Roc Hard Read online

  Roc Hard

  A Billionaire Virgin Romance

  By USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author

  KB Winters

  Copyright © 2017 BookBoyfriends Publishing LLC

  Published By: BookBoyfriends Publishing LLC

  Contents

  Roc Hard

  Copyright and Disclaimer

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  More from KB Winters

  Acknowledgements

  About The Author

  Copyright and Disclaimer

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2017 BookBoyfriends Publishing LLC

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of the trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  One

  Abby

  “No, Mama! No!” Wild blonde curls smacked against my daughter’s chubby little face as she rejected the pink and yellow dress I held up.

  I bit back the grunt of impatience as my adorable three-year-old daughter put her foot down on the day’s fashion choices. “Lily, you can’t wear a bathing suit everywhere. Melanie is taking you to lunch today, don’t you want to look pretty?”

  “No,” she stuck out her bottom lip that was one hundred percent her father’s mouth. She had his stubbornness too.

  I could have kept fighting her but whether she wore a dress or her beloved red checked two-piece bathing suit and cutoff denim shorts made no difference. So I put the dress back in the closet and put on what she wanted. Better to save that fight for something bigger. “Alright, pumpkin, let’s get moving.”

  Lily smiled up at me and held her arms out. “Up, Mama.”

  Carrying her saved precious time I didn’t have—especially today of all days. The resort I managed, the Sunset Hotel, had been bought out and renamed Azurel Resort. And I had a meeting schedule with the new owner whom no one knew a thing about because the previous owner, Maury, had told us nothing. He simply cashed his big fat check and took off for a better paradise than Puerto Rico.

  None of that mattered now, though. All that mattered to me and my staff was making sure we all had jobs when the dust settled. Anyone who’d worked in the hospitality industry long enough knew that new ownership often meant tons of turnover. The new owner would want things done their way, and we’d all have to comply or find another job—which on the island, wasn’t that easy.

  The drive to my aunt Melanie’s small house near the bed and breakfast she provided baked goods for didn’t take long. “Thanks, Aunt Mel,” I told her and kissed them both goodbye. I’m not sure how well I could have survived as a single mother without my aunt Melanie. She took me in when my parents abandoned me as a child and helped me get on my feet again while I coped with being pregnant just as my career was getting started. Because of her, I didn’t have to settle for a career I didn’t want. I could pursue my dreams and give my little girl the life she deserved.

  Now it was time to secure our future.

  Once I arrived at Azurel, I took a much needed second for myself. Several deep breaths in and out to slow my racing heart and I stepped from the small blue sedan I bought when Melanie, Lily, and I moved to Puerto Rico two years ago. My crisp white suite laid flat against my extra curves that hadn’t gone away since Lily’s birth, but it was my go to outfit when I needed a confidence boost. And I knew I would need it today. Badly.

  I hadn’t felt this nervous since I found out I was pregnant by the man I thought I’d fallen in love with…just months after I found out he’d already picked out a wife, and it sure as hell wasn’t me. I did exactly what Aunt Melanie had always told me, ever since my wannabe rock star parents dropped me off with her and never looked back. I picked myself up and moved the hell on. Leaving St. Lucia had nearly broken me but going back to Atlanta and Aunt Melanie healed me enough to move forward with my life.

  Moving forward meant taking a job in Puerto Rico managing a mid-size resort instead of the luxury resorts I’d hoped for, but it turns out I love my work, my employees and the island itself. And now another billionaire—presumably—held my future in his or her hands.

  Story of my life.

  I arrived early to prepare for the meeting, to steel my nerves and go over the reports each department had prepared for the new owner. Just because they held all the cards, didn’t mean I had to bend over and take whatever they tossed my way. I could fight and I would.

  The last time I tangoed with a billionaire I ended up pregnant and alone. I just hoped this time turned out better than that one had.

  ***

  Roc

  Revenge. Some say it’s best served cold, but I’ve always thought it should be so fucking hot it singed everything in its path. And that’s exactly what I had in mind when I purchased the Azurel Resort. Revenge. Against the woman who had pulled me in, enticed me with her innocence and then vanished without a trace.

  Until now.

  Of course, this resort would also launch the budget and family friendly hotels under the Mahoney Hospitality umbrella, but in this instant profit wasn’t my main motivator. No, it was all about Abigail Blakely. I’d seen her name on the list of employees and the plan had practically formulated itself.

  More than four years had passed since she disappeared from my life without so much as a Dear John letter, a passive aggressive text or a forwarding address. I couldn’t quite figure out what made Abby so special, so appealing. So fucking unforgettable that I hadn’t been able to sleep for days after she’d gone, couldn’t see silky golden blonde waves without thinking of her. And that just wouldn’t do. It would not fucking do.

  I’ve never mooned over women. I didn’t chase them and I sure as shit didn’t let them affect my business. I didn’t take the inheritance my parents left me and my brothers and turn it into a billion-dollar empire by getting distracted by every skirt with nice tits and a gorgeous smile.

