Page 24 of Billionaire Devil

“What are you doing?” She puts a hand softly on my arm and a zing of awareness shoots straight to my cock.

“Proving it.”

“What?No.Colton, donotpull over. Are you crazy? Keep driving. I mean it.”

I do, but I stay in the slow lane. Our gazes meet and the brightness in her eyes slays me a little more.What the fuck are you even doing right now?“I’ll prove it to you right now if you don’t believe me.”

“Fine. Ibelieveyou.” Not convincingly. Like she’s just saying that to stop me from behaving like a lunatic. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter, okay? It’s in the past and you weren’t there and I don’t want to talk about it. Can’t we just listen to some music or something?” She props her feet up onto the dashboard and I’m momentarily mesmerized by the sight of her bare, painted toes.

I have the most insane urge to lick her everywhere, to suck on her toes and feast on her softness like a starving man. I’ve never felt this fucking hungry in my life.

I realize I’m veering further, so I swerve us back into our lane, ignoring her white knuckles on the armrests.

“Isn’t that the whole point of our trip?” I insist. “Aren’t we driving three thousand miles so you can change this dipshit’s mind about you?” I know I shouldn’t be this much of an asshole, but I want to rile her. Who am I to have any say in any of this—and I have no idea why I would even want to, especiallythisfucking manically—but the whole topic is making my blood boil.

“All right,” she seethes. “Pull over. Stop the car.”

“Why? Are you going to be sick?”

“No! I just need some air. And a time out from the most relentlessly annoying person I’ve ever met. IsaidI don’t want to talk about this!”

With someone else, this might feel like a full-blown argument. But it doesn’t. There’s a playful edge to it, despite the real emotion behind the things we’re talking about. It’s weirdly fun. It also feels a lot like very hot foreplay. “Youtold me last night that you don’t want your heart to get broken for the second time. I think that also needs to be addressed.”

“Okay, that does it. I’ve changed my mind.”

“About what?”

“Driving with you. Just because I got drunk last night doesn’t mean you have total license to delve into all my deepest emotions. Whether my heart is or isn’t broken is, in fact, none of your business. And I don’t think I can bear this for five whole days.”

I could be wrong but I think she’s bluffing. She’s pissed off but she’s also flattered. That I won’t let this go. That I care. So I push her a little further. “You should have thought about that last night, princess, before you shook my hand and made a deal with the devil.”

“Thanks for confirming my suspicions.”

This makes me smile. She’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever met, and the quickest. I can definitely rule out the two of us not clicking. We’re sparring like we’re long lost soul mates. “Just pretend I’m your therapist.”

“As if.”

“Come on, Lila, you didn’t have any trouble telling it like it was last night.”

“That’s because I was three sheets to the wind, thank you very much.”

“You’re welcome.” If it’s half as much fun having sex with her as it is arguing with her—and itwillhappen—I’m going tobe one happy bastard. “We’re not stopping just so you can argue with me. It’s my job to get you to your destination on time and I won’t be able to do that if we pull over every time I annoy you. It would take at least a month to get to California.”

I catch her biting her bottom lip, as though to stop herself smiling. “More like a year.”

“That’s my point.”

She leans her head back on her headrest. The sight of her throat and her slightly parted lips hits me like a wrecking ball.She’s so fucking gorgeous.“Has anyone ever told you you’re incredibly infuriating, Maddox?”

“Once or twice.”

At this she laughs, despite herself. “I’m sure. And the answer to your question is no, by the way. We’re driving three thousand miles to go to my best friend’s wedding. That’s all we’re doing.”

“That’s not what you said last night.”

“God, Colton, can you please just let it go already? I don’t want to hear the name Troy Beckett again on this entire trip, okay? He might not even be going to the wedding.”

“Oh, he’ll be there. I guarantee it.”

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