Page 37 of The Bossy Billionaire

“Just shut up and let me help you, you stubborn woman,” he jokes, clearly not too eager for me to be out of his hold yet either.

* * *

As only a billionaire can do, a town car picked me up from the police station where Ben stood watching closely as Huxley helped me into the back seat.

I am even more exhausted now after telling them everything. Huxley wasn’t with me, but Ben was, and I could feel his thunderous anger roll off him as I laid out everything. The wires being cut, the locks missing, the back door being open, and now the rock throwing.

He didn’t say anything, but I know he was upset that I didn’t tell anyone sooner. It is clearly a pattern of behavior, one that is escalating. I am not going to lie, I am fearful, but I didn’t get a good look at anyone, on either of those occasions, and no one noticeable has been hanging around. There’s no known motive to go on.

I settle into the car ride, Huxley and I both quiet, him no doubt giving me time to think about this morning with the police, and me needing it to try to get some sort of order to my thoughts. The police think it could be a random stalker, maybe someone who has it in for the Rothschilds, or even someone who doesn’t like Harrison’s policies. It feels like a stretch. It all feels more personal than that.

The police will investigate; my brothers are managing the bookstore, and I will escape for the week, leaving everyone with my problems. Which is not what I wanted. I look across the back seat to Huxley, who is lost in thought, looking out the window. There is no way he would let me stay to manage it all, so there is no point even trying to fight him on it.

“We’re here,” he says, looking at me as the car stops on a tarmac right next to a shiny white jet. I wring my hands together. This is the lifestyle I had tried so hard to renounce from my brothers. The lifestyle that I didn’t feel I deserved. Didn’t work for and didn’t want to be seen as grabbing it from my brothers. Especially since our mother was well known for her entitlement. That is a profile I wanted to stay well away from. But even with all my insistence at not being part of that life, here I am, with Huxley, doing it all because he asked me. I bet my brothers are pissed at him.

“You alright?” His voice has me pulling my eyes from the plane to look at him. His brow crumples as he watches me.

“I’m fine.”

“You have been fine all day. It’s okay to be nervous, but it will be a quick flight. The weather is clear. There is no wind,” he says, trying to tame my nerves, knowing exactly why I am nervous. “Come on.” Grabbing my hand, he gets out of the car, bringing me with him.

He shakes hands with the crew, and we walk up the metal silver stairs. Having no prior plane experience to compare it to, I can only appreciate it from what I have seen in the movies. Everything is clean and glistening. The seats are big, white leather, and look as soft as butter. There are tables, a long bench seat, a TV, and a very pretty hostess who greets us.

“Whiskey, sir?” she asks Huxley, looking at him like I don’t even exist.

“No, thank you, Lisa. Just some bottled water, please,” he answers her, without really looking at her, and grabs my hand tighter to pull me along, taking us to a few seats side by side down the back.

“Here, sit near the window. You can watch the city disappear,” he offers, and I sit in the seat that is way too big for me, immediately melting into it.

“Mmmmm. How long is the flight?” I ask him as I settle in, although I am sure he has already told me.

“A couple of hours,” he says, looking at me and then reaching into a cupboard nearby. Without asking, he passes me a cashmere blanket and a pillow, and I get even more comfortable as the plane door closes and Lisa brings us a few bottles of water.

“Thank you, that is all,” he says, effectively dismissing her.

“Hmmm, still bossy,” I murmur, now feeling cozy as he takes the seat next to me.

“You know it,” he whispers next to my ear, before kissing me on the temple and getting comfortable. We haven’t talked about what is happening between us. It is clear from the kiss earlier that we have stepped into new territory, but as someone who hasn’t really dated much, I have no idea if Huxley is generally like this with women or just with me. I hope it is just with me.

I watch him for a beat. He is here for me when I need him the most, taking care of me. He is smart, successful, caring, and sticks up for me. As the plane taxies quickly down the runway, and I hold my breath a little as we launch into the air, and he keeps my hand in his through it all. I rest my head back and close my eyes, the darkness taking me before the plane even reaches cruising altitude.

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE - HUXLEY

She slept the whole flight, and I watched every breath she took like a complete stalker. The fear that racked my body last night after her scream still filters through my brain. The adrenaline that coursed through my veins when I rushed in and saw her on the floor broken has left a pain in my chest that hasn’t abated all day. Now all I can think of is her.

If I’m honest, I knew the minute I first saw her walk into that boardroom that she was something, yet the more I’ve gotten to know her and the more I’ve uncovered, the more I like. I don’t know if it is her fierce independence, her stubbornness, or the fact that she isn’t into me because of my money or my name. She has all that already, thanks to the Rothschilds. The Rothschild. Just thinking about the way Harrison looked at me last night has me gritting my teeth. That’s what makes him soon-to-be leader of the free world. He doesn’t have to say a thing to get his message across. I don’t want to lose our friendship, yet I now know there is no way I can stay away from his sister. The feelings I have for her exploded like a fireball last night. Her screaming my name in fear has played over and over in my mind since I heard it, and it makes my gut clench every time I think about it.

The way she looked up at me last night from where she was on the ground, covered in shattered glass, wet from the rain. The way she clenched my shirt, curled her body into mine, felt secure in my arms enough to sleep. The way she only came to me. She has her whole family around her, but it was me whom she clung to. I was her safe space, and I have no idea how I can ever let her go. She wants me and I want her, and after last night, I am sure her brothers know that too.

Now, as we are driving up to my ranch, she is glued to the car window, looking all around while my eyes have remained on her the entire trip.

“This is so pretty,” she says in complete awe. Whispers during the fall season is like no other place I have been. The trees have turned orange and vibrant red, mixed in with the few green leaves and the blue sky, and it’s one of my favorite things to see every year.

“Thought you might like it,” I murmur, watching her intently, a smile dancing on my lips as I see her face relax and her eyes widen in amazement. I have a million things I need to do for work, my cell constantly vibrating in my pocket, but I ignore it all, preferring to focus on her.

“So you grew up here?” she asks, looking at me wide-eyed. Seeing her like this settles me. Less than twenty-four hours ago, she was screaming for her life, and now in the back of my blacked-out SUV, my local driver, Henry, at the wheel, she is looking at everything in complete wonder. She is incredible.

“Whispers is a few miles away, which is where I grew up. I bought the ranch here a few years ago, and I bought my parents a new place that is next door, so they look after it when I am not here,” I explain, watching her take it all in.

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