  But Abby had proven that neither time nor distance would rid my thoughts of her.

  And I found that totally fucking unacceptable.

  Which is how I found myself walking through the lobby of the Azurel Resort two hours before my scheduled meeting with her. I wanted to surprise her. I needed that shock value of her seeing my face, knowing that I was the one in control of her future.

  With a confident walk that said I belonged here and not to be questioned, I hooked a right just before the elevators and made my way down the long blue and silver tiled hall to Abby’s office. The plan had been to get into her office before she did and lie in wait for her.

  Before I reached her door, however, several employees stopped me, inquired about my identity, and when they realized that I owned the place, welcomed me with warm smiles. “And who exactly are you?”

  A leggy brunette with smooth tan skin and a seductive smile stuck out her hand. “I’m Cecilia, Ms. Blakely’s executive assistant.”

  Ah, perfect. “And how do you find it working fo
r Ms. Blakely?” Abby had a pleasant way about her and she made even the most difficult customers feel important. But she lacked the proper experience to run a resort of this size.

  “She’s great. Tough but fair and she’s actually letting me assist so I can learn the business.” Cecilia shrugged. “She says someone gave her the same chance and it made all the difference.”

  So she hadn’t completely forgotten me. I hated that it meant so much to me. “Right. I’ll just wait for Ms. Blakely in her office.”

  The assistant’s smile dimmed. “I don’t—”

  “I wasn’t asking,” I told her sternly and her lips snapped shut before she turned on her heels and left me alone in the hall. My fingers traced over the letters that made up her name on the door. Still Blakely which meant she hadn’t married. With a fortifying breath, I pushed the door open and froze.

  Sitting behind a large glass desk, the familiar blonde hair falling around her shoulders in seductive waves and that lush mouth fixed in a shocked ‘o’ was the woman I’d come to see. And once again she’d gotten the jump on me.

  “Hello, Abby.”

  Two

  Abby

  “Roc? What are you doing here?” I couldn’t believe it. The man who’d haunted my every dream and thought since I’d fled St. Lucia a heartbroken mess now stood before me, looking even better and sexier—if that was possible—than he had four years ago. He stood less than six feet away, inky-black hair shining and still just long enough to give him a rakish air. Broad shoulders spanned the doorway, his flat stomach, narrow waist and long legs were showcased magnificently in a lightweight grey suit. Piercing blue eyes locked onto mine looking…angry? What the hell right did he have to be angry?

  His lips curved up at the corners and he sauntered in with that loose hipped gait that had drawn me to him like a moth to a flame in the night. The door clicked shut and Roc made a production of moving in closer and taking a seat so just the desk separated us. “I own this resort which means you work for me. Again.” He looked so damn pleased with himself I wanted to smack his gorgeous face.

  I sucked in a breath at his words, as my new reality sank in and my hand unconsciously went to the photo on the corner of my desk that showed a smiling trio that included me, Melanie, and Lily and flipped it down. Shit. Shit. Shit. This was my absolute worst nightmare come to life. Roc, here? Back in my life? But I couldn’t show him any emotions, and I needed to figure out why he seemed so angry. “Okay. And I assume you’re here to evaluate the facility as well as the staff?”

  “That would be correct. I’ll be here at the Azurel for the next six to eight weeks to assess each employee. Everyone will be expected to prove they belong here. That they deserve to work at Azurel.”

  I nodded because I heard what he didn’t say. In less than two months, I would be out of a job. “Right,” I swallowed the giant ball of sawdust that sat in my throat and kept my features blank. No need to let Roc see he’d gotten to me. “I’m sure you’ll let me know how I can assist you.”

  Deep blue eyes took me in and I wondered what he saw. The fresh-faced twenty-one-year-old who’d fallen so easily for his playboy charm, or the frazzled single mother doing the best she could. I shouldn’t care but for some reason, I did. “Sure. If I need you, I’ll let you know.” He stared for such a long time I had to fight the urge to squirm.

  Seeing him again jolted me back to that night in St. Lucia more than four years ago when I’d realized only one of us had fallen in love. The other had a gorgeous actress he’d planned to marry, making me the other woman. Yeah, that thought was more than enough to help me find my spine. Roc wanted me gone and now that I knew he owned the resort, I had no intention on fighting it. But I’d fight for my employees. “Sounds good. Anything else?”

  “No.” He barked out, harsher than was necessary but I refused to give him a reaction. Not this time.

  “Great. See you around, Mr. Mahoney.”

  He shot an angry scowl my way before leaving, and I knew that goading him wasn’t smart but it’s not as if I had anything to lose. He’d already planned my exit from this place, so what more did I have to lose?

  As soon as I felt sure I was alone, the breath I’d been holding rushed out of me. My hands shook as evidence of just how shaken up I was about the return of Roc Mahoney.

  And what it might mean for me and mostly, for Lily.

