Page 65 of The Billionaire Submissive
“No.”
“Then I’m not upset.” Easing his ferocity, he leaned down and brushed his mouth against hers, lowering his voice so the others wouldn’t overhear. “Three. You didn’t call me. You drove. And I had to curse.”
“It’s my fault, Mr. Morgan.” Joe stood up, for once without a single smirk or cocky grin. “I had the brilliant idea of surprising you two. Lilly didn’t even know we were here.”
“It’s not that bad.” She turned back to the group, but she leaned against Donovan, her hand fisted in the back of his shirt beneath his coat. “We’ll have to take the whole thing back to the shop and replace about a hundred pieces, but it’s salvageable.”
“We’ll get it back in one piece.” Joe grimaced, hanging his head. “Well, the ones still intact.”
“It’ll put us a few days behind schedule.”
Donovan could hear the worry ringing in her voice so he tightened his arm around her, keeping her against his side. “Not a problem. This schedule has always been fluid and flexible. Thanks for your hard work, everyone. I appreciate your time. I’m going to drag Lilly away for the afternoon now, so call me directly if any other issues arise.”
Before she could think to argue, he whisked her toward the door and outside. Pace brisk, he crossed the street and headed for the parking garage. He almost made it back to her car before she dug in her feet and refused to go another step.
“You.”
Just inside the ramp entrance, he paused and met her gaze.
“I was so upset my only thought was to get here quickly. I didn’t know where to park, so I came here. And the bar went up.”
“Of course,” he said easily, keeping his voice light.
“Why did the bar go up for my car?”
“Because I had a parking tag installed on your windshield when they serviced your car. Actually you could have gone to any of the parking ramps in downtown St. Paul and parked.”
“Any of them?”
Taking her hand, he tugged her inside. “Yes. Where’d you leave your car? We have to move it.”
“I don’t know.”
Her voice sounded funny. Broken, soft and unsure. Concerned, he paused again and searched her face. “We’ll find it. It’s no big deal.”
“It’s a huge fucking deal, Donovan.”
“Four. Never mind, Charlie will know where it is.” If she’d turned in off 5th Street, then she probably would have left it close to the entrance, so he backtracked, dragging her along. Sure enough, her little red Focus was half up on the curb. “We need to work on your parking, sweetheart.”
She made a raw, choking sound that had him whirling around and dragging her into his arms. God, he’d never expected her to cry. Not his Lilly. “It’s all right. I’m only teasing. You never have to park again. Next time you come into St. Paul just leave your car with Charlie. I’ll have him park it for you.”
She clung to him, sobbing, her hands fisted in his shirt. “The bar went up. I can’t believe you did that. For me. The very first weekend? But why?”
Because I love you. I’ve loved you since our very first weekend, Lilly Harrison. Since the first day you strode into my office and changed my life forever.
But he’d promised he wouldn’t say it. Not until she’d told him the same.
Without answering, he wiped her tears, kissed her softly and helped her into the passenger seat. With a bump and a jolt, he drove the car off the curb and parked it beside his Jag. He got out, but she still sat in the passenger side, unmoving.
He came around and opened her door, but she stared up at him. “Why?”
“You know why.” He took her hand and drew her out, but she still stared at him with a shellshocked look on her face that made him shake his head. Scooping her up into his arms, he carried her toward the elevator. “I guess I’m going to have to show you again.”
Chapter Twenty-One
He laid her on his bed like the very first night she’d spent with him. Slowly, he undressed for her, but this time, he didn’t pause, tremble or pant with the effort of containing his desire. He didn’t blush or avert his gaze, keeping his eyes locked on her, a smoldering heat she could feel on her skin. She started to sit up, her hands moving to her T-shirt, but he interrupted.
“No. I want to do it.”
