Page 25 of Beauty and the Billionaire

So I ran to forget. I ran to wipe my mind and heart. I ran to burn away the feelings he insisted on igniting.

When the thirty minutes were up, the treadmill slowed to a brisk walk, then a lazy stroll, and finally wound down to a halt. I picked up a clean towel and wiped my sweaty face, then threw it over my shoulder. My shorts were soaked through with sweat, and my torso glistened under the overhead lights.

I walked out of the gym into the relative darkness of the grand hall, where only faint morning light came through. As I climbed the stairs toward my bedroom, I heard footsteps. The light in the gallery poured from Zain’s wing, and he stepped closer to me, pausing abruptly when he noticed me at the top of the stairs.

That wasn’t a cursory glance he gave me.

I had been in his shoes, back in college, far too many times to know precisely the meaning of it.

“Good morning,” I said in a low voice.

Zain stepped closer to the stairs and closer to me. “Morning,” he breathed. His gaze dropped down the length of my torso, and he feigned interest in the carpet before looking up into my eyes. “Do you ever sleep?”

I sucked my teeth. “Sleep’s overrated.”

His cheeks darkened with color as he dropped his gaze to my sweat-covered abs.

Normally, I would have rescued him for the sheer lack of interest. After all, I didn’t let people come any closer than this. But Zain…

Seeing him blush was beyond any entertainment money could buy.

So my hand moved over my abs, and I moved an inch closer to him. “There’s a very well-equipped gym downstairs. You’re welcome to use it.”

“Do you think I need to?” he asked, meeting my glance in a challenge. Teasing. He was teasing me.

I let out a small chuckle. “No. I don’t think you need to. Only if you’d like.”

He drew a breath and held it, scanning my body. “I wouldn’t mind looking like that.” He tucked his hands into his pockets and pushed them closer together, luring my eyes down between us.

“All it takes is time,” I said.

He smiled. “I’m sure it takes more than that.”

I shrugged. We stood incredibly close, although I couldn’t trace my steps back and be sure which one of us was closing the distance. His flushed face and slow breathing were pulling me in until I caught myself and stepped back. To tease was one thing, but to take it further was quite different.

After all, hadn’t we both made some promises to ourselves? Something about steering clear of people? It was starting to get all hazy in my head. “I, uh, will see you down soon.”

Zain nodded.

I wasn’t sure if he was disappointed. The look on his face seemed both relieved and sad as I pulled away. It was as conflicting of an expression as I could imagine, so I put it out of my mind and headed to my room.

I undressed in the spacious en suite and then looked at the mirror. My body was toned, my muscles defined, and my skin smooth and tanned. A thin trail of hair went from my belly button to my cock, merging with the trimmed hair around it. The moment of indecision, of utter suspense by the stairs, still roiled through me, and a tingle descended from my stomach and into my cock.

I looked up sternly, examining my face. Long, slender, with a slightly overgrown beard. I didn’t like that. What would he think of me? That I was tardy? I lifted the shaver and adjusted the size of it, then trimmed my beard. With small scissors, I cut the stray hairs from my mustache, making sure no hairs came over my lips. By the time I realized what I was doing, the job was done.

I rolled my eyes. Silly. Silly thoughts. I wasn’t a college freshman going to my first party that I needed grooming. I was a grown man with anemployeewho happened to live in my house and looked at me with a hunger that reminded me of myself from ten years ago.

Silly or not, I showered and sprayed myself with cologne before putting on my best shirt and pants. Downstairs, Zain had already had breakfast and was pouring himself a cup of coffee when I entered. “Oh. I thought you might call in sick.”

I snort-chuckled and sat down. “I’m not that late. You’re that early.”

Zain brought his coffee to the smaller table in the dining room, where we usually had our breakfast. He sat down and put both hands around his mug. “All those expenses I’m reading every day,” he mused and paused. “You keep saying they’rejustified, but those guys spent a long weekend in the most expensive resort in Hawaii at their company’s expense.”

I waved it off. “Justified? No. Justifiable. They can argue it’s all just the cost of doing business. You see, when people are that rich, they don’t court your private citizens to invest peanuts and change in their endeavors. They need to impress someone richer than them.”

“So hopping over to Hawaii for a business meeting wouldn’t damage their reputation,” Zain said with a touch of bitterness. “That’s ridiculous.”

“I never said it was right,” I said. “But it’s how things are done, especially with these old-money guys. They don’t know anything else.”

---