Page 59 of Billion-Dollar Dating Game

Bitterly—weakly—he stalled until the last few minutes when his driver was en route to her tiny apartment.

‘You’re free of any obligation to me, the deal’s off,’ he said quietly.

She twisted in her seat. Her expression confused. ‘What does that mean?’

‘You don’t need to be my date any more. It’s not necessary.’

Her eyes widened. ‘Has something happened with Helberg? Someone else made an offer?’

Right. Of course her first thought was about the company. Not him.

He shook his head. ‘I’ve reconsidered my position,’ he said coolly. ‘I can just stop dating for the rest of the time and still win Helberg. As long as I’m not seen with another date then I’m still in it.’

He didn’t know what he was going to do about the stupid bet. Right now he just needed space from her.

‘You don’t want to go on any more dates with me?’

Bingo. ‘It’s not fair of me to hold you to the bargain when you’ve already conceded.’

Skylar could hardly hear over the thundering of her pulse in her ears but it sounded a lot like he was ending their deal early. Way too early. She needlessly fiddled with her bag, needing a reason not to look into his eyes. ‘How noble of you to want to play fair.’

She’d known it would end but she’d thought she had a few more weeks. Labour Day, right?

‘I don’t want to hurt—’

‘You haven’t,’ she interrupted him quickly. ‘This was always a temporary thing.’

‘I know,’ he clipped. ‘I meant about dismantling Helberg. I can’t change my view on what needs to be done there.’

‘Right. Of course.’ She released a tight breath. ‘To be honest, I knew that.’

Hehadn’t changed. But to her horror, she realisedshehad. Not in regard to Helberg—in regard tohim. She didn’t want this fling to end early. Because spending all this time with him—getting to know him properly, beyond the chemistry that had blinded her for so long—had changed her.

She hadn’t known that terrible accident had occurred right after his awful scholarship interview. That he’d been so young, a wary, too-intelligent boy who hadn’t wanted to leave his home. A boy who’d already been rejected by his own father and who then realised that his mother too didn’t seem to want him around. Skylar knew how deep, how irrevocable that kind of hurt was. To have a parent who wasn’t interested. Who left.

No wonder he’d blamed Reed Helberg—because it was far easier to hate him for it all than to put it on his parents, who she knew he still loved.

She totally understood that feeling. Unlike him, she’d wanted to escape—only she hadn’t. Not even now. She still worked for that complete pressure.

Her father had humiliated Zane that crazy afternoon when they’d kissed so passionately in the stairwell. But she’d said nothing—she’d just stood there and let Zane take all the blame. It might’ve stung at the time but it wouldn’t have bothered Zane the same as the others. He probably laughed about it—if he ever thought of it at all. And he had what he wanted now—his success and that beautiful home on the beach. But he was very, very alone. That was how he wanted it—or so he proclaimed. But now she knew the scars on his thigh weren’t anywhere as deep as the ones inside.

‘Why was it okay for us to be together this weekend but not for longer?’ she couldn’t stop herself from asking. ‘What’s changed?’

He shook his head. ‘Nothing’s changed. That’s the point.’

But he should have people in his life—for longer than the few nights he allowed.

‘You might have a lonely few weeks,’ she muttered. ‘Not dating anyone.’

‘I think I can handle it,’ he muttered dismissively.

But he didn’thaveto. Her heart pounded harder. ‘You don’t want company?’ She tried to keep it light. But she was angry with him for waiting until the last possible moment to tell her. To give her no time to process or to argue. But it slipped out anyway. ‘You don’t think we could just keep on seeing each other like this?’ She could handle a bit longer. It was only sex after all. An affair that she didn’t want to be over yet.

‘No.’ He stared just beyond her, slightly pale given the last few days in the sun.

No. Instant, flat rejection.

‘I don’t want to,’ he added.

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