Page 43 of Don't Fall for the Billionaire
I gripped the edge of the sink while staring at myself in the mirror. I couldn’t believe he’d actually said those words—a mistake. As if what happened between us was some accounting error, or a wrong turn on an unfamiliar road. I’d replayed last night in my head over and over again. The way his mouth devoured me. The way his hands caressed me. The way his lips meshed with mine left us both breathless. But apparently, that was all just a mistake to him. I needed to put it out of my mind and not think about it again. The only issue was that he was impossible to forget.
The following morning, while I was putting coffee into two to-go cups, I smiled when Ashton walked into the kitchen wearing a pair of jeans and a navy-blue sweater.
“What? Why are you staring at me like that?”
“I’ve never seen you in jeans and a sweater before.”
“We are going to a farm to pick pumpkins and apples. I don’t want to ruin my good clothes.”
“Good call.” I smiled. “I didn’t know you even owned a pair of jeans.”
“Everyone owns at least one pair,” he said.
“I’m ready! I’m ready!” Eloise ran into the kitchen looking as cute as a button.
We climbed into Ashton’s Range Rover and headed to the farm. It was the first time I’d been in a car with him that he had driven. I couldn’t stop stealing small glances in between admiring the colors of the changing leaves. His seat was slightly reclined back as he gripped the steering wheel with one hand while his arm rested on the center console. He wore a pair of Aviator sunglasses, which heightened his sexiness factor. As I sat there, I wondered if he’d ever done anything like this with Maura.
We pulled into the parking lot across the street from the farm, and the place was already packed with people.
“See. We’re not the only ones excited for fall.” I grinned.
“Personally, I think you’re all crazy.” Ashton smirked.
“That’s okay. I like my crazy.” I smiled as I climbed out of the car.
Eloise stood between us. I held one hand, and Ashton held the other as we headed across to the farm that stretched out in front of us like a painting. The wooden barns were decorated with scarecrows, bales of hay, and pumpkins. Families strolled by with baskets in their hands, ready to claim the fall season as their own.
I glanced at Ashton as we headed toward the orchards first, silently smiling because I was happy he was here with us.
“We need to get one of those flatbed cart things,” I said. “Oh, over there.” I pointed.
Ashton walked over, grabbed one, and pulled it over to us before entering through the gates of the orchard.
“Good morning. How many bags would you like to purchase for your apples?” the nice gentleman asked.
“I need at the very least a bushel. Do you have that? I’d prefer one large bin instead of individual bags,” I said.
“We have this right here.” He pointed.
“Perfect.” I grinned.
“That’ll be $100 dollars,” he said.
I glanced at Ashton. Sighing, he took his wallet from his back pocket and handed the nice man a hundred-dollar bill.
“Thank you. Have fun in the orchards.” He smiled.
“Don’t you think $100 for apples is a rip-off?” Ashton asked, pulling the cart behind him.
“It’s worth it for my apple pies.” I smiled. “You’ll see.”
Eloise let go of our hands and ran to a tree where an apple was hanging. Standing on her tiptoes, she reached up and plucked it from the tree.
“Got it.” She smiled, holding up the red, juicy apple. “Can I eat it?”
“For what I paid, you can eat as many as you like,” Ashton said.
“We need to find the Granny Smith and Honey Crisp trees.”
