Penthouse Prince Read Online Free Page B

her. “All clear.”
    “You managed to clear the shop with a phone call?” She followed him out of the dressing room.
    “Two, but yes. Perks of being wealthy.” He nodded and held out his business card to the shopkeeper, who looked a bit awed. “I want everything we selected sent to my penthouse immediately. Make sure it’s freshly pressed and ready to wear, understand?”
    A brisk nod and pleased smile was all the answer Camden got before he swept her out of the shop.
    “You didn’t pay for that stuff,” she said.
    “Another perk of being rich. They know where to find me. There are lots of perks to being rich. It almost makes up for the downfalls.” He shoved a pair of sunglasses on his regal Roman nose and continued to tug her along. “Change of plans…you’re staying with me.”
    “I can’t stay with you!” She dug in her heels and locked her knees, grinding him to a halt. His brows popped up over the shades in askance, and her heart raced. She needed to get home to Kaycee, set up the neighbor to keep an eye on her for a few days, and try to figure out how to explain this mess to a five-year-old.
    Someone holding a camera rushed down the sidewalk in their direction. Okay, time for her to get moving again.
    Camden seemed to have the same idea. He didn’t release his hold, kept their fingers twined together, and glided back into his power walk as if she’d never broken his stride. “See, we’re going to have to talk about the kid. I mentioned that would happen. Actually, we should pick her up. Give me the address. Save me a Google search.”
    As he deposited her into the car, flashes of a distant camera caught her eye. She thumped her hand on the dash. “Dammit.”
    He slid into the driver’s seat and popped the car in gear. “So where do we pick the kid up?”
    “That’s a terrible idea. I didn’t agree to it.”
    “Would you rather the press discover the kid and get to it before we do? They’re scrambling, as we speak, trying to figure out who you are, I’d bet money on it. How long do you think you have before they’ve solved the mystery and, because of you, find her?”
    Like it would hurt him to lose a bet? The man probably bathed in money like that rich duck in the cartoon. However, he made a valid point. She couldn’t let the press find Kaycee. If they picked too hard at that nugget of her past…
    “Seventy-sixth and West.”
    He gunned it out of the parking spot, his smile only a little victorious.
    “Doesn’t this mess with your engagement story? Living in sin with your fake fiancée, now adding a kid they may or may not realize is hidden in your house? Wouldn’t it be easier to back out now?”
    “Nope. Hey, Dad wanted me to settle down, start a family. He probably didn’t plan on me fast forwarding to the children bit before I got hitched but, hell, I’ve never done things the way he planned.” In and out of traffic he slid, not bothering to glance her way.
    She sighed and flopped back into the seat. “Maybe I should tell you a little about her. Just so you know what not to say, that sort of thing.”
    He nodded, and his eyes still didn’t leave the road. “Deadbeat dad? I shouldn’t mention him because it hurts the kid to realize Daddy doesn’t care enough to pay his bit, see the kid, all that sob story stuff? Oh, wait, you got pregnant too young. He didn’t want the kid, but you kept it? Now you’re doing it all on your own, blah blah, cue the powerful yet moving soundtrack? I hear that happens a lot.”
    “No, Mr. Know-it-all. Her dad died serving our country in Afghanistan when she was only a baby. He was a hero.”
    His foot eased off the gas a bit, and he seemed to reconsider what he’d said.
    “You’re a widow,” he said. “To a soldier. I’m so sorry.”
    She snorted. “You really must stop assuming.”
    “Tell me I’m wrong?” The challenge in his voice irked her. “I didn’t nail any of it?”
    “She’s my sister. I’ve been raising her