Billionaire's Bargain

“Stop calling him ‘the baby,’” she interrupted. “You said his name is Jack.”

“All right. Help me with Jack and you’ll get your dream studio out of it.”

“Adam—”

“You find the building you want,” he continued, steamrolling over whatever argument she might have made. “And my company will take care of the rest. We’ll rehab, remodel, set it all up to your specifications.”

Her heart was pounding. His words hung in the air like helium party balloons, bright, pretty. Her studio now was small, but she’d been saving her money, building her reputation. The long-term plan was to have a higher-end studio that would draw bigger clients. Eventually, she dreamed of being the top photographer in Huntington Beach, California, maybe even on the whole West Coast.

And if she did this for Adam, that could happen a lot faster. God, she was so tempted. But if she did this...

“What?” he demanded. “You’re thinking and they’re not good thoughts.”

Irritated, she muttered, “Stop trying to read my mind.”

“Don’t really have to try when whatever you’re thinking or feeling is stamped all over your face.”

“Well that’s insulting.” And unsettling.

“Didn’t mean it that way.”

She waved one hand at him. “I was just thinking...if I do this, would I be any better than Jack’s mother? She used him for profit. Wouldn’t I be doing the same thing?”

“No.” One word. Flat. Final.

She looked into his eyes and saw that he meant it. Too bad it didn’t convince her.

“You’re nothing like her, Sienna.” He paused. “Hell. No one is. If you do this, it’s not about Jack at all. It’s a favor to me.”

God help her, she was wavering. Shaking her head, she continued her argument against doing this by saying softly, “I have a job, Adam. And I can’t take a baby along with me on photo shoots.”

“I understand and we’ll work it out. I don’t know how yet, but I’ll find a way.”

He would, too. Nothing stopped Adam Quinn from doing whatever it was he wanted to. According to Devon, his older brother was a human bulldozer, plowing down everything in his path. Once, she’d thought Devon was like that, too. She’d met him and seen ambition where there was only charisma. She’d thought him charming but hadn’t realized the charm was practiced and not at all genuine.

Adam, on the other hand, clearly didn’t care a damn about charm. He was practically a force of nature. He’d come here for the express purpose of getting Sienna’s help no matter what it took and he was very close to succeeding. Adam didn’t need Devon’s easy smile or quick wit. He had the power of his personality going for him. He was absolutely up-front about what he wanted and how he was going to get it and that could be hard to take even if it was safer in the long run.

“I’m not asking you to give up your work,” he said. “Hell, I’m offering to give you a dream studio so you can build your business faster than you would have been able to. I just need some temporary help.”

His mouth screwed up as if even the word help left a bad taste in his mouth. This was not a man accustomed to needing anyone.

“In exchange,” he added a moment later, “I’ll give you the best photography studio in California.”

He’d laid her dreams out for her on a silver platter. They were right there, within reach and Sienna felt a little light-headed at the prospect. She wanted it. Fine, she could admit it, to herself at least, that she really wanted a beautiful, state-of-the-art studio. She could build the career she’d dreamed of with the right tools. And if she didn’t take Adam’s deal it could take her years to earn that reality on her own.

This was a bad idea, though. There was history between them, not to mention the ghost of his dead brother. She didn’t want to be attracted to him but she most definitely was. And as that thought skittered through her mind, she deliberately kept her features blank. She really didn’t need him reading her expression at the moment.

He was watching her and Sienna fought to keep what she was feeling off her face. Now that she knew he was reading her expressions, it put her at a real disadvantage. But how could her mind not wander to his broad chest, his deep brown eyes, his strong hands? Oh God. One corner of his mouth lifted briefly as if he knew what she was trying to do.

So she took a breath and got it over with. “Okay, I’ll do it. But—”

“Great.” He pushed his sleeve back, glanced at the heavy platinum watch on his wrist, then looked at her. “What time are you finished here today?”

“Just hold on a second. We need to talk about a few things and—”

“We will,” he said quickly. “Later. So, when can you leave?”

“Uh—” If he kept cutting her off in an attempt to hurry this arrangement along, she’d never be able to say what she needed to. She had a few ground rules of her own to lay down and she knew he wouldn’t be happy to hear them. But the man was like the tide, pushing inexorably toward shore. No point in arguing with him here. “Fine. I can leave in about an hour.”

“Good. That’ll work. I’ll meet you at your house, help you move your stuff to my place.”

She blinked at him. “You’ll what? I’m sorry. What?” She shook her head as if to clear her hearing.

“If you’re going to take care of the baby, you’ll have to be where he is, right?” He looked at her steadily and his gaze was strong enough that she felt the power of the man slide into her.

That hadn’t occurred to her at all and now she had to wonder why. Of course she’d have to be with the baby to take care of him. But she just hadn’t put that together with living in Adam’s house. And now that she was, Sienna was pretty sure this was a bad idea.

“I didn’t think I’d be living with you.”

“Not with me. At the same address.”

“Oh.” She nodded and shrugged. “Sure. That’s a whole different thing.”

He blew out a breath at her sarcasm and that told her he was a lot closer to the edge of exasperation than she’d thought. “It’s a big house, Sienna. You’ll have your own suite.”

Her eyebrows arched. A suite? Not the point, Sienna. “I don’t know...”

“Remember our deal. You find any building you want, Sienna. You can design the remodel yourself.”

The snake in the garden had probably sounded a lot like Adam Quinn.

“Put in shelves and workrooms and prop rooms and any kind of lighting you need.”

She ignored the inner tug she felt toward that tasty carrot he was holding out in front of her. He knew all too well that he was getting to her. And she imagined her expression told him everything he wanted to know. “You’re still selling me on an idea I already agreed to. Feeling a little desperate, Adam?”

For a second she thought he’d deny it, then he clearly thought better of it.

“Not quite,” he admitted. “But it’s close. Look, Sienna, we can help each other here. That’s it. So are you in or not?”

She met his gaze for a long second or two. She could say no, but why should she? There was a baby who needed to be cared for and a man completely out of his depth asking for her help.

And okay, the photography studio.

But there was another reason to do it. One she didn’t really want to think about. It was Adam, himself. It was his eyes. The deep timbre of his voice. And the way he looked at her. Foolish? Probably. Irresistible? Absolutely.

“Okay,” she said before she could talk herself out of it. “I’m in.”

Relief flashed across his features briefly. “Good. That’s good. So I’ll meet you at your place in two hours. Help you move what you need to my house.”