Page 38 of How to Win the Wild Billionaire

Bay straightened and walked to the window of this room she’d chosen for Olivia to sleep in, looking at the dark sea and the rising moon. When she had arrived at the helipad, situated at the back of The Vane’s property, and listened to Digby’s plan for a weekend away, her first instinct was to refuse. Then he told her that it came with no strings, that they’d both been working like demons and they all deserved a weekend away. They both needed, he insisted, to relax.

She just had to step into the helicopter; everything else had been taken care of. Nobody would know they were together. It was a break from reality and God she needed it.

And now that she was here, and after swimming in the lukewarm ocean and watching a magnificent sunset, she was glad she hadn’t refused. Digby was right; she needed this...

Needed peace and quiet. But mostly she simply needed to be with Digby.

Bay dropped a kiss on Olivia’s head and left her sleeping, leaving the door ajar in case she woke up and called for her. Heading back into the open-plan living area, she looked around for Digby and saw that he’d jumped into the pool situated in the corner of the deck. Bay watched as he broke through the surface of the water to rest his forearms on the paving, his chin on his wrist as he looked out to sea.

Seeing a bottle of wine and two glasses sitting on the wooden table, she poured the wine, picked up both glasses and walked over to the pool. Sinking to the pavement, she handed Digby a glass and dropped her bare calf and foot into the water.

Digby looked at her and smiled. “I like this place.”

Bay sighed, tipping her head back to look at the stars popping through the black velvet sky. “It’s fabulous.”

“Do you think we should buy it?” Digby casually asked. “It’s up for sale.”

Bay nearly choked on her wine when he told her the selling price.

Holy cupcakes, that was a hell of a lot of money.

“Ah, maybe you should see the rest of the property before you make a decision,” Bay suggested, her tone wry.

Digby picked up her foot, kissed the arch of her instep before dropping her foot back into the water. “Good point.”

Bay rested the cool wineglass against her cheek. “Thank you for bringing me here, Digby. For bringing both of us. I...well... I needed this.”

Digby’s eyes and the darkening sea were both the same intense shade of blue. He stared at her for a long moment before nodding. “I know.”

Bay watched as he propelled himself out of the pool, arm muscles bulging as he left the water. He walked over to the lounger, picked up a towel and started drying his body. Wrapping his towel over his wet swimming shorts, he walked back over to her, holding out his hand. Bay placed her hand in his and he hauled her up, keeping hold of her as she found her feet. Because she wanted to, Bay placed her hand on his chest, her thumb brushing water off it.

“I missed you,” Bay said, the words slipping out without her permission.

Digby placed his lips on her temple and his big hands on her hips. “I missed you too.”

Bay slid her arms around his waist and rested her cheek on his wet chest and listened to his strong heartbeat. His arms encircled her, hauled her closer and it felt like he was putting himself between her and the world. She was a strong, independent woman but sometimes it felt so wonderful to lean, to soak in someone else’s strength.

And Digby had a lot of it, mental and physical.

Digby’s hands left her body to hold her face, his thumbs on her cheekbones and then her jaw. “This place is utterly secluded, Bay, so we can pretend that there’s just the two of us—”

“Three,” Bay reminded him.

“Two and a half.” Digby’s lips twitched into a smile. He rubbed his thumb across her bottom lip. “I have a lot on my mind, so do you, so the aim of this weekend is not to think but just to be. Think we can do that?”

God, that idea sounded like heaven. She needed a break from thinking about the fight for custody of Liv. She couldn’t stop the thought that losing Liv would be like losing Layla all over again and, as a result, her stomach was twisted in a perpetual knot.

Bay rubbed the back of her neck. She wanted to stop thinking, to take a break from missing Digby and worrying about the future. She desperately wanted to live in the moment, this moment, and Digby was offering her the opportunity to do just that.

Digby tipped her head up with a finger under her chin. “Is that a deal?”

Bay nodded. “Absolutely. Can I just ask you one thing?”

Apprehension jumped into Digby’s eyes and she felt bad for putting it there. “Sure,” he replied, sounding a little wary.

Bay hesitated before deciding to take the plunge. If this was the only time she’d have with him then she wasn’t going to waste it. “Will you kiss me? Like you did before?”

Passion flared in Digby’s eyes. “I have no problem with that request...” He started to lower his mouth to hers but Bay stepped back and held out her hand.

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