Page 38 of The Billionaires' Prize

She’s quiet for a long moment, and then all I can make out is, ‘. . . don’t care what mother wants.’ There’s a beat of silence and then ‘. . . not on the clock.’

“Must be Amelia,” Kingston says, glancing over his shoulder at me.

“Her sister,” I tell Gabe.

“Makes me glad I never talk to my family,” he murmurs, reaching for his beer.

I got super lucky in that regard. My parents were firm but fair, loving but disciplined and caring with strong boundaries and expectations.

“What do you think her mom wants?” I ask Kingston, unable to wrap my head around this mother/daughter relationship.

“She likes to think she’s in control. I’m guessing she feels like Kat stepped out of line somehow.”

“Probably doesn’t like Kat getting this sort of attention,” Gabe adds, turning back to his plate and the game. “Her grandfather would have lost his mind over the way the media is stalking her. Bad press is what he would have said.”

He doesn’t say it, but I can see the annoyed twitch in his jaw. According to Gabe, he wasn’t good enough for the Chanler family. Still isn’t. And the dead guy is probably rolling over in his grave if he knew where Gabe’s dick has been the last twenty-four hours.

“So her mom’s filling the old man’s shoes?” I ask, redirecting the conversation toward a living nemesis.

“Guess we’ll find out tomorrow,” Kingston says.

When she goes back to work, he means.

I pull out my phone and shoot off a text to Roman, letting him know that he’ll need to keep an eye on Mrs. Winthrop in addition to the paps. Then, I circle the coffee table and take a seat at the bottom of the U-shaped sectional. I’m hungrier than I thought I was. Not just for food, but it’s a start.

Kingston hands me a plate, and I plop a fully loaded slice onto it.

“Might be worth looking into,” Gabe says, head moving back and forth with the plays on the screen. “Her mom sounds unhinged, and that’s coming from me.”

I grunt and take a big bite. He’s not wrong. His parents gave him plenty of experience in that department.

Flavor explodes over my tongue, and I almost moan. “New place?”

The lettering on the box saysSlice of Heaven, which I’ve never heard of before.

“Yep.”

“Not bad.”

“What the fuck ever.” Gabe leans across the coffee table, snags another slice, and then tosses it onto my plate. I’m not done with the first one, but I’ve obviously got some catching up to do. “We could hear your taste buds orgasming from here.”

“Yup,” Kingston chimes in.

Is this how it’s going to be now? These two are as thick as thieves? I’m glad Gabe’s found someone who likes hockey as much as he does, truly, because I’m a baseball guy myself and enjoy an odd football game sometimes. Still, it feels weird how quickly they’ve taken to each other.

Or maybe they’re just putting on a harmonious front for Katherine’s sake.

There’s a soft click, and I glance over my shoulder. Katherine’s gaze finds mine immediately like she’s seeking me out. And damn, that feels good. Like I haven’t made all this up in my head. Like she wants me here. Wants me as much as I want her.

My cock is already half hard, and she just walked into the room. Damn. I’ve got it bad.

Her footsteps are light as if she’s gliding on air. I can almost reach out and touch her when her head whips to the right and she all but runs to the kitchen, scooping up what looks like a cereal box.

“Is this chocolate?” she asks, her voice high and happy.

What the hell is happening? She’s bouncing on the balls of her feet like a kid in a candy store.

“Yep.” Kingston leans back and looks her up and down. “She wasn’t allowed to have cereal as a kid,” Kingston murmurs as if that explains why she’s hugging the box like a teddy bear. “But she loves the stuff.”

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