Page 26 of Marrying a Billionaire

Lillian had no words. When Reed began to look concerned by her silence, she nodded. “It’s beautiful. Is it for me?”

Reed laughed as he walked over and ran his fingers over a nearby shelf. “Well, you don’t want to see what kind of pottery I would do.”

Before she could talk herself out of it, she crossed the floor and wrapped her arms around him. As much as she wanted to keep her distance, no man had ever treated her as good as Reed Williamson had. A hug felt appropriate for what he’d done.

He hesitated at first but then returned the hug. She closed her eyes as she memorized how it felt to be held by him because in a moment, she was going to need to pull away.

“Wow,” he said with his voice low.

“Thank you,” Lillian replied before she dropped her arms and fled the room. Once she was in the safety of her bedroom, she shut the door and collapsed on her bed.

Why did Reed have to do that? Everything about this arrangement had just become that much more complicated. She was getting into deep and this was not going to end well, no matter how much she might want it to.

Chapter Ten

The next morning, Reed called Persphanie and canceled all his appointments. There was one very pressing meeting he needed to attend to and he wasn’t looking forward to it. He needed to introduce Lillian to his grandfather—as his future wife.

Reed swallowed as he stared up at the ceiling. Why was he so nervous about this? All his grandfather had said was that he needed to be married to inherit the company. There was nothing in his stipulation that said Reed had to love the woman.

Love.

His heart picked up speed when he thought about Lillian. It was a feeling he hadn’t allowed himself to think that he could ever feel again. Not since Hannah. But, somehow, Lillian was beginning to wiggle her way into his mind, confusing even his most ingrained decisions.

Feeling ridiculous for even thinking about having feelings for his fake wife, Reed threw off the covers and climbed out of bed. He needed a shower and clean clothes.

Fifteen minutes later, he was dressed. Pulling open his bedroom door, he walked down the hall to find Desiree in his kitchen. She was dancing and lip-syncing while wiping the counter tops down. She stopped when she saw him approach.

“Good morning, Mr. Reed. I didn’t wake you, did I?” she asked as she pulled out her ear buds. A worried expression settled on her countenance.

Reed shook his head. “No. I was up.” He walked over and grabbed a banana from the bowl on the counter. “Either I slept in or you’re here early,” he said, taking a big bite.

Desiree waved away his comment. “No, I’m early. It’s my nephew’s birthday today and I have to be in Long Island for his party.” Her expression grew soft as if she were lost in a memory.

Reed finished the banana and threw away the peel. “That’s awesome. I hope you have fun.”

She stopped wiping the counter and studied him. “What’s with you? You’re acting different.” She raised her finger and wiggled it in his direction.

Reed shook his head. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Desiree narrowed her eyes and then blew away the strand of hair that has come loose from her bun and settled on her cheek. “It was the dinner, no? I told Ms. Lillian that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” She raised her eyebrows and shot him a smile. “They should call me the love doctor.”

Reed folded his arms as he leaned back against the counter top. “Love doctor? Really?” That was the last thing he needed. Desiree thinking it was her duty to insert herself into his love life.

“You never know. It could be my calling,” she said, shrugging.

“This is a fake relationship,” Reed said and then stopped himself. He turned to see Desiree’s eyes widened. Crap. He’d forgotten that she didn’t know. “But you can keep that a secret, right?”

Desiree chucked a towel his direction. “Mr. Reed, I clean your house. Trust me, I can keep a secret.”

Reed started to laugh but then stopped. What did that mean? Before he could ask, Lillian came walking into the kitchen. Her eyes were heavy with sleep. Her hair was tousled, and she had on a t-shirt and shorts.

“Oh, Ms. Lillian. We didn’t wake you, did we?” Desiree turned around and swatted Reed with the towel she’d retrieved. “You woke up this poor woman.”

Reed raised his hands. “Hey, now. If anything, it was your singing that startled her awake.” He reached up and wiggled his finger in his ear as if the noise was too loud.

Desiree looked unimpressed. “I have a wonderful singing voice,” she said, gathering her cleaning supplies and taking off toward his room. “I’m going to start in here. I hope there aren’t anysecretsthat I might have to keep.”

Reed parted his lips and stepped toward her, but Desiree ignored him as she slipped into his room. Knowing that she was just joking, Reed chuckled and turned his attention back to Lillian. She had her arms folded across her chest.

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