Call You Mine (The Baker’s Creek Billionaire Brothers #4) - Claudia Burgoa Page 0,41

hate when he closes himself up and doesn’t let me into his mind.

“It’s obvious that you’re out of my league, Beacon.” I change strategies. There are many ways to break his walls. Two can play this mind game. “You are billions of years ahead of me when it comes to the relationship world—even when you don’t date. Other women might be fine with those kinds of kisses, but to me…”

I can’t finish the sentence because I don’t even understand what I’m trying to say. Kiss me again because I need more? Give me a kiss that lasts—and lasts forever. That thought, those words surprise me because I shouldn’t want more of him, and yet, I feel like I have denied myself an essential necessity.

Him.

No, you’re just lusting because he’s a good kisser and nothing more.

“This was supposed to be helpful and educational. What if I fall in love with you? I can’t just move on and try to find another guy.”

He arches an eyebrow. “Have you noticed you’re talking in circles?”

“You flustered me, and if you grin again, I’ll wipe it from your face.”

“Anger,” he says, pressing his lips together. “You are confused as fuck.”

I could ask why he’s so chill, but I know the answer. This isn’t affecting him at all.

“The guys and I think it’ll be best if they buy or rent a property where you can stay while you’re around,” he says, not even acknowledging what I tried to tell him. “Maybe you can give Mills a hand with Arden during the day. Pierce is trying to amend the part where we can’t hire anyone to help us, unless you’re still working on the Bryant case.”

He’s already moving on to the planning stage. We haven’t agreed on my plan, which is a bad idea to begin with.

“Did you hear me?”

“Loud and clear,” he responds, shoving his hands inside his pockets and balancing his weight from one foot to the other. “You have a list. There’s a plan. We need to proceed.”

“It was a mistake. I’ll figure this out with—”

“Don’t say someone else,” he says, his eyes flaring with anger. “You made that list for a reason. You thought about me because you trust me. I will take care of you. I always put you before anyone else—even myself.”

“When this ends, it won’t affect you, will it?”

He saunters toward me, cradles my face, and I’m starting to love the way he does it. So delicate and loving. The adoring way his eyes look at me makes my heart skip. “Maybe this is our chance to write something new. This is our chance to create something so imperfect, messy, colorful, and fulfilling that will be ours. If it only lasts a few songs, that’ll be enough to fulfill me for a lifetime.”

“Those are serious words, Beac,” I mumble, unable to look away. “Lyrics of a love song that might end in a heartbreak.”

He sweeps my lips with his and kisses the tip of my nose. “Hearts are made to beat, to love, and sometimes they break. But they mend and love again. If you break my heart, I’ll survive.”

Beacon kisses my temple, then my jaw, finally my bottom lip. He nips it lightly with his teeth. Then his arms wrap me into an embrace where it is just us. Everything that I swore to erase and forget about us finally comes out floating to the surface.

He might survive a heartbreak, but can I?

Chapter Seventeen

Beacon

There are times when talking to Grace needs a particular skill. She needs logic. I don’t want to lie to her, but I don’t want to come out too strong.

I’m not sure how she’ll react when I say, “I love you. I’ve loved you for years.”

She’s going to want an explanation about my behavior for the past eleven years. I’m not ready for that. When she says she can’t have a relationship, she’s not kidding. Grace only opens up to the people she knows, which makes it impossible to get past the second date because she’s a closed book. I feel for the fuckers that’ve tried and failed.

Here’s the thing; they aren’t patient with her.

She might go out on a date every other week, but she doesn’t like to deal with feelings. Because of that, she’s not well-versed in intimacy. She needs to warm up to people, and as I always say, those assholes she’s dated are impatient as fuck. They seek immediate gratification. That’s never going to happen with Grace. She needs to be emotionally