Page 38 of Billionaire Daddies Next Door

“Yeah, for now.”

She sighed. “Great.”

I cut my eyes at her. “You want me to spill all my guts right now?”

“Nope. I like it this way, where you give me a little bit at a time and maybe, in a few years, I’ll get to know you.” She turned away from me. “I don’t have a clue what I’m doing right now. You three sweep in and throw me off balance so easily. I’m taking what little you give me at a time but I don’t even know if I want it.”

“I can’t answer that for you.”

She laughed. “Of course, not. You can’t even answer it for yourself.”

I stopped the truck again. “Joanie, I—”

“You can’t even say that you like me. As much as I feel for you and what you’re going through, I think it’s a little short-sighted of me to become invested in the ‘will you, won’t you like me’ game. I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through after losing your wife, Bear. I’m sympathetic to your struggle. I just don’t want to be on this side of things with a man who doesn’t even know if he likes me.” She undid her seatbelt and shoved open the door. “If you think I’m terrified of getting used to Chase and Smith showing up and holding me, you have no idea how terrifying I find you.”

I growled and started to get out to put her back in the truck but she held up her hand at me.

“It’s not that much farther for me to walk and I’d like the time alone. You can go.”

Shame and anger warred in me. She was right and I knew she was but that didn’t mean I liked it. “I’m not fucking leaving you to walk, Joanie.”

Her smile was sickly sweet. “Then you’re going to be driving behind me for the next mile. I’m not getting back in your truck right now.”

“Dammit, Joanie.” I got out of the truck and marched after her. When I caught her, I picked her up and carried her back to my truck, all while she struggled. “You make me crazy.”

“And you make me furious! What’s your game plan, Bear? You want to make me like you until you decide if my worth outweighs your guilt?” She shoved at me as I put her down on the passenger seat. “Just let me go! I don’t want to do this with you.”

I grabbed her arms to hold her still and struggled to get the words I needed to say out. “I… Jesus, this is hard. Will you just listen to me for a second?”

She glared up at me but let me hold her. “Fine. Say what you need to say. I have a meeting to get to, though.”

“I like you. You’re beautiful and smart and so fucking full of attitude. You’re nothing like Michelle.” I swallowed around a lump in my throat and looked away. “You’re good with the girls. I know they aren’t easy but they like you and you keep up with them. So, of course I like you. It makes me feel like shit, though, because I react to you in ways I never…”

Joanie’s breath caught and then she reached up to gently cup my face. Her hands were tiny but the warmth seeped through my beard and the impact was almost bigger than I could handle. “Okay. You don’t have to say anything if it’s too hard. I didn’t mean to push. I just… I’m scared.”

“The lottery?” I turned my face into her hand and brushed my lips over her palm. “I get it. I’ve been through losing someone I love, Princess. I have a healthy amount of fear to go with my guilt, too. I don’t have answers. I haven’t in years.”

She bit her lip and lifted her shoulder in a half shrug. “We’ve established that we’re both scared. Now, what? Can we avoid each other until whatever feelings we’re feeling go away?”

I gripped the back of her neck and pulled her closer. The idea of not seeing her or being around her caused a big reaction in me. “I hate that idea.”

“The only other option is…” She hesitated. “To not fight it?”

Tugging her even closer, I brushed my lips over hers. “I didn’t kiss you.”

“What?” She blinked and her lips turned down.

“That day in your office. I didn’t kiss you and I’ve hated myself for it ever since.” I brushed over her lips again. “Want to face our fears together?”

The smile that stretched her lips made me feel ten feet tall. “I’m telling you now that I’m not good at it.”

“Well, I fucking suck at it, so this should be fun.” Pulling back slightly, I drank in her beauty and the eagerness in her eyes. “I’m going to kiss you now. Like I should’ve kissed you before.”

CHAPTER 28

Joanie

“Did I see you running out of the diner earlier?” Billie’s voice came through a little too happy over the phone. She enjoyed my embarrassment too much for my liking. “That’s a rhetorical question, by the way. I definitely saw you running out of the diner. Care to explain to me why my favorite muffin baker wasn’t in-house to hand over my favorite muffins today?”

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