  ***

  Roc

  Seeing Abby again had left me shaken and I wasn’t too stubborn to admit that. At least not to myself. She looked nothing like the girl I knew years ago. Her body held more curves, at least from what I could see of the half of her not covered by the desk, than the slender almost gaunt look of a starving college graduate. But her face contained the most significant differences and dammit if they didn’t entice me as much as the innocent ingénue. She’d grown into those big emerald-green eyes and that beautiful lush mouth that had always been ripe and ready for my kisses.

  And thank fuck she’d gotten rid of those ugly shapeless suits that I’d happily stripped off her during our brief affair. Yeah, she’d turned into a real knockout.

  Big fucking deal.

  I refused to be swayed by a beautiful face and the sinful body I knew intimately. She’d get the next six weeks before I fired her. If she lasted that long given her habit of running away.

  “Been here two days and already sulking. Didn’t I raise you better than that?”

  I looked up into the smiling blue eyes of my uncle, Noah, the man who’d raised my brothers and I after our parents died in a plane crash. Our father’s brother, Noah, had taken us in even though it wreaked havoc on his bachelor lifestyle and made us all into men. Very successful men. “We both know I raised you more than you raised me, old man.”

  Noah barked out a laugh as he crossed to the bar inside the ocean-view suite I’d taken. “You always were the serious one.”

  I couldn’t argue that. “Are you here to hassle me or do you have a reason?”

  “Beautiful bikini-clad women are reason enough for me.” Always ready for a party, that was Noah. He leaned on the wall with his ankles crossed, staring. At me. “Why are you sulking? Is this place not what you thought it would be?”

  “You could say that,” I told him, one side of mouth kicked up in a wry expression.

  “Well, you’ve got the skills and the cash to make it whatever you want.” He handed me a glass half full of amber whiskey and knocked his glass against mine. “Cheers.”

  He waited like he’d always done when I needed to talk, waiting me out until his silence forced me to speak. “Abby is here.”

  “Ah. I wondered why you bought this place.”

  My brows dipped low at his words. “I bought this place because it is the perfect spot for budget friendly vacations.”

  Noah shivered visibly. “I hate that phrase, budget friendly. Screw budget friendly, may as well call it cheap.”

  “Spoken like a man born with a platinum spoon in his overfed mouth.”

  “Overfed? You better hope you’re this fit when you’re my age.” He patted his midsection that only showed a slight pudge in deference to his nearly sixty years. “And don’t lie to your uncle. You could have bought damn near any hotel in Puerto Rico or any other island spot around the world. You chose this place because of her.”

  I couldn’t even deny it, dammit. The deciding factor was my desire to exact revenge on Abby for leaving me. She’d blindsided me with her departure, and without an explanation, it had taken me longer than it should have to move past it. Past her. “And if I did?”

  Noah pointed at me with the hand holding his glass. “Just be careful. Things have a way of not always being how they seem.”

  “Yeah, whatever that means.”

  Three

  Abby

  “She really loves it here.” Melanie and I both looked wistfully at Lily chasing butterflies with a daisy in each hand, her laughter bouncing around the yard.

  “This is her home.” I had
taken the past couple of days to think about my next move. I’d already put feelers out for any resorts on the island in need of a manager, because that had to be my top priority now. “I don’t want to take her from her home.” I knew how it felt to be ripped from your life without any notice and I didn’t want that for Lily.

  “I guess the rumors are true then. The girls at the B&B are all a-twitter over the handsome new owner of the Azurel.”

  I blew out a breath and faced Melanie. “It’s Roc. Roc frickin’ Mahoney, and yes, I am looking for a new job.”

  “He fired you? That son of a—”

  I laid a hand over Aunt Melanie’s to calm the hurt and anger I knew she felt. She’d been my mother, my rock and my best friend for as long as I could remember. “No. Not yet. I have two months at most before it happens. If I can get the wedding suite done to offer as an alternative to destination weddings on other island locations, then I can hopefully leverage that into a new job somewhere else. Sleepless nights and a restless brain has produced plenty of ideas”

  “Sounds like you’ve got work all figured out. What about the rest?”

  I knew exactly what she meant because I’d been purposely avoiding even thinking about it. “The rest will have to wait until I have a new job.”

  “That’s your decision to make, honey, just remember that men are more fragile than they let on.”

  “Meaning I should tell him sooner rather than later just in case he decides to use his money to take her from me?” I couldn’t deny it was my biggest fear since he’d walked into my office a few days ago, and it had only grown in the face of his obvious hatred for me, which I didn’t understand. And I hadn’t told her about that yet.

  “Maybe. Don’t underestimate the damage of a man scorned.”

  That made me laugh. The idea of Roc as the scorned lover couldn’t be further from the truth. More than likely his ego had been bruised. “Roc would have to care to feel scorn Aunt Mel. He hates me but that’s it.” His hate would be easier to handle than anything because it would remind me to keep my distance.