The Billionaire's Step - Complete Series (Forbidden Billionaire Stepbrother Romance) (6 page)

Thirteen

              Julian awoke feeling incredibly refreshed. He admired the light that shined through his curtains, feeling as if he had never really seen sunlight in years. Looking behind him, Cora still slept comfortably on the large bed.

              Julian scrubbed his face with his hands. Who would’ve thought that when he had interviewed that little pixie a few weeks ago that he would be holding her soft and naked body against his as he slept? He grinned. All he could do was be thankful that she had walked in through those doors at all.

              Rising up, he headed towards the bathroom naked. He wanted to get cleaned up and have breakfast ordered before Cora woke up. As he showered, he couldn’t stop grinning like a fool. There was a lightness in his heart that made him feel pounds lighter and years younger.

              Wrapping a robe around him, Julian assessed the room service menu. As he debated upon which items to order, he noticed his cellphone blinking. A voice message. With the time difference, Trisha had been leaving her office updates through voicemail.

              But when he swiped his phone on, he saw that the call had come from Paulson. For the first time ever in regards to news about Karen, Julian hesitated. Letting himself fall back into the darkness that was his past brought Julian down into a low place that was hard to shake. For the first time in a long time, he was actually happy. He didn’t know if he wanted to lose that feeling just yet.

              But just as quickly, a lash of guilt whipped across his heart. He had promised to be there for her. Always. He’d broken that promise for fifteen years now. The least he could do was listen to Paulson’s update. He clicked on the voice message icon and listened.

              “Chief. I got her. I got her,” Paulson’s gruff voice rasped.

              Julian’s heart thumped hard against his chest as he listened to the excited voice of his detective. “God
damn
did they make it hard! There’s a reason why you haven’t been able to find her for all these years. Gloria Judson took her daughter and disappeared down south. And by south, I mean to bumfuck Mexico. She was so far down, she was damn near touching Guatemala. She went deep to hide from the trouble she got into stateside. And that’s why no one could find her. Fucking
Mexicans
don’t even live that far south! But anyway, I’ve got a trace on her. Well. Not really
her
but the girl. Karen Judson/Denton. Except she doesn’t go by that name anymore. Since coming to Mexico, she and her mother have been going by Rámon. Karen has been going under Cora Rámon.

              “And,” Paulson sighed heavily, “I’m sorry to break this to you, boss, but she’s a wanted woman in Mexico. For murder.”

              Julian lowered the phone. Slowly he turned around. There in his bed, Cora Rámon slept peacefully.

The
Billionaire’s
Step
Part Two

One

              Julian felt a distinct ringing in his ears as he held his cellphone loosely in his hand.

“Chief. I got her. I
got
her.”

              Paulson’s normally gravelly voice had had a clear note of excitement at the break in the case. Julian’s pulse had sped up in anticipation upon hearing the grizzled old PI’s excitement.

Years. He had been waiting
years
to hear those words.

Cora. Karen. Cora.

Karen.

“I’m sorry to break this to you, boss, but she’s a wanted woman in Mexico. For murder.”

Julian felt a shiver pass down his spine as he looked across the room at the large king sized bed. Amid the tumble of thick white covers, he could see that unruly head of mahogany hair. Cora Rámon slept peacefully and quietly while Julian’s world came tumbling down.

As the initial shock wore off, his first instinct was to grab her and hug her. He wanted to cry, to scream, to jump in all his confusion. He wanted to tell her who he was. He wanted to let her know that the scrawny sixteen-year-old Julian Denton had never forgotten her and was willing to listen everything she had to say about her past.

He was sure Cora could explain everything. He imagined her shocked face upon hearing he was actually her long lost stepbrother from years before. But then he pictured her crying in joy and relief because someone was now there to take care of her, to protect her.

Julian took a silent step towards her sleeping body but instantly froze when Cora mumbled and turned in bed, readjusting her sleeping position onto her back.

He looked at her delicate jawline. A few blunt strands of hair laid gently across her smooth cheek. Cora’s fair skin held the barest hint of a tan. She was fair now but it was clear she had not always been. And although Cora was clearly not malnourished, she had a slight hunger to her thinness.

Upon meeting her, Julian had noticed how her slender body seemed taut and muscled. It was as if the body had inured itself to hunger or starvation, honing itself to a lithe surviving machine. Cora was able to eat regularly now but Julian had a strong suspicion that was
not
how she had grown up.

Karen Denton had been a small, fair little child with soft cheeks and wide eyes. Cora Rámon was a thin but strong, capable woman, with eyes that missed nothing. True, a person could change quite a bit from ten to twenty-five and yet seeing Cora, Julian would never have guessed this brave and daring woman was his lost and tortured Karen.

It was clear life had not been easy for her since her disappearance. And she clearly had wanted to stay missing. She had gone through great lengths to change her name and had apparently wanted to keep it changed. She clearly had not harbored any secret hopes of some day being found by him or his father. As far as Paulson knows, she also had not looked for Julian since returning to the States.

