Page 113 of Billionaire Temptations

She looked down and began playing with the bed sheet. “Maybe it did once. But since the accident, my views on life changed.”

“What about Adam? How did he handle everything?”

“He doesn’t talk about it. He never did. He would say, ‘They’re gone, and we need to move on.’ So I did, and he disapproves.”

“How often did you see him if you haven’t been back here in eight years?”

“We talked on the phone a few times a week, and I usually saw him at Christmas. But he would come to wherever I was.”

“I don’t mean to upset you by reliving the past, but where was Adam when the accident happened?”

“He was away at college. My parents were taking my sister and me to the ballet, and it was raining something awful outside. My dad could barely see the road, and my mom told him to pull over. He said if he pulled over, we would be late, and he didn’t want to disappoint his girls. We were coming around a curve, and the last thing I remember was my mom screaming, ‘Look out,’ and the car rolling over several times before hitting a treeand stopping. I remember grabbing Emily’s hand and squeezing it tight. Then everything went black, except I could still hear voices in the distance. As the voices got closer, I heard a man say, ‘This one is still alive.’ After that, I don’t remember a thing except waking up in the hospital three months later.”

“I’m so sorry, Emerson,” I softly spoke, stroking her cheek. “Is that what your nightmare was about?”

“Yeah. After the accident, I had them just about every night. But once I left California, they stopped. Now that I’m back, so are they, but not as frequent as they were. I’m going to go to sleep now.”

I kissed her forehead before she snuggled against me, and I wrapped my arms tightly around her. I wanted her to feel safe, and I wanted her to sleep in peace.

Chapter Fifteen

Emerson

When I opened my eyes, I was alone. I glanced over at the clock, and it was six-thirty.Shit. Where was Alex? I needed to get up and start breakfast. I climbed out of bed and noticed a piece of paper propped up on the dresser. Walking over to it, I picked it up and discovered it was from Alex.

Emerson,

No need to worry about breakfast this morning. I needed to get into the office early since I wasn’t there yesterday. I didn’t want to wake you. See you later.

Alex

At least he didn’t want to wake me, but I wouldn’t have minded if he had. Something happened last night between us. There was a connection. I had never told any of the guys I dated about the accident, my parents, or sister. They didn't need to know because I wasn’t sticking around. But with Alex, I opened up as if he were my best friend. It felt natural with him, and I couldn’t figure out why. I’d be gone in a couple of months, and Alex would be nothing but a distant memory like the rest. I set the note down, showered, and got dressed. Since I didn’t get thechance to make him breakfast, I decided I was going to make him lunch and bring it to his office.

After preparing Alex’s lunch, I hopped in Adam’s car and googled the address of Alex’s office building. I parked the car in the parking garage and stepped inside the doors of Parker Enterprises. I found the directory on the wall next to a beautiful fountain and saw his office was on the top floor. Of course, it was. As I took the elevator up to the thirtieth floor, it suddenly dawned on me that he might be mad I brought him lunch. Oh well, he’d have to get over it. Someone had to ensure he ate properly, and what better person to do it than his chef. The elevator doors opened, and his secretary wasn’t at her desk, and his office door was closed. I lightly knocked and then stepped inside. A wave of shock swept over Alex’s face when he looked at me.

“Oh. I’m sorry. Your secretary wasn’t at her desk, and I didn’t know you were in a meeting.”

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

The guy sitting in the chair across from his desk turned and looked at me. He looked oddly familiar.

“I brought you lunch.” I held up the bag. “I’ll just leave it here.” I walked inside and set it on the table. “I’m so sorry.” I started to sneak out.

“Hey,” the guy sitting across from Alex spoke. “I know you.” He slowly got up from his chair and walked over to me, checking me out from head to toe.

I looked at Alex, who was shaking his head.

“You must have me mistaken for someone else.” I gave a small, fake smile.

“No.” He shook his finger at me. “You. That’s it! You’re that stripper from Vegas.”

Alex’s eyes widened as he began walking over to me. I studied the short man with dark brown hair and beady eyes.

“You’re that man that grabbed my ass and tried to pull me down when I was on stage!”

“Excuse me?” Alex harshly spoke.

“Sorry about that. I had a little too much to drink that night. But I would never forget a hot girly like you, and I never forget a face.” He smiled. “Are you still stripping?”

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