Waterfall Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story (Saltwater Kisses Book 8) Read online

  “Right,” I sneered, hating how catty I sounded even in my own head but unable to stop. “Because that phone call sounded very in control.”

  Leo froze, every muscle in his back going stiff. He turned slowly. “It's none of your business, Charlotte.” His eyes narrowed and his voice was low and dangerous. “You need to drop it.”

  “It is my business, Leo,” I snapped. How dare he put me in this position? The money was missing from the slush fund in the exact amount he was paying his blackmailer. It wasn't rocket science to figure out they were related and it certainly wasn't legal. “It's personal, professional and every thing in between. It is entirely my business.”

  “Let it go, Charlotte.” Leo's eyes flashed. “It isn't what you think it is.”

  “I just want to help-”

  “I don't need your help!” Leo roared. His lips curled back in a snarl and the vein on his neck pumped with angry heartbeats. “I don't want your help.”

  “Leo, if you're gambling...”

  “I'm not gambling!” His whole body was tense and vibrating with anger. “I can't believe this. I tell you my biggest shame and you throw it in my face. You have no right, no right at all, sticking your nose into my business. This isn't your problem.”

  “What the hell, Leo?” I hated the way I knew my face was flushing and how much I was shaking. I hated that we were fighting and I hated the way he was looking at me. There was betrayal and seething anger in his every glance.

  “I don't need this.” Leo turned and started walking away from the restaurant.

  “Leo, don't make me get Bastian.” I grabbed his arm, and as he looked down at me I knew it was the wrong thing to do. I should have just let him go off and cool down, but no. Now he was really mad. Now I had crossed the line.

  He shook off my hands as if I were nothing. His eyes went up and down my body once, but there was no joy or even lust in the look. “If that's what you're going to do, then I guess I don't need you.”

  I don't need you. His words hit me like a Mac truck.

  “Leo...”

  “I never should have let anyone know how I feel about you. This was a mistake,” he hissed, turning and walking away. “Stay away from me, Charlotte.”

  I stared after him, unable to move, unable to speak as he disappeared into the darkening sunset.

  A mistake. I don't need you.

  What had just happened?

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “Hey, Charlotte.”

  Bastian's voice was low and soothing, but I didn't pick my head up off the bar. I didn't move. I just stayed there, my face pressed against the plastic that smelled like beer and wished I could curl up and die.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked. I could feel his presence now on the bar-stool beside me and I peeked open one eye to see him smiling kindly at me. I wished he would just go back next door and leave me alone to cry.

  “Being miserable.” I turned my head to face the other direction, but still on the bar. “Go away, Bastian. I want to mope.”

  He moved seats so I had to look at him again. “Can I mope, too?”

  I groaned and pulled myself off the bar. I knew him well enough to know he wasn't going to leave me alone. “Where's Ava? Shouldn't you two be dancing off into the sunset or something?”

  “She's convincing Robbie to take her sailing tomorrow and to let her steer.” He chuckled and shook his head fondly before focusing on me again. “What are you doing getting drunk? On a workday?”

  “I'm not drunk. I've only had one drink.” I looked at the single empty shot glass of rum on the counter. I wanted about thirty-seven more. Maybe then my heart wouldn't hurt so much. “I wanted to get drunk, but the hangover tomorrow sounded miserable.”

  Bastian raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms, clearly not believing I was that sensible. “Right. A hangover.”

  “Fine. I forgot my wallet. The bartender is new and wont give me credit.” I slumped forward and played with the empty glass as Bastian laughed. I glared at him. “I'm glad you think it's funny.”

  “A little,” Bastian said with one last chuckle. “And that was a nice attempt at getting me off track. Why are you here, Charlotte?”

  I sighed. “Leo and I had a fight.”

  Bastian frowned, obviously confused. “About what?”

  “I overheard something...” I didn't want to tell him about the phone conversation or the money missing from the slush fund. Not yet. I couldn't do that to Leo, not until he had the chance to make it right. I couldn't do it to him. “I don't know. Just a fight.”

