Page 25 of Billion Dollar Revenge

Her eyes drop to find the name.

“Mmm, cinnamon is my favorite. I think I’ll get that too.”

My eyebrows pull together. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, what’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing,” I want to say,you order vanilla lattes, are you sure you don’t want a sweet drink?But instead, I say, “Order whatever you want.”

Her tongue runs along the base of her full bottom lip, and my mind wanders to what she would taste like with whiskey on her tongue.

I drop my head to the menu and rub my forehead, trying to control my racing heart.

What’s happening to me?

My brain seems to be on a loop of thoughts about the way she smells, what she would taste like, what she would feel like beneath my hands.

Thankfully, she decides to ask a question.

“Can we order something to eat? I’m a little hungry.”

I nod. “They don’t have much for a menu, but we can go somewhere later.”

Her eyes widen as she drops the menu to the table with a thud, fixing me with a sharp gaze. “Later?” she repeats, her tone laced with surprise and curiosity.

I drop my gaze to the menu, focusing intently on the words to avoid the conversation. “They have olives, cheese, and bread.” My fingers fidget with the edge of the menu.

I wasn’t insinuating anything other than if she needed to eat, I’d take her to get food. I don’t know why she acted like I asked her to jump on a plane to Paris.

The server comes back, and we order our food and drinks. I’m supposed to be looking for reasons to find her unattractivebecause she just broke up with someone else, but I can’t find a single flaw.

“Sorry about the scene I caused with Bobby.”

“I would’ve told you about him…if I had known he wastheboyfriend. I mean, your ex-boyfriend.”

Saying those words feel like swallowing poison.The boyfriend.

She dips her chin and laughs. “The older you get, the more lessons you learn.”

“You almost sound…grateful?” I tilt my head to the side, fascinated.

The relief that follows once something toxic ends is a feeling I know all too well.

“I let myself slowly morph into the woman he wanted,” she says. “I used to be fun.”

I don’t know what she was like before. But the few times I’ve seen her, she seemed fun to me. Well, more fun than me…

“I’ve seen you laugh,” I murmur, and it’s probably not the right thing to say, so I add. “I meant…you seem to be happy now.”

Fuck, that sounds so stuck up. Like of course she’d be having a great time with me.

“I feel at ease around you. Like I’m safe… That’s probably weird, sorry.” The tip of her nose flushes the cutest shade of pink.

“Don’t be sorry. It’s actually, um, nice to hear that. I’m normally too intimidating for anyone other than my family to be around.”

She snorts. “I can see how people might think you’re intimidating.”

“Really?”

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