Page 28 of Falling for the Wrong Billionaire
I drag a hand over my face, trying to shake it off. "Sorry," I mutter.
"Don’t be sorry," Nate adds, leaning back in his chair with that smug little grin he gets when he knows something I don’t. "Be honest. Who’s got your head all twisted up?"
Bryan chuckles quietly. He already knows.
I scowl, but it feels half-hearted. "We’re supposed to be talking about the yacht project."
"Yeah," Bryan says dryly, "but it’s hard to talk about yachts when you keep staring into space like some lovesick poet. Spill it."
I lean back in my chair and cross my arms, but it’s no use. They’re both looking at me like sharks circling.
I let out a sigh and admit it. "Lucy."
Nate’s grin widens. "Knew it."
Bryan leans forward, resting his forearms on the table. "What happened? You finally made a move?"
I hesitate. Even saying it out loud feels… risky. Like if I name it, it’ll ruin the quiet, fragile thing we’ve got between us. But what the hell. I’m not about to lie to these two.
"I don’t know how to explain it. Two nights ago. After dinner. At your place," I say to Bryan. "We were walking outside after everyone left. It just… happened. I kissed her."
Nate lets out a low whistle. "Finally."
Bryan just watches me carefully. He doesn’t say anything yet, and somehow that’s worse.
I rub the back of my neck, feeling the weight of the moment all over again. "I don’t know what to make of it. She melted in my hands — I know she felt it. But then she wouldn’t even look at me when I dropped her off. Just stared out the window the whole way home."
Bryan speaks up then. "And?"
"And what?" I shoot back, frustrated.
"And what do you want from her, West? You planning to chase her, or are you gonna keep dancing around it like you’ve been?"
I pause, staring at him. "I want…" I trail off, because the words stick in my throat.
I want her to look at me like I’m the reason she smiles. I want her to stop pulling away every time I get too close. I want her to let me in — really let me in — and not shut me out the second it starts to feel real.
I want her.
But all I say is, "I don’t know."
Nate groans and throws his hands up. "Unbelievable. You’ve got the girl — shy, gorgeous, clearly into you — and you’re over here acting like it’s rocket science."
"It’s not that simple," I snap.
"Why?" Nate shoots back. "Because she’s quiet? Because she’s not throwing herself at you? Maybe she’s not like the other women you’ve dated. So what? She’s better."
That hits a little too close, and I look down at the table.
Bryan stays quiet a beat longer before chiming in. "Maybe she’s been through something you don’t know about. People don’t shut down for no reason, Liam. You can’t just bulldoze your way through with her. You’ve got to be patient. Let her come to you."
I glance up at him, and his eyes are steady. Bryan’s always been the practical one of us three. He’s not wrong.
Nate, predictably, rolls his eyes. "Sure. Be patient. But don’t be a coward either. Don’t wait so long she thinks you don’t care."
I let out a humorless laugh. "You two make it sound so easy."
Bryan shrugs. "It’s not easy. But it’s worth it."