  Bastian stood up and put his hands on my shoulders. It felt like the weight of the world.

  “You know Leo. He's hot-headed,” Bastian said. “He'll go do something to cool down and he'll apologize tomorrow. Just like he always does when he does something stupid. Things will work out just fine.”

  I flipped the shot glass upside down, wishing I had another. “I hope so.”

  Except we'd never had a fight like this. I'd never seen Leo with eyes so angry. I'd never pushed him that hard. I'd never had him look at me like that. His eyes and whatever terrible emotion that I was trying to avoid identifying was going to haunt me forever. This wasn't a normal fight.

  “I know so,” Bastian told me, his voice full of confidence I didn't share. “Come on. You need food.”

  “Restaurant's closed now,” I informed him, even though he had to know since he had just come from there.

  “How about a Rough Day Sandwich?” he offered.

  “Yes, please.” It wasn't going to fix my problems, but Bastian's Rough Day Sandwiches were good for the soul.

  “Okay.” Bastian gave my shoulders one last squeeze before letting go. “Let's go rescue Robbie from Ava and we'll head home.”

  I nodded, slowly sliding from the bar stool. As I followed Bastian out of the bar, I looked down at the path Leo had taken, wishing that we had never had this stupid fight.

  I hoped Bastian was right. I hoped that Leo was just off cooling down and that we'd be right as rain in the morning.

  I hoped. But I wasn't going to hold my breath.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  I couldn't sleep.

  The clock said I had been trying to sleep for the past three hours, but it felt more like an eternity. Bastian's sandwich lay heavy in my stomach since it was too knotted up with fear and heartbreak to actually digest any food.

  I kicked off my comforter and was immediately too cold. But it was too hot to sleep with it on. With a sigh, I got up and went to the thermostat for the fourth time tonight. I couldn't find the right temperature and I had a feeling it was more to do with me than the thermostat.

  I was hot with anger and cold with shame.

  Giving up on the thermostat, I put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Maybe a walk on the beach would put me in a better mood. The ocean was usually magic for heartbroken lovers, right?

  Yeah, to drown their sorrows, I answered myself bitterly. Still, walking the beach sounded like a better idea than tossing and turning in bed for another five hours.

  The house was silent as I crept to the back door and escaped out onto the porch. The night air was hot after the air-conditioned house and far more humid, but the breeze off the ocean was pleasant. The crickets were almost deafening at this hour. I hoped they were having better luck with their mates than I was.

  I paused at the steps down to the beach, my hand on the railing. This is where Leo kissed me. This porch. Two steps to the left.

  I closed my eyes and replayed our fight for the millionth time, trying to figure out how I could fix it. But the truth was, I couldn't. I couldn't fix this. Not without Leo's help. I’d hurt him. Even if he was gambling, I shouldn't have accused him without being sure. I could only imagine how it must have felt to have his biggest secret thrown back in his face at the first hint of trouble, yet I knew he was still hiding something from me.

  That wasn't why he told me about it. He had trusted me. And by accusi
ng him, I had betrayed that trust. There were other reasons the money could be missing from the slush account. Maybe it really was just coincidence that he was being blackmailed for that amount. Maybe Gabe had taken a model out on a jet trip and forgotten to expense report it right away.

  “He'll go do something to calm down...” Bastian's words echoed in my mind as I looked out at the water. The moon was barely a sliver of light on the dark water.

  I knew what Leo would want to do to cool down. Drive that stupid boat of his. To go fast, skimming over the water and letting his troubles fade while he risked just a little more speed.

  Except he promised.

  Except we had argued.

  He had said we were a mistake.

  I looked up at the thin moon, trying to remember if that was good or bad for the waves. It hung in the sky like a shard of forgotten glass, ready to cut the unwary. I ran my fingers through my hair in exasperation. I couldn't remember and I didn't even really know if he was out on the water.

