Page 13 of Billionaire in Disguise

The traffic slowed as they neared a service station. Nick changed to the right lane and flipped on his signal. “This is the last rest area before we leave the highway. Why don’t we stop here?” He pulled onto the exit and entered the lot, parking next to a large, chartered bus. She grasped her purse and undid her seatbelt, but before she could open the door, he came around and opened it for her. He held out his hand.

A chef, computer lover and chivalrous gentleman?

She needed a cold shower.

* * *

Adrianna settledfor washing her hands with cold water in the ladies’ room. She used a paper towel to wipe her neck, shivering as the cool water chilled heated skin. She had to keep it together. Her inner conscience reminded her that if she was truly together, she wouldn’t be bringing a fake date home. She reminded her conscience that Nick was excessively hot. Her conscience agreed.

By the time she returned, Nick was already there, leaning his excessively hot body against the gleaming car. He held the door for her, yet when she slid her seatbelt out, he stopped her with a hand on her wrist. “There’s something we should do before we reach our destination.”

She released the latch, and it retreated with a gentle whir. “Get our heads examined?”

“Not a bad idea, but no.” He leaned forward. “I was thinking something a little more intimate.”

Something intimate?

Yes, please. Yes, please. Yes, please. Yes, please. Yes, please. Yes, please. Yes, please. Yes, please. Yes, please. Yes, please. Yes, please. Yes, please. Yes, please. Yes, please. Yes, please. Yes, please. Yes, please. Yes, please. Yes, please. Yes, please. Yes, please. Yes, please.

“What did you have in mind?”

“I’m referring to a kiss, of course.”

Yes, please.

Could he sense her desire? Her attraction? Sapphire eyes betrayed no secrets. “Your family isn’t going to believe we’re in a relationship if we act like we barely know each other. It’s going to be a little awkward, and obvious, if we share our first kiss there.”

He was right. It would be talked about for years, gossiped about on every phone conversation, detailed in letters around the globe. She licked dry lips and shifted her gaze. His lips were full and sensual, amidst chiseled features. “So when did you want to…” She waved her hand. “You know?”

A tinge of amusement flashed, tinted with a dash of satisfaction. “We can’t do it while we’re there.”

“Of course not.”

“We’re going straight there.”

“True.”

“How about now?”

She froze.

Approximately a year and a half passed. “Now? Now. Now?”How many times had she said now?“Of course. That’s a great idea. Perfect. Now.” Her voice was so high-pitched it sounded like she had sucked all the helium out of a carnival balloon. She cleared her throat, lowered her voice. “Ready?”

Great. Now she resembled anoboe.

He had her flustered already, and they hadn’t even brushed lips. “It seems like an opportune time. No one is around.” They had parked a distance from the rest area, far from the bustling families and strolling tourists with their noses buried in their smartphones. A sea of empty parking spaces surrounded them, with one empty bus the only company.

Yet instead of triumph, his expression turned serious. “We don’t have to do this. If you’d rather, we can deal with matters as they arise.”

Perhaps, except her parents would not merely tolerate a kiss, they would expect it. “I want to do this.”

Something sparked in his eyes, a nameless emotion so light and swift, it was gone in an instant. When he spoke his voice was low, somber. “Anytime you want to stop, just say the word. You are in control.”

Then why did it feel like he held all the power? Yet she nodded, playing the part she had assigned herself, perfectly still as he edged closer.

And closer…

And closer…

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