Page 61 of The Sexy Billionaire

“Sure. Hey, Smith, do you have any vases in this place?” Savannah turns and asks him.

“I don’t know.” He shrugs.

“Do you mind helping us then?” Callie grumbles.

Smith looks between the girls and Paige and me and then back to them. “I need another beer anyway. Hey, Gio, want a beer?” he asks.

“Yeah, sounds good.” I nod in agreement as the three of them disappear from the living room into the kitchen.

“You’re here?” Paige says, looking at me.

“I am.”

“How?” Those chocolate eyes widen with disbelief.

“By plane.”

She chuckles, realizing her question. “I’m shocked to see you.”

“Surprise,” I say, giving her jazz hands. What the hell? I’ve never done such a ridiculous thing in my life, but at least it makes her laugh.

“I can’t believe you are here.”

“You can touch me, I’m real.” As soon as the words come out of my mouth, I realize how dirty they sound and embarrassment spreads like wildfire all over my body. The next thing I know, she is stepping toward me and hugging me.

“I’m so sorry you had to hear that last night.” She buries her face into my chest. My arms wrap around her tightly and a sense of calm and relief fills me.

“I was so worried, Paige,” I confess to her.

She looks up at me with glassy eyes. “I know. I lost my phone, and I couldn’t message you. And I was so worried that you thought something happened to me and there was no way of contacting you and …”

Leaning forward, I press a kiss to the top of her head. “You’re safe now.”

She nods, and then we hear a throat clear which makes us jump away.

“Here’s your beer, man,” Smith says as his eyes narrow on me before looking at his sister. I take it from him and take a large drink from it to calm myself down. “Have you two been talking since the funeral?” he asks.

I look over at Paige; I’m not sure what story she wants to tell.

Callie hands Paige her drink as I watch her try to spin a story to her overprotective brother.

“Gio called Paige last night to let her know he was coming to New York when Michael attacked her. She lost her phone and had no way of contacting him back, so I did to let him know that she was okay. Because he witnessed the whole thing,” she explains.

“You did?” Smith turns and asks me.

I nod my head.

“I invited him to dinner tonight, thought the surprise would cheer her up,” Callie adds.

“It certainly was a surprise,” Smith adds.

“A good one,” the other girl adds. “Sorry, I’m Savannah,” she says with a strange accent, Australian, I think.

“Nice to meet you,” I say, shaking her hand.

“Now the introductions are out of the way, I’m starving. Where the hell is that delivery guy?” Callie says.

As if he was summoned, the buzzer goes off.

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