Page 87 of The Billionaire Experience

He studied Reagan. The delicate way she held herself, the fatigue in her eyes. Being with her had been so different from any experience he’d had with a woman. In a good way. He never wanted to get the hell away from her like he had Lexi.

“You don’t have to apologize for her. Though her perfect manicure was a timely reminder that I need one.”

“The building has a spa.” He reached for his cell phone. “I can arrange for someone to be sent up.”

“Of course you can.” Her smile didn’t light her eyes. “Excuse me.” She went into the guest bedroom and softly shut the door.

He stood in his kitchen, cell phone in hand, a wrinkle on his forehead. Something had gone south, and he was beginning to believe it was due to more than Alexis’s pain-in-the-assness. It was clear that Reagan needed some time alone.

They had about five hours before the event tonight. Might as well hit the gym now. He rapped on Reagan’s door. She opened it a crack and regarded him with the same heavy gaze. And not sexy-heavy. More burdened.

“I’m going to the gym. Want me to send up the manicurist in an hour? Figured you wanted to nap.” He wanted to touch her. She looked soft and fragile. Beautiful, as per her usual. But the door was barely cracked, and the way she held her body away from him suggested she didn’t want him to touch her.

“Thanks, but I’m perfectly capable of walking down to the salon.”

“And I’m perfectly capable of making sure you don’t have to.” He gave her a smile to communicate that everything was okay. He hoped like hell everything was okay. “You have plenty of time to rest before we leave.”

“Are you saying I look tired?”

“I’m saying that a run-in with Alexis Calvin is like bumping into a bloodsucking vampire. She leaves everyone feeling like a husk.”

“And you dated her for a while.”

“Little while,” he admitted. Alexis was more a pastime than a choice he’d consciously made. Since that explanation made him sound like a stunted idiot, he kept it to himself. “You okay? For real?”

She nodded. “I’m worried about Ike. Leaving him after what happened has me feeling sort of sick.”

Of course it did. Ike was her everything.

“We can fly back first thing tomorrow morning.” He’d planned on showing Reagan around town this weekend; taking her to his favorite haunts. Anger and guilt vied for first place as he realized that his mother and Lexi were partially responsible for putting the shadow on Reagan’s face. “Think about it. I’ll have the salon send someone up in an hour.” He checked his watch. “In the meantime, I’m going to pop into the gym and then go to the Crane NYC. Check on Dante. I’ll be back to change and then we’ll head over. Sound good?”

“Sounds good.”

She leaned through the crack in the door to give him a kiss. Better than nothing. Something had shifted between them. Hopefully giving her some space would change it for the better.

“What a bitch,” Kelly said through the earbuds stuffed into Reagan’s ears. Not that Brody was listening in—he had returned from the gym twenty minutes ago and had turned on the stereo. Low, soothing bass thumped from the living room. “You should have punched her in her perfect tits.”

Reagan chuckled as she swiped on a second coat of mascara. Even with full makeup, she hadn’t reached va-va-voom status, but she looked better than she felt.

“Don’t be intimidated by the crowd tonight. You were at his family’s swanky party, and you fit right in!”

“That was Chicago. This is New York City.”

“So?”

“There is a lot of money in this city, Kel.”

“Yeah, and Brody Crane has a substantial amount in his portfolio. You’re in good hands, and you are one classy bitch.”

Reagan laughed again, accepting the compliment. She’d allowed Lexi to crawl under her skin and make her feel small. Brody had lived a life before he was with Reagan, and Reagan had lived one before she’d met him. Who cared who he’d dated?

“How’s Ike?” Kelly asked between bites of popcorn. She’d been settling onto the couch to watch a movie with Matt when Reagan called.

“He’s good. I hung up with him right before I called you. Well, hung up with Dottie. He was napping.”

“I love that he’s amorous at his age.” The low rumble of Matt’s voice sounded in the background and Kelly filled him in on what had happened. Then to Reagan, she said, “Don’t worry about Ike. Dottie is there, and I am a phone call away if you want me to check on him.”

“I’m coming back tomorrow anyway.” Leaving ASAP would be best. “Surely he can behave himself until then.”

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