Page 35 of Baby for My Enemy Billionaire

Something flickers across Finn’s face, and he nods.

“I’ll take you home,” he says quietly.

***

Finn

Nothing surprised me more than seeing Jade at the same restaurant as us. It’s like I conjured her up just by thinking about her. And she looks stunning in that black dress. Even with the cardigan, I could see how the dress contoured her body. The cardigan has a gap, and I keep getting glimpses of her cleavage. No bra, either.

It makes me wonder how firm her breasts are when they aren’t encumbered by clothing. I struggled not to look over and stare at her chest. God, I must look like a pervert from Jade’s point of view. If my brother saw me do something, he didn’t say anything.

Jade’s date left shortly after he finished his meal. Jade managed to flag down a server without being seen and told him to message the date that she had gone home, paying for the meal she hadn’t eaten. We watched as the server gave her date the message and his reaction. He did not look happy at all, scowling as he brought out his wallet and paid for his share. Then he got up and stormed out with an expression that said he would be furious. After hearing what he said to her, I can see why she wanted to escape.

What was her friend thinking of putting a book lover with a book hater? I’ve heard of opposites attracting, but that is ridiculous—definitely not a perfect match.

At least we got dinner and a show out of it. And Kenny and I got to spend more time with Jade. Or, rather, Kenny and Jade talked while I occasionally interjected. It was like the two of them had more to talk about. I knew Kenny liked reading as much as Katie, and they could talk forever about them. He was genuinely interested in hearing about Jade’s business. I was content to sit back and listen with a comment now and then. Jade looked more relaxed in Kenny’s presence, smiling and laughing at what he said to her.

But that did make me want her to laugh and smile at me. Sure, she did smile, but it was fleeting before she glanced away. I felt things were getting awkward between us, and didn’t want that.

The more I think about Jade and I’m in her presence, the more my desire for her grows. How can I find her desirable after the way she rubs me the wrong way? What is wrong with me?

All I know is that the more I sit beside her, the more I want her. Not a good idea.

Then I remember Kenny’s words and how I should do something selfish for myself. Something fun and not having to worry about anything else. I would have to let everything go so I could concentrate more on myself instead of my daughter or my company. When Kenny suggested it before, I wasn’t sure about it.

Now I’m looking at Jade and wondering if I can actually do it.

“Thank you for making this evening better for me,” Jade says as she settles in the passenger seat of my car. “I didn’t mean to invade your dinner with your brother.”

“Don’t worry about it. We were happy to help.” I can’t help but laugh as I pull away from the curb. “I wasn’t expecting to be a white knight tonight.”

“I wasn’t expecting the date to go that badly.”

“Is your friend normally this bad at matchmaking?”

“I’m afraid she is. And I stupidly decided to go along with it.”

“It sounds like she’s not really your friend.”

Jade grunts. She gets out her cell phone and types something, shaking her head at a message before putting her phone back in her back.

“Problems?”

“I think Alex has spoken to Laura already. She’s demanding to know what happened.”

“Are you going to tell her she needs a better hobby?”

“Not tonight. I don’t want to deal with her.” Jade shivers and huddles in the seat. “I just want to go home and count my blessings that I didn’t end up being in that man’s company longer than I had to.”

I do not argue with that. I can tell that Jade just wants to leave, but a part of me wants to stay with her longer. I want to take up more of her time and get to know her properly. It’s not easy to understand what a person is like she's when talking to someone else. I want to see her laugh for me and only for me. I want to see her eyes light up for whatI’vesaid.

God, I sound like an idiot. Maybe I should back away from her, and then we won’t end up doing something stupid.

Screw that. You want to do something stupid. You just don’t want to be slapped when she says no, do you?

It doesn’t take long to get to Jade’s bookstore. When she tells me that she lives above the store itself, it takes a moment for me to remember that her rent includes both the store and the apartment above it. A flicker of guilt goes through me when I remember the rent increase, and I’m sure Jade can’t afford it.

Part of me wants to tell her the truth about who I am, but then I don’t want her to pull away and block me from seeing her. That selfish part of me wants me to be around her despite everything. She makes me feel things I haven’t felt in a while, and I want to explore them.

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