Page 43 of A Billionaire Gentleman

“Come for me, Sofi.” He took the cool, sensitive skin of my nipple between his teeth, worrying at it even as his hand worked between my legs.

I dug my fingers into his hair, panting and pulling as the pleasure inside me built higher and higher, burning a path along my synapses until I couldn’t take any more of it, and I exploded with a cry.

He held me through it, coaxed me down until I slumped back on the pillows, body pleasantly boneless. He sat back, reaching for a tissue as he did so. He grinned at me as he wiped his hand clean, and I couldn’t fault him for the smug expression on his face. He’d earned it.

“When I can move again, I’ll take care of that.” I made a feeble gesture at the erection tenting the front of his pants.

He stood up and pulled off his shirt. “How about we continue this in the shower, and then I take you out for brunch?”

“I’d like that very much.”

* * *

I’d never taken a longershower in my life. By the time Deklin and I emerged from the bathroom, my fingers were wrinkled, and my body sated. We didn’t talk a lot as we dressed, but neither one of us could stop smiling.

He didn’t say where we were going to go for brunch, but considering how he’d grown up, I doubted it would be anywhere too casual. I picked out a sundress, cute without being fancy, and he went with a pair of slacks and a dress shirt.

The entire Holden family apparently kept extra clothes in one of the guest rooms in case they needed a change for any reason. I couldn’t imagine living in a house so large that an entire guest room could be used for clothes.

The car we took was from Jude’s garage, but Deklin assured me that his grandfather always had a few cars for anyone in the family to use. I didn’t think anything could’ve driven home the differences between the lives Deklin and I lived more than that. At least after seeing what Jude had, I knew I wouldn’t feel the least bit guilty for accepting so much money from him.

“Do you like French food?” Deklin asked as he turned out of Jude’s driveway.

He’d been to my apartment in Vegas, and he thought I had any idea what French food was like?

“Um, sure.” I’d never tasted it, but I wasn’t really much of a picky eater. “Except snails. Or whatever they’re called.”

He smiled. “No snails. Check.”

A comfortable silence settled between us as he made his way through Houston traffic, and I looked out the window, taking in the unfamiliar view. Size-wise, I didn’t know how Vegas and Houston compared, but structurally, they were very different. Everything here – at least in the part we were driving through – was clean, simple lines. Even the more elaborate architecture had a simple feel to it. I saw none of the spectacle I associated with home. Both cities had their own beauty and purpose, their own atmosphere.

I’d always been fascinated with how cities and towns were put together, particularly how landscaping fit in with buildings and other structures, and I’d seen pictures of places all around the world, of course, but this was my first time experiencing one of them firsthand.

“Are you okay?”

I turned my attention to Deklin as he rolled to a stop behind a flashy convertible. “I’m fine.”

“You just seem quieter than usual,” he said. “You don’t regret this, do you?”

I smiled. “Not at all. I was just admiring the city. I’ve never been much of anywhere before, and there’s a big difference between seeing pictures and actually being here.”

“That’s right, you went to school for landscape architecture.” He looked back at the road as the light turned green. “What do you think of Houston?”

A not-so-small part of me wondered if he was asking because he was fishing for hints as to whether or not I was considering moving here permanently, but then I remembered that it didn’t matter because I wasn’t really Jude’s assistant and this would never be my home. My home was in Vegas with my son.

But I had a job to do while I was here, and I kept smiling. “There’s a lot more greenery than I realized. I mean, Vegas had palm trees, and there’s vegetation in some places, but there’s so much more here than I would’ve imagined. It’s a lot less crowded too.”

As I warmed to my subject, I found myself thinking and talking about things I hadn’t considered in years. My interest had never waned, but between being a mom and Mead’s disdain for anything I enjoyed, it’d been a long time since I’d been able to remember why I’d gone to college in the first place. Deklin’s interest in the subject appeared genuine, and the conversation between us felt so natural that I forgot how different we were.

Until we pulled into Etoile Cuisine et Bar, and I saw how out-of-place I truly was in his world. My dress was nice, but it looked almost childish next to the classy and sophisticated clothes worn by the other women heading inside. And that was just for a Friday brunch.

Deklin didn’t seem to notice my growing unease as he came around to my door and opened it for me. I took his hand and let him help me out, more because that’s what other women were doing than because I actually needed the assistance. One of the reasons I’d like this dress was that it was comfortable and easy to move in, but now I was thinking I’d made a mistake by not going with the stiffest, most uncomfortable thing I could find.

He threaded his fingers between mine as we walked to the door, his touch the only thing keeping me from fleeing. I didn’t belong here. Not at this restaurant. Not with these people. Certainly not with Deklin.

I belonged with Dallas.

I forced myself to think of my son. Of what it would be like when he would be with me again. Even if I could only get joint custody, it would be better than what I had now. No matter how much I’d enjoyed sharing Deklin’s bed or liked my new clothes and this city, none of this was about me. Dallas was the only person who mattered. As horrible as it sounded, Deklin was a means to an end, no matter how much I liked him.

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