Page 2 of Burning for the Billionaire 5

“I forgot.” My words come out in a breathy whisper, and I sway a little. The way his kisses leave me dazed is insane. Pulling in a breath, I peek up at him shyly. “So... you just labeled this...us. You called yourself my boyfriend.”

One corner of his mouth kicks up into a half smile. “So I did.”

My teeth sink into my bottom lip. I’m trying so hard to be a picture of sophistication and notsquealmy excitement. “That’s... okay, then.Great. Shall we go inside?”

Rowan steps back, wearing a little smirk that tells me he knows about my inner struggle. He opens the door and gestures for me to go in. Inside, Ember races at us, her ears flapping.

Grinning, I scoop her up and rub her head. “Hey girl.” She wiggles and tries to lick my face. Giggling, I dodge her advances. “I missed you, you little ball of energy.”

I missed her owner, too. It’s been a few days since I’ve seen Rowan or his adorable puppy. He’s been busy and so have I, with my new job that I absolutely hate.

I follow Rowan inside while absently entertaining Ember with more head rubs. Gazing at his back, I think about how I wouldn’t mind coming home to a man who kisses me like a long-lost loverallthe time, and a cute little pet every day. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Chapter 2

Rowan

Ididn’t realize itfor most of my adult life, butthisis what I’ve been missing. Someone like Grace who lights up my world. It’s only been three weeks since I decided to give the relationship thing a try, but I already see the difference... in me. I enjoy having her in my space and in my life.

Something as simple as sitting with her in my kitchen, having dinner after a long day, feels natural. A mere hour in her company so far and I’ve laughed and smiled more than I have the entire month. Ineedthis—Grace’s smiles and giggles and all-around cheerfulness.

I’ve had a demanding couple of weeks, delving into the rabbit hole of the Lockwood empire.Jesus. What a mammoth task. After firing my lawyer, I’ve had to take on things I didn’t worry myself with before because the new one is still getting the hang of things.

I’ve been to business meetings boring enough to make me want to bash my head in. Then I decided I should have an entire team to help me out if I’m going to be forced to turn into Mr. CEO, so the search for a new team is in progress.

A few times this week, I was tempted to jump ship and throw the Lockwood fortune to the wolves practically salivating over it, so I could go back to my low-key,normallife. But a chat with my friend Matt reminded me why I went along with my dearly departed grandfather’s idea to take over for him. I really have done some good with his money—my money now.

On top of getting into the swing of running the Lockwood empire are my regular firefighter duties. I hate the thought of giving up my day job, but I’m exhausted. This weekend that I have planned with Grace is going to help me unwind.

I glance at her, and she catches my gaze and smiles.

“Thanks for dinner,” she says.

“No problem. I really outdid myself ordering takeout.”

She laughs. “I appreciate your dialing and ordering skills.” Her smile fades as she pokes at something in her takeout box and sighs softly.

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