  But now I knew I wouldn't be able to stop pacing this stupid porch or tossing in my stupid bed until I knew he wasn't on that death trap of a boat.

  I needed to go to the docks and check.

  With a deep breath, I took the stairs as fast as I could and started walking down the beach toward the dock. The ocean whispered against the sand and the breeze ruffled my hair and filled my nose with the scent of moving water.

  “Where are you going?” A dark voice asked, coming out from behind a palm tree.

  I nearly jumped three stories and was half way to throwing a punch before recognizing the voice.

  “Dammit, Elijah!” I gasped, putting my hand over my racing heart to keep it in my chest. “You scared me! Don't you sleep?”

  Elijah shrugged like sleep didn't matter. “Where are you going?”

  I let out a breath, trying to get my adrenaline under control. “The docks. I just need to see if Leo's boat is there.”

  Elijah's brow darkened as he left the shadows of the tree and came out into the open. “You're worried about him,” he observed. “You think he's on that speed boat.”

  I nodded. “I just can't shake this feeling...” I ran my hand through my hair. It was heavy with humidity. “If his boat's there, then I'll feel a lot better.”

  “And if it's not?” Elijah's question was one I didn't want to answer. I paused.

  “I don't know,” I answered honestly, but my stomach twisted and I thought I might be sick.

  “Let's get going then,” Elijah said, stepping to the side and waiting for me to catch up with him. I was glad he was with me. Even if he drove me nuts, I knew Elijah always had my back. Even in this. If Leo's boat wasn't there, Elijah would know what to do. He was good at stuff like that.

  Together we walked along the beach. Eli moved through the dark like a hunting cat- never tripping or stepping on anything that could give away his position. Me, on the other hand, sounded more like an elephant stampeding through the bush.

  It wasn't long before the glow of the lamps on the dock greeted us. My footsteps sounded hollow and doomed as we walked along the wooden planks to where Leo stored his boats.

  The stall holding Speed Demon was empty.

  My heart stalled. My chest collapsed and I couldn't find the air to breathe. Elijah's strong grip found my elbow, keeping me from sinking to my knees. I was glad he had come with me.

  “Is there another boat?” he asked, his voice gruff and commanding enough to make me answer.

  “Yeah, the Silver Lightning...” I turned from the empty stall and went to the next one. Maybe Elijah knew how to hot-wire a boat and we could go out looking for him. Maybe there was a radio and we could contact him. Maybe he was tied up in that boat because someone had stolen Speed Demon.

  The last one was rather far-fetched, but I still hoped for it.

  But Leo wasn't bound and gagged in the boat. Instead, Murdoch sat in the driver's seat with this feet propped up on the dash.

  “Hey, boss,” Murdoch said into his headset, his dark eyes landing on me. “There's a girl here to see you.”

  I swallowed hard, unable to make out the words coming through the headset. The headset must have been some sort of long distance radio for Leo to communicate while out on the racing boat.

  Murdoch nodded at whatever command was given to him, plopping his feet on the deck with a thud. He stood, taking the headset off his head and handing it to me. It looked tiny in his giant hands. I swallowed hard and took it, careful not to drop it in the water.

  “Leo?” I asked, my voice shaking. I didn't want to argue again. I just wanted to know he was safe, but somehow, being out on a ridiculously dangerous speedboat in the middle of the night just didn't scream safe to me.

  “I'm sorry about earlier.” Leo's voice came in crisp and clear over the headset.

  “It's okay,” I said, leaning against the hull of the boat. “Where are you?”

  “I needed to think,” he replied over the headset, not really answering my question. “Charlotte, there's something I need to tell you.”

  “You can tell me anything.” I closed my eyes to focus on his voice, visualizing him turning the boat around and driving back. Slowly.

  “I'm being blackmailed.”

  “I kind of figured that out,” I told him, rolling my eyes. “Can you tell me about what?”

  “It's not something I'm proud of,” he said slowly. “But I shouldn't keep it from you. It's keeping it from you that got me blackmailed in the first place.”

