His Dangerous Infatuation (Romantic Suspense)

By Lilith T. Bell

Murder. Blackmail. Revenge. Betrayal.

Astronaut Jaime Valle is only pretending to be in a relationship with Angela Lloyd-Whitney in order to get closer to the man he believes is out to ruin his life. Upsetting a billionaire or two while he’s at it is a nice bonus, but the goal is to unravel the mystery of who is framing Jaime and why. The last thing he needs is to be distracted by how tempting Angela is.

In the midst of grieving for her brutally slain cousin and subject to harassment and abuse from her uncle, Angela is looking to rebel a little. A man with a skill for getting under people’s skin seems like the perfect choice for arm candy. Unfortunately for her, he’s getting under her skin as well and she has no idea of his ulterior motives.

It was supposed to be a temporary ruse for the both of them, but there’s no controlling infatuation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Selkie Publishing
• Release date: Mar 24, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310547737

Book preview

His Dangerous Infatuation

by Lilith T. Bell

Text Copyright © 2014 Lilith T. Bell

All Rights Reserved

Book Design by Lilith T. Bell

Smashwords Edition

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, events, and locations are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons or events, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.

This file is licensed for private individual entertainment only. The book contained herein constitutes a copyrighted work and may not be reproduced, stored in or introduced into an information retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means (electrical, mechanical, photographic, audio recording, or otherwise) for any reason (excepting the uses permitted to the licensee by copyright law under terms of fair use) without the specific written permission of the author.

Excerpt

Jaime tilted his head a bit, looking her over with an unexpected heat in his eyes. It made her shiver as though his gaze had a physical weight to it. Beautiful. I’d give you a 9.7.

She laughed as she felt her cheeks burning. Why was she doing something so absurd? For the first time in her life, a man she genuinely found attractive was showing interest. Angela had never felt outright hideous, but she assumed there had to be something off-putting about her to limit interest so much. And yet whatever that off-putting element was, Jaime seemed immune to it.

What would I need for a perfect ten?

This.

He closed the bit of distance between them and slid his hands up to cradle her breasts. She felt the rough brush of his thumbs swirl against her nipples and her eyes automatically shut as she exhaled in a shudder.

Oh...oh God. Gasping to fill her lungs again, she automatically arched her chest into that touch. That hadn’t been what she was expecting, which seemed naïve in retrospect.

Yes, I’d say ‘perfect’ is just the right description for you.

DEDICATION

To the dreamers and explorers, who bring new horizons to us all.

I don't care that they stole my idea...I care that they don't have any of their own.

― Nikola Tesla

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The ever-shifting nature of this book could have never been nailed down without the tireless support and inspiration from my friends and partner.

I owe a special debt to NASA for all the valuable information they’ve made available on the National Aero-Space Plane project. Any mistakes, inaccuracies, or artistic license here can be entirely blamed on me.

The life and work of Nikola Tesla was a great inspiration for this book and especially the character of Angela. The idea of tapping the air for electricity came from him and is now being seriously investigated as a form of alternative energy.

Table of Contents

PROLOGUE

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

EPILOGUE

Back Matter

PROLOGUE

THIS is gorgeous, but way too expensive for me.

The words hurt as they were forced through Angela’s throat. She turned to admire the way the fishtail hem swirled around her ankles. It was deep forest green silk and designed with a retro, sculptural appeal. The draped collar gave a hint of cleavage but nothing more. The short flared sleeves had seemed a little odd on an evening gown, yet it worked well together. The overall effect was one of demure glamor. As Angela looked at herself in the mirrors she felt something like a princess. Grace Kelly, perhaps.

Despite the appeal, it was only a temporary fantasy. She was well aware of how many thousands of dollars the dramatic gown cost. It had only been her cousin’s well-meaning insistence that had driven her to torture herself this way.

Beatrice stepped closer so that she was framed in the reflection beside Angela. Beatrice was four years younger and six inches shorter than her, but their coloring and faces were fairly similar for cousins. The biggest difference was Angela’s glasses, which had a thin wire frame and oval lenses. Librarian chic was how Angela would describe her own appearance. Beatrice’s vision had been no better, but her parents had paid for her to get her eyes fixed as soon as she was old enough. Both young women had long red curls and pale skin. Both tended more toward curves than slimness, but Beatrice was constantly dieting while Angela let physical activity leave her body in whatever shape it liked best. They had similar full lips and large brown eyes. At the moment, Beatrice’s eyes were wide with excitement.

Then let me get it for you as a gift. Beatrice had made enough purchases for herself that month to pay for Angela’s salary at the university for the year. It looks too beautiful not to keep.

Where would I wear it, Treece? This would pay my rent for four months and I don’t even have any reason to own it.

Those excited eyes in the mirror suddenly shifted to hurt. Angela could see despair settling over Beatrice like she was being buried alive under sandbags. Before the mood could change too much, Angela turned to her cousin and held her by the shoulders. I just don’t want you wasting your money. I would love it as a gift, but I don’t have your lifestyle.

