Page 53 of My Billionaire Neighbor's Secret

She did get it immediately. “You were together, weren’t you?”

I could not deny it anymore. I nodded, feeling myself blushing a bit.

She was almost jumping up and down as she closed the door behind her and rushed to me with an eager look on her face. “Oh, my gosh! Since yesterday? Tell me all about it!”

I laughed.

“He must have chosen the flowers and designs and maybe indicated them over the phone?” Rasha guessed, looking as if she was about to faint from excitement too.

I shrugged, but still, I couldn’t wrap my head around it. There were too many emotions and thoughts churning within me.

“Oh, you have a meeting in ten minutes,” Rasha reminded me, suddenly looking all serious. “But you’ve got to tell me all about it later!”

“Alright,” I agreed, laughing. “Let’s grab a drink after work.”

I checked my reflection in the glass that covered my office walls. Seeing myself wearing his shirt made me feel like he was just standing beside me with his arms wrapped around me.

My eyes were glimmering with elation. My face was a bit flushed but apparently glowing. I tried to wipe away the giddy, silly-looking smile on my face, but I couldn’t. So I just put on my blazer and went to my meeting.

Chapter 22

CARTER

Somethingsoftanddamptickled my lips. I stirred from my sleep, my mind awakening.

Another kiss was planted on my face. I heard a subdued giggle.

I opened my eyes and saw a familiar beautiful face in front of me. She looked like an angel, smiling and gazing into my eyes, smelling so good.

I sat up, fully alert now. I suddenly felt like the large space of my bedroom was constricting, like it was closing in on me and making me trapped.

Looking at Leigh, I felt a little bit confused. What was she doing in my bedroom? I checked the clock on my bedside. It was only five-thirty in the morning. The sun had barely risen outside.

“Wake up, sleepyhead,” she said in a sweet, sing-song voice. “It’s time to eat breakfast. I prepared your favorite.”

She sounded so happy and proud of what she’d done for me that I couldn’t bear to tell her that I preferred to wake up alone and that it made me cringe to have anyone else in my bedroom, which I considered my very private space. Especially upon waking up.

I nodded with a faint smile and got out of bed. She looked absolutely gorgeous, of course. There was a part of me that yearned to kiss her and snuggle with her in bed. But I was feeling overwhelmed, much more than attracted to her at the moment. Besides, I was conscious that I hadn’t taken a bath or brushed my teeth yet.

It’s been two weeks now since our time together at Bali Villas. Since then, after I had sent the flowers to her office, she has taken it upon herself to show up at my house from time to time unannounced. It wasn’t every day, but it was beginning to bother me.

At first, it had been a sweet surprise. For several days, we had sex in various areas of the house, including in my backyard on the swimming pool deck. But then, she began appearing early in the morning and making breakfast for me in my own kitchen. I felt like she wanted me to invite her to live with me already.

That morning, as we ate breakfast together and she talked to me about her plans for the day, I felt a familiar sensation of fear creeping under my skin and rising in my throat. I knew that fear. It always turned up when people got too close and comfortable with me.

I had allowed myself to open up to Leigh. I’d let her in, way past my boundaries. But things were going too fast that I felt like I was choking.

I winced as I watched her go around the kitchen as if she lived there. She even started sorting through my mail.

“Uh, I’ll take care of that,” I told her in a polite tone. What I wanted to say was that she wasn’t supposed to touch my things, especially very private stuff like my mail.

I was relieved when she put the envelopes down and went to join me for coffee.

When she settled down in her seat and relaxed, I began to see her again as a potential girlfriend. My attraction toward her started to reappear.

I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, so I never told her that I did not feel comfortable having her here, invading my kitchen and my bedroom without prior notice. But over the last few days, I had been noticing that she was frequenting my house more, acting like my wife or something like that. It was a thought and feeling that didn’t sit well with me.

I wasn’t ready for this kind of commitment. I knew I needed to tell her that, but she was always so full of positive energy that I just couldn’t bear to burst her bubble.

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