Page 19 of A Billionaire Rebel

Davin shook his head. “I can’t even imagine. Do the cops know what happened?”

I shrugged. “I talked to Benny, and he said the word going around is that a tire blew, which caused the car to swerve, and it hit something that was on the shoulder.”

“I didn’t know that you and Benny still talked.”

“We keep in touch,” I said. “I get him tickets when I’m here for a show, and sometimes, I ask him to help out if one of my guys does something stupid.”

“Like when Bair decided it would be a charitable service to feed the homeless wearing nothing but a very thin apron.”

The memory hurt even as I laughed. It would be like this a lot, I knew. Good memories that would cause as much pain as joy…until one day, the hurt was less. Right now, though, I didn’t want to reminisce. I wasn’t ready for more than this.

“By the way, if you want to crash at my place, you’re welcome to,” he said. “The press probably has your place staked out.”

Dammit. I hadn’t thought of that. I sighed.

“I think I’m going to head out.” I stood up and picked up the flowers. “Maybe I’ll go over to the music store and thank them.”

“The offer for a guestroom at my house stands as long as you need it.” He clapped his hand on my shoulder.

“Thanks.”

As I went back down to the lobby, I decided that I liked my idea of going to the store. I’d said it on a whim, but now I was going to follow through. I found that I liked the thought of seeing Jae again. We hadn’t spent a lot of time together, but something told me there might be a bit of a spark there. Besides, I’d liked how she’d talked the same way after she figured out who I was as she had before.

As I walked across the parking lot, a rumble of thunder rolled just as it began to pour. Perfect. The storm just made me more determined to find Jae and thank her for giving me something pleasant to think about during a shitty day.

Eleven

Jae

I stood at the window,looking out at the storm. The electricity had gone out a few minutes after I’d finished cleaning the apartment, so I’d taken a bath by candlelight and let myself enjoy the rare phenomenon of having the apartment to myself.

Jamie was working late, and Jetta had convinced our parents to let Kevin sleepover. Since Jetta had been upset by the news about Bair Appleton, Mom and Dad had given in to the request for a school-night slumber party when they usually would’ve made her wait until the weekend. I loved Jamie and Kevin, but having a little peace and quiet for a change was nice. As was being able to take a bath without my nephew needing to use the toilet or wanting to tell me something.

At least the rain seemed to be cooling things off enough that I’d be able to sleep without the air conditioner if the electricity wasn’t back on in a couple hours. I’d be more comfortable with it on, but the heat would be manageable, at least. I didn’t, however, want to even think about what would happen to the food in the fridge and freezer if it was out until morning. We didn’t have a lot that would spoil, but there was enough that replacing it would put a dent in our budget.

I pushed the thought aside. There was no use worrying about it. I couldn’t make the electricity come back faster or afford to buy a generator. The best I could do was keep the freezer and fridge closed as much as possible and hope it would give us some extra time.

I turned away from the window as a flash of lightning filled my candle-lit apartment. I’d originally planned to watch some television that wasn’t kid-friendly – something Jamie and I hardly ever got to do – but since that was out, I was going to enjoy some uninterrupted reading. I’d need more than the two candles on the kitchen table to do that, though.

I’d just found the flashlight when someone knocked on the door. Pleasantly surprised that someone was coming to check on me, I opened the door a crack to see if it was a neighbor or the super.

It was neither.

“Mr. Holden?” The words were little more than a gasp.

His smile was as beautiful as I remembered. “Damon, please.”

He was soaking wet and looked so completely miserable that I unlocked the chain and opened the door wide enough for him to come in. Maybe it was foolish of me, but aside from the fact that I’d never heard anything but positive things about him, after the day he must’ve had, I doubted he’d tracked me down to do me harm.

“I didn’t know it was going to rain.” He looked down at the puddle forming on the rug I kept in front of the door.

“It’s all right,” I said. “Let me get you a towel.”

This had to be a dream, right? There was no way Damon Holden was standing in my apartment while I went to get him a towel. I must’ve fallen asleep in the tub, and this was all a dream, prompted by the storm and the weird last couple days.

Except when I came back from the closet, Damon was still standing on the rug, except now he was in his bare feet. His wet clothes clung to him, making me blush as I couldn’t help noticing how absolutely magnificent his body was.

“Here.”

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