should settle the matter.
    “I’ll take your advice,” Ransom said, his voice smug,
“when porcelain pigs fly.”
     
    CHAPTER EIGHT
     
    It ended up that Ransom didn’t get a chance to confirm
his