Page 21 of A Billionaire Dom

Linsey

I wasglad Kasey had suggested that I find Davin and let him know that I’d talked to the detectives because that meant I didn’t need to feel weird about wanting to talk to him. About what’d happened. Not anything else. If Kasey had made the suggestion with it in her mind that Davin and I would somehow end up together again, that was on her, because that wasn’t what I wanted at all.

That was why I was wearing the same denim mini-skirt and a black corset-style halter top that I’d worn to K’s Phoenix earlier today. I liked the way it showed off most of my back tattoo, and since I’d planned to be at the shop most of the day, it had seemed like a good idea. Heeled sandals and a silvers Celtic knot necklace made it a little dressier than my usual outfits, but I hadn’t felt like being completely casual when I’d woken up this morning.

It had nothing to do with Davin.

None of my inner monologue did anything to dispel the butterflies in my stomach as I opened the door to Holden Enterprises and stepped inside. A nice two-story building, it didn’t look like the multi-billion-dollar business everyone claimed it was. If people’s reactions to me over the years had taught me anything, however, it was that appearances could be deceiving.

Not knowing how tight the security was here, I went to the receptionist’s desk and ignored the sideways look the security guard at the door gave me. I wanted to make a snarky comment about how I couldn’t possibly be hiding anything dangerous in this outfit, but that would’ve been disrespectful to Davin, and I didn’t want to do that.

“Hi.” I gave the receptionist my politest smile. “I need to speak to Davin Holden.”

She returned the smile, but it was clearly just a professional one because it didn’t completely cover the judgment in her eyes. “Do you have an appointment?”

“I don’t, but if you could let him know that Linsey Keller needs to talk to him, I’d appreciate it.”

“I’ll do that.” She pointed toward a row of chairs. “If you’ll have a seat, I’ll let you know when he can see you.”

I gritted my teeth but thanked her and then went to find a seat. After twenty minutes, the nerves I’d been experiencing began to turn to annoyance. Some at Davin for keeping me waiting, but mostly at the people giving me disapproving looks as they walked by.

I wiggled my fingers at the security guard when he looked my way for the fifth time and barely resisted the urge to flip off the receptionist when she did the same. The other people could’ve been employees or clients, but either way, their stares of disapproval were rude. For all they knew, I was some heiress here to invest in Houston real estate.

Most people thought the way I dressed and everything that came with it was due to a desire for attention. Maybe that was the case for others, but for me, this was just who I was. I didn’t see why my expression of myself was less appropriate than a man in a three-piece suit or a woman in an expensive cocktail dress. But it’d always been like this. By the time I was an adult, I’d just stopped giving a fuck.

I was who I was, and if someone didn’t like that, too bad.

By the time Davin stepped into the lobby, every muscle in my body was tense, my hands curled into fists so tight that my nails dug into my palms. My jaw ached from clenching it, and I was ready to go off on him. I’d passed the point where I would’ve been satisfied with simply leaving, and now, I wanted to confront him.

Except the shock on his face as soon as he saw me was genuine, and the smile he gave me reached all the way to his eyes. He hadn’t known I was down here; I was sure of it. And he was glad to see me.

That went a long way toward soothing my spirit. I’d hated the idea that he’d be the sort of man who fucked a woman one day, and the next, be too good to acknowledge her existence. Not that he owed me anything at all. There was just a difference between going our separate ways after sex and a snub. My impression of him as a decent man had been accurate, after all.

“Linsey.” He held out a hand when he reached me but didn’t shake it. Instead, he squeezed my hand and bent down to kiss my cheek, surprising me with the gesture.

Okay, seeing the shock on the faces of the receptionist and the security guard made up for them having left me waiting down here.

“I talked to the detectives about what happened.” I took a step back and told myself that I didn’t still feel my cheek tingling where his lips had touched. “I didn’t tell them that we slept together, though.”

“I didn’t either,” he said. “It didn’t change anything about what happened, and it wasn’t any of their business.”

I got the impression he was trying to tell me that he hadn’t been attempting to hide that we’d been together, but that would’ve been awkward to talk about in general, let alone right now. Besides, it wasn’t the important thing.

“Exactly.” I tugged on a chunk of purple hair, a nervous tell I’d picked up since trying to stop biting my nails. “Anyway. I told them that you only hit that guy after he grabbed my arm.”

“I figured you’d tell the truth,” he said. “You didn’t have to come here to tell me that.”

He sounded amused, and it made me smile. “You’re right. I actually came here because they told me who you were, and I was worried those guys might try to sue you. I wanted to know what I could do to help.”

“My lawyer said the same thing. I was actually supposed to find you and talk to you about it.” He looked at his watch. “It’s getting late. Do you want to grab some dinner, and we can talk?”

I doubted I was dressed for the types of restaurants he frequented, but Iwashungry. “All right.”

“Did you drive?” he asked.

“I did.”

“Would you prefer to ride with me or drive separately?”

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