Page 53 of Rival to the Billionaire

All my feelings bubble to the surface; the feelings of the last year, of the last few days, of this time I've spent with her are rushing forward, colliding in a wall of emotion that I can't control, and I can't escape, and that I want to escape all the same.

I can't escape the feelings I have for her.

Regret overwhelms me.

I flick my head back as I reach in the shower and turn off the faucet. With a turn towards the glass windows, I stare at the magnificent view as I wonder how it is that we've ended up here.

She's not ready.

And I don't know how much longer I can wait.

Me. Ryder Anderson.

Mr. Variety. Mr. Impulsive. Mr. Impatient.

Waiting for something.

Waiting for her.

I brush the moisture off my eyelashes with my fingers, before leaving the bathroom. Walking toward the bed, I rub a towel over my hair, down my chest, over my shoulders.

Watching her sleep like that, I can't think of a time that I've seen her so relaxed.

She sleeps on her side, the sheets half covering her slender, curvy frame. Her right arm is curled under her head, her left leg is bent at the knee.

I grab my boxer shorts from my bag, sliding them on.

I crawl underneath the blankets, getting comfortable.

This is fine. Being forced to share space with someone, the possibility of sexual attraction is to be expected. We've both expressed interest in that.

But what if sexual attraction isn't enough? What if I want more?

And what if—against all the goddamned odds—I want that 'more' with Jenny Forde?

My hands fist as I look at her. Her hair wrapped in a silk scarf, her body cocooned in 500-thread cotton sheets, she's sleeping soundly, and I keep my eyes trained on her as I breathe quietly and hear her soft humming.

I'm flirting along a dangerous line.

Stranger things have happened, however.

I don't know how long I stay awake watching her, listening to her breathe.

But eventually, I drift off to sleep, the promise of another day on the horizon.

Tomorrow.

That's all we have.

Until then, I need to figure out a way to prove to Jenny that I'm capable of being interested in more than just a casual fling.

And I'd better do it before I miss my chance.

ChapterSixteen

JENNY

Ryder's gone when I wake up in the morning.

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