The Billionaire's Princess - Ava Ryan Page 0,47
history of doing things for yourself. Sorry, but you don’t.”
See? What did I tell you about Michele? The unvarnished truth in all its messy detail.
“That’s about to change,” I say firmly. I’m discovering, much to my surprise, that nothing motivates me like being underestimated and wanting to prove someone wrong. “I’m going to do this myself. You just watch.”
“Like I said, I’m on your side,” she says, holding her hands up in a pretend surrender. “So don’t come at—”
The buzzer buzzes.
“That’s him,” I say, getting up as my heart rate pounds double time.
“Okay, well, don’t freak out on him,” she says. “It’s a nice thing he did. Right?”
“Can’t decide whether it was nice or controlling. Like my father,” I say, hurrying off.
By the time Damon gets off the elevator and begins the long approach to my apartment, incredibly handsome in his dark suit and power tie, I almost don’t care. I’ve missed him so much this week. I’m so thrilled to see him. And that’s before I see that his arms are full of brown bags of some sort of delicious-smelling takeout and a bouquet of the most exquisite pale pink flowers—hydrangea, roses, orchids and innumerable others, at a glance—to welcome me back.
As for the look on his face?
Quiet intensity. Smoldering desire. Banked joy.
He plans to eat me alive at the first opportunity.
I plan to let him.
But I can’t let him know how ecstatic I am to see him again after less than a week. I’ve lived a perfectly pleasant existence without him my entire life. Several days without him won’t turn me into a clingy mess. Not if I can help it.
That being the case, it seems imperative for me to tamp down all my enthusiasm and repress most of my smile as I relieve him of the flowers and usher him inside.
“Ah, yes,” I say, watching him set the takeout bags on the console and noting the overnight bag slung over his shoulder with great interest as he drops it to the floor. “You just made a quick stop at the nearest five-star restaurant and luxury florist on your way over. As one does for a casual Friday night at home. Yet you don’t seem to be wearing your tuxedo?”
He laughs, already reaching for me. “One is glad to see you,” he says, pulling me into his arms. “One wants to make sure you know it.”
The ferocity of his hug takes my breath away, as does his exhilarating scent of incense and amber. Which is strange, because I also feel as though everything is now okay again, and I can truly breathe for the first time since we went our separate ways the other day. For a moment I think he plans to back me against the nearest wall and fuck me right there, it’s that intense. It crosses my mind to warn him that we’re not alone. It also crosses my mind to tell Michele to excuse us for a moment and lock herself in the bathroom until we tell her it’s safe to come out.
But then his touch slides into tenderness, catching me by surprise as we sway together. He presses his lips and his fingers deep into my hair. His thumbs stroke the sides of my face and neck. My arms are wrapped tight around his waist beneath his jacket, the perfect position for them to feel the way his lungs expand as he inhales my scent. He murmurs something raw and urgent, something precious, and I kick myself for not being able to hear it.
I wonder if maybe he’s beginning to feel—or could one day feel, if I play my cards right and don’t blow it—the way I feel about him. Which is that my life was fine before I met him, but it’s sure starting to feel like it’s never going to be spectacular without him.
He gives me a final kiss on the forehead, then loosens his grip enough to look down at my face. “Hi.”
“Hi.”
“Miss me?” he asks, his voice husky.
“Oh, were you gone?”
All the glowing warmth in his expression quickly transforms into a look of flinty determination.
“Just so you know? I know what that is. That’s you trying to keep me at arm’s length.”
As always, his intuitive ability to successfully identify my feelings startles me.
“And every time you do that, it makes me more motivated—and I’m already a highly motivated guy—to make sure you fall crazy in love with me,” he continues. “Fair warning.”
I open my mouth, not that I have