Page 101 of Marrying the Billionaire

I sag in relief as he crushes me to him, wrapping me in his strong embrace. I inhale, breathing him in shakily, throwing my arms over those broad shoulders to hug him tight.

“You never have to apologize for that,” he whispers fiercely, stroking a palm down my hair. “It was one of the best things anyone’s ever said to me.” His hand rubs slow circles on my back until I calm down some, the tears a mere trickle now. “It caught me off guard in the moment, but I thought about it a lot on the plane ride over, and I’m really glad you said it. I needed to hear it. I… I haven’t in a long time.”

I scrub at my eyes, clearing them, pressing my ear against his chest to listen to the deep rumble of his voice. “I love you,” I murmur, letting myself truly relax in his arms for the first time in days.

His grip tightens on me briefly, but his body doesn’t stiffen. If anything, he seems to further embrace me. “I tried texting you last night. To apologize, to tell you how much I missed you. When I couldn’t get hold of you, when I found out you were gone, the only thing on my mind was regret for how I left things between us. The truth is, I’m falling for you too. Hard.” He leans back, cupping my face, the blue of his eyes intense as they study me. “I’ve never felt this way about anybody. But the words… I need some time for those.”

“I understand.” Going from completely closed off to open isn’t something you can switch on and off at will. “I really do.”

“And I want you to say it to me, if that’s what you’re feeling. Don’t hold anything back.”

I stretch up to kiss him, the meeting of our lips brief before he pulls away. “Once I get started with you, I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop.” His gaze rakes me up and down, a lingering wildness behind his eyes that sends a satisfying shiver through me. “Is there somewhere we can go? Other than the street?”

I finally take stock of our surroundings, realizing that, yes, we’re still standing on the sidewalk near the open doorway of the shelter.

“I-” Oh God, I have to admit I’ve been sleeping at my desk upstairs, don’t I? “Can we go back home?”

“No. I don’t trust it. The lobby staff would see us. And once Dad finds out I’m here in New York, we’ll only have a short window.”

“What do you mean?”

“I haven’t officially confirmed it, but based on what’s happened and the conversation you had with him, my gut tells me Dad wants you out of the picture. And not just for the last few days if he never took care of legalizing our marriage. He said he’d do that weeks ago.”

A stab of pain runs through me at the reminder that we’re not actually married, that our relationship has only been us playing pretend.

“I need to get everything I can together in case he does anything else,” he continues. “All our stuff we want out of the apartment, start selling my stock in the company, looking for another place-”

“Whoa, what?” Is he being serious right now?

“Just as a precaution. Once he finds out I came back here without telling him, that I’m staying with you, he might try to pull the same thing on me he did to Gabriel.”

My lips part, staring at him. “You’re talking about potentially changing your whole life. I can’t ask you to do that. I never meant to come between you and your family. I can’t be the reason-”

He cuts me off. “It’s not just you. I can’t trust him anymore. Not if he did all this behind my back, after I told him I had real feelings for you. Not if he’s keeping me out of the loop about not buying Montague Media. Not if he’s making decisions that affect my whole life with no notice. Things will never be the same.”

His thumb sweeps over my bottom lip. “You were the catalyst, yes. You made me realize I want more in my life. To feel. I’ve felt more with you in the past weeks than I have in the last decade.”

I grip his forearm, savoring his words, his closeness, the tender look in his eye.

“Serena, even if all this stuff wasn’t happening with my dad, you’re still worth everything. I somehow have this amazing, gorgeous, caring woman that loves me. I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”

I sniffle, too far caught up in his wonderful words to say anything.

“He’s not dictating my life anymore. I’m ready to start a new life. With you.”

I bring him close, tugging his head down until my lips meet his, pouring all the love I have for him into my kiss. He groans his approval, backing me up until I reach the doorframe, his mouth hot on mine, the spark between us stronger than ever.

His hard body presses into me, and though it hasn’t even been a full week we’ve been apart, I’m starved for him.

“We need a hotel,” he murmurs between kisses. “Where’s the closest one?”

It takes me a moment to process his question, my head still caught up in the taste of his lips, the feel of all that muscle underneath my fingertips as my hands roam his torso. “Um, down the block. I pass by it all the time when I take the dogs on walks.”

“You ready? Need to grab anything inside?”

“Give me a second.” I press one last kiss to that delicious mouth before I rush upstairs and gather the few essentials I bought today, stuffing them in my purse.

We walk hand in hand down the sidewalk, the place strangely empty this time of night. The only sounds are the wheels of Archer’s suitcase on the cement and the occasional car that passes by. He tells me his version of events from when he discovered his phone wasn’t working, his brother covering for him as he left, his plane ride here. It’s hard to believe this is really happening, that Mr. Bishop is this hell bent on sticking it to my dad, if that truly is his motive for breaking us up. And most of all, that Archer chose me. That he would willfully defy his father like this. This could change everything. Archer’s standing within his family, his job, his home, his money. The consequences are serious.

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