Page 33 of The Billionaire's Wife

“Shhhh,” I chide him, getting up and heading to the door. I swing it open, expecting a mistaken food delivery—unit 103 packages often accidentally end up here—but am shocked to find myself face to face with none other than Alec King.

I freeze, my eyes going wide. He stares back at me. He looks … nervous? “Alec,” I say. It’s the only word I can summon.

“Ella,” he says. “Can I come in?”

“Um, sure.” I step aside so he can enter. Howard jumps up and down in excitement, and Alec pats his head in greeting.

I follow him into the living room where he turns around. I wait for him to explain his presence here, my hands crossed across my chest. “If this is about walking Betty—” I start.

“No, no it’s not about that.”

I nod. “Okay.”

“I …” He stares down at his hands. “I felt like I needed to apologize.”

And there it is. Just like I thought. He only wants to assuage his guilt. Although I suppose an apology is better than nothing. I continue to keep my arms folded across my chest, saying nothing.

“I shouldn’t have let anything happen between us,” he says. “I should have kept the relationship professional. Like I promised. That’s on me, and I’m sorry.” He meets my gaze, his eyes pleading for forgiveness. Although I’m not sure I’m ready to give it.

“Let?” I echo. “As if you should have stopped me? Like I was the moving force in all this?”

He shakes his head. “No, not you. I shouldn’t have let myself give in to my desires—my feelings for you.”

Feelings. The word catches in my brain and sticks.

“And regardless of how I felt—how I feel—it’s not fair to you. I didn’t, and don’t, want you to feel obligated. As if the more intimate part of our relationship was wrapped up in the deal. The lines blurred, and I’m afraid I took advantage of that.”

I cock my head. What is he saying? “What do you feel, Alec?” I ask bluntly.

He stares at me for a long moment. “I feel …” He trails off and then sighs. “You’re the only woman in a long, long time who has ever made me feel excited to wake up in the morning, excited to see you, and excited to see where … everything could go. And I’ve spent every day apart from you this last week wishing you were next to me. Wishing we were back on that boat.” He takes a deep breath. “But putting those expectations on you isn’t fair.”

“Isn’t fair?” I reply. “You’re making that decision for me. What’s fair about that? Have you wondered how I feel?”

He’s quiet for a moment, seemingly surprised.

“I’ve spent the entire week furious with you because I thought you used me for nothing more than a plaything. That you slept with me just for fun and abandoned me when it was over.”

He shakes his head. “Ella, I—”

“I spent last week with you on the boat falling for someone I never thought I would, seeing sides of you I admire, adore, and—thinking maybe, just maybe, there could be a future there.”

A mixture of emotions wash over Alec’s face. Shock, happiness, relief, and some emotions I can’t quite identify. “You mean that?” he finally asks. “You’re not just saying it?”

I throw my hands up, shaking my head. “Why would I embarrass myself like this if I didn’t mean it?” I say, my voice suddenly catching in my throat.

“Ella.” He spans the distance between us, taking my hand in his and reaching his other up to cup my face. He smiles. “This is the least embarrassing thing I’ve ever heard. In fact, it might just be the best thing I’ve ever heard.”

I grin up at him hesitantly. “The best thing? So does that mean you feel the same?”

He rolls his eyes with small laugh. “Didn’t I already say that?”

Unable to stop myself, I reach for his tie, pulling him down toward me and pressing my lips firmly against his. He responds in kind, kissing me back desperately and then grabbing my upper thighs and hoisting me up until my legs are wrapped around his waist. I throw my arms around his neck, tangling my fingers in his hair.

Our kiss deepens, Alec’s tongue sliding between my lips and tangling with my own. He walks forward until my back hits the nearest wall, pressing me up against it and kissing me harder. Pinning me against the wall with his hips, he uses his free hand to grasp the hem of my t-shirt, breaking our kiss just long enough to pull it over my head.

Having been simply lounging at home, I’m not wearing a bra underneath, much to Alec’s delighted surprise. He hoists me higher up the wall, holding me up with hands under my ass as he leans down to take one of my nipples into his mouth. I moan, clinging to him as he takes his time sucking one breast, then the other, flicking my nipples with his tongue and nibbling softly. I tangle my fingers in his hair, desperate for more.

Suddenly he puts me down, and before I can say anything, he spins me around, pulling my body back against his. I can feel his arousal against my backside, full and apparent. He spends his time fondling my breasts, squeezing and pinching until I’m a whimpering mess, and then his hand travels south, under the waistband of my sweatpants and below my panties.

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