Page 25 of Billionaire Devil

“How do you know?”

“I just know.”

She lightly smacks her forehead with her palm. “No, youdon’tknow. You can’t. End of story.”

“I’ll bet you five dollars he’s there.”

“No. As if I would bet you. Besides,youwon’t know if he’s there or not. You’re not going to the wedding.”

“Most wedding invitations imply a plus one is welcome to tag along. I’m sure yourbest friendwouldn’t mind. If the girl baking the cake can bring a plus one, I’m sure you can.”

Her silver eyes flash and I love this. Iwanther to react to me. Tofeelme. To take out her passions and her rage all over me. Her soft voice is cool when she replies. “I would prefer to go without a plus one. I appreciate the ride—and I’m still not sure why you’d want to bother with all this—but it’s just a ride. It’s not an invitation to the wedding. I’m sorry, Colton, but I’m going alone.”

I’ve spent a lifetime arguing with my brothers, and the past three years perfecting the art of convincing everyone I meet to do exactly what I want them to do, from employees to investors to watchdogs at the SEC. The adorable little goddess is hardly getting off that easily.

“You’ll need moral support,” I tell her. “Think about it. You’re about to come face to face with the guy you’vesavedyourself for. Foryears. That’s major. And it could go either way. I mean, I’m going to equip you with all the skills you’ll need to guarantee success, but you mentioned last night that the guy already has a date, so you’ll have to be ready for curveballs. I’m prepared to be your emotional support person in case this chick already has her hooks in, even if your best friend told you they’re not exclusive.”

Lila stares at me like she can’t believe I just said that, and that she can’t believe she told me all that, and also likeshe knows I’m winding her up on purpose. “Is there anything Ididn’ttell you last night?”

“Nope.”

She shakes her head, mad at herself but mostly at me. “I don’t need an emotional support person. And even if I do, I have Jessie for that.”

“Jessie’s going to bebusy. Duh. It’s herweddingnight. She’s not going to havetimeto be your shoulder to cry on.Iwill. Besides, I’m invested at this point, Lila. You really hooked me with your backstory last night and I need some closure.”

She blinks at me, like she’s seriously considering throttling me. “I can’t believe a person can be this persistently and intentionally infuriating. I really can’t.”

“What can I say? I have three older brothers. I’ve turned bugging people into an art form—and supporting them in exactly the way they need to be supported, even if they can’t see that right away. I persuade people to do things that are in their own best interests. It’s a gift. Trust me, I can do this for hours.”

Lila gives me a long once-over. “Well,I’man only child, so your well-practiced techniques are useless on me. Like laser bullets bouncing off a fully-functioning Death Star.”

“I like the analogy.”

“And I refuse to take your bait again for the remainder of this trip. So I’ll ask you nicely, one last time. I’ll even humor you by taking your bet, if that helps. Once and forall, would youpleaseshut up about Troy Beckett.” Like the matter is now closed.

I pretend to mull it over. “If you take my betandtake me as your plus one, I promise I won’t mention the loser who doesn’t deserve you again until at least your first lesson.”

This earns me a blush and full lips parted in a light O.

I do my best to ignore how fucking painful my life is right now because I have never, ever been this hard in my life as I ease the RV through traffic to take a left exit. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

5

“If you’re tryingto embarrass me, you can’t,” I assure him, light defiance in my voice. “My embarrassment over this particular topic is all used up.”

I’m talking, of course, about my long-ago crush—not the infamouslessonshe keeps going on about, a joke he somehow still thinks is funny.

The man is a nightmare. A distractinglyhotnightmare who just managed to casually drop into the middle of our argument at least three of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. Between the hangover, the late night and the stress of recent weeks—not to mention the dazzlingly sexy and exasperating chauffeur—my head is spinning.

Colton glances over at me, taking note of the blush on my cheeks. His grin lingers before he turns back to the road. “If you say so, Sunshine.”

But then he finally leaves it alone for a while and I thank my stars for small mercies.

Even after our bickering—or maybe because of it—the silence between us is surprisingly comfortable. He’s playing some old school country music and it reminds me that I’m excited about where we’re going. I’m finally going toNashville, a place I’ve wanted to go for as long as I can remember. And I can admit it’s nice to not be going there alone.

It’s also nice not to have to worry about…anything,at least in this moment. I realize how heavy all the decision-making and trying-so-hard-24/7 has been lately. For an entire year, I’ve barely looked up.

For now, I don’t have to think about which exit to take or what motel might be the safest option that won’t break the bank. I don’t have to be in charge of everything. I don’t have to be scared.

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