Page 74 of Meet Jon, the Billionaire

“Um, why am I laying in your lap? And did I dream the whole thing with the flowers, or…”

I stood up, helping her to her feet. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, I just… it’s been a hell of a day.” She laughed, the sound of wind chimes dancing in my soul. “I have to say, I will never forget this moment.”

“I—I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable,” I blurted.

“What?” Her brows came low over an umber-eyed gaze filled with confusion—or was it annoyance? “Why?”

“I told you—that is, I told you that I loved you,” I said, heart thundering in my chest.

“You’re stammering. I can’t believe that Tiger Thompson, the most vicious Wall Street predator that ever lived, is stammering.” Amelia took my cheeks in her soft hands and pulled my face into range for a kiss. The kiss deepened, and then she pulled away, pressing her forehead against my own.

“I love you, Jonathon.”

Those words sent a shock through my system. I’m not really sure why I did what I did. A sort of childish whoop erupted out of my mouth, and she started laughing.

“Are you from New York or Texas?”

“I know that I’ve done things to betray your trust, but I swear I’ll never do that again.” I squeezed her hands in my own. “Please, give me another chance. A chance to show you that I can be the man you’ve always wanted.”

“Jonathon…” Amelia sighed, though a smile remained on her soft lips. “It was a weird situation. I’m not sure that I can complain though, because otherwise we never would have met.”

“That’s true.” I guided her over to a nearby stool. “Here, sit down, you look terrible.”

“Gee, thanks.” Amelia sighed. “I guess now is a good time to admit I’d been awake for the last couple of nights, waiting for the zoning board meeting.”

“Let’s get you back home so you can sleep.”

“No,” Amelia said, coming off the stool. “I have to go back to the bakery so they can spring whatever surprise they have in store for me.”

I sort of half chuckled, and she gave me a look. “What?”

“There isn’t a surprise waiting for you at the bakery.”

“Oh bullshit. My Aunt Petunia was so freaking obvious. She wanted me, specifically, to come down to the corner store and…”

Amelia gasped as realization dawned in her umber-eyed gaze. “That sneaky minx! Oh, she got me good.”

Her gaze darted to me and she playfully punched me in the chest. “You got me good, too, jerk. How did you pull all of this off? I didn’t even know you and my aunt were in cahoots.”

“Well, I guess she’s slicker than you gave her credit for,” I said with a grin.

“I still think we need to go back to the bakery, though.”

“Why?”

“Because…” her eyes lit up, and she got an almost shy smile. “I want to introduce them to my boyfriend…”

She hugged me as her singsong voice rang in my ears. Amelia fairly smothered me with kisses and cuddles, and I was too overwhelmed to do more than laugh. It was pretty much the reaction I’d wanted, but lost when she fainted dead away.

I offered my hand and she took it. We walked out of the converted shop and out into the street. It felt good, and I started to realize how much I’d missed out on all those years of flings and one-night stands.

Then again, none of those women were Amelia. She was all the woman I’d ever need for the rest of my life. I had never been more certain of anything in my entire life.

When we approached the bakery, I began to get a little bit antsy. After all, it wasn’t all that long ago that I was the ‘enemy.’ I distinctly recalled that Pedro and the scary-looking Russian—probably former KGB—had looked at me like a side of beef that desperately needed grinding.

At least I had Aunt Petunia on my side.

---