Page 20 of Daddy Billionaire Dragon

“It’s hot in here!” I say, tossing the robe on the couch. “I’ll adjust the thermostat.”

I try to hurry past him, but he blocks my way. When he takes a step forward, our toes almost touch. I feel his warm breath on my face.

“Say yes to the date and perhaps we can find out just how hot we can make each other,” he says. His eyes are the color of stormy skies, and the edges of his irises have gone silver. Surely it’s a trick of the light? I blink and his eyes are normal again.

But I step away nonetheless. I just can’t figure him out. He has this aura that screams danger, yet I know deep down in my gut that I can trust him, and he’ll never let me come to harm. It’s this knowing that scares me. I have never felt this deep connection with anybody before. It’s futile to resist. I can’t fool myself anymore.

“Yes.”

“Say that again,” he says, closing the distance between us.

“Yes. I will go on a date with you. But that’s all I will do,” I say, looking up into his eyes.

“I can work with that,” he says, tucking a lock of my hair behind my ear that’s come loose from the messy bun on top of my head. My skin tingles where he touches me, and my gaze drops down to his lips. If I move my head forward just a little, my lips will touch his. As if reading my mind, he dips his head.

“I’m home! Ugh! That date was a bust,” Penny says as she opens the front door and walks in. “Whoa! Oh!”

She is grinning as she looks at the flowers and then at the two of us, standing inches apart.

“Hey Lex,” she says flirtatiously as she walks in with an exaggerated sway of her hips. I roll my eyes.

“Penny!” I admonish.

“What? If you won’t go out with him, can I?” she winks at me.

“Sorry, gorgeous. We are going on our first date tomorrow,” Lex says, grinning at her. “I’ll pick you up at 8 am,” he murmurs, tracing a finger down my cheek. “Bye Penny,” he says to her, waving as he exits.

Penny pumps her fists in the air and hoots.

“Calm down, it’s only a date. And not even a ‘date’ date. He’s taking me around New York, that’s all,” I say, collapsing on the couch, trying to convince myself as much as I’m trying to convince her.

I already know it will be more than just a date.

Next day…

We pull up in front of the Rockefeller Plaza just before sunset.

“Last touristy destination for the day - Top Of The Rock,” Lex says in his best tour guide voice.

Lex picked me up at 8 am as he’d promised. We had the most amazing cream cheese bagels and coffee for breakfast in the car en-route to the Empire State Building, which was the first stop on the list. I thoroughly enjoyed the elevator ride and the views from both the observatories. On the 86th floor, I was running around like a lunatic, enthusiastically yelling the names of all the landmarks. ‘Look! One World Trade Center! Chrysler Building! Macy’s! Liberty Island!’ and on and on I went. When I realized that I might have been a bit too enthusiastic and apologized, Lex merely pulled me to his side, kissed the tip of my nose, and told me I was enchanting. I almost melted in his arms.

My desire for him has been on a slow simmer throughout the day. He found many, many excuses to hold my hand, put his arm around my waist, kiss my cheek, the back of my hand, and to simply touch me. But he also made sure that I had a lot of fun. From the Empire State Building, we went to Madame Tussauds. I didn’t know that my hot, powerful billionaire CEO boss could be silly when the mood struck him, but he was exactly that, and we have about a hundred or so pictures we took in the museum to prove it.

I became aware of yet another aspect of his multifaceted personality, when for lunch we headed to the Chelsea Market instead of a Michelin Star restaurant. There was an oddly intimate moment when Lex fed me some of the filling from his taco. After lunch, we walked around Chelsea Market holding hands, taking in the sights, the smells, the people. There’s something very special and cozy about just holding hands, isn’t there?

And now, I feel a sharp stab of disappointment, knowing that our not-really-a-date date is almost at an end.

His arm is around my waist as we enter the lobby.

“Since you’re all about views, I thought we’d begin and end the day with grand views,” Lex says, smiling down at me. He is so thoughtful, I think as I snuggle closer to him as we come to a halt under the waterfall-like crystal chandelier.

“What do you see?” he asks with a grin.

“The chandelier looks like this building! Only upside down,” I say, awed. He is beaming when I figure it out.

A quick elevator ride later, we have reached the observatory. Once again, I am awed by the views. With the sun almost setting, the buildings and the rivers are doused in golden light. Central Park stands like a lush green oasis in the center. As the sky begins to darken, the lights are coming on. It is a treat to watch the Empire State Building being lit.

“This is magical,” I whisper, thoroughly awed.

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