Perhaps she
wouldn’t
want to know the truth. Julian felt his heart clench at the idea of keeping Cora at arm’s length. Because isn’t that what he would be doing by holding a piece of himself back? But Julian didn’t want to rattle her. And he sure as fuck didn’t want to scare her away. Not after he had just found her.

Julian ran a thumb down his chin, thinking fast.

No. He would stay quiet for now. He wanted to speak with Paulson first. He wanted to make sure he was correct about the murder charge. Julian was absolutely positive Karen would never be able to commit murder.

But Cora Rámon?

He wasn’t sure.

Two

              “They’re ready for us to board, Mr. Benedict,” Cora said quietly.

              Julian nodded and followed her out of the hangar and towards his private jet. Cora had felt that it would be more appropriate to call Julian “Mr. Benedict” in public so as not to cause any raised eyebrows.

              The gesture was a good one but she soon realized how futile it was as they took their seats on the plane. Sitting on the gleaming walnut side table were fresh copies of today’s papers. Emblazoned on the front page of every paper were the pictures of Julian and her, standing close and intimately together. Cora couldn’t read French but she had a damn good idea what the headlines said. ‘Mystery woman’ could only be spelled so many ways, regardless of language.

              Was that what was bothering Julian? Since waking up from the most incredible and passionate night of lovemaking, Cora had felt the sudden and quite surprising shift in Julian’s attitude towards her. He wasn’t necessarily cold but he was aloof and more than a little removed. He reminded her of the man she had met when she first interviewed at JB Enterprises—a skeptical and calculating CEO who wasn’t quite sure he believed what he saw.

              Cora watched silently as the captain of the plane came out of the cockpit to shake hands with Julian, confirming the flight plan. They were en route back to New York. All the business in Europe had been handled successfully and it was time to head back home. Cora watched as Julian nodded to whatever the captain was saying. She admired his strong, defined jawline which was lightly stubbled. Even relaxed, the man had an air of strength and control which made Cora’s pulse quicken.

              What had changed between them?

              Although it made her stomach turn into an icy knot to think it, perhaps he regretted what happened last night? Perhaps he was realizing now that all he had wanted was a one night stand and it just so happened his assistant was the nearest available pair of legs.

              But then she remembered his sincerity at the Musee d’Orsay. She remembered his kindness and his intelligence as they had strolled the halls of the museum. Could such a man also be so callous as to toss a lover after one night?

             
He’s the Model Millionaire, dummy
, Cora realized with an internal groan.

How many countless newspapers and magazines had she seen with Julian’s arm around a beautiful nameless woman? Just like the papers that held Cora’s pictures from last night. And how many times did Cora see Julian with those same women again?

              Zero.

              As the plane revved up its engines and began its take off procedure, Cora felt the slow trickle of icy doubt fill her veins. If all he wanted was sex, surely she was adult enough to understand that. Cora understood, probably more than Julian, the baser nature of people—particularly men.

              But it wasn’t for a lack of understanding that Cora felt her heart ache. It was because she had also thought last night as
more
than just sex. She had felt a warmth and a kind of truth in Julian’s arms that rang very deeply in her heart. She was sure that it had been mutual. The feeling had been too real, too potent for both to not have felt it together.

              And yet….

              With the plane safely in the air now, Cora unbuckled her seatbelt and slumped back in her leather-cushioned seat. All morning, Julian had barely said more than a dozen words to her. She doubted he’d say anything during the fli—

              “You said that you grew up in Mexico,” Julian’s voice suddenly cut through Cora’s gloomy fog.

              Snapping her head around, Cora stared in surprise at Julian.

              Although he looked as if he was lounging in his seat, his long legs crossed casually at the ankles in front of him, there was a tenseness in his shoulders that was quite apparent to Cora. He was looking directly at her, almost studying her.

              Feeling a little bit confused and nervous, Cora nodded. “Yes, southern Mexico.”

              Julian’s eyes didn’t waver. “And you said you came to the States a few years ago. To Arizona first.”

              It was slow but now the wary nerves of her spine began to prick up in awareness. Cora knew she had to be careful. Whenever it came to her past, she always had to be careful. Luckily, she had never had much problem with nosy employers or landlords. She hoped her luck would continue here.

              “Yes,” she said in a measured tone. “I came to Arizona and was there for two years before moving to New York.”

              Julian interlaced his fingers and laid his hands on his belly and leaned his head back against his seat, perfectly emitting the look of a man having a casual conversation. But Cora wasn’t fooled. She saw the sharpness in his eyes.

              “I would imagine it quite difficult to make it from Mexico to the States on your own. Did your family help you? Your father? Your mother?”

              Cora shook her head. “I saved up money and worked very hard to make it to Arizona. Coming to the States was something that only seemed to appeal to me. No one else in my family cared to come.”

              “And I take it from you said before that you don’t keep in regular contact with your family,” he said.

              “Not particularly, no. We’re all adults with our own lives now,” Cora said, trying hard to sound natural. “I think it’s normal for distance and time to make communication a little less frequent.”

              Feeling her palms itch and wanting the conversation to end, Cora used the only defense she knew—asking him about his family.

              “What about you, sir? Are you close with your father? Your mother?” she asked, feigning innocent curiosity.

