Page 15 of Billionaire's Runaway

“Of course. I just wondered if you’d given any thought to what you’d like to do. Tomorrow. Next week. For the next year.”

“I’ve given no thought to anything beyond tonight’s special and another glass of wine,” she said. “Don’t you have to work tomorrow?”

“No, it’s Sunday,” I assured her. “Besides, we’re kind of at a lull point. Normally, I go into the office to get ahead for the week, but I don’t need to.”

“I don’t want to be a burden. Or a distraction.”

“And I don’t want to be overbearing,” I said. “But you just got here. I’d like to spend time with you.”

Our food came, interrupting the conversation. While Laura stared down at her plate, I stole a glance over to Mark’s table. His new fiancée was texting on her cell phone while he appeared to be whisper-shouting at the waiter a few feet away.

“Can I freshen your drinks?” our waitress asked, coming back to the table.

“Yes, please,” I said. “Also, I’d very much like to pay for the dinners of the happy couple over there.”

“That’s very kind of you,” she said.

“Please don’t let them know who’s done it.”

“Of course not, sir,” she assured me. “I’ll have that taken care of right away. And I’ll be right back with your drinks.”

“That was sweet,” Laura said.

I shrugged. It was literally the least I could do. It had been a beautiful ring, and if they ever broke up, the woman could hock it and buy a condo. But I’d obviously just forced an engagement, and Mark didn’t seem too happy about it.

After dinner, I led Laura back outside and hailed a cab. As we rode back to the penthouse, she snuggled against me, her arm threaded through mine.

“I guess it was kind of romantic,” she said.

“What’s that?”

“Him proposing to her there. Sure, it was hokey, but she was really excited. And it’s a beautiful place. Maybe, cliché isn’t all bad.”

Seriously? I blew out a sigh and kissed the top of her head.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “It was romantic.”

Son of a bitch.

Seven

Laura

It was late when we got back to the penthouse, and I was both keyed up and exhausted from the day. We’d done so much and had so much fun yet not even skimmed the top of everything to do here. I’d grown up in a boring small city where the sidewalks practically rolled up at eight at night. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say there had been nothing to do but eat and go to a movie. So being here with Luke, I just felt as if the possibilities were endless.

Including one possibility I wanted to pursue tonight.

Either Luke wasn’t on the same page with me, or he was doing that not rushing me gentlemanly crap. Not that I didn’t appreciate it. For so long, I’d been pushed and coerced into the directions other people wanted, but I needed this as much as he did. And I was starting to believe him about looking for long term. After seeing his brother with Emerson, I suspected it was a Cassel family trait that they saw what they desired and went for it. And Luke wanted me.

I wasn’t so sure about the whole forever thing, but I sure wanted him, too.

The penthouse was eerily still as we walked through it, and though we had a magnificent view of Central Park through theexpanse of glass on the far side of the great room, we couldn’t hear any of it. Luke didn’t turn on the lights as we entered, the outside illuminating the area well enough for us to navigate it. It was as if we were enclosed in our own little cocoon. Just Luke and me and enough sexual tension that I wasn’t sure how I’d make it through another lonely night alone.

“Well…” Luke said, his deep quiet, voice matching the silence as we stopped at my room. “Here we are.”

“Here we are,” I repeated. My teeth sank into my bottom lip as I gazed up at him. My heart slammed against my chest wall as I contemplated the coming kiss and what I wanted to say to him.

His hands slid into my hair, cupping my throat, while his thumbs caressed the sensitive skin near my ear. My breathing stuttered as my anticipation grew. Fear twined with it as I imagined him shooting me down.

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