Page 16 of Beauty and the Billionaire

Zain let out a sudden, startled laugh. There was a gentle, almost effeminate way in how his shoulders swayed. “Is that what keeps you up at night?”

Our gazes locked like clashing blades. “Careful, Zain,” I said in a low voice. “You’re about to make assumptions.”

His small smile froze on his face. Those big, warm eyes were melting, pouring like a chocolate fountain, and burning at the same time. “I can’t help it. This is like nothing I ever saw.”

“The house?” I asked.

“You.” He held a bit of bread in his hands, breaking it thoughtlessly, leaving crumbs all over the counter. He didn’t look at it; instead, he gazed into my eyes with a mix of fascination and repulsion. I was familiar with the look. He hesitated as if gathering his courage in order to speak his mind. It was both admirable and deeply foolish. “I signed your NDA,” he said. “Your secrets are safe with me. Believe me, I have no desire to feel your anger, but I have to ask. What’s your endgame?”

“Endgame to what?” I asked.

He rolled his slender shoulders. “So you grew up at a farm,” he said softly. “And now you own everything—Baron of Manhattan. You keep climbing higher. When does it stop?”

“People always get this wrong,” I said, aware of a tingling sensation uncoiling in my stomach when Zain dropped his gaze from my face to my chest and lifted it back again. “This isn’t a ladder that you climb to the top. There is no top.”

He scoffed. “Sure. It’s a lot nicer than at the bottom, though.”

“I worked for what I have,” I said. “And I’ll admit it, the more you have, the more you want, but…” I inhaled and held that breath of air inside my lungs. Frustration simmered inside of me. My jaw tensed as I looked away from Zain. “But it’s not about the money anymore. It’s now about power or influence.”

Silence fell between us. Zain didn’t pull away from the counter, from me. Instead, he lifted his chin bravely. “You’re settling scores.”

“So what if I am?” I asked. For a moment, I’d thought we were on even grounds. Now, some tightness leashed my voice. “There are worse things people do than settle scores.”

The space between Zain’s eyebrows creased. It struck me so suddenly that he was beautiful when concern took over his facial expressions. “Doesn’t that make you…bitter?”

My appetite was leaving me. I stepped back from the counter. “I don’t like to be owed, Zain. And the job you need to do tomorrow will settle more than one debt.”

Zain looked down at the counter and nodded. “I know. And I will do it.”

“Good.” I turned on my heels and took several steps toward the hallway.

Zain’s voice made me halt. “But don’t you worry what that will turn you into?”

My shoulders tensed as I turned around and walked slowly around the counter. I approached him, forcing him to look upinto my eyes. It was a pitiful power move, but it always worked. He lifted his head begrudgingly to meet my gaze.

He smoothed his face and looked at me stoically. “Or has it already left you heartless?”

Every muscle in my body was tense as I stared down at Zain. “Heartless? Is that what you think I am?” I lifted my broad shoulders and shrugged. My voice dropped lower, grazing the range of a growl. “Perhaps. But my heart has nothing to do with this. I wouldn’t be here if I let my heart meddle where it has nothing to contribute. And if you’re so worried about my soul, pray for it, but spare me the boring details.” Abruptly, I knew I had made a mistake when I approached him. In making myself so imposing, I opened myself to the heat of his body. It washed over me together with the breath of air he exhaled through his nose. It made my skin prickle and the hair on my neck rise. But I remained firmly planted a few short inches away from him, not surrendering any ground. “I can assure you, it’s not my concern if this weighs heavy on your conscience. You agreed to the terms. You will do what I ask.”

He barely blinked at that. “Of course I will. I know what I signed.” His voice was soft and calm. It made me question who was truly in control. “But do you think it’ll make you feel whole?”

My body swayed forward, halving the distance that was already too short for anyone’s good. “Don’t test my patience,” I said, the sting burning hotter than I anticipated. “It’s not about feeling whole. It’s about giving them what they deserve.”

“According to you,” he said.

“Is my word not good enough?” I asked.

Zain had plenty of room behind his back to withdraw, but it seemed he was much more stubborn than I’d imagined. He let the short distance remain between us unchanged. His calm exterior rubbed me in all the wrong ways. It made me feel likea petulant boy who wasn’t allowed ice cream before dinner. “Billionaires dispensing justice is scary enough.”

“Have I wronged you?” I demanded. “Truly. Do you believe your father’s debt should have been forgiven simply because he’d taken it with good intentions?”

Zain winced for the first time. A slight pout formed on his lips, and his intense eyes pierced straight through me.

I leaned in, making sure my torso was still separated from his, but my face was nearer now. “I have the right to settle my scores however I like. And you have a right to quit this if it clashes with your morals. By all means, have your father deliver cash instead.”

Zain exhaled, his warm breath washing over the skin on my neck and chest.

Fire filled my bones and veins. I took a swift step back, turned away from him, and marched out of the kitchen before I could do something stupid. I was in control of myself. Always. That control had served me well for years and gave me the world. I wasn’t about to lose it to a stubborn twenty-two-year-old brat.

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