Page 11 of How to Avoid a Billionaire

“I’d rather take you home.” He enfolded her hand in his. “Or you could come to my place, stay the night.”

She faced him, and the teasing expression disappeared. “I know what you want, Ryder, and I’m not going to lie. I want it too. I really do, but…”

He hesitated, not liking where this conversation was going. “But?”

“I slept with you on the first date. I don’t make a habit of it, although that’s probably hard to believe. I like to know the men I give my body to. If you had a name like John or whatever, I still wouldn’t know your last name. I recognized the name Ryder, but that was my knowledge, not you being honest with me.”

He felt a nerve jump in his jaw as he clenched it. This little beauty was no pushover, nor was she a fool, but then he had firsthand knowledge of her intelligence in the ad she’d designed. “What do you want to know?”

She shrugged and smiled. “Whatever you want to tell me.”

Ryder stood and walked to the trashcan. He threw his half-eaten cone into it and wiped his hands with a napkin. When he returned to the bench, Melanie waited for him, her hands in her lap holding the empty sherbet container. He nabbed that and disposed of it before sharing with her how his mother left him with his father at three. As he spoke, tension tightened the muscles across his shoulders, and he had to make a concentrated effort not to clam up.

Melanie laid a hand on his arm and leaned into him. He let his gaze fall to her cleavage, but the tenderness in the soft brown eyes drew his attention back to them.

“Do you see her now?” she asked.

“No.”

“Didn’t you try to find her?”

“Why should I?”

“Ryder!”

“Growing up, I had all I needed and more, Melanie. You don’t have to feel sorry for me.”

“There’s more to life than money.”

He grunted, and a need to put her in her place came over him. “Every day, I was surrounded by some of the most brilliant minds in business and in science. I got to listen in on decision-making meetings that governed thousands of people’s lives. When I attended a private school, these same men who were CEOs of Fortune 500 companies were on speed-dial and helped me with my homework.”

She peered at him, unimpressed.

“My father taught me how to handle a woman and hos

ted many parties where—let’s just say my education expanded from lectures to hands-on.”

Her mouth fell open. Why the hell was he sharing all of this with her? He should have allowed her to believe in the possibility that he could fall in love with her. He expected Melanie to jump up and storm out of the museum. Why had he let her get under his skin?

He hitched his shoulders and looked away from her. “Now you know me.”

“Oh, there’s so much more to you than that.”

He studied her upturned face. “Come to my house tonight.”

She offered him a teasing smile. “I can’t. It’s a school night.”

“Did you do your homework?”

“You’re my homework.”

Ryder couldn’t help himself. He kissed that pouty mouth and drew back to see her reaction. She stood and walked away. Ryder frowned. When he caught up to her, he took hold of her arm and turned her gently to face him. “Did I scare you off with what I told you?”

“No, I knew that was pretty much who you were when I first met you.”

Irritation rolled over him. “You say whatever comes to mind and don’t hold anything back.”

“There’s no reason to try to trick anyone. We are what we are. My motto is to just to enjoy myself.”

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