Page 30 of A Billionaire Gentleman

“Tell me about it.”

He grinned at me, and I saw the boy he’d been before he’d decided that the family business was all he wanted for his life. I understood now why Jude had needed to take drastic measures to end Deklin’s engagement. Nothing short of love or the truth would do it. I just hoped I could get him to care enough about me to work. No matter how awful I felt for helping Jude deceive Deklin, it’d be worth it, and not only for the money.

The bright anger I felt toward his father for doing this surprised me. I guess it reminded me too much of my mother, putting her own desires ahead of what was best for me. I supposed I should have known that selfishness transcended socio-economic differences.

“I guess Grandad hiring an assistant in Vegas makes sense,” Deklin said. “If people wouldn’t have applied to try to get money, then they might have done it to get close to Damon. Here, the chances of someone automatically knowing that Damon was connected to Holden Enterprises was slimmer than back home.”

I felt a flash of guilt and then reminded myself that I hadn’t gone to Jude. He’d come to me. Whatever Royd had told him had caused him to pick me over however many other women Royd had looked into, and none of that was my fault.

“Here we are,” Deklin said as we pulled into a long driveway.

It was time to get to work. Maybe if I did well enough taking notes for Jude, I’d be able to get a job doing something similar after this was done.

* * *

By the timewe got back into the car after the last property, I was comparing my current level of exhaustion to what I felt like after a full night of sets at Diamond Stars. Who would’ve thought being in real estate could be so physically demanding?

“Did you drive to the hotel this morning?” Deklin asked as he settled into the seat next to me.

“No, I don’t have a car at the moment.”

“Let me drop you off at home then,” he said. Correctly guessing that I was about to protest, he continued, “I’d feel much better if I knew you were home safe and sound.”

If this had been just a regular job, I would’ve refused, thinking he had ulterior motives in mind, but sinceIwas the one with ulterior motives, I figured it’d work to my advantage. Besides, I suspected that Deklin wouldn’t have even considered doing anything inappropriate. In fact, the only thing that was making me hesitate was the thought of how he’d view my apartment. Someone used to having money would probably look down on someone like me.

Except my gut told me that Deklin wasn’t like that at all. He was a decent guy who appreciated what he had, and he wasn’t afraid of hard work. It was surprising the things someone could learn about a person in a few short hours.

“All right,” I said. I gave him my address and hoped I wasn’t making a mistake.

“I meant to ask earlier,” he said, “are you coming back to Houston with us?”

I nodded. “For the time being. I have a lease, and I don’t want to break it until I’m absolutely certain this is a good fit. Finding a good place for decent rent in Las Vegas isn’t easy.”

I didn’t add that if I changed to an out-of-state address, my chances of winning any sort of custody back would fall. I was complying with all of the terms of my probation and custody agreement, and I wasn’t going to do anything that would risk either one.

When we reached my building, Deklin insisted on walking me to my door, and the closer we got, the more awkward I felt. I had to do something to hint to Deklin that the chemistry we’d had all afternoon wasn’t lost on me.

He hadn’t once mentioned his fiancée, and I was grateful for that. If I made a move on him, I might seem forward, but at least I wouldn’t be the kind of woman who hit on a man who was already taken.

Not for real, anyway.

He stood next to me as I dug my keys from my purse, and I hoped he didn’t notice that my hands were shaking. After I unlocked the door, I turned back to him. It was now or never.

“Thank you,” I said.

Then I leaned in and brushed my lips across his.

It was barely a kiss at all, but desire twisted in my belly, and I had to hurry inside before I confused myself into thinking it was more than it could ever be.

Eighteen

Deklin

I wasaware that the door had shut, leaving me standing in the hallway alone, but it seemed unimportant at the moment. My lips burned where she’d kissed me, and I still couldn’t quite believe she’d done it. I supposed it could have been a mistake. An action as impulsive as her comment about Damon had been. Something she’d regretted the moment she’d done it and was even now berating herself for it.

I frowned in displeasure at the thought. I didn’t like the idea that she was probably trying to figure out how to apologize tomorrow. She didn’t need to be sorry. It wasn’t like she’d known I was engaged. We’d been talking and joking. Maybe she’d taken it as me flirting with her.

I gave myself a shake.

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