Page 48 of Doctor Billionaire's Surprise Baby

What the hell? That seemed like a fairly simple question.

“Um – uh,” he stammered uncharacteristically. Hugo was always completely poised. “It sounds like it’s, um, just a case of some paperwork. There might be some interviews if they’re suspicious, but who knows?”

“Okay,” I said slowly. “And you still want to do this by the end of the month?”

“Sure, well, I don’t know. This month is pretty busy.”

Huh.

“Is something wrong?” It was time to be blunt.

“No, of course not. Sorry, I have a lot on my mind. But Simone, I’m really happy that you’re here.”

Hugo turned to face me fully and offered a warm, genuine smile. He touched my hand and there were those sparks that had been missing this evening. I turned my palm up and felt the warmth of his skin seep into my bones. Needing more, I reached my other hand to touch his face and leaned in for a kiss. Hugo needed no more invitation and was immediately deepening the kiss, crushing his lips desperately against mine, like the answers to every problem in the world could be found inside of me.

In one swift, sexy movement, he lifted me up onto the counter and stood between my legs, caging me in with his large, strong arms. He pressed his hardness against me and I moaned loudly; the sound filling the spacious kitchen.

“How can I not ask for more?” I whispered in his ear and his hands started moving. He slipped his fingers under my shirt, undid my bra and caressed my breasts, earning even louder moans from my lips. His lips were on my neck, my shoulder, and my collarbone. I felt him everywhere.

And then suddenly, I felt nothing but coldness when he abruptly pulled away.

I blinked my eyes and saw him staring at me, standing a foot away and breathing heavily. The expression on his face was the most painful thing I’d ever seen.

“Simone, we shouldn’t.”

“What the hell?” I found myself saying out loud.

“I’m sorry. I – I just don’t want to complicate things.”

“Complicate things?” That was more of a screech. “How could things get complicated? I thought we said in Italy that we loved each other and that this was real?”

“We did, and it is. I just don’t – I don’t want to rush anything.”

“We’re a little past that, Hugo.”

“I know. This is all very…unconventional, to say the least.”

“Yeah, I’d say.”

“Simone, there’s something I need to tell you.”

He paused, and my heart sank to my toes. This was it. He was done with me. One day of living in his house was too much for him and he wanted out.

I glared at him when he said nothing, urging him to continue.

“Um,” he said. “I had a spare key made for you.”

That was definitely not what he wanted to tell me. Every lock on this house was a smart lock and Hugo was full of shit.

“Okay, thanks.” It was all I could do to jump down from the counter, grab the key from him, and go up to my room.

Tears were falling silently on my cheeks. I angrily brushed them away. It was clear I needed to find my own way around this issue. I needed to get my heart around this and hopefully get through it unscathed.

Why did I ever agree to any of this?

In the midst of my self-pity, my eyes fell on my camera that lay on my dresser. I leaned over to pick it up and look through the photos. I quickly scanned back until my eye was caught. The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. That perfect day in Milan that I never wanted to end. I clicked through until I found the photosof Hugo spinning around with his heel in the bull. His smile. His laughter. The way he looked directly at me through that lens. I zoomed in to his face, his eyes. It caught a moment in time. A moment where I felt Hugo's love.

Sitting on the bed, I wondered if that moment was gone forever.

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