Page 21 of The Billionaire's Obsession

She laughed and looked up at the roof of the car. “Did you hear that universe? I don’t need to swim in milk and honey, I’d just like to make rent consistently!”

Still smiling, she leaned her head on her hand and played with the radio.

“I know you’re joking, but you know you don’t have to worry about rent anymore, right?”

“Why? Does Uncle Charlie want to be my sugar daddy?” Riley’s tone was teasing, but there was an edge just beneath.

Unease stirred in my belly. “Hilarious. Of course, I’m talking about us-,”

“Don’t.” The single word was so charged with tension, it sent my anxiety sky-high. My hands tightening on the wheel, I risked a glance at Riley. She was staring straight ahead, her arms folded over her chest.

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t make me feel like a whore, or worse, an idiot. I’m not some starry-eyed little fan. I can take care of myself, and I have my entire life. I don’t do charity, or pity, remember?”

Her words didn’t compute to me. I couldn’t even begin to make sense of them. They were so at odds with what I felt. I signaled and pulled over to the side of the road, flipping the hazards on. We’d passed an easy nine hours in the car, stopping at scenic places here and there on the way to take a picture and kiss like horny teenagers. Now, we were on the outskirts of LA and night had fallen. I turned to Riley, her face illuminated by the lights from the dashboard. I wished I could see her better and try to figure out what the fuck she was thinking.

“What is going on? Did you just accuse me of calling you a whore? Are you being serious right now?”

“Well, what else is it when you sleep with some guy you barely know, and he pays you after?”

“Some guy you barely know,” I repeated, feeling the blow to my chest.

She swallowed. “Sorry, that was harsh. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just–overwhelmed. I’m not used to this. I’ve never had sex before. Turns out it’s not just a physical thing, it fucks with your head too. I feel… needy and emotional and weird as hell. I probably just need some alone time.”

It wasn’t an unreasonable thing to say, and yet, it hurt. I’d already hoped to convince Riley to crash at mine, since it’d be late by the time we made it into the city proper. I’d wanted to wake up with her, and then talk her into never leaving.

“Look, Cole, I get it. You’re rich, you’re used to using money in a way that I can’t even fathom. Maybe rent for some hook-up isn’t a lot to you, but it’s more money than I can imagine. Why do you think I’ve never let Ella buy me anything? Do you really think my best friend hasn’t tried?”

“So, it’s a pride thing? I’m supposed to watch my girlfriend suffer to get by, and not do a damn thing about it, because she’s too proud to accept help?”

“Yeah, well, I sound pretty dumb and pathetic from your point of view, don’t I?” She let out a bitter laugh that twisted my heart.

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“It might be hard for you to understand when you’ve dedicated your entire life to the pursuit of it, at the cost of having an actual life, but money isn’t the most important thing in the world for everyone.”

Those words stole my rebuttal. I stared at her, the words I wanted to say, and didn’t know how to building up behind my lips.

“I’m exhausted, and my ankle hurts. Can we go, please?”

I pushed my frustration down, grinding my teeth, a habit I thought I’d given up in college, and checked the road behind, before pulling out without a word.

CHAPTER15

Riley

Did I feel vindicated when I woke alone in my bed, after crying myself to sleep the night before? No, not at all. However, it still felt necessary. I couldn’t let Cole take over everything hard in my life when we’d only known each other for a week. That just wasn’t smart, and besides, the money was the least interesting thing about Cole. I wished he could see that.

I dragged myself to the studio that day with difficulty, considering my ankle. It was getting better, but it still ached after standing on it too long.

I sat at my wheel and felt my heart ache just as much as my ankle. I hadn’t been lying about the emotional effect of finally sleeping with someone. No, not someone. Sleeping with Cole. He was the defining characteristic. He made everything different. Because…. I had somehow fallen head over heels for him in the space of a week.

Well done, Riley. Everything I knew about keeping my heart safe had flown out the window and now I was feeling all the things I hated to feel. I’d seen stories of broken hearts often enough, thanks to my side hustle. The number of dates that I went on where I was to be the new girlfriend to show off in front of the ex was higher than any other situation. So many broken hearts, so many people who never got over losing the person they’d loved. There were a million ways love could go wrong, and that was for people who lived in the same world, not opposites, like me and Cole.

I worked terribly, distracted and irritable, before calling it a day early.

At my apartment, when I’d just dragged myself up the endless stairs, my cell chimed in my pocket. It was embarrassing how quickly I ripped it out of my pocket.

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