Page 58 of Rival to the Billionaire

"Not today." I flash her a smile, ignoring her tone as I hold out my hand for her to hop on. "For a change, it's for pleasure. I'm going to show you the city."

"Excuse me?" Her hazel eyes move down to my jeans. She slips a look up at my jacket, before her eyes move to my boots. As they track up my body from my jeans to my t-shirt, I can feel her eyes drinking me in. "I don't remember signing up for a tour of Las Vegas."

"I rented a motorcycle so I could finally get some downtime this week. And I'm inviting you."

"And I'm not accepting…" She crosses her arms. "Ryder," she glances back over her shoulder, "we're supposed to be attending a business lunch this afternoon…"

I raise my brows. "I remember. One of those God-awful boring luncheons with a bunch of stuffed shirts that are just as stuck-up as the assholes Derek keeps on our board."

"Well, that, we can agree on. I’m pretty sure mind-numbing meetings were being part of the contract when I signed on with Hare & Holeton."

"That's because contracts suck."

She pauses, her lips twisting into a smile I can't help but appreciate. "Agreed." She shakes her head. "I can't believe you did this."

"Scared?"

"Did you really just ask me that?"

"I did. Because…" I force a grin. "You're the one who introduced me to bikes. Remember your dad's bike? You always said one day you'd get one, remember?"

She continues her play with her lips, before looking down at the dirt. "I remember. Didn't quite work out that way. A lot of things didn't work out the way I'd thought."

"Yeah. Because I became the one obsessed with bikes, and you?" A smile takes over my face. "You mastered the look of a mean librarian instead. But how's about ditching the red glasses and the looks of a serious businesswoman today? Just for one day…let's have some fun. And if you get scared, then I'll carry you in my arms back to the hotel. Deal?"

Jenny glances up at me, her eyes skeptical.

"Look," I continue, "it's all about trust, Jenny. You either trust me or you don't. If you don't," I shrug my shoulders, "then we'll talk about this week and where we go from here. But if you do…" I lean in, my voice lower. "You do trust me, don't you?"

She sighs. "I…might. I just don't know what a late-morning bike ride in the middle of the desert is going to bring."

"Nothing but good." I place my hand on her arm. "I promise. Come on, Jenny. The early bird gets the worm. Who wants to wait around for some boring talk when I can show you something far more interesting than that? Thousand-foot skyscrapers, city lights—it can be amazing here."

"Hm." She glances down at her clothes then back up at the hotel.

She's torn. I can tell. But I can only present Jenny with options.

She needs to do this, whatever this is between us, on her terms.

If Jenny Forde is going to cross a line with me, then it needs to be her decision. I've decided, for the moment, that this needs to be in her control. Otherwise, she'll never fully trust me with what we have—or what we might have…if she'd let her guard down once in a while.

She needs to trust me to keep her safe.

"Get on," I urge. "If you're scared, then we?—"

Her eyes are back on my clothed form, before she glances back at my face. "I'm not scared. I'm just…"

"Frightened?"

"I'll be fine," Jenny lets out a confused laugh, shaking her head. "I just—Ryder—why are you doing this?"

"Because it'll be fun." I wrap one hand around one of her hands, tugging her towards me, towards the bike. I use the other hand to grab the extra helmet. "There's a great restaurant I know of in the desert. It's quiet. Not many people. We'll order a hundred-dollar pork cutlet and talk all you want. Business. Boring luncheons. Whatever you want. Is that okay?"

"You're insane."

I shrug my leather jacket from my shoulders, handing it to her. "That's me."

She smiles and takes the helmet, fastening it over her hair. I can see the strands curl around the smooth skin of her face, teasing me.

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