Page 24 of The Billionaire Babe

“Are you going to take your eyes away from her anytime soon?” Brady asks me, and I hear Cody snort in laughter from where he is a few steps away, sending the rest of the boys home.

“If you’ve got something to say, you should just say it,” I mutter, sending him a glare.

“No. Nope. Nothing. Just an observation,” Brady says, a sly smirk on his face, and I crack my neck. “Just never seen you look at a girl like that before.”

“She isn’t a girl. She’s a woman.” My eyes are back on her, catching her watching me. I clear my throat. “Let’s finish up,” I say to Brady, and we walk over to where Valerie and her friends are standing.

“Thank you so much, guys; it was perfect!” Chloe says, her grin wide, her face now relaxed in complete contrast to how she was before the night started.

“Thank you. We loved helping you out. If you ever need us again, we are more than happy to come and do any event.” Brady talks for us as Cody comes to stand by my other side.

“Looking very dapper tonight, boys. Brilliant job,” Simone says as she finishes her drink.

“We are all done here. We’ll help you lock up and then be on our way.” My voice contains a little more bite and annoyance than I intended.

“Of course!” Chloe says. “Girls, are your drivers here?” she asks the others, and I look at Brady, who rolls his eyes.

“Yep. Gotta go. I need to be up for early practice tomorrow. Kisses.” Simone says her goodbyes.

“I’ll get the door.” Cody walks her out.

“My ride is here. I will talk to you guys later,” the curly-haired one says. I think her name is Chelsea, and I watch her kiss both Chloe and Valerie before walking out the door.

“Let me help you grab your things and hopefully my car will be here by then,” Valerie says, still smiling as she helps Chloe with a few bags, both of which I take off their hands as the two of them, along with Brady and I, walk out the door.

“Where's your car, Val?” Chloe asks her as Brady locks the front doors and hands her the keys. I look up and down the street, but it is pretty quiet. There is one black car here aside from our rides.

“I don’t think he is coming. Something must have happened.” I watch Valerie as her hands fly across the screen of her cell. “It’s fine, I can grab a cab.”

“I’ll take you,” I offer before I can think it through, and her head shoots up to look at me.

“Oh. It’s okay, I don’t want to be a bother. I am sure a cab will be here soon.”

“I’ll take you,” I insist, my tone dominant. I watch her lips purse slightly as she looks at me.

“Okay. Thank you. That would be great,” she agrees with a sweet smile, and I give her a nod before wondering what the fuck is wrong with me. I have a week left until my fight. I can't get close to this woman. Besides, I brought my bike tonight. That is going to make it even more painful for me. But knowing her, she probably lives around the corner. These rich people all live in the good part of town.

“Brady, help Chloe to the car with her things, then you and Cody take off. I’ll drop Valerie off and talk to you later,” I tell him, my eyes carrying weight, ensuring he doesn’t have another smart-ass comment.

“Sure thing,” he says, biting his tongue, his smirk threatening to break through, but we wait for the girls to say their goodbyes. Brady walks Chloe to the car and puts her inside, and as the car drives away, I see both Brady and Cody slip into the truck and drive off.

Val and I watch them leave. The street is so quiet at this time of night, to the point I hear her stomach growl.

“Hungry?” I ask her, raising an eyebrow. Her cheeks flush a little as her hand wraps around her stomach.

“I didn’t get a chance to eat much tonight,” she says, sounding a little embarrassed.

“I know a place.” The words feel foreign as they fall out of my mouth. “They make the best burgers in the city.” I follow up as she looks at me a little wide-eyed. I feel my jaw pop, waiting for her answer. I can’t recall ever asking a woman out to eat. Now I stand here next to one of the wealthiest women in the country, asking if she wants a burger. It’s like my sensible mind can’t stop my mouth from talking.

“I can’t remember the last time I had a burger…” she says softly, like she is almost talking to herself. I frown at the statement, because who doesn’t eat burgers? She bites her bottom lip as she thinks, another little quirk of hers that I have noticed.

“Let’s go,” I say, making up her mind for her before I can talk myself out of it. Taking Little Miss Perfect out for burgers is one of the stupidest ideas I have ever had, but it’s happening. I start walking toward the curb.

“So where’s your car?” Valerie asks, and I hear her heels on the pavement behind me, so I know she is following.

“Just here,” I say, stopping next to my bike.

“What? What is that?” she asks, her voice rising an octave as she comes to a sharp stop.

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