Touching the Billionaire - Holly Jaymes Page 0,55

was the case, I grieved for the little boy that he’d been that hadn’t known the love and support that Nadine and I had with my grandparents

That evening, my grandparents offered to let Theo stay the night in their guestroom, but he declined, saying he needed to get back to New York. I was a little disappointed because I wasn’t ready to say goodbye again yet. But I could tell he was a little bit uncomfortable around my family. I wished there was a way I could help him understand that my grandparents and even Nadine were very open, welcoming, and understanding people. At the same time, it would be awkward to have him under the same roof and in the guestroom. I’d be tempted to sneak in there and touch him all over. So, at the end of the evening, I walked him to his car.

“Here’s the script.” He reached into the back seat of his car and pulled out one of the binders there.

“So, it wasn’t just a ploy?” I asked jokingly.

“It was my excuse to come here,” he said with a sheepish grin.

I smiled, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, even as a little part of me was wondering what was going to happen. I pushed that unsettled feeling out of the way. I needed to live in the moment, and in this moment, Theo Wolfe was smiling down on me.

“Are you going to kiss me goodbye?”

His gaze glanced up to the house. “Not if there are prying eyes.”

I gripped the front of his shirt with my fingers and tugged him closer. “Anyone who’s watching would be extremely disappointed if you didn’t kiss me.” And then I tugged him closer, plastering my lips over his. Thankfully, he sank into the kiss, his hand wrapping around me, pulling me close as his lips parted and his tongue snaked out to dance with mine. Theo Wolfe really was a great kisser.

We said our goodbyes and I watched as his car pulled out of the drive and headed back to New York City. When I entered the house, I had some speculative looks, but no direct questions about what was going on with me and Theo. I always appreciated that my grandparents respected my privacy. I supposed they figured that if I needed to talk to them, I would.

I wasn’t so lucky with Nadine. That night when we went to our room, each in our little twin bed, she pulled the covers up to her chin and said, “Okay, little sis’, time to spill the tea.”

“There’s really not that much to spill.” I climbed into my own bed, settling into the soft sheets.

“I know there must be something going on because when I came back to get you for dinner, Theo Wolfe was sitting next to you in his underwear. And I might add, he looks very good in his underwear.”

I took one of the throw pillows and tossed it at her. “Don’t be looking at Theo in his underwear.”

She laughed and rolled to her side to look at me. “See, I told you there’s something going on.” She tossed the pillow back.

I sighed and rolled onto my back, crossing my hands over my belly. “To be honest, I don’t know what’s really going on. I suppose it’s like you and your boss boyfriend; two people enjoying the moment but with no clear sense of what the hell’s going on.”

She didn’t say anything at first and I wondered if maybe I had upset her by bringing up her own relationship situation. Finally, she said, “Do you suppose it’s worth risking heartbreak to have a moment in time with someone?”

When I had thought of being with Theo in terms of risk, I hadn’t really thought of my heart. I was more concerned with my reputation and my future in the business. But now that she brought it up, the risk of heartbreak added a new element to what Theo and I were doing.

I couldn’t say if I loved Theo, but I felt something. Initially, when he showed up and told me that he was only there to bring a script and that Corrine had told him we needed to fix whatever had broken between us, I was immensely disappointed that he wasn’t there to see me. And then when it was clear that he was there to see me, I was ridiculously happy about it, which in hindsight, suggested that I had feelings for him. It meant that it was possible