Page 18 of His Little Secret in Discretion
I’d ripped her out of Vaughn’s grip, but that didn’t mean he or some other bastard wouldn’t find another way.
You make impulsive decisions, you wedge yourself into places you don’t belong, and when it gets too messy, you disappear like the fucking wind.
Lucifer’s voice again. And fuck, was that what I was about to do? Walk away? Pretend she hadn’t crawled under my skin? Usually I bailed on contracts when meetings went too long. Ignored calls if they cut into my beauty sleep. But this—this wasn’t business.
This wasn’t something I wanted to walk away from.
“You don’t have to say thank-you, Maia,” I murmured.
“But I do. You have more important things to worry about. You’re a billionaire, for Christ’s sake. The fact that you went out of your way to keep me safe, to stand up to Mr. Vaughn… you’re—”
Impulsive. Childish. Horny. Sexy. Immature.
“—unlike any man I’ve ever met,” she finished honestly.
I pulled back just enough to look at her, shrugged like it was obvious. “Well, of course I am. It’s not every day you meet a billionaire as charming and handsome as me.”
She gave me a small smile, and for a second I swore something unspoken flickered in her eyes. But she smothered it, tilting her head instead.
“Believe it or not, Mr. Porter, there are other billionaires just as charming as you.”
“You’d be surprised how little life they bring to the party, Sunshine. Most of them are halfway to their deathbeds anyway.” I grinned, and she giggled, her fingers brushing over my wrist where I held her waist.
“As much as I appreciate you getting me out of that situation, Blaine… I hope you know I don’t expect you to do anything more.”
My brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“I mean I have my responsibilities, and you have yours. You saved me. If you hadn’t, I don’t know if I would’ve had the courage to leave. But now that I’m out, I have to find another way to make ends meet.”
“Where are you going to go?” The words slipped out before I could stop them.She’s giving you an out, Blaine. Take it. Just like Killian said—walk away. You barely know her.
“I’ll find something. I always have. It’s nothing new.”
“What if you end up with a boss worse than him?”
She exhaled, resigned. “Then I’ll cross that bridge if I get to it.”
“Why wouldn’t you expect me to do more?”
Her sad smile nearly gutted me.
“Because, Mr. Porter… you’re a charming, handsome, rich bachelor. You can have anyone you want, anytime you want. Why would I expect more than a second glance? Because we had sex one night and cuddled the next morning?” Her voice dropped, quiet but steady. “As good as that fairytale sounds, I’ve learned to live in the real world.”
The words hung between us, slicing through the air sharper than Killian ever could. I had nothing—no slick retort, no grin, no denial. Just baffled silence.
She leaned up and pressed a lingering kiss against my cheek. Then, without waiting for my answer, she turned and walked toward my bedroom, leaving me alone with nothing but her perfume and the echo of her truth.
Was I in the fucking twilight zone?
Here I was, gearing up to tell her we couldn’t see each other anymore—that I was sorry for screwing up the only job she had,that I couldn’t commit because this was just a one-night stand gone too far.
And she beat me to it.
She told me she already knew her place. Knew exactly what this was.
And the worst part? She was right. She knew I’d agree—not because Iwantedto, but because Ineededto. Because Killian’s voice wouldn’t stop reminding me I was moving too fast. Because we were fire, but fire always burns out.
Two different worlds, two different lives. The universe itself would tear us apart.Romeo and Juliet-style. A Shakespeare sort of love.