  “Okay.” I was a little nervous now. Leo was perfect in my eyes. He was everything I could ever want in a man. The idea that he could have done something so terrible that he could be blackmailed about it is a little intimidating. I hoped he wasn't an ax murderer. I could handle just about anything, just not ax-murderer.

  “Do you remember why I don't gamble any more?” he asked. His voice was eerily calm on the radio.

  “You said you nearly lost everything,” I answered slowly, opening my eyes and looking out at the water as if I might see him coming back. “That it scared you.”

  “That's right.” He paused and then let out a long sigh. “I didn't get a loan for the business, Charlotte.”

  “What? What loan are you talking about?” I frowned, not following his logic. What did a loan have to do with blackmail?

  “The loan that got us started, that had such an amazing interest rate-” He took a deep breath, waiting for me to hate him. “There was no loan.”

  It took me a moment to put his words together. Leo had gotten us a loan to get the business started. That loan was the reason we had been able to have a successful launch and get the business where it was today. We had just talked about it a couple nights ago at the gala. I remembered the loan, so I was confused as to how there wasn't one.

  “But, I wrote checks to pay the interest...” I shook my head, not understanding. It had felt like a real loan at the time.

  “You paid me the interest.” He quickly added, “I put every dime back into the company from those checks, but there was no loan.”

  I swallowed hard, not really wanting the answer to my next question. I could already guess, but I needed to hear it. “Where did the money come from then, Leo? If it wasn't a loan, how did we get forty-thousand dollars to start the business?”

  “I won it in a football game.” The boat engine revved again in the background. “Remember the big state game, when we all had nachos together in my dorm room? The other team was the favorite. In fact, it was supposed to be a blow out, but I got an insider tip that their quarterback was out with an injury.”

  I remembered the game. I remembered not being able to talk at the end of it for screaming at the players not to blow it. The only reason we won was a field goal in overtime that broke the record for the longest field goal kicked by our team. It was considered the game of the decade- one of the closest, most bet on games in the history of the school.

  He stopped, and I could hear him inhale sharply
on the other end of the line. “The 4:1 odds were too good to pass up, and we needed the money. I bet nearly all of our business capital on it.”

  It took everything I had not to gasp and take off the headset.

  “The only problem was that their quarterback wasn't the only one out,” Leo continued, his voice low and full of regret. “Our star running back was out that day, too. For four hours, I was positive that I had just lost the entire ten-thousand dollars I borrowed to make the bet,” he said, finishing the story. He stopped talking and waited for me to say something. “I'm so sorry, Charlotte.”

  Ten thousand dollars. Now, that was hardly any money to us, but back then, it was every dime Bastian, Leo, and Gabe had. They had saved for months working odd jobs and eating nothing but ramen. It had been everything back then.

  And Leo had bet it all.

  “You never said anything...” I was still processing the implications. Leo had bet all of the money without asking anyone. If the kicker had missed... Our business never would have existed.

  “How could I?” Leo's voice cracked. “You looked at me like I was hero when I said we had forty-grand. I didn't want you to look at me like a gambler. I didn't want you to see the real me.”

  I remembered how happy I had been. How happy everyone had been when Leo said we had a forty-thousand dollar loan to start the company. Leo had been the hero for weeks. I could only imagine the guilt he carried knowing that he was lying to us about where he got the money.

  “It's what made me quit gambling. A gust of wind, an untied shoelace, and I could have lost everything.” His voice pleaded for understanding and forgiveness. “I had hoped no one would ever know. That it would just disappear and I'd be forever known as the man who got a loan. Not the man who risked his friend's dreams without even asking.”

  “And the blackmailer found this out?” I asked, trying to keep my head on straight. This definitely did change the way I viewed Leo. For all these years, I'd thought that he'd begged the banks or found a rich uncle to borrow the funds. But just risking everything without even asking? I could see why he didn't want anyone to find out.