Page 32 of Billionaire Devil

“What do you want to order?” He comes up behind me and my bodyfeelshis approach, warming intimately.Oh god. I can feel my own pulse. Right there.

“I-I don’t mind.”Hold it together, Lila.

“The filet mignon they do here is one of the best I’ve ever had.” He leans a hip against the railing, close to me, reading the menu he’s holding. He’s a good seven or eight inches taller than me and probably outweighs me by two to one. The man isbuilt.

It’s not fair that he’s put me in this situation, where he knows how hot he is and the effect he has. Can he tell that my panties are now saturated, clinging softly?“You’ve been here before?” I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, and I make a point ofnotsounding breathless.

“One of our companies owns several chains of luxury hotels, including this place,” he says, like it’s no big deal.

“Oh.”

“How about I order us a couple of steaks with all the fixings, some chocolate cake and maybe a fully-loaded platter in case we get hungry again later.”

“Sure.” My stomach growls loudly and I blush even more.

Colton’s slow, lazy smile catches me off-guard. “I’ve neglected you. My girl is hungry.”

My girl.“You definitely haven’t neglected me. Anything would be fantastic.” I don’t tell him I’ve been living off ramen noodles for months on end. Or that I suddenly feel more ravenous than I ever have. Or that I often choose to buy fabric instead of food beyond the absolute basics because it’s the only way I’ll ever be able to create the line I’m working on.

While Colton calls the front desk to place our order, I check out the rest of the suite. The bedroom has a massive bed with mountains of plush white coverings and the bathroom is literally twice the size of my apartment.

Holy hell. Imagine living like this.

I splash some cool water on my face, staring at myself inthe mirror for a moment. The lighting in this room is so much better than my apartment’s bathroom.

I look…good. My cheeks are flushed and my eyes are bright. My hair looks shiny. The lack-of-sleep shadows under my eyes don’t look quite as bruised as they have lately. I look almost… happy.

Not because of him,I insist to myself.Because I’m on the road and it feels good. Because I’m going to Nashville and then Aspen and then Vegas.

He’s just a perk.

A hot perk.

A fun, hot perk.

A gorgeous, fun, hot perk who’s really easy to talk to and who says things like “I’ve got you.”

And who’s off-limits because he’s a walking heartbreak-waiting-to-happen. End of story.

I go into the bedroom, plugging my phone in next to the bed, noticing there are a bunch of missed calls from Sloane and Jessie. I send them both the same text.

I’m in Roanoke, Virginia! Just heading out to get some food. Don’t worry about me! All is well!! I’ll try to call soon

Sloane’s reply comes through almost immediately.

How’s the driving going?

It’s good! No problems. How are you?

I don’t want to lie, and the omission almost feels like I am, but it would be too hard to explain everything in a few texts and I’m definitely not up for a long phone conversation tonight. I’m fully aware of everything Sloane would warn me about—again—and I have no intention of going there.

I miss you already! Everything’s fine except my boss has gone AWOL and taken a spur of the moment vacation, which his brothers can’t figure out. They’re taking bets. Did he mention anything about taking time off to you last night?

How to answer?

That’s crazy

It’s not a lie. Itiscrazy. And I’m still not sure why he’s doing it.

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