Page 35 of The Bossy Billionaire

“Take it easy.” Huxley jumps up from the armchair, rushing to my side as he helps me sit up.

“I’m okay,” I say quietly, telling him or myself, I'm not yet sure. I wiggle my toes and roll my wrists, ensuring everything works as it should.

“It was a big night. No one would be okay after that,” he says softly, his hands still on my arms, ensuring I am comfortable.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, confused, as I rub my face. My skin is dry. I need to brush my teeth, and I need a shower even more.

“I stayed here with you last night.” As he sits on the sofa beside me, I look at him and swallow. My throat dry. He stayed with me? Here? Glancing over at my armchair, I see the cushions and a blanket, so he must have slept in the chair.

“How do you feel?” he asks, his face laced with concern. My hair’s everywhere, and he reaches out and pushes it from my face, his fingers skimming my cheeks.

“A little sore. Confused?” I say as I try to recall everything that happened.

“Here.” He hands my glasses to me, and I put them on, and he comes into focus immediately. He looks just as tired as I feel.

“You need to talk to the police later this morning. Ben has been blowing up my phone already,” he says, giving me a small smile.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have dragged you all into this,” I tell him, remorse eating away at me already and I haven’t even had my morning coffee.

“I really want to know what the hell is going on, but let me make you a coffee and let you freshen up. Your brothers are all downstairs waiting,” he says, and my eyebrows rise.

“What? Already? What time is it?” I ask as I start to move too quickly and get a little dizzy.

“Lucy. Move slowly; otherwise, I will pick you up and carry you again,” Huxley warns, and the memory slams into me. Feeling hurt, confused, and broken on my shop floor. People, shouts, lights. It was all too much until I saw Huxley. I fell into him the minute I saw him, my subconscious already knowing he is my safe place.

“You carried me upstairs?” I ask, looking at him like he is crazy. It is a wonder I didn’t break his back. He stands and reaches out his hand, and I put mine in his and he helps me to stand slowly.

“I did. Now take some deep breaths,” he says, his hand leaving mine as it curls around my waist. He holds me tight to him, my breath catching at his touch. He hasn’t touched me like this since we danced after the gala. He is soft, his touch warm and considerate. He knows what he is doing, and my body reacts immediately as I lean into him, not able to stop myself even if I tried. Now almost chest to chest, there is no denying our feelings for each other, the desire swirling already making me forget all about last night’s craziness.

“Bossy much?” I whisper, the air leaving me as my skin tingles at the contact. The electricity between us sizzles as I look up into his eyes. His hands encase my lower hips, and he pulls my body to his, feeling solid and secure. Is this happening?

“Bossy when it comes to you. You fucking scared me last night, Luce.” Lowering his head, his forehead meets mine. This is intimate, my heart now racing for an entirely different reason as my hands slide up to his chest.

“Thank you for coming and for staying. For being here.” I have no idea how I would have coped last night had he not been there. My brothers are great, their partners even better, and I know I would have been alright. I just don’t want to burden them all with my issues. His breath is warm against my skin as we continue to stand in each other’s embrace for a moment, and I feel him take away my stress just through his contact. It feels like I could lean on him forever.

“I’m going to be honest and tell you that it is going to be a struggle for me to let you be here on your own again,” he says honestly, the words hitting me square in the chest, and my breathing becomes more rapid.

“Huxley.” I whisper his name, unsure where we are headed with all this, but knowing that I want to feel his lips on mine now more than anything.

“God, Lucy, when you say my name like that,” he groans, closing the distance, and his lips hit mine. Softly. Tenderly. Nothing like what I thought a man like Huxley Hamilton would be like. My hands trail up to his shoulders as he wraps his hands around my waist tighter, pulling me until there’s no remaining space between us.

Everything in my mind ceases to exist. My feet are barely on the ground as he holds me so tight, I lift from the floor. My mouth opens wider, and his hand runs up my back, holding the back of my head as his tongue sweeps across my lower lip. Our tongue tangle, the pain in my head, my leg, and the rest of my body subsiding as my only thought is this man and his lips on mine.

I have never been kissed like this before. I thought our previous kiss was amazing, but this? My breath is completely taken away, my head spinning, my heart racing. It is the kind of kiss described in my romance novels, the kind of kiss I never thought I would experience. The kind of kiss I thought was only ever reserved for the movies, yet here Huxley is, kissing me like he never wants to stop.

We pull away slowly, like we are both in a trance. The two of us panting slightly, our hold on each other is still firm.

“You need to go with Ben and talk to the police this morning, and then I am taking you away,” he tells me, his eyes finding mine as his hand strums up and down my back tenderly.

“I can't leave the shop. Not now. There must be a hell of a mess to clean up.” I immediately feel on guard, already starting to stress about the cleanup that is in front of me today.

“The shop is in shambles. It is now closed for the rest of the week. Tennyson is looking after it,” he says firmly.

“He can’t do that,” I say, trying to pull away from him a little, but he won’t let me go. His hold on me only tightens.

“He can and he will.” His lips meet my forehead, my body turning to mush again slightly at the contact. God, this man is like nothing I thought he would be.

“But I need to be here to manage Dwayne and do the stock.” Can’t he understand that I need to manage things? I have responsibilities.

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