Page 77 of Owned By a Billionaire

“You’re not going to shower?” she asked, staring straight at my erection, and—whether unconsciously or not—brushing her tongue over her lips in a way guaranteed to provoke me.

“I’m running late, Caroline.”

“Then let Jason drive you.”

“That might be helpful.” I lay down my clothes on the armchair. “I’ll take that shower then.”

She followed me into the turquoise bathroom with its heated floor tiles, sunken bath, and shower large enough to accommodate four people.

“Caroline, really, I need to hurry,” I said, doing my utmost to avoid her curves. Caroline had a better body than women half her age.

She laughed. “What do you think I will do to you?”

“Well, swallow me whole.” I raised an eyebrow. “Which I love, of course.”

I turned on the faucet, and not just one jet but four gushed out water. “After Audrey’s trickling shower, this is like the Rhine Falls.”

She chuckled as she stepped into the large cubicle. “Can’t you be sick for a day? I can write you a note.”

I shook my head. “I meant it when I said I love my job.”

“Why?” She scrutinized me with that prying, unblinking stare of hers. “Are there pretty young pupils with crushes on you?”

“Not that I’m aware of, and I’m not interested, anyway.” I ran my hands over her curves. “They’re not you.”

Her eyes softened, and I took her into my arms and kissed her.

“You’re not so easily replaceable, Caroline.” I stroked her cheek. “I’m going to school, so now stop distracting me, you wanton woman.”

Five minutes later, I stepped out of the shower, and Caroline handed me a warm towel from the heated rack.

Yes, billionaire luxury was hard to resist.

I’dforgottenhowmuchI loved interacting with interested and engaged mature students who were in my class purely because they loved books. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my time than dissecting masterful storytelling, effortless passages, and discussing famous characters as though they were living, breathing entities.

But I had a big decision to make that required some time alone. Tempting as moving into Mayfair was, I had to think about the future, and there were two people both Caroline and I needed to remove from the path to our forever after.

I could no longer drift around and revert to my former pampered lifestyle. Despite laughing off Caroline’s offer to employ me, a profound rumbling of dissent swept through me.

I was no longer that man.

Maybe Carrington Lovelace could be that foppish yes-man, but not Markus Reiner. He was tougher than that. A man who made his own way. I wanted to be with Caroline, but on my terms, for a change.

Unsettled by the prospect of Caroline’s family seeing me without my mask, I needed time to prepare myself. Had the situation been reversed, I would have been livid, especially given the way they’d accepted me into their inner sanctum. The inevitable tension alone would make family gatherings untenable. I wasn’t quite ready for that. My life was complicated enough for now.

As Audrey opened the door, something she often did while I rummaged for my keys in my book-laden satchel, I contemplated my next move. Instead of choosing to bury my head in a book, I needed to make some radical changes.

It wouldn’t be as simple as Caroline might have thought. And away from her, I could think a little more rationally.

Chapter 26

Caroline

Asafunctionwasbeing held at our hotel in London, I had to attend and mingle among familiar and non-familiar guests, despite it being the last thing I desired. However, I needed to support Ethan, who was about to open a new Lovechildes in Los Angeles.

I hadn’t seen Marcus for three days, and my prickly mood reflected that. This attachment to him overwhelmed me, and while his reluctance to catch up with the family while wearing the guise of Cary was understandable, I still pined for him. Unaccustomed to not getting my way, I’d lost myself to this man, something I’d promised myself never to do.

We’d spoken, but his obstinacy regarding sleeping arrangements had almost sparked an argument. However, as he kept reminding me, with time and a little patience, we could make this work.

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