Page 45 of Billion Dollar Revenge

As soon as he places the drink on top of the wooden bar, I recognize what it is from the other night.Whiskey business…

“That should help you.” He gazes at me as if he’s trying to read me.

“I’m not nervous,” I insist.

“You’re with me. We’re both going to be just fine.”

He understands how insecure I am about Bobby’s betrayal. Evan knows this feeling all too well.

I stare at him in awe.

The intensity of our stare is intoxicating.

A colleague of Evans interrupts, and as Evan starts a polite conversation, I scan the room. I still feel sick over the fact I’m here to get revenge on Bobby. Why the fuck do I still care? What difference is it going to make? Why is it so important for me to cause him the same pain he caused me?

Just as I think that I spot Shyla with her blonde hair in beach waves and a stunning navy floor-length dress. I can only see her from the side, but I know what she looks like because it’s engraved in my mind.

A walking reminder I look nothing like that.

Between the blonde and the redhead, if Bobby has a type, I obviously wasn’t it.

I watch Shyla laugh and smile. She’s beautiful. I realize I don’t feel angry anymore. Even as I stare and watch Bobby slide up beside her and touch her lower back in ashe’s minetype of way. It’s not her fault he’s sleazy. How about the other night? Did she know he was having dinner with another woman? I suspect not. And knowing how heartbroken I’ve been, I can only assume she will be too when she figures out the truth.

“Chelsea,” Evans says, louder than usual.

I shake my head. “Sorry. I was distracted.”

His jaw ticks. “I see.”

“It’s fine. I knew I’d be forced to confront them. That was the whole point of me coming with you as a date tonight.”

He steps closer to me, invading all my senses. My heart beats harder inside my chest.

“It upsets you.”

I can’t lie to him. “It makes me feel stupid,” I say on a breath.

He lowers his head toward mine, and I close my eyes.

“I’ll make sure you never feel stupid again.”

“Ho–”

He steps closer and drops his mouth onto my lips, then down to my neck, where he peppers soft kisses along the side of it. Theheat of his lips sends a shudder down my spine, and my heart races. Is this really happening? My mind spins, trying to catch up with this sudden touch. Once I get over the initial shock, I sink into it. My head tips to the side, giving him more access, and letting the feeling of his lips take over. His hand grabs my hip, pulling me closer, and he growls against my throat, the sound vibrating through me and igniting a fire between my thighs.

Needing to touch him, I reach my hands to his head, threading my fingers through his hair and encouraging him. I’m astonished at how natural this feels, how right. This is supposed to be fake, a performance for everyone else, but nothing about this moment feels staged.

The touch of his warm lips, the tickle of his breath on my skin, it’s intoxicating. My body reacts to him in ways I never expected, heat pooling in my core and a dizzying rush of desire. I’m getting lost in the moment, each kiss making me crave more. So when he pulls away, I’m breathless and confused. A sense of loss washes over me, and I want him to continue. It seems he does too. His blue eyes are now dark storms as he stares at me hungrily, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

What’s happening to me? This was all supposed to be an arrangement, but every kiss and touch blur the lines more and more. I can’t deny the chemistry between us; it’s magnetic, and it scares me as much as it excites me.

“So…” He releases his hand from my hip and steps back. It causes my hand to drop.

I take a centering breath, trying to calm the radiating heat on my skin and concentrate on what we were talking about. His gaze moves to the other side of the room.

I follow his line of sight and notice Bobby glaring at us. “Bobby is stupid. He let you go.” With a grunt, he takes a big sip from his glass.

Gripping my glass tighter, I shake my head, disgusted with myself. “I can’t believe I was in a relationship with him.”

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