Page 103 of Billion Dollar Mistake

“You smell good,” he murmurs into my hair.

My hair is down and wavy today. I step back, tuck a piece of my dark hair behind my ear and offer him a small bag. “Here.”

He looks at the bag, and then back at me, his expression a mixture of curiosity and a hint of something more. “I said no gifts.”

“I had to,” I argue with an amused tone.

He will like this gift.

The corner of his lip lifts. “You found a gift. I’m shocked, but I’ll open it later.”

As he takes the bag from my hands, his fingers brush mine and send a rush of electricity up my arm.

“Good idea,” I breathe.

He grins wider. He understands it’s meant for no one else to see.

“This is my friend Chelsea.”

My eyes flick between the two.

Chelsea stares warmly at him. And just from the face she’s wearing, I can tell she has a good feeling about him.

But when her eyes meet mine, I see her eyes are misty.

Panic floods me. I want to ask her what’s wrong, but she shakes her head.

She faces Jeremy with a smile. “Hi. I’m Chelsea. Nova’s roommate.”

He extends his hand with a smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Come in and meet everyone.”

“Is everyone here already?” I whisper.

“Yeah. But they haven’t been here long.”

Shit, I better up my game if I’m going to impress him and his family.

We enter the house and pressure builds in my chest as we walk closer to the sound of people talking.

It’s not as loud as I thought it would be.

If Chelsea wasn’t here, I’d be dripping in sweat. I would never have thought to bring a friend along when meeting a guy’s family for the first time.

We walk across the rich hardwood floors to enter the living room, which leads to the luscious green backyard.

The same patio he rang me from the other day.

The doors that lead to the patio are open, allowing me to see how far the garden goes. The whimsical path design complements the herringbone hardwood floors inside.

There are no coverings on the arch windows. The natural light beams into the house. There are big pendant lights, smart appliances, and greenery in every room.

Five people—four men, and one older woman with white hair––are scattered in the open living and dining room. They engage in conversation while holding glasses of alcohol or nibbling on the charcuterie board resting on the coffee table.

The entire room falls silent as we enter.

“Not subtle at all,” Jeremy grunts, clearly annoyed.

They quickly try to go back to talking as if we hadn’t entered the room.

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