Read Online The Billionaire's Unwanted Virgin by Doris O'Connor - Free Book Online

time when she spoke,
the pain in her voice had taken another chink out of his armor.
    "Thank you, Lakota, for your
help with Beth. I truly do appreciate it."
    He now schooled his features into a
mask of indifference and pushed open the door to Beth's room. He found Alice
sat by the side of the bed, her hands clasped around the little girl's, a
silent tear rolling her cheek. She didn't look up when he stepped in, just
sighed, and swiped that tear away.
    "Is my mother okay?" she
asked.
    "She's fine. I delivered her
safely home."
    "And you're still alive to tell
the tale. That has to be some sort of a miracle. I hope she didn’t give you too
much of a hard time." She finally looked up and glanced his way, and she
looked so incredibly sad, he stepped closer and cupped her chin in his hand.
    "Beth will be okay, you know. I
had a long chat with Spencer only this morning. She will be able to start on
the treatment soon, and that should shrink what is left of the tumor. She's a
fighter, your niece, like someone else I know."
    The ghost of a smile crossed her
tired features, and he pulled the box out his pocket. Her eyes widened when she
realized what he was now holding in his upturned hand.
    "Is that what I think it
is?" she asked, her voice no more than a breathy whisper, which shot
straight to his groin. He suppressed a groan and shifted his weight to relieve
the discomfort he felt, to no avail. He got the distinct impression that he
would be in a permanent state of hardness around her until he could finally
bury himself balls deep inside her willing flesh. And that she would be
willing, of that he had no doubt.
    Her body gave her away every time he
stepped into her personal space. Her pupils dilated, her breathing hitched, her
nipples poked through the fabric of her tee, and he would bet his last penny
that she would be wet for him.
    He closed his eyes against the erotic
images that evoked in his mind, and pushed the box at her. He felt rather than
saw her take the item off his palm, and he opened his eyes when she gasped.
Every line of his body grew taut as he waited for her to say
something—anything. Did she like it? Hate it? Her expression gave nothing away,
as she ran a fingertip over the diamond engagement ring nestled inside the
velvet.
    He'd spent hours poring over designs,
and had this one made just for her. Not that he would tell her that, or how the
color of the emerald reminded him of the exact shade of her eyes when she was
deep in thought like now.
    He held his breath as she continued
to stare at the ring, inwardly cursing the tension coursing through him. It was
only a ring. It shouldn't matter to him whether she liked it or not. Theirs was
not a love match after all, if that thing called love even existed. Lust, now
that was a different matter, and he couldn't wait to finally be able to claim
her, but love—God no—never that.
    He crunched his teeth together with
the effort to not let his emotions show, when she finally looked up at him.
    "Lakota, I..."
    ****                                                                                                     
    Nestled in the velvet box was a
delicate diamond and emerald cluster ring, breathtaking in its simplicity. The
cross over design had diamonds set into the shoulders, and the beautiful
emerald was set in another cluster of stunning diamonds. It felt heavy and
expensive, and wasn't at all what she had been expecting. She blinked the
unexpected tears away, and jumped at Lakota's annoyed growl.
    "You hate it, right? Never mind.
I’ll get another one made. This one not big enough for you?"
    His large hand settled over hers as
if to take the box away, and she shook her head.
    "No, no, don’t you dare. I love
it, and what do you mean you'll have another one made?" He released her
hand as though he'd been burned and pushed his fists into his trouser pockets.
He