Page 16 of Grumpy Bossy Billionaire Enemy

I paused to catch my breath. “What I'm trying to say is that Troy will end up breaking your heart.”

“You are my best friend, and I want the best for you. Troy is far from being the best man for you.”

“I’ll stop seeing him,” Camille promised. “I’ll stay away from him.”

Camille's words weren’t convincing enough. I could see she might not have the strength to stay away from Troy. I'd speak with Henry and hope that Troy would be brave enough to stop playing with my best friend's heart.

“How are the wedding plans coming along?” Camille easily turned the conversation away from her.

Again, I was reminded that I’d be married to Henry next weekend if our parents hadn't disagreed on stupid hospital’s shares.

“Fine,” my one-word reply raised Camille's curiosity, but the waiter was smart enough to bring our order right on time.

I was seeing Henry later tonight at his home. Maybe meeting there wasn’t a great idea, but I must return the ring before tomorrow. After the evening with Camille, I dropped her off at her mother’s house while I headed straight to Henry’s. He sighed with relief when he saw me. I clutched my bag to my shoulder, trying to look past his naked upper body. He flashed me a charming smile and held me before I could speak. He led the way to his dining room, opening a bottle of champagne to share. He had been cooking, he said, a nice dish of scalloped potatoes and chicken wings. He'd wanted to make a meal without his chef or any of the housemaids on staff.

I laughed at his crazy idea of cooking because he’d gotten the recipe from the internet. No one ever made a good meal from a recipe from the internet. Well, not on their first trial. Henry’s unsettled composure told me he was doing all he could to impress me. The aroma was starting to fill the air. I was taken aback by his effort to impress me.

“I came to drop off your ring.” My words dampened the mood. “I’m sure your mom has informed you of the latest development with our engagement.”

What a courteous way to say that the engagement had been cut off. I was trying to be polite about the breakup, but my careful words didn't stop the big blow the news had had on us both. There was no need to explain how the decision came to be. I was sure his mother filled him in already. I stroked the ring one last time as I took it off. But Henry touched my hand.

“Don’t take it off,” Henry begged. “Please, don’t.”

I wished he didn’t look at me with those charming eyes. I wished I could stop looking at him.

I shook off whatever charm had me holding on to the ring.

“Our parents called it off already,” I reminded Henry. “There is nothing more to this relationship. You know better.”

“Are you going to let them decide the end of our relationship?”

“They decided this engagement in the first place, and they have the right to decide when it ends as well.”

“I thought we’ve grown past two people forced to be together,” Henry asked. “I thought we cared about each other.”

I looked away, “I’m sorry but my family comes first.”

“At the expense of your happiness?”

“Yes!” I replied. “At the expense of everything else. My family comes first.”

Henry held my hand, “Please,” he pleaded, “hold on to the ring one more day. I’ll fix this.”

“What are you going to do?”

Henry didn’t answer but then uttered, “Trust me to fix this. Hold on to the ring one more day.”

“One more day? What can you do to fix this in just a day?”

“I just need to speak to my mother,” Henry said. “Trust me.”

“Okay,” I swallowed. “I’ll do that.”

Henry's excitement had returned. He went to the kitchen, where he seemed to be burning the meal. Henry cursed out loud; he just made it meant to impress me. I laughed at Henry’s goofiness. He’d managed to be the most sophisticated human I’ve ever met, and I was surprised to see his free-spirited side.

The smoke from the kitchen made us cough and laugh at the same time. So Henry and I had to settle for pizza and soda for the night.

Henry’s touch sent shivers down my back as our hands met in the pizza carton. He felt the electric jolt, too, because he looked at me immediately. Like a metal drawn to a magnet, Henry and I drew closer to each other. He planted a kiss on my lips. A longing, passionate kiss, as if he’d feared losing me today. As if grateful for still having me with him. His hand moved under my blouse, sending a rush of wetness between my thighs.

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