Page 17 of Stuck with the Billionaire Celebrity

I can go a few days without letting her in to see the real me again. I just have to keep up this grumpy beast act up a little longer.

A few minutes later, I hear her footsteps on the stairs. I glance up and freeze. She is standing there, wearing my T-shirt and shorts.

The clothes hang off her petite frame, and her hair is pulled up into a messy bun. Her face is clean of makeup, and her skin glows in the soft light. My heart stumbles in my chest.

Damn it.

“Stop staring,” she snaps, crossing her arms over her chest again as if she can shield herself from my gaze.

I tear my eyes away, my jaw tightening. “I’m not staring.”

“Yes, you are,” she says, her tone defensive. “And it’s creepy.”

“Believe me, I’ve got better things to look at,” I shoot back.

What a stupid thing to say. Am I five?

She rolls her eyes and turns toward the living room. “Whatever. Just tell me where I’m sleeping.”

I follow her, my footsteps heavy on the marble floor. “There’s a guest room upstairs. You’ll be fine there for the night. You have an attached bathroom, as well.”

“Great,” she mutters, not bothering to hide her irritation.

Why does she hate me so much? She’s the one who abandoned me. She’s the one who left without letting me explain, without even trying to listen and understand the situation.

I lead her to the guest room, push the door open, and step aside to let her in. “My security system is top-notch. No one gets in or out without me knowing.”

“Thanks,” she says quietly, ducking her head and walking the rest of the way into the room

I hesitate for a moment, watching her as she moves toward the bed. Her fingers trail over the mahogany furniture as she eyes it all admiringly. She goes to the four-poster bed, looking up at it in awe.

Something about her childlike wonder of the furniture and her manner of holding herself tugs at something inside me. But I push the feeling down, burying it beneath the layers of frustration and annoyance.

“Get some rest,” I say gruffly. “There’s an intercom system here on the wall that goes directly to my staff. We’ll figure things out tomorrow.”

She doesn’t respond; she just sits down on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor. I linger for a moment longer, wanting to say something so she knows I’m not a complete asshole.

Nothing comes to mind, so I turn and walk out, closing the door behind me.

As I make my way back downstairs, the tension in my chest refuses to ease. Having Grace here is messing with my head. I don’t want her in my home, invading my space, stirring up memories I’d rather forget.

But Devon’s right. I owe him. And for now, this is how I pay him back.

You didn’t just do this for Devon.

You still have feelings for her, and you want to protect her.

I can’t shake the feeling that this is only the beginning of something much more complicated. Something I’m not sure I’m ready for.

3

GRACE

It’s clear that Theo doesn’t want me here, and I’m adamant that I don’t want to be here either. The last thing I want is to be in the presence of an opinionated, misogynistic pig.

He’s such a dick.

“I know that you like having your own space, we all do, but until I can hire a security team and get the alarm system installed at your house, you have to suck it up,” Devon says into the phone.

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