The Billionaire's Illicit Twins - Holly Rayner Page 0,29
her a stack of cold, hard cash instead?
I didn’t know. And that was the last thing I let myself think about before I started walking again, got into my car, turned the ignition on, and my brain off.
Chapter 16
Ethan
Two days later, I found out that I was going to have to see Bella again a whole lot sooner than I’d anticipated—and before I had decided whether I wanted to carry through with my new pitch to her or not.
I’d done a whole lot of thinking over the weekend, about what I’d said to her, what she’d said to me, and what Dustin had said—and how it had made me feel. Did I need an heir? Yes, evidently I did, according to my family. Did I have one conveniently at hand? Yep, against all chances, I sure did. Could I secure that baby? The jury was still out on that one.
The elephant in the room, of course, was Bella herself. I’d been thinking about her nonstop since that meeting with Dustin, and I’d come to a couple of conclusions.
The girl had attracted my attention right from the start—and then held it. She’d made me feel something I’d never felt about anyone before, and even though we’d only been together for one night, I couldn’t get it out of my system. I’d spent more time remembering that one night than I’d spent thinking about many of the girls I’d dated for months—or at least weeks. I could still feel the touch of her lips, still remember the exact moment when she first turned those blazing eyes on me.
I could still remember how it felt when she told me I had to get out of her apartment. How much it had hurt—even though I’d thought at the time that she was probably right.
I hadn’t been admitting it to myself up to that point, but now I was starting to think that my subconscious just might be playing tricks on me. Was there a chance I’d become more attached to her than I had admitted to myself and seen the baby deal as a way to stay in her life, even after we’d told each other that we couldn’t possibly do anything like that? Was there some underhanded (or at least hidden) intention to keep seeing her, even if I told her I was going to take the baby and disappear?
Yes, now that you mention it. Yes, there was.
The thing was, I hadn’t realized it until the middle of the night on Saturday, when I’d suddenly sat straight up in bed, my mind reeling with the revelation that I’d only been using the ‘heir’ story as a cover. Because the real reason I’d suggested that insane deal was a whole lot simpler.
I wanted to be able to see Bella again. I wanted a way to stay in her life. And I knew that she wasn’t going to let that happen, thanks to our professional histories.
So, with the help of the universe and a stupid lack of attention when it came to putting on a condom, I’d created one.
The problem was, now I had to figure out what the hell I was going to do about it. I’d made a complete mess of things and I had to figure out how to fix it. Bella thought I was only interested in the baby and what it could do for me. She had no idea that I was actually interested in her—or that I wasn’t actually the kind of guy who just went around buying kids at the drop of a hat. It was my own fault. I’d blurted out the idea before I’d had a chance to really think about it, and now I would have to deal with the consequences.
The email I’d just received telling me that I could be a part of the negotiation meetings on the Josh Lee case if I wanted to caught me off guard. I was almost never involved in those sorts of things.
At the same time, it was another opportunity from the universe. And I was going to take it. Because those meetings would also be featuring one Bella Mayfair.
Chapter 17
Ethan
I walked into the meeting room in the best suit I owned, going over in my head again and again and again what I was going to say to her. How I was going to take her hand and give her my most disarming smile, how I was going to bring her hand up to my lips, turn