Page 12 of Billionaire's Runaway

“I didn’tjustdecide it. And you know you have choices, so don’t be a brat about it. I’ll wait as long as you need me to. But I’m not letting go. I’m not giving up. Don’t try to tell me you don’t feel this thing between us. I know you do.”

I stared at him, thinking this was way too heavy of a conversation for this early in the morning with no caffeine in my system. Without breaking the glare-down, I lifted my cup and took a swallow of my coffee. I realized a moment too late I hadn’t put the creamer in it. Finally dropping my gaze, I poured some half and half then slowly stirred it in. Luke groaned when I glanced back up at him and slowly sucked the spoon between my lips.

“Fuck, baby,” he muttered.

“What?” I asked, injecting innocence into my tone. My attention scanned over him. He’d crossed his ankles and his arms while he leaned there watching me. From this distance, I didn’t really need to drop my eyes to see his cock pushing against his fly. And he wasn’t trying to hide it from me, either, further evidence he wanted me. But lust didn’t actually add up to a relationship.

Lying to him wouldn’t get me anywhere, though.

“You know I feel it, too,” I admitted.

“Then don’t fight it. Be open and let’s see where this goes. I’m not going to dial back on expressing my intentions, because that would be the same as misleading you. But you can’t shut down and pretend we’re not happening. I’ll be honest, and you’ll be honest.”

I took another sip of my coffee, watching him over the rim while I thought. I wanted to recapture the girl I’d been before the forced engagement had bound up my spirit. This was my chance. I’d never gotten to date; my father’s decision had stunted that. I didn’t want to be a teenager again, but I wanted to have fun and fall in love, just like most other girls in the world. With this man, I was practically halfway there.

“I do feel it,” I told him again. “I’m scared to give in, but I’m going to try.”

He straightened and was around the table in a moment, his long legs eating up the distance. He pulled me to my feet and cupped my face, urging me to look up at him. “You never need to be afraid with me. I don’t want to trap you; I want you to fly. And if you start to fall, I’ll catch you. Because no matter how far you go, what heights you want to reach, I’ll be there with you. Not to hold you back, not to do things for you or to take your thunder, but to cheer you on and support you however you need me to.”

My vision blurred with my emotions. “What if I need you to let go?”

“You won’t need it. You’re scared—I get that. You’ve had so much taken from you. But I don’t want to take anything from you. I want to give you everything I can and be there when you achieve your goals.”

“I don’t want to lose my freedom,” I whispered. “I don’t want to be like my mom.”

“You won’t be. But Laura? Have you really been free? Since you left home, have you really been free, or have you been imprisoned by your fear of being tracked down and dragged back into that life? You can be free with me. No one is touchingyou.” He smiled suddenly, veering from the thick, oppressive timbre that had overtaken our discussion. He lifted me onto the table, narrowly missing my coffee. I wouldn’t have cared if it spilled, so long as we could get closer. “Except me. I’ll touch you. But I have a feeling you’ll like that.”

I wrapped my legs around his thighs, pulling him closer to me. My fingers curled in his soft sweater. “I have a feeling you’re right. Will you kiss me, then will you take me to have fun in New York?”

His hand curled around the back of my head.

“Anything you wish,” he promised against my lips. I groaned, opening my mouth for him and the immediate invasion of his tongue. It slipped against mine, and my back arched as I tried to press nearer to him. The kiss deepened, both of us getting lost in it and the feel of each other. The erection I’d seen tenting his pants rubbed against me, and his hand palmed my breast, this thumb strumming over my beaded nipple.

“Luke, Luke, Luke,” I chanted between kisses.

“Fuck,” he muttered. “Being with you is better than I ever imagined all these months. Do you have any idea how much I’ve wanted you?”

“Yeah,” I panted as he kissed down my neck, sucking and nibbling along the way. “If it’s anything like I’ve wanted you, yeah, I do. I’ve been so alone. But any old guy wouldn’t ever do. It was only you.”

“Damn straight,” he growled and nipped at my shoulder where my neckline had shifted aside. “You’re not alone anymore, baby.Never again.” His sigh blew across my shoulder, making me shiver. “But…”

“What?” Fear sliced through me at his gear change.

“We should get going. We’ll eat brunch at The Garden at Four Seasons.”

“Um…” I blinked at him, reeling. We were kissing and…

He cupped my cheek, his gaze tender. “Babe, if we don’t get out of here, this is going to escalate fast. I promised I wouldn’t push you, and that includes having sex before you’re ready. And once your brain gets back online, you’ll know that. Because I know you were awake, and probably overthinking, for a long time before you joined me this morning. I don’t want any regrets between us.”

“I hate you a little right now,” I muttered, even though he was spot-on correct.

“Because I’m right?” he asked, a touch too smugly.

“Yeah.” My reply was grudging at best.

He grasped my waist and lifted me down to my feet. His lips pressed to my forehead, and I closed my eyes as a warm fuzzy sensation surrounded me at his closeness.

Less than twenty-four hours ago, I’d been alone and stranded, unsure of my future. Now, I had Luke…and I was still unsure of my future. But I had a feeling whatever it was, he’d be right there. It didn’t seem as if he planned to give me a choice. Strangely, nothing inside me rebelled over the realization. That would take some getting used to.

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