Page 24 of Voyage with the Reclusive Billionaire

He grins and presses a kiss to my temple. “Now we’re on the same page.”

I guess we’re both too tired from all the hiking—and all the revelations and all the things he did (and was about to do) to me in that cave—to even try to have a redo tonight. Corvan just tucks me into his side as we eat our smorgasbord of food that we called to the room.

Part of me thinks that this is better for me than sex, anyway. At least in some ways. It shows that it’s more than that—that we’re more than that.

Even after everything we’ve already been through. It makes me feel safe. Protected.

Loved.

The bar opens early afternoon the following day.

Corvan and I are the first people there.

The energy in here is… tense. Probably because we’re the only people inside, it’s one o’clock in the afternoon, and we’re planning on interrogating the shit out of the bartender.

No reason to be tense at all.

She still hasn’t spotted us by the time we’re halfway across the room, earbuds in and music blaring loud enough for me to hear it when I take a seat at the bar. Corvan does the same beside me, leaning forward on his arms braced against the countertop.

The blonde-haired girl stays perfectly oblivious to our presence. I murmur to Corvan, “The customer service in this place is complete shit, don’t you think?”

She doesn’t hear me over her music, but she does hear Corvan’s bark of laughter. She yelps and whips around so fast her earbuds fall out. Her eyes widen when she sees us. I might have thought it was just shock at people being in here so early, at being startled by them, but I see it for what it is. Recognition. She knows him—us, I guess.

Only thing is, she doesn’t know that we know her, too. Kind of. Enough to sit here with polite, fake smiles on our faces.

“So sorry,” she says chirpily. “I didn’t expect anyone to be here so soon. I usually have another hour before people show up. Getting the party started early, are you?” Her tone is bright, perfectly customer service-y.

Corvan’s eyes narrow just the slightest bit. He tilts his head to the side as if he’s thinking. “Do I know you from somewhere?”

“You mean other than this bar?” The girl shakes her head. “No, I don’t think so. Why? Am I supposed to know you?”

Not at all a suspicious thing for her to say.

“I just figured you had to know who I was,” Corvan continued, shrugging his shoulders. “Since you’ve been following my girlfriend and I around. Talking about me with someone on your phone when you think no one is around.”

Girlfriend. The word echoes through me. Settles into my bones, my heart. Like him saying it is a safety blanket, a pebble that manages to calm an entire sea. Like him saying it means more than it ever did when Adam called me his fiance.

She blanches. Covers it with a smile that’s meant to look professional and polite, but looks nervous instead. “I’m sorry? Sir, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I’m talking about J, of course.”

Now the blonde girl blanches. “How do you know about Jade?” she demands.

Corvan stiffens. “Jade is J?”

Jade. His girlfriend. My hand reaches for his reflexively, but I pull it back. Later, I promise myself. You’ll comfort him later. For now, we need to look strong. Unaffected.

“You said Jade!”

“No, I fucking didn’t! You said Jade. I said J!”

“Oh, God,” the blonde groans, taking a step back and pacing. “Oh fuck. She’s going to kill me. I messed it all up. I ruined everything. I—”

“ —What’s your name?” I cut in, trying to pull her out of whatever shitshow her thoughts just became.

Her gaze snaps to mine. “Excuse me?”

“Your name,” I repeat. “What is it?”

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