Page 65 of Railing the Billionaire

A tiny disco ball dropped down between us, blinding me with harsh sparkling beams.

I bashed the button a few more times until the window went up the rest of the way.

“So your uncle is a military vet, and you hired him to be your driver when you don’t really need a driver since you runeverywhere,” Layana said with a smirk. “That’s so cute. You’re marshmallow beneath your steel exterior,Master Stryker.”

A mix of emotions filled me. The way she said my name gave it an entirely new meaning.

I cleared my throat. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing. That man clearly adores you.”

“He hardly knows me.”

She furrowed her brows. “With the nicknames and describing your bottom? He seems to think he knows you pretty well.”

“He’s overcompensating,” I said. This was getting too personal. I didn’t want to talk about it anymore. I didn’t want her looking at me with pity, which was inevitable without a change of subject. “Why did you bring a week’s worth of clothes for a day trip?”

“I guess you don’t want to tell mewhathe’s overcompensating for.”

I didn’t respond.

“Fine. I didn’t know what I would need, because I’ve never been skiing before. Juno insisted on lending me some of her gear. Even the luggage is hers.”

“You’ve never been skiing?”

“That’s what I said, isn’t it?”

That shattered my plans of spending as much time as possible on the slopes to avoid social interaction. Trying not to let my disappointment show, I said, “If you don’t want to, we can remain inside the lodge.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t want to ski. I said I hadn’t been. Don’t worry, I’m content to hang on the bunny slope while you do the double black diamonds or whatever. Then when it’s time to talk to people, I’ll pretend to be whoever you want me to be, just like I promised.”

Her words hit me like a punch to the kidneys. Why would she think I wanted that? “I would never want you to be anyone but who you are.”

She stared at me for too long without speaking. The flickering lights of the disco ball danced over her tight-lipped scowl. I wanted to ask more, why she would assume that was my expectation. But I couldn’t seem to get the words out.

Eventually she lay down on the bench seat. “I’m going to try and get a nap in. It’s going to be a long day.”

With that, our conversation was over.

Part of me wished I had left the window down. At least when she’d talked to Wallace, she’d been happy.

NINETEEN

LAYANA

A soft touch on my shoulder ripped me from my sleep. My first thought was of Maxim in my apartment, and I went immediately into defense mode—growl and tear out his throat. But quickly I realized I wasn’t in my apartment, and the man across from me was nothing like my landlord.

Gabriel snapped his hand back as if I’d bitten him. Maybe I almost had.

“We’re here,” he said softly.

Herewas bright white snow and mountains. Right, because I’d fallen asleep in Gabriel’s swanky SUV, not on my stink sofa.

I sat up, my head swirling. Gabriel stepped out of the car first and offered me his hand, like I couldn’t handle walking myself. I ignored him and stepped out, too.

It was hecka cold out even with the sun fully up. My insides felt all weird and twisty. It was completely disorienting to wake up halfway through my sleep cycle. But the sight before us was sobering—a real-life Swiss chalet.

The dark browns of the wood popped against a backdrop of freshly fallen snow. Towering windows reflected the morning sun, as did the snow everywhere, making for a beautiful but blinding landscape.

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