Page 37 of Her Billion Dollar Groom

“No, thank you,” I say, folding my arms and taking a step back. “You go ahead and look, but I’m staying right here.”

He gives me a thin-lipped smile, and a flash of guilt hits me. This was something he wanted to share with me, and even though I don’t get it, this is the most relaxed I’ve seen him in days. He struggles to find fun in his life. He works too hard.

But right here with the creepy bugs, he’s almost completely forgotten about the stress of his work. Working hard is a good thing, but there’s no benefit to that if you’re not going to taketime to live as well. Clenching my fists and grimacing, I take a step closer to the glass.

I can do this for him.

Standing close to Jason, I peer in. He smiles at me and takes my hand. One of the creepy bugs waves its little hands at me again, and I shudder but don’t pull away.

Quietly, Jason gives me some more bug facts, and I find myself drawn in. I’m never going to like these things, but hearing Jason enthuse about them makes my heart flutter. He doesn’t love in pieces. When he likes something, he doesn’t hold back from sharing it.

When we get out of the enclosure, I let out the breath that I had been holding, and for the first time since we stepped into that room, I let go of Jason’s hand.

“I want an ice cream,” I say. “And that’s not a request.”

“Do we have to?” Jason asks, sighing.

“Polar bear first, then ice cream.”

“Let’s go to the polar bear,” he says. I grin, taking his hand again and swinging our entwined fingers between us.

He doesn’t know it yet, but I am going to wear him down. I know exactly how to get to him. If he’s not careful, I’m going to get him good. I’m going to teach him that having fun is better than working your socks off all the time.

CHAPTER 21

JASON

In the end, I let Eliza talk me into getting ice cream. I hadn’t wanted to, but Eliza is a persuasive force as strong as a hurricane, and much as it pains me to admit it, she’s right. It has been fun today.

Every time I think she’s finished surprising me, she flashes me that angelic little look and I can’t resist whatever she’s trying to persuade me to do with her. I shouldn’t let her do it, and I would never confess it to her, but she’s right, I do feel better when I go out with her. It is nice to leave the house and see the world.

I have loved this zoo trip.

How can I do anything but love the way she coos at the big cats, and gasps in delight at seals and penguins?

“I got you vanilla,” she grins when she returns with an ice cream cone. “I didn’t know what flavor you liked, but I felt like this was a pretty good guess.”

“Why? Because I’m boring?” I narrow my eyes, teasing her.

She bites her lower lip as if she’s trying to figure out a nice way to sayWell, maybe a little. “I’ll go get you something else if you don’t want vanilla.”

“No, vanilla is my favorite. You’re right.” I grin, taking a bite. “Let me guess your favorite.”

I narrow my eyes, contemplating. My first instinct is to say strawberry, pink and delicious like her. But she strikes me as someone with a real sweet tooth. I don’t think she would go in for fruity flavors. My second guess would be caramel, but she doesn’t strike me as a caramel kind of girl either. Despite appearances, I think she might enjoy simple pleasures too. “Cookie dough,” I say at last.

She smiles, raising an eyebrow, giving nothing away.

“Well?” I ask. “Is it?”

“Yes.” She scrunches her cute face. “How did you know?”

“Educated guess.”

“I bet you cheated!”

“How could I cheat?”

The bickering continues as we wander the zoo hand in hand, giggling with each other like kids. We wind up staying right up to closing time, and by the time we get home, my plan to do more work seems to have flown out of the window.

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