Page 17 of Untouchable Billionaire (The Hardcore Novels: Special Editions #1)

Staring at the ceiling, the dream still holding my mind, I lay there and realize I've broken out in a cold sweat.

The horror of that feeling surfaces again, threatening me.

I can feel the PTSD button being pushed.

I put my feet on the floor and sit up. Fuck!

Fucking fuck! I stand up and move to the blinds and open them.

It's still dark. I turn on the light and start to pace.

It doesn't help. I need to run. Going into the closet, I throw on a pair of boxer briefs, sweat pants, hoodie, and Nike's.

I run down the stairs, through the front door, and out the gate without thinking of anything but the panic inside me and getting it cleaned out.

I run to the end of the drive, hook a right and run to the entrance of the golf course. I run until the sun has risen.

* * *

My clothes are drenched with sweat as I walk back up to my house.

Entering, I hear the sounds of humming coming from the interior.

Maria! I smile. Tiptoeing, I make my way through the house until I'm standing outside the laundry room, waiting for her to exit so I can scare her.

My back flat against the wall, I hear her turn on the dryer.

She hums, and then I hear her coming towards me.

I hold my breath and prepare to jump. As soon as she exits, I grab her and yell.

She screams bloody murder, and I hug her tight to me.

She slips her arms around my waist, burying her face in my chest, and we laugh our asses off.

"Ha! Ha! I got you good!"

"Yes, you did, Asshole!" She looks up at me, then sticks her tongue out, pushes me away, and walks off. "You stink. Go. Get cleaned up while I go grocery shopping. I'm going to use you as a guinea pig for a new recipe." She flips me off as she leaves out the side door.

When I first met Maria, she was living in one of my apartment buildings.

I walked in for my appointment with the manager and waited outside the office patiently while she attempted to negotiate a deal whereby she cleaned vacant units in exchange for rent.

She explained that she had income from a cookbook she had just published, but it would be 90 days before she received her first check.

She just needed an extension of time. The office manager explained that Maria would have to sign a new lease in her name, and without the money for the deposit and first month's rent, her hands were tied.

Maria thanked her for her time, walked out, and closed the door behind her.

She smiled politely at me but had tears in her eyes.

I held my meeting, and when it was over, I asked for an explanation of Maria's situation.

The manager told me she was a good resident and had lived there for two years while she went to culinary school.

She had just graduated and was looking for a job in a kitchen but hadn't found work yet.

She and her boyfriend had had a big fight, and he had moved out.

The apartment, unfortunately, was leased in his name.

I asked to see the background check, then I looked on Amazon and saw her cookbook was ranked in the top 10.

When I knocked on her door and introduced myself, she invited me in.

I was shocked by what I saw. Her kitchen was spotless and set up like a miniature professional kitchen.

She had converted her living room area into a studio.

I was impressed with the equipment and knew she took what she was doing very seriously.

There was barely any room to move. She asked if I would like a cup of coffee, and I asked for a cup of cappuccino instead.

She made me one, complete with a heart in the foam, and served some delicious homemade cookies.

Before the afternoon was over, I had negotiated a deal with her to be my house sitter in my new house in Red Rock Canyon.

She could live in the guest house and use the kitchen in the big house for her video blog.

Watching her walk away and flipping me off reminds me of the time years ago when she told me she wanted to do my laundry.

We argued over it. She was stubborn and insistent, but I refused to think of her that way.

"No. We are friends, Maria. You agreed to housesit for me.

Laundry is not part of the agreement. Drop it.

" She snuck up here in the middle of the night anyway to do my laundry while I was sleeping.

I heard someone downstairs, creeping around, and came down to investigate.

At the time, there were no motion sensor lights inside, and I stalked the noise in the dark.

I located the intruder in the hall and flattened my back against the wall, waiting to ambush them.

When she went by, I hit the lights and pointed my gun at her.

She screamed bloody murder and dropped like a rock.

I was horrified and thought I had killed her, but she had only fainted.

When she came to, I was leaning over her face and whispering. "Maria. Maria."

Her eyes focused on mine, and she said. "You're butt naked, Asshole!"

We died laughing, and she sat up, then pranced off. Before she left the room, she flipped me off.

Laughing, I enter the laundry room and strip, then head upstairs for another quick shower.

The long run helped to clear my mind. Enjoying the warm water, I take my time, thinking about the renovations in the east wing I want to do and specifically keeping my mind off Seary.

I'm feeling great when I go back downstairs to wait for Maria to return.

I turn on my laptop in my office, then go to the drawing table and roll out the plans to review.

I like working with my hands and doing as much of the construction as I can.

I make a project schedule, a list of subs I will use for what portions, a timeline on completion, and a list of what materials I'll need for the entire project and what I'll need to start.

When Maria returns, I go to help her. I spend the remainder of the day eating and being her guinea pig for several new dishes, laughing and cutting up with her, teasing her that this tastes terrible as I eat every mouthful, and then helping her film and edit her clips.

We finish washing the dishes together, grab a bottle of wine, and go out on the patio to watch the sunset.

Sitting quietly with her, I'm again thankful for my life and comfortable with the way things are.

Then Maria starts to talk. "You know, Aurei.

Every time I see the sunset from here, the burnt orange glow changing into deep scarlet red on the rock, I think of how passion would look if it had colors.

Like a fire that flames orange, then as it gets hotter, burns red until it's so hot, it will scorch your heart no matter if you make it as hard as that rock.

You know?" She looks at me. "I miss that.

I miss the passion of love." She stands and says.

"Goodnight." Then walks back inside without a backward glance.

I'm left alone watching the vibrant sunset and seeing a flame called Seary dance in front of my eyes, and I feel the place in my heart she has already scorched. It's warm and feels strangely free.

I wait until the sunlight is completely gone, then I go back into the house, put my wine glass in the sink next to Maria's and head upstairs to change. I have to see her dance again. Crazy as it is, I have to know if the lust she sparked last night was a fluke or if it was real .