Page 31 of Adonis: The Cost of a Billionaire's Heart
“Which is why we have the arrangement we do?”
“Exactly. No strings. No commitments. No one gets hurt.”
I nodded. “Sounds like you’ve figured out a foolproof way not to get your heart broken.”
“Maybe I have.”
A natural silence hung between us as I watched him hit the bag a few more times before ending his workout. We proceeded back toward the kitchen together as he sipped the remaining water from the bottle.
“I was thinking,” he said with a mischievous look in his eyes. “I know you said you don’t want him to go out, but what if I could bring something here for him?”
“Like what?”
“Leave it to me. I’ll figure out something.”
“Okay.”
I stepped into the living room later that evening only to find that it had been completely transformed. It had gone from a spacious room with minimalist decor to an entirely reimagined space station. Planets hovered from the ceiling with glow-in-the-dark stars and blue and lime green constellations from a light projector.
In the center of the cosmic light show stood Adonis with a warm smile and a kid-sized astronaut costume in hand. I was more than surprised. I was in awe. Because I wasn’t comfortabletaking Mason to the air and space museum, he’d figured out a way to bring space to us.
At first, I just stood there, soaking it all in. For me, it was bigger than the impression it made. It was the thoughtful expression itself—the kind gesture, the baked-in intentionality behind everything Adonis said and did. It was something that money couldn’t buy. He’d been born with that.
“Welcome to the Holland Enterprises Space Station.”
A soft chuckle slipped past my lips. “Oh my God. W-what did you do? Mason is going to lose his mind when he comes out here and sees all of this.”
Whatever parts of me that had been hardened from the past had instantly started to soften from the sweetness of his actions. With all the flashing cameras and clickbait headlines that came with being the woman on Adonis Holland’s arm, it was moments like that that made me dream of what it would be like if things between us were real and not coming to an end sooner than later.
“Go get him,” he suggested.
“Okay,” I replied eagerly.
Mason’s entire face lit up like a Christmas tree when he entered the living room. Before I knew it, he was wearing his astronaut costume, and the three of us were pretending to dodge flying meteors and communicate with stuffed green aliens from another planet. I couldn’t help but smile big and wide.
Adonis had been the first man I’d allowed to get close to Mason, let alone come into his life. Hearing my son giggle and seeing the natural black boy joy on his face made me feel like I was sitting on top of the world. Not only had Adonis delivered an unforgettable experience for him, but he’d also somehow been able to make it more special than if we’d ventured out and gone to the real thing. Most importantly, it was free of paparazzi. It was just us.
Before I knew it, the feelings bubbling up inside me had me walking up to Adonis and planting a soft kiss on his cheek. Time stopped when I realized what I’d done, but I didn’t feel ashamed. For the first time since I’d become a mother, I wasn’t worried about the time or what the future or the next five minutes would bring. All that mattered was the moment.
Things between Adonisand me moved like a bullet train over the next few days. I couldn’t believe I’d spent 7 days, 168 hours, 10,080 minutes, and 86,400 seconds in the presence of a handsome billionaire. After days of balancing motherhood and charity galas, business dinners, and constant performing as Adonis’s fiancée, we’d flown on his private jet to Chicago for the final meeting with Garrick International, the one where the fifty-million-dollar deal would finally be sealed. I was a little apprehensive about leaving Mason with Maya overnight at the penthouse, but the multiple FaceTime calls until he fell asleep and frequent text check-ins helped to put my mind at ease.
We arrived exhausted at nearly midnight, only to be informed that the Presidential Suite we were supposed to bestaying in had been double-booked, and their next available luxury suite only had one bedroom, which meant only one bed.
“I sincerely apologize, Mr. Holland,” the concierge explained as he nervously wrung his hands with genuine distress on his face. “I don’t know how this mistake happened.”
I stood beside Adonis inside the luxurious hotel suite, trying to keep my expression neutral as we both stared at the single king-size bed dominating the otherwise spectacular accommodations.
“It’s unacceptable,” Adonis said, his voice cold with the authority that made grown men cower. “Recheck your systems.”
“I’ve checked three times, sir,” the concierge insisted. “There was a system upgrade last week, and several reservations were mistakenly modified. We’re completely booked because of the international technology conference. There are no other rooms available in this hotel or the surrounding ones.”
I felt Adonis’s frustration radiating off him in waves. The dark look in his eyes said he wouldn’t be happy until he’d twisted the concierge into a pretzel. Still, I somehow managed to find the trace of humor the universe had delivered. We’d made it to the final night of our charade, the climax of all our careful planning, and suddenly, we were faced with the silly cliché of having one bed to sleep in.
“It’s fine,” I interjected, placing a gentle hand on Adonis’s arm—part performance for the concierge, part genuine attempt to defuse the tension. “It’s only one night. We’ll make it work.”
Adonis shifted his gaze down at me, his irritation softening slightly at my touch. We’d become practiced at the small physical connections over the past week, to the point where they felt natural.
“Fine,” he conceded. “But I expect a significant adjustment to our bill.”
