Page 36 of Flirting with My Billionaire Enemy

“Have you considered self publishing before?” he asks, steam rising around us.

“No. I’ve always wanted to prove to myself that I could get picked up by a publisher,” I say.

“It’s just a different way of proving yourself. You let your sales numbers speak for how well received your book is. It’s no different really than impressing an agent. It’s just you have more opportunity to get your book seen, and you don’t have to wait so long to get a response.”

“But an agent is an expert. Those people out there reviewing books are just random nobodies.”

“But ultimately what is your publisher looking for? Think about it. They work for a business, and businesses want to make money. Therefore, they’re looking to sell books. It’s the same thing a self-published author could want. We both want to run profitable businesses. So the agents are looking to represent an author or book that could fly off the shelves. Why not figure that out for yourself and cut out the middle man? Make all the money yourself. I’ve met a bunch of traditional published authors, and you know what? The publisher is taking all their money.”

I frown. “I guess I haven’t thought about it that way. Self-publishing just seemed like giving up. And I’m no quitter.”

“It’s not giving up at all. Do you know how many traditionally published authors have fought to get their rights back so they can self-publish? They know they can make more money themselves. The information on how to do this successfully is out there. I’ve found it.”

“How did you get so interested in all of this?” I ask.

“I had a friend in Dubai who does this all the time. He taught me the basics and where to go to learn all this stuff, and I went on to learn the rest on my own.”

“Weren’t you too busy chasing women to do something like this in your spare time?” I ask, half-teasing, half-bitter.

“You’d be surprised at how hard it is to find a date in Dubai,” he says. “You’re not even allowed to flirt in public.”

“That must have been so hard for you,” I say.

“It was fine.”

I can tell he doesn’t want to talk too much about it.

He leans toward me. “That was the old Kaison. I’m starting to realize that I don’t really need to look around as much as I thought.”

“And why is that?” I ask. His response is completely unexpected.

“Because there’s someone who’s showing me that there’s nothing else better out there for me.”

My breath catches. His gaze lingers on my lips, and the air crackles between us. I can feel my face getting hot, and I’m pretty sure it’s not just from the hot tub.

“And who is that person?” I whisper.

He scoots closer to me. “I’m pretty sure you know.”

My heart pounds in my ears. All the reasons I’ve tried to push Kaison away evaporate into thin air like the mist rising off this water. All I want this moment is to know what it’s like to have his lips on mine, his hands in my hair.

He must have noticed my sudden shift in thought because he leans close to me and pauses, allowing the moment to linger in the air between us. I close the gap, kissing his soft, warm lips, feeling his body against mine.

He responds eagerly, kissing me back with a passion I didn’t know he felt for me. It was like he’d been holding all this back for so long and was finally able to let it loose.

I let go of whatever lingering reservations I still hold and lose myself fully in his kiss, the steam swirling around us as our lips test and explore, nip and taste.

Kaison is an expert kisser. I’ve kept him at arm’s length since the moment I’ve met him, and the more I’ve resisted, the more I’ve wanted him, even if I didn’t want to admit that to myself. But I’ve still known. And I’ve fought it all this time.

He groans beneath my lips and pulls me even closer, like he can’t get me close enough. I feel the same way. There’s too much distance between us.

Finally, he pulls away, long before I’m ready.

“I’m sorry,” he pants.

“Don’t be sorry,” I whisper. “I kissed you. And I’ve wanted you to do that for a long time.”

“You?” He sounds incredulous. “You’ve been giving me the cold shoulder all this time.”

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