Page 48 of The Billionaire and the Maid

We don’t talk much as we put our horses back into their stalls. A stable hand comes by to help us, but Ella waves him away, wanting to tend to Ridgley on her own. I let her and then lead her to my car.

“Where are we going?” she asks as I pull out onto the road.

“A surprise,” I say as I drive us back toward downtown Storyview Falls.

She looks out the window, and as I pull up to the bowling alley, she laughs. “Bowling?”

“Yep,” I state.

She claps her hands. “You are so going down!”

“Oh, a secret ace bowler, huh?” I reply as I park and walk around to get her car door. I secretly like that she’s letting me open her door for her. I’ve been trained since birth to do these things for women, but it’s different when I know Ella is perfectly capable and independent enough to not want someone opening her door, yet she humors me. I wonder why.

We walk into the bowling alley, get some shoes, and settle into seats in front of our lane after she spends way too long picking a ball, something about it needing to be perfect.

She types in our names on the screen and turns to me with a grin. “You ready to have your ass kicked?”

I smirk back at her. “Prepare for war, princess.”

She rolls her eyes. “I’d like to see you try.”

“Ladies first,” I motion to the lane.

She walks up to the lane and spends a moment lining herself up before she sends the ball sailing straight down the middle of the lane and knocks over every fucking pin.

She turns before the last pin goes down, and when she hears it fall, she winks at me and sits down.

“Your turn,” she says sweetly as she bats her eyelashes at me.

“Oh, prepare to go down. It’s on like Donkey Kong!” I say as I pick up my ball and expertly release it. Unlike Ella, I watch as all my pins go down.

“Well, looks like I have a competitor,” she says before getting another strike. She brushes against my leg as she goes to sit down. “Your turn.”

I feel her hand brush my thigh and I glare at her. “I know what you’re doing,” I mutter.

“Oh? What?” she asks, feigning innocence.

I give her a knowing look as I stand to take my turn. When I sit back down, she again brushes her leg against mine. This time my cock takes notice. I want her and I want her now.

I glance at the scoreboard and swallow.

She leans over and I feel her breath against my ear. “Don’t even think about it. We’re finishing this game,” she says, her voice husky.

Fuck. Me.

She smiles as if reading my mind and I feel her lips against my earlobe. “I will after we finish.”

Did I say that out loud? I turn toward her and she’s smirking. Where did this confident temptress come from? I like her like this, hell, I like her, period. This woman is my perfect match, in every fucking way.

I take my turn and then we continue to play the world’s fastest game of bowling I’ve ever seen. When I miss one pin on the last frame, she claps and does a happy dance to celebrate her victory.

“Dancing time is over,” I announce as I pick her up and put her over my shoulder. She yelps and giggles, slapping my ass.

“Put me down, you oaf! I have to take these horrible shoes off,” she protests.

I set her down and make quick work of our shoes before I’m hefting her over my shoulder again and carrying her out to my car. I speed through the streets to my beach house. I want zero interruptions. I want Ella and I want her to myself.

Ella doesn’t say anything as I drive, but I feel her looking over at me every few minutes. I pull into my driveway, park, and open the door. She’s already around the car and jumps into my arms, taking me by surprise. I manage to keep us upright as she presses her lips to mine. The instant our skin touches, I feel all my resolve melt away. I need her and I need her now. Consequences be damned.

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