Read Online The Winner Takes It All (A Something New Novel) by Jennifer Dawson - Free Book Online

barely breathed all those years. Barely thought. He’d just put his head down and bulldozed through every obstacle that came into his path.
    Then one day he’d finally looked up and realized he’d done it. He’d saved them all. His mom would never have to work a day in her life. His brothers and sister were grown. And, somehow, after all his years of being a slacker, a fuck-up, he’d built a company that employed thousands of people with a bottom line that still staggered him.
    Everyone was finally safe. Finally secure. If he died tomorrow they’d be taken care of. He’d made sure what happened before would never happen again.
    Only, he couldn’t seem to break out of panic mode. That feeling of being one step from disaster still plagued him.
    He frowned, not liking the direction of his thoughts.
    He had a company to run, a contract to straighten out, and e-mails to answer. This wasn’t the time to turn introspective. He refocused on the message from his VP, shot off his comments and opened the next e-mail.
    Twenty-four to go.
    The kitchen door swung open. He expected Mitch or Maddie, but instead it was Cecilia.
    She screamed, her hand flying to her chest as she pulled a silky robe tightly around herself. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!”
    He grinned. Instantly the vague unease troubling him disappeared. “Sugar, I was here first. You walked in on me, not the other way around.”
    She tied the sash around her waist, cinching it far too tight than he thought necessary. “Don’t call me sugar, that’s despicable.”
    He chuckled, wondering what she had on under those clothes. “Where have you been hiding all night?”
    Her shoulders squared. “I haven’t been hiding, you arrogant ass. If you must know, I fell asleep.”
    “And woke up on the wrong side of the bed, I see.” He stretched his legs and watched her with avid interest, wishing for much better light so he could see more of her.
    “What are you doing?” she asked in a haughty tone, taking another couple of steps into the kitchen.
    He waved at the computer. “Answering e-mails.”
    “Oh,” she said, tugging the lapels of the robe closer together. “Don’t let me disturb you. I just came for some water.”
    He gestured toward the cabinets. “Third door on the left.”
    She moved across the floor with the practiced, studied grace of a rich girl.
    Coming from a humble background, he’d never thought that was something he’d be attracted to, but she made it work. He’d bet dollars to doughnuts she’d taken years of ballet.
    She reached for a glass, her back arching, her calves flexing as she stood on tiptoes to grab what she wanted. The moonlight streamed in from the window, casting her in its glow, and his breath caught. In the pale light her face was still soft from sleep, her hair rumpled, and she lost all that polish.
    Goddamn, she was beautiful. His cock stirred. It was more than her face; there was something about her, something that reached inside of him and squeezed.
    One day in her presence had rid him of all his delusions that he could keep her at arm’s length. She was a mystery that had gotten under his skin and now he had to figure her out.
    He wanted her and intended to have her.
    She moved to the fridge and filled her water from the automatic dispenser before lifting it to her lips and taking a long drink. The delicate cords of her neck worked and he remembered earlier this afternoon when her pulse had hammered under his thumb, belying her cool nature.
    When she was done, she turned and looked at him, one hip cocked. “You’re staring.”
    He’d thought a lot about his strategy with her, and in the end, he’d decided brutal honesty would be most effective. He shrugged. “You’re a gorgeous woman, of course I’m staring.”
    Her brow furrowed, as though the statement perplexed her. “Even though you don’t like me?”
    He flipped the lid of his laptop down. “Maybe I misspoke earlier. I don’t know you