Billionaires in New York Boxed Set: Billionaires in the City Books 1-3 by Laura Burton (learn to read books .TXT) 📕

“Do you have any idea why this keeps happening?” she asked Harry as the car pulled forward once more.

“No,” he said. “I thought it was someone in New York, but now I get the feeling there maybe more than one person.”

“But why, Harry? Why would anyone have a problem with you dating me?”

Harry looked thoughtful as he scratched his chin.

“Well, not to sound big-headed or anything… but I was named one of the top sexiest men in Estelle’s fashion magazine.”

Julie looked at him incredulously and resisted the urge to laugh. She couldn’t be sure if he was joking or not.

“What has that got to do with anything?”

Harry shrugged and shifted in his seat. A dimple formed in his cheek as he grinned.

Julie took the opportunity to outline his face with her eyes. His face was perfectly sculpted, as if by an expert. And his slightly wavy hair made Julie want to drag her hands through it. Her eyes lowered to his lips; they were becoming familiar to her now. Plump and smooth. Yes, she could see why Estelle named him this year’s top sexiest man.

“You know, I’ve heard stories from these actors. Matt had a crazy woman send him some pretty vile pictures, threatening to do terrible things if he didn’t break up with his girlfriend.”

Julie opened her mouth, but no sound came out. After a moment she found her voice.

“So, are you telling me this is normal for you? ‘Oh look, a dead goat with fan mail written in blood.’ Just another day in the office?”

Is this what I’m going to have to deal with?

Suddenly, the idea of being with Harry felt uncomfortable. She wondered what Emily might say when she found out that they received a death threat. She’d go crazy. Probably fly over there and drag her back to New York, forbidding Julie from seeing Harry again.

“Whoever it is, they know where my parents live. I’m not sure going back to my apartment is wise either,” Harry said. Julie looked out the window, watching the traffic pass by. She half-expected to see reporters hanging out of car windows and photographers wrestling with oversized cameras to get a shot at Harry.

“You’re right,” she said, turning back to him. “We need to go somewhere less… obvious.” She bit her lip as she looked around the limousine. “And we need to go incognito.”

“What are you suggesting? I get a pair of glasses and a fake moustache?” Harry quipped back with a smirk. Julie shook her head, her heart racing as a surge of adrenaline bolted through her body.

“We need to ditch the security, rent a cheap car, and—”

She broke off and pulled her phone out of her purse.

“And what?” Harry asked, a mixture of confusion and admiration on his face. Julie looked back at him resolutely and placed a hand on his.

“Time to visit my parents.”

“Julie, this is a surprise––a great one though. You must be Harry? Good to meet you.” Julie’s father shook hands with Harry and ushered them into the small mid-terrace. Julie inhaled the familiar scent of her father’s sandalwood aftershave as he pulled her in for a tight hug.

Mr. and Mrs. Andrews were the most unlikely people to fall in love. They were opposing lawyers in a particularly nasty divorce court. The process took almost five years and when the proceedings finally reached its bitter end, Mr. Andrews asked the question no one saw coming.

“Will you marry me?”

The story was a family favorite at every get-together. Julie was never quite sure if they loathed each other or loved each other. Most of the time they had polar opposite views and enjoyed debating them. Julie’s mother called it “healthy conversation.” But to young Julie, it sounded like a pair of siblings bickering.

“Is Mum home?” Julie asked, looking around. A heavy bookcase covered the entire wall filled with law books. As a little girl, she looked up at the bookcase as it towered over her, wondering how many lifetimes it would take to read all of the volumes. She looked back at her father, his dark hair was greying on the top now, but his eyebrows were still bushy and jet black. He had a few more worry lines on his forehead. His almond-shaped hazel eyes seemed to smile at her, filling Julie with warmth.

“Sorry, no. She’s in Scotland for work. If we had known you would be in town, we would have made arrangements.” Julie’s dad walked them through to the breakfast room. Comfy armchairs stood in a semicircle facing the large bay window to the front of the house. A beam of sunlight reflected off the mirrored coffee table and a grandfather clock ticked loudly in the corner.

“That’s my fault, Mr. Andrews,” Harry began. Julie’s dad held up a hand and Harry fell silent.

“Please, please. Call me Charlie.” He held a hand to his heart and gave a frank smile as they took their seats.

“Thank you. Well, I didn’t give Julie a lot of notice about this trip.”

Harry and Julie’s dad talked for a while as Julie settled back into her favorite armchair with her feet tucked under her and listened to the low rumble of Harry’s voice mingled with the familiar gentle tones from her father. Before long, the antique chessboard was out, and the two men struck up a game. Julie watched Harry pull off his jacket and roll his sleeves up, as her dad set up the pieces and the two of them exchanged playful banter.

There were no signs of concern on Harry’s face. It was like nothing untoward had happened earlier. Julie, however, couldn’t help but glance out of the window at the constant stream of traffic. Who was behind the threat? Did they follow them to the car rental? Was there any point going incognito? Maybe telling Benjamin and his team to back off was a foolish plan? Benjamin said as much.

The comforting tones of Harry and her dad talking with the rumble of