Page 10 of Billionaire Book Boyfriend

“Don’t play that,” Terrance cuts me off, his tone dropping. “You know how it feels to be in love and to chase what you want. You just chased the wrong girl,” he says matter-of-factly. “So, ask yourself, do you feel like you could have something real with Emily? If so, sounds like you’re running from it.”

That hits me hard. He’s right. After falling for Terrica and losing out to him, I’ve been playing it safe. Now here I am, hesitating over trusting Emily.

“But this is different,” I argue. “She’s not being honest with me.”

“How so?” Terrance asks, his tone curious.

She’s been hiding something. Turns out, she’s the author of a very popular book I’ve been reading and talking about to her.Flirty Dirty Secrets.She’s Eva Steele. The whole time I was going on about it, she didn’t say a word.”

Terrance lets out a low whistle. “Wait,Flirty Dirty Secrets? Man, Terrica’s been reading that. I’ll tell you what, that book has had us up for someverylate nights, if you know what I mean. So if you’ve been dating the woman who wrote it, I already know she’s turning you out.”

“Yeah, I guess you can say that, but not in the way you’re implying,” I reply, feeling a mix of frustration and confusion. I don’t like the idea of my cousin and his wife freaking each other down off of Emily’s thoughts, but what can I say. She’s a romance author.

“Which way is she turning you out?” Terrance asks, intrigued.

“Listen man, that’s not the point. She let me rave about the book, break it all down, and didn’t once tell me she was the author. Makes me wonder what else she’s hiding, you know?”

Terrance chuckles. “Man, ifthatbook’s any indication, she’s definitely got some layers. But damn, Eva Steele? You’re in deep now.”

“Tell me about it…”

There’s a beat of silence before Terrance bursts out laughing. “Man, hold up. The real story is you reading a damn romance novel. And not just any book, but one of those steamy, ‘hot and heavy’ joints.”

I roll my eyes but can’t help smirking. “Look, it’s more than that. It’s got depth.”

“Oh yeah? It’s got depth, huh? And you’re out here getting all emotional over it with the author. Probably talking about plot twists and character development.” His laugh comes through the phone loud and clear, the kind that makes me want to smack him upside the head. “Bruh, I never thought I’d see the day.”

“Whatever, man,” I say, chuckling despite myself. With the way he’s clowning me, I doubt I’ll tell him I met Emily through a book boyfriend agency. “You don’t get it. The book is actually good,” I retort.

“Oh, I know it’s good from secondhand experience. But you probably got that thing highlighted and bookmarked, huh?” He keeps clowning, and for a second, it feels like old times between us, back when there wasn’t all this tension. “You might as well start a book club, bro. You and the ladies sipping wine, talking about feelings and... passion.”

I shake my head, laughing. “Man, shut your football head up. You wild.”

“Nah, you wild for reading that book and catching feelings!” Terrance cracks up again, and it feels good to hear him like this. We haven’t been on this level in a minute, not since everything with Terrica.

“Alright, alright,” I say, still smiling. “Get it out of your system.”

“You good now? Ready to admit you got a soft spot for romance?”

I laugh, feeling a little lighter. “Maybe I do. But it’s more than that, T. It’s Emily. She’s different.”

Terrance’s tone shifts, getting serious again. “Yeah, I figured as much. So, what’s the real issue?”

I let out a breath. “It’s the fact that she kept it from me. I don’t know, man. I just feel like she’s hiding more. It’s hard to shake that.”

He pauses, then sighs. “Let me ask you this, cuz. Do you feel like she’s the one? Like, in your soul, do you feel like Emily is it for you?”

I run a hand over my head, trying to find the words. “Man, here’s the thing. I’ve got stock worth hundreds of millions of dollars. My investments across the world are worth billions. Silently, I’m one of, if not, the richest Black men in Atlanta, and I can crackthe damn code of the stock market like it’s nothing. But when it comes to her, to Emily? This anonymous fiction writer from Atlanta? I can’t figure her out to save my life. My whole future, my feelings, everything’s at the whim of this woman who didn’t even tell me she wrote the damn book I’ve been obsessing over.”

Terrance lets out a low chuckle but then gets serious again. “That’s deep. Money can get you in a lot of doors, but it can’t help you here. So, what are you gonna do? You’re either gonna let her in and see where it goes or keep wondering what else she’s hiding. But if she’s the one, you can’t be scared to take that risk.”

I stop pacing, thinking hard. Even though we haven’t known each other long, I can’t deny how I feel when I’m with her. “I want to explore that idea with her. Yeah.”

“Then, don’t let this hold you back. People have secrets. But if you really feel she’s the one, you gotta be willing to look past it and see the bigger picture. She wasn’t playing you. She was probably just scared to put it all out there.”

I chew on his words for a second. He’s right, again. Emily’s been guarded, just like I have. But what we have feels real, and I can’t deny that. “Maybe you’re right.

“Then don’t let some misunderstanding or fear stop you. You’re a grown man. If you feel it, go after it. Don’t be me and let someone else step in while you’re playing around.” He pauses,then adds with a smirk in his voice, “I mean, you would know all about that, right? Trying to swoop in and steal what’s mine.”

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