Page 23 of Flirting with my Billionaire Boss

I’m starting to show just a little, so I bought a swimsuit with ruffles to hide my shape as much as possible. But in another month, I won’t be able to get away with it anymore. I also need to come up with a childcare solution when I’m traveling all over with Weston. Would I be able to bring my baby? How could I breastfeed when I’m trying to work? I know women do it all the time. But I don’t know how they’re able to do it.

“Mind if I join you?” Weston comes up beside me with a glass of champagne.

“Not at all.”

“What are you so deep in thought about over here? You look like you’re contemplating world hunger or all the tragedies of the planet.”

“I’m sure you don’t want to hear about my messed-up life,” I say, hoping he takes the hint and drops the subject.

He looks at me with eyes that match the ocean. “But I do want to hear about it.” He takes my hand. “I’ve been wanting to hear about your life more and more lately.”

I pull my hand away. “Is that really appropriate? I mean”—I shift my eyes back to the water and brush a stray hair back from my face—“I work for you.” I say the words, but I don’t really feel them. It’s like I’m saying it because I’m supposed to, but the truth is, I really want him to take me in his arms and kiss me. I want him to tell me I’m the most beautiful woman in the world.

He lets go of my hand, and I feel the loss with an ache in my chest. “You’re right. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

Those are the words he’s supposed to say, but I don’t really want to hear them. I look into his eyes and there’s fire in them as he holds my gaze. I feel my face heat up. Every nerve in my body is alive with feeling. The wind brushes against my skin, and goosebumps prickle my arm. “What if I wanted it to happen again?” I say boldly. “I know it’s a horrible idea, but there’s this part of me that will regret this for the rest of my life if I don’t speak up.”

He slides along the railing, closer to me. “And what is it you have to say that’s so important?”

I swallow. He’s standing close enough to feel the warmth radiating off his body. And he’s beautiful—like a work of art from a Greek master. The desire to trace the line of his strong jaw to see if it feels like granite overwhelms me. I’ve been holding back for so long, wanting to touch him for months, to tangle my hands in his hair and hear him whisper in my ear. Because I have this feeling that he’s experiencing the same emotions that I am. It’s reflecting in his eyes.

“What if I want to know what it’s like to be with you, to have your lips on mine?” I can’t believe I’m letting these words pass through my mouth. I’ve officially lost it. But that’s what having a guy this attractive around can do to a girl. It’s mind-scrambling stuff. All logic flees when he comes near. It’s not the best combination when you’re trying to take care of business transactions. It’s become impossible to focus when I’m trying to get work done. The chemistry between us has almost become too much to fight. All the leaning across desks, trying to share a computer screen. It’s heady stuff, and it’s a miracle we’ve lasted this long without putting our hands all over each other.

His gaze bores into mine, and he wets his lips. The motion makes me weak at the knees, and it’s hard to stand. “Would it really be so bad to have one tiny kiss? We’re both consenting adults, right?” he says. “That is, if you’re consenting. Because I am.”

My eyelashes flutter as my thoughts spin out of control. But then I calm them. He’s consenting. He wants to kiss me. I nod. “I’m consenting too. I want this.”

He steps even closer, and I part my lips as he puts a hand at the base of my skull, buried deep in my long waves. He brings his lips to mine in a kiss that begins tenderly, and slowly teases to become more as he explores the kiss. My head spins as the kiss progresses and he deepens it, pulling me toward him like he can’t get my body quite close enough to his. Because that’s how I feel. We’re still too far apart. My knees go weak, and I don’t want him to ever stop.

“Weston Alexander Keith the Third! What are you doing?”

We break apart to see his mom standing with her hands on her hips, giving us a disapproving glare. But he seems unperturbed. “Thank you for that interruption, Mother. You have impeccable timing.”

“You can’t kiss her! She’s your employee.”

“I’m well aware of that. And I have the situation under control.”

“No. You’re out of control. Your behavior is completely inappropriate.”

He seems unfazed by her chastisement. “And it’s none of your business.”

She gasps. “How dare you talk to me that way? And what about Jenni? You know your father and I were hoping the two of you would eventually marry someday.”

“I don’t want to marry Jenni. I have nothing against her, but I don’t feel anything romantic when I’m with her. That’s not what I want for the rest of my life. I’m sorry to be such a disappointment to you, but that’s just the way it is.”

Standing with my back to the railing, with my mouth hanging open, I haven’t a single clue what to say. All this time I’ve considered Jenni a threat, but now I see that’s not an issue at all. Weston doesn’t have feelings for her. That’s good news.

10

WESTON

“You have a responsibility to this family. You’re the eldest son,” my mom says later when we’re below deck in the expansive lounge of the yacht. My dad and Ashton and Brensen are with us.

“Your mother is right,” my dad says. “Jenni is a perfectly wonderful woman. You’d be lucky to have her.” My father is a tall man and looks like an older version of me. I got both his name and his looks, and he wants me to expand his already massive wealth by joining with one of the most prominent families in the Southern US.

I swirl the last of the rum in the bottom of my glass and lean back into the cushions of the couch. “We’re not in the nineteenth century. If it’s so important to you to have our families be joined with Jenni’s, then go convince one of my brothers to date her.”

“Hey,” Brensen says, “If Weston doesn’t want to date Jenni, then get Langston to do it.”

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