A Billionaire Boyfriend For Christmas - Holly Rayner Page 0,47

more special place in her heart. This was one of those heartbreaks that people said lasted for a lifetime.

In the back of the car, she said her good morning to the driver, closed her eyes, and dropped her head against the headrest. Luckily, the driver didn’t seem interested in chatting.

They drove slowly through the snowy streets, passing children making snowmen and families sledding.

Family.

Ken had opened up and shared his family’s tragedy with her. And what for? In order to convince her that he was trustworthy? To better sink his claws into her?

The only thing she knew for sure was that she’d been played, but it ended right here and now.

Chapter 23

Ken

Ken stared at his plate of eggs and bacon, suddenly not hungry. Pushing back his chair with a sigh, he left the table and poured himself a second cup of coffee.

Something was going on with Adison. He was sure of it.

But what?

Everything had been so perfect the night before. At least…things had felt perfect.

Gripping the edge of the counter, he bowed his head and closed his eyes. A rush of pain enveloped him. Guilt, fear, and shame pressed in on him from all sides.

Had he made a mistake opening up to Adison? She’d seemed so understanding the night before, but perhaps she’d only put on that hat because she’d been snowed in with him and had nowhere to escape to. Free to finally leave, she’d found it hard to pretend to be able to stand him any longer.

Curses pressed against Ken’s lips. He’d screwed up things with her, and they’d only just begun.

Straightening up, he swiped his palm across his face. If only he could swipe away the last twelve hours.

Taking his coffee, he went upstairs to get dressed. The Montoya Foundation was officially closed for the holidays, but he’d find something to keep himself busy. He had to.

Having showered and dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, he grabbed his laptop from the library and went downstairs to his office. No sooner had he sat down than his phone rang.

Adison?

His pulse quickened, and he grabbed for the phone. It wasn’t Adison, though. It was Thea.

Even as he felt like there was an anchor in his chest and he didn’t want to talk to a soul unless it was the woman who’d just left his house, he answered. Ken Montoya never kept a client waiting.

“Good morning, Thea.”

“Good morning, Ken! How are you?”

“I’m well,” he lied. “And you?”

“Very good, thank you. I wanted to ask about tonight’s dress code. The invitation said comfortable. Does that mean jeans are fine?”

Comfortable. He didn’t remember reading that on the invite—or ever receiving an invitation with that dress code. It was a little tongue-in-cheek, and very jovial…and so Adison.

“Yes,” he said. “It means that anything you wish to wear is perfect.”

“Excellent! I can’t wait. Are you all ready for tonight?”

He leaned back in his chair. The party planning could be in absolute shambles, and he wouldn’t know about it.

“Adison is the one who organized everything,” he said. “All I know is that there will be a ton of people at my house tonight, and it’ll be fun.”

Thea made a cooing noise. “You two are the cutest couple.”

Ken winced. He wished that were true, wished that Adison really was his girlfriend, but after her swift exit that morning, he didn’t know where they stood.

So all he said was, “Thank you.”

They hung up, and he gave up on trying to do any work. Besides, it wasn’t like there was much to be done. With no one responding to emails, he’d mostly be bouncing around the internet.

Leaving the office, he headed for the saltwater pool. A few dozen laps would help clear his head. Maybe.

He knew there was a chance he was wrong about Adison, that she hadn’t recoiled after seeing the true him. A more optimistic person would probably cling to that shred of hope like it was their salvation, but Ken was a realist. He knew people like him rarely received second chances, and there was a strong possibility that this was it for him and the strawberry-blond angel that had stolen his heart.

Chapter 24

Adison

Corinne called as Adison was leaving her apartment to go back to Ken’s.

After a bit of a cry, then a long shower and some breakfast, she’d pulled herself together enough that she knew she could organize the evening’s event. Hopefully, she’d be so busy that she wouldn’t even have time to notice or think about Ken.

A big dream, maybe, but she was an