Page 44 of The Billionaire's Temptation

“That’s very idealistic of you, Clarissa,” he replied, his voice husky.

Immediately, she thought back to that one night with him, memories flashing behind her eyes. She was just about to tell him that she needed to leave when he touched her wrist.

“So, if you’re willing to give everyone else a break, will you give me one?’

She stopped, her heart thudding against her chest. “You have everything you want, Levi.”

“I don’t.”

She rolled her eyes. “Name one thing that you truly need, that you don’t have.”

“You.”

The one word was so simple, so stunning, that it took her breath away. “You want…me?”

He moved closer, but stopped himself from closing the distance between their bodies. “Yes. If you’ll listen to me, if you’ll give me a chance to explain what happened that morning, I would like to offer you something in return.”

Clarissa swallowed, clutching her hands together tightly. “What’s that?”

He moved closer and she fought the urge to flee. Because Levi was so potent, so shockingly magnetic, that she wanted just as much to throw herself into his arms. But that morning haunted her! He’d walked out on her and left her devastated!

He tilted his head slightly, watching her reaction carefully. “What is my explanation? Or what will I offer in return?”

She swallowed hard past a lump in her throat. Could she trust him? Her instincts were telling her yes. But that morning! He’d just walked out with a word and she’d felt so vulnerable. So hurt!

“Both,” she blurted before her brain could order her feet to leave his office.

He moved closer and her nostrils flared, her stomach tightening with the intensely male scent of him. The man was intoxicating! Did he have any idea how much she wanted to throw herself into his arms, to feel his hard chest against her breasts?

“Growing up…” he stopped, trying to figure out the best way to explain. “I was poor, Clarissa.”

She shook her head and looked around at the office. “But…you’ve done so well for yourself, Levi! How could you have done all of this,” she waved her hands as if to encompass all the signs of his personal net worth, “if you were born poor?”

“I wanted revenge,” he explained. Then he shrugged. “However, once I got into business, I realized that I was good at it.”

“You’re better than good,” she corrected with an inelegant snort.

“Yes, well, I was born a bastard.” He stopped and waited for her revulsion. But when it didn’t come, when she simply waited for him to continue his explanation, he continued. “My father barely acknowledged me and never offered financial support to either myself or my mother.”

“That’s…wrong!” she hissed, outraged on his behalf.

“Yeah, well, he was a very powerful man, my father. Besides, he had two legitimate sons to dote on.”

She sneered. “They are both sniveling idiots!”

He laughed softly, nodding his agreement. “Regardless, my father did everything he could to keep me from succeeding. He paid off judges so that he didn’t have to pay child support. He put obstacles in my path whenever I expanded my businesses.” He grinned at her. “However, he also taught me one important lesson.”

“What’s that?”

“To protect everything that matters to me. He would find ways to hinder my progress, which only taught me to be better, smarter, and faster than him. Eventually, I was so good at protecting my assets that he stopped bothering me.”

Clarissa’s gaze softened. “You’ve done extremely well for yourself, Levi.”

He curled his fingers into fists to keep himself from reaching for her. “Yes, well…” he silently sighed with this next part. “That’s just a background for why I…left so abruptly that morning,” he said, still watching her carefully. He saw her face shut down, but continued with his explanation. “After Blaire and Chad tried to hurt you several times, I knew that I needed to protect you.” He stepped closer. “I had to ensure that you were safe, Clarissa. I’d learned the hard way to…I don’t mean to imply that you’re one of my possessions or an asset.” He moved closer, smelling the soft, feminine scent of her. “You’re more important than anything I own, Clarissa. And that morning, I realized how important you were to me. And I had to arrange protection for you.”

“Lance,” she whispered.

He nodded. “Lance. And a better security system. And I…mighthave had conversations with a few people to ensure that you were protected.”

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