Page 47 of The Billionaire's Beauty

“I know. I’m fine.”

Ella gives me a skeptical look. “So…this is strictly sex? Is that what you’re telling me?”

“We haven’t exactly labeled it,” I say, deciding that now’s not the time to mention, say, our little emotional breakthrough on Saturday night or my bout of jealousy and his reassurance at the office. “We’re just enjoying each other for now. No big deal.”

“No big deal until he moves on to his next flavor of the month and I have to talk you down from the ledge,” she says darkly. “You’ve had a crush on him this whole time. I thought you’d hook up with him once or twice. I don’t like this whole”—she swirls a hand to encompass my entire body—“attachment vibe I’m getting from you.”

“I’m not attached,” I say, but my voice sounds high and squeaky.

“Do not fall in love with him, Bellamy,” she says with the exact urgency you’d expect someone to say, Do not step in the quicksand! or Do not keep driving on this flooded road! “This is not the guy for you. On top of you leaving soon, and him being your boss and a player, he’s also a jerk ninety-five percent of the time. Don’t forget that. I’m sure he’s nice now that he’s getting laid on the regular, but don’t expect him to have a personality transplant.”

“I don’t,” I say, but she’s right and I know it.

I am falling in love with him even though I’m about to move across the country. He is my boss, a player and a jerk.

This breezy summer affair is going to end badly for me. Only two questions remain:

How badly?and

Which of those poison pills are going to do it in?

And yet…

“He’s not all bad,” I say, as much to myself as to Ella.

“I’m sure his dick is great.”

“I could do without the sarcasm,” I say, scowling. “I just mean that…there’s more to him. There’s a lot more to him than I ever expected.”

Right on cue, someone knocks.

“Speak of the devil,” I say as Jeremy leaps off her lap and races to the door to commence another round of yapping. “I told the doorman to let him up.”

“This should be interesting,” she says, also standing.

I quickly scoop Jeremy up, toss him back into the bedroom and shut the door. No need for Griffin to be assaulted by my best friend and my dog at the same time.

“Hey,” I say, blushing furiously as I let Griffin in. I’m far too grateful and eager to see him again for someone who last saw him two hours ago at work. There’s no way I can hide it. “You made it.”

He’s still wearing his suit, but the first couple of buttons of his shirt are undone now, and his tie is gone. Also gone? His office demeanor and expression. Instead, his face and smile are purest sunshine, as though he’s been possessed by the spirit of a kid who just received a free trip to Disney World for his birthday.

I swear to God, that smile touches my soul.

“I made it,” he says as he unslings his crossbody bag from his shoulder and leans it against the wall, and there’s such a contrast between this soft voice that he uses just for me and his booming office voice that I can’t help but feel stunned as we reach for each other.

I’m not sure what he has in mind as he pulls me in and I wrap my arms around his neck. I wouldn’t cry if he wanted to take me hard and fast up against the nearest wall, but poor Ella might never recover. I open my mouth to mention that we’re not alone, but it’s not necessary. He wraps his arms tight around me and uses one hand to anchor the back of my head as he presses a kiss to my cheek.

A shudder ripples through his body as we sway together with me on my tiptoes.

“Now I can breathe again,” he says quietly. “Now I can breathe.”

I would’ve been happy to let this continue forever, but he suddenly stiffens.

“Hi,” he says, turning me loose and extending a hand to Ella. “Didn’t see you. Griffin Black.”

“I know,” she says, eyes bright with amusement as she and Griffin shake. “Ella Richardson. We’ve met several times when I came to the office to meet Bellamy for lunch. You’ve grunted and/or glared at me a good five or six times over the last year or so.”

“Sorry about that.” He ducks his head and rubs the back of his neck, a dull flush climbing over his cheeks. “I’m beginning to see why Bellamy nicknamed me the Beast.”

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