Page 56 of Starting Over with Her Billionaire Boss

Kinsley stared at her reflection in the dark screen after the call ended. The doubts lingered, but so did the memory of Daegan’s touch, his voice, the way his eyes softened when he looked at her. Somewhere between fear and hope, she sat suspended, unsure of which way she’d fall.

13

Her heels clickedagainst the marble floor when Kinsley stepped into Daegan’s office Monday morning, each one a delicate reminder of the intimacy they’d shared mere hours ago. The air felt charged, a current neither dared to touch but were helpless to ignore. Her lips curved into a small, knowing smile that sent his heart racing.

“Haven’t seen you in a while,” Daegan teased.

Kinsley looked up, bashful at once. “I know, it feels like—” she paused for dramatic effect— “just yesterday.”

Daegan laughed. “Hey, I wanted to thank you for coming on that trip, especially at the last moment. You’ll get extra pay for your time spent away from home.”

Kinsley shut the door gently behind her, giving them some privacy. She walked to his desk, heels echoing off his office walls. “Oh, good,” she replied with mock seriousness, leaning against his desk. She lowered her voice to a whisper only they could hear, “Now I can add ‘highly-paid escort’ to my resume.”

Daegan blushed. “That isn’t what I meant exactly, Kins, but you’ll get paid for your time in regard to that, too, I guess.” Hepaused again, rethinking his words. “Wow, that doesn’t sound good either, does it?”

Kinsley giggled, setting down a folder with a few sticky notes covering the front. “To change gears, though, this client is pissed. They want more return via new builds to invest in.”

Daegan scrunched up his face as he read the name; it was someone he’d had issues with before. “Well, it was a pleasure to see you before my day turned to hell.” He slid the folder closer. “Did you do anything fun last night after you got home?”

“You.” She was quick with her reply when she leaned in to kiss him. Daegan froze for a fraction of a second, his mind racing. The sweetness of her lips was impossible to resist, but the setting made his pulse quicken for all the wrong reasons.

Kinsley pulled back, and he hoped that wasn’t hurt on her face. What if someone saw them? He needed to protect her reputation, and his own.

He cleared his throat. “Besides doingmewas there anything else?”

“A video chat.” She leaned against his desk. “Then I slept like a log.”

Daegan’s grin faltered. A name hovered in the back of his mind: Cameron. Was it him again? A flicker of jealousy gnawed at his insecurity. He had to bury it. Kinsley wasn’t his—not yet, anyway.

“Video chat, huh?” he asked, feigning casualness. “With who?”

She smiled, oblivious to his unease. “Brienne and Cameron. Just catching up.”

His chest tightened at the name, but he kept his tone even. “Sounds fun.”

“Not as fun as another night with you would have been,” she suggested.

He tried to push the thought away, focusing on the present. “Why don’t you come over for dinner tonight? Seven o’clock,” Daegan said, his voice softer, almost tentative. He hated how much he wanted her to say yes, how much he needed the assurance that this—whatever it was—meant as much to her as it did to him.

Kinsley hesitated, her smile faltering. His heart sank before she even spoke. “Oh. I have plans after work, but maybe we can do it another evening? I’m free Wednesday.” She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. Daegan’s chest tightened. “And when I checked your schedule this morning, you don’t have any meetings or dinners then, either.”

Daegan forced a smile, even as disappointment tugged at his chest. “Then I guess it’s a date.” The worddatefelt heavy on his tongue, but he liked it—liked what it implied. It was casual, yes, but it also carried a sense of promise.

Daegan watched as Kinsley turned to leave, her silhouette framed by the morning light spilling through his office windows. He wanted to call her back, to ask her about Cameron, but he bit his tongue. He’d waited this long. He could wait a little longer.

Even if the grating jealousy, as he opened the file that would ruin his day, told him otherwise.

Date.

That word ran through Kinsley’s mind every moment for forty-eight hours, until she was on Daegan’s doorstep again.

Maybe Aunt Tilly wasn’t as crazy as she seemed,she thought to herself.Maybe thereismore here.

The meal service was beautiful. His staff waited on them, though Kinsley took a moment to tease him about not personally cooking it himself.

“It gives me one less thing to worry about. But, if you’d like, the next time you come over we can cook a meal together,” Daegan suggested.

“Bywedo you meanusorme?” she laughed.

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