If you let me get it for you, we’ll find a reason for you to wear it. Beatrice pulled Angela’s hands off of her shoulders to give them a squeeze.

Angela’s eyes lowered to their joined hands, trying not to focus on the scars on the insides of her cousin’s wrists. With great effort against nagging guilt and worry, she nodded. All right.

Beatrice gave a little bounce on the balls of her feet, looking ten years younger than twenty-four for a moment. Thank you! You just look too stunning in that not to own it. I’d swear it was designed specifically for you.

Angela did have to admit that it flattered her body unusually well. She turned to admire the dress one last time, trying to banish thoughts of how her aunt and uncle would react if they knew. Beatrice’s credit cards were paid off by her father no matter how absurd her purchases could get, but that was with the understanding that everything she bought was for herself. Uncle Gregory was not very amenable to charitable purposes that weren’t tax deductible.

While the seamstress took measurements to adjust the gown for a perfect fit, Angela did her best to hold still. There was something about standing in one spot that left her legs and feet aching far more than a run possibly could. It was one of the things she hated most about shopping as they shuffled along slowly from store to store and then she had to wait around patiently as Beatrice looked at each and every item. Yet there had never been an option to say no. Her cousin had disappeared into a depression for nearly four weeks and had finally felt like doing something she enjoyed again. That the activity wasn’t one Angela particularly enjoyed was irrelevant. She enjoyed Beatrice’s happiness enough to put up with the awkwardness of shopping in stores she could never afford to patronize.

How’s work? Beatrice asked as she wandered a few feet away to examine a pair of glittering shoes.

There was something odd in that question, though Angela knew that Beatrice truly did care. It was just that she asked about work in the same way an adult might ask a child about the well-being of their stuffed animals.

Exhausting. I have a few students who just aren’t trying at all and I can’t tell if it’s their fault or mine. Or maybe I’m just too young to be an assistant professor. She worried that the position at the University of Houston had largely been offered to her by the power and influence of her name, which made it all the more uncomfortable. Angela shifted her weight as she felt the seamstress giving a small tug at the hem. But my tests with NASA are going wonderfully.

Your hygroelectric generator?

Yeah. I’m still blown away that it’s really being sent to Mars. It’ll solve so many energy problems for the trip and... She trailed off and took a deep breath, trying to ignore the knot in her stomach. How many people can say they designed something keeping astronauts alive on another planet?

Beatrice wandered behind Angela, who tracked her in the mirror for lack of anything better to look at. My dad says you’re an idiot throwing away money.

Angela swallowed hard. The fight had been a shock, as her uncle had always seemed too cold to show such rage. The confrontation at the lab had left her shaken, but all the more determined to follow through on her plan.

Oh. He told you about that.

Beatrice nodded and looked up from her phone to meet Angela’s eyes in the mirror. Are you really not going to sell it to Limitless Horizons after the Mars mission?

The agreement lets NASA and the federal government have exclusive use of it until after the mission; after that I can do whatever I want.

And what you want is to give it away?

Treece, that’s not exactly how it works. I have to encourage the research, not the profit. Angela turned to look at her, earning an annoyed huff from the seamstress. This is a scientific advancement and it needs to be freely available for others to improve on it and learn more. This is something that will save lives, not to mention have a huge impact on pollution. It’ll give developing countries a step up without having to burn so much fossil fuel. People need to have free access to that kind of technology. I can’t ethically hide that away and control who has access.

It could make you a billionaire, Beatrice countered. And it’s going to make you a lot of enemies in the energy sector.

Angela turned back around again with a murmured apology to the seamstress. That’s a pretty neat trick that your mouth is moving and I’m hearing your dad’s voice. In the mirror, she could see the chagrin on her cousin’s face and instantly regretted her words. I’m sorry. I’m not going to change my mind, though.

Beatrice was nodding slowly in the mirror, but her eyes held pity in them. With all you do to help people, I just don’t think you deserve to be poor.

For a moment, Angela considered arguing with her that an assistant professor had a perfectly respectable middle class income. She dismissed the thought quickly, as she knew in Beatrice’s worldview middle class was poor. Nobody deserves to be poor, Treece. I just didn’t go into physics and engineering to get rich. This isn’t about money.

At that the subject was finally dropped. Once the measurements were finished and Beatrice had paid for the gown, they stepped back out of the shop to continue on their way.

Have you ever been in love?

The question made Angela pause briefly. She had been a few steps ahead, but now stopped walking to let the younger woman catch up. Golden sunlight on a late autumn afternoon bathed the both of them as they stood on the sidewalk. Looking at Beatrice meant turning toward the sun as it dipped toward the horizon and Angela had to bring a hand up to shield her eyes.

Angela did her best to school her features into a neutral expression, but she was sure she couldn’t fully hide her irritation. She had hoped that they had moved past invasive questions for the day. Part of her feared that this was the start