Page 98 of The Billionaire's Demand

It was dark when her cab pulled up at the address she’d been given, the early sunsets par for the course at this time of year, and a hint of snow had started to fall, so Libby allowed herself a moment to stand and hold up her hands, catching some flakes in her gloves, smiling as she brought it near enough to her face to see the tiny little crystals.

‘Beautiful,’ she murmured to no one in particular, caught in the midst of a bustling group of people making their way down the street with little regard for the Australian who was enjoying her first real winter. Libby was so captivated by the glorious sight that she didn’t notice Raul, standing by the door to the shop, his eyes having landed on her the moment she exited the taxi with unconscious grace.

Libby smiled to herself then dusted off her hands, preparing to move inside the shop, until a movement alerted her to Raul’s presence. Her heart slammed into her ribs. She forced a smile but she was self-conscious suddenly, embarrassed by her childlike love for the phenomenon of snow.

‘I’m not used to it,’ she explained with a lift of her shoulders as she approached him.

His eyes skimmed her features. ‘I remember my first winter here. It was a shock to the system.’

‘But so wonderful,’ Libby said on a happy sigh. ‘I think it’s gloriously beautiful.’

He lifted a brow and then surprised them both by laughing. ‘Has anyone ever told you you’re the most optimistic person they’ve ever met?’

Heat burned in Libby’s cheeks. ‘No, actually.’

‘Well, I’m sure they’ve thought it. Are you ready?’

‘What for, exactly?’

He put a hand at Libby’s lower back, shepherding her through the large revolving door. ‘To choose your ring.’

Libby stopped walking in the middle of the spinning door, only to receive a bump on the bottom as the glass kept rotating.

‘Oh. Can’t you just pick something? Something simple,’ she added.

‘I don’t know you well enough to know what you’d like,’ he pointed out. ‘And as you’ll be wearing it every day for a long time, it should be something you don’t hate, right?’

Every day for a long time. Not, she noticed, for ever. Because once their child was old enough, they’d be able to dispense with this ruse and go their separate ways, and she was sure they were both looking forward to that.

Libby forced a tight smile. ‘Okay. Let’s just have a casual look around.’

Only Raul didn’t do anything casually, and the name Raul Ortega clearly opened the kinds of doors Libby had never even known existed. Far from being allowed to ‘look around’, they were greeted by a personal concierge, who insisted on taking them to a private room to view rings in comfort. Not only were they placed side by side on a small sofa so their thighs brushed the whole time, they were brought a trolley stacked with food and drinks then left completely alone whilst the staff assembled several boxes of beautiful rings.

Libby found the silence stretched her nerves almost to breaking point. It was the closest they’d been since making love and her heart was ramming against her chest in a way she wasn’t sure was entirely safe. But the more she thought about Raul, about the things he’d said yesterday, his childhood, and reflected on the way he’d been when he saw the sonogram, the more she knew he was quicksand. He was the definition of emotionally distant, and the last thing she should do was let herself get swept up in the crazy, red-hot passion that sparked between them.

‘About yesterday,’ Libby finally said, figuring it was better to address the elephant in the room.

Beside her, Raul stiffened. ‘I know. It shouldn’t have happened.’ He turned to face her, and Libby’s stomach was suddenly hollow. ‘We’ll be more careful from now on.’

It was exactly what Libby had been going to say, but hearing it from Raul did something strange to her insides, and made her breathing strain. Before she could figure out how to respond, a woman walked in with two display cases of rings, and from then on it was impossible to talk about anything except the clarity of diamonds.

Raul had always run.

As a boy he’d loved the freedom, the feeling of wind in his hair, the strength in his legs, the burning in his lungs. He’d been carted from foster home to foster home, each situation offering new challenges and dangers, but always he’d had his own strength and speed. He’d slipped out of bed early most mornings, before anyone else woke, and he would run as far and fast as he could. It hadn’t mattered to him that the streets weren’t always safe; that had added to the thrill. Danger couldn’t catch him; he’d outrun it.

When he’d left the foster system for good and wound up living rough, he’d run even when his belly had been so empty the exercise had cost him vital energy. He’d run because it was an inherent part of him—to know he could take himself wherever he needed to go, whenever necessary.

Running was a habit for Raul, and it was also where he did his best thinking, taking whatever problem he faced at that point in time and untangling the knots until it made sense to him. Usually, he focused on business, his mind effortlessly trawling over his current circumstances, reorganising the pieces, shuffling, until he happened upon a solution.

This morning, as the sun was just starting to hint its golden promise over the city, he found his mind singularly turned to Libby. Only each step he took brought him closer to confusion, not clarity, so he ran harder, faster, waiting for something to loosen in his mind, to offer comprehension, an understanding of their situation.

He was attracted to her.

And she was attracted to him.

So what?

He’d been attracted to women before. He’d slept with women. This wasn’t new, for either of them. The only difference was that his baby was growing inside of her and, despite the fact he’d sworn he’d never have a family, he couldn’t help but feel a biological connection to that child and, by extension, to Libby.

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