              But instead of an abrupt cold shutdown, Julian surprised her by slowly shaking his head. “My mother passed when I was very young. I don’t have too many memories of her. And my father died when I was about twenty.”

              Surprised, Cora had no idea how to respond.

              Taking advantage of her silence, Julian pressed on, “My father was a well-known and respected engineer for many years.” He gave her a meaningful look of expectation.

              But Cora only nodded blankly. “I’m sorry for your loss,” she said quietly before turning towards the window.

              Julian sighed. As soon as the plane landed, he would be calling Paulson.

Three

              Julian’s driver weaved the car in and out through the busy New York traffic. He knew he should stop by the office first and meet with Trisha to touch bases on some of the deals that had been made in Europe but he was too antsy to sit through any kind of meeting right now.

              Dialing Paulson’s number, Julian thought back to the plane ride. He probably shouldn’t have probed her so much before he could confirm Paulson’s information but he couldn’t help himself. He had spent the entire plane ride looking at Cora with new eyes. Knowing that she could possibly be his Karen, Julian couldn’t help but analyze her feature anew again, looking for old similarities.

              He wasn’t surprised she didn’t recognize his comment about his father being an engineer. Anybody could be an engineer and besides, he highly doubted a ten year old would remember her stepfather’s career.

              They had been a family (if that’s what one could call it) for such a short time. Less than a year. But Julian had never forgotten the stirring protectiveness that had bloomed within him the moment he had laid eyes on Karen. If Cora really was that hurt and lost little girl from fifteen years ago, he would do everything in his power to make up for every pain, every scar she had endured.

              “Chief?” the gravelly voice answered.

              “Paulson, where are you now?”

              “Mexico City. I’ve been trying to follow back Cora’s trail.”             

              “Alright, good. But in an hour, I want you to email me everything you’ve found on Cora. Include everything. And keep your phone handy. I’ll be calling again to get a full report.”

              “You got it, chief.”

              Julian looked out the window, blindly staring at the passing cars and people. He was so close.

              So close.

              Cora threw her suitcase in the corner of her small apartment as she plopped face first into her sofa. The flying, the meetings, the phone calls, and most of all the emotions of the last few days had been more than draining. She could feel every muscle ready to turn into jello as she laid on the couch.

              Whatever had changed within Julian, it certainly wasn’t what Cora expected. If all he had wanted was a one night stand and a morning of no complications, why would he bother to question her about her family or her background? It was unusual indeed.

              But at the moment, Cora was too exhausted to figure out her mysterious employer. As she debated whether she had the energy to change her clothes before passing out on her bed, she heard her phone ring. But it wasn’t the normal ringing chimes of her work smartphone.

              It was the short buzzy beeps of her
other
phone.

              Cora’s entire body tensed within half a second of hearing the ring. After a moment’s hesitation, she quickly rose and opened the bottom drawer of her bureau. Reaching into the back behind a stack of thick sweaters, she pulled out a cheap, beat up old phone. It buzzed vigorously in her hand.

              There was only one person who knew this number. There was only one person she had kept this number for.

              Slowly breathing out, Cora flipped open the phone and pressed ‘answer.’

              “Cora?” a frantic voice called out.

              Squeezing her eyes shut, wishing she had never heard the phone, Cora nodded and answered, “Yes, mom. It’s me.”

              Gloria huffed a breath. “I’ve been calling you for
days!
Why haven’t you answered?”

              Cora looked down and noticed her hands balled into fists. As she carefully tried to relax her hands, she replied, “I’ve been out of town for work.”

              “I’m your
mother
, Cora. Shouldn’t you have taken your phone with you so you can answer my calls? Or at the very least,
tell
me where you are or where you are going so I’d know?”

              It was a guilt trap and Cora was not falling for it. Although Gloria knew her daughter was in the States, she wasn’t sure
which
state. And Cora liked to keep it like that. 

              “Is something wrong, mom?” Cora asked, trying to get to the point of the call so she could hang up sooner. “Do you need something?”

              “You need to send me money. Two thousand would be good. Five thousand would be better,” Gloria said immediately.

              “Five
thousand?
Why so much this time?” Cora’s neck prickled in preparation for the worst.

              “Carlos thinks I stole that last package. He’s demanding I pay for it. He says I can pay the wholesale price. It should be at about three grand but I think I can talk him into taking two. But like I said, if you sent five, I’d feel safer. Just in case.”

              “
Did
you steal the package?” Cora wasn’t sure she’d believe any answer her mother gave her.

              “Cora! Do you think I’m stupid? Of course not! I got robbed! But that’s no good to Carlos. You know how he is,” Gloria sniffed.

              Oh Cora certainly knew how he was.

              “Okay. That’s a lot of money. Let me see what I can do and I’ll try to get it to you soon.”

              “Remember,” Gloria said earnestly, “two is good. Five would be better.”

              As Cora snapped the phone shut, she could feel all her body heat drain down her spine. Shivering, she huddled into a corner of the couch. She pulled her knees up and huddled into a protective ball.

              Every time Gloria called, the awful memories were triggered and there was nothing Cora could do to fight them off. All she could do was hold on to something and let them come.