Page 11 of Eluding the Billionaire
I pull it back sharply and suck in several deep breaths, trying to calm myself and quell the rapid beating of my heart. Just standing next to this man has me jittery and flustered. I tell myself thatit’s just anger.
He turns to face me. “Hold that thought.” He drops his towel on the back of a nearby chair and picks up the T-shirt draped over it. Good, his bare chest is distracting.
My mouth drops open, my fists clench at my sides, and I only just stop myself from screaming out my frustration at his nonchalant demeanor. I’m imploding. But before I can gather my fury to fire back a response, he shrugs the fabric down over his head, then places his hands on my upper arms.
I feel the heat from his body as he leans in close to whisper in my ear. “Katie, I’m truly sorry.”
I step back from his gentle hold and glare at him. “Please, don’t touch me. All I need from you right now are words. Nothing more.”
He nods once, turns, then steps cautiously through the door.
My eyes drift down to check out his ass, and I wish I hadn’t. I don’t need a reminder of how good his butt looks. My memory from two months ago hasn’t diminished.
I step through the doors after him, determined to get an answer to my most burning question:Why did he leave that night?I’ve had this rattling around in my head for long enough. But first I need the bathroom. My bladder is bursting, and I need a moment to process seeing Drew again.
“Could I use your bathroom?”
He looks over his shoulder at me, his brows raised like it’s a trick question. “Sure, it’s through the kitchen.” He points back into the cottage, and I walk back inside to find a large modern bathroom at the back of the cottage.
I’d hoped slipping away would give me a few minutes to recover from the feel of his hands on my arms. A simple touch that sucked the fight right out of me and replaced it with a desperate need to escape. Turns out the bathroom isn’t the temporary refuge I thought it would be. The space wraps me in an intoxicating Drew-filled haze, from the fresh lime scent of his shower gel to the masculine woodsy cologne I remember clearly from our night together.
When I woke up the morning after the awards party to an empty bed, I was more than disappointed. It hurt. I know it was only meant to be a one-night stand, but the connection between us felt like so much more. What Drew could do to me and the fevered heights of pleasure he transported me to were unique and special. He obviously didn’t feel the same, otherwise he would have stayed till morning.
It’s my fault for reading too much into our one-night stand. He never promised anything more than some fun sexy times, so I shouldn’t have come away feeling disillusioned. Never again. I’m not a one-night stand kind of girl.
Anyway, that was months ago, and I’ve moved on. Although I haven’t dated or slept with another guy since, I’ve moved on enough that I didn’t expect to see Drew again.
Yet here he is. Where he has always been. Hiding in plain sight this whole time. Biding his time till he decided he wanted to let me know who he really was. I think back to all those back-and-forth emails between us these last couple of weeks, and a fresh bout of anger washes over me.
I quickly freshen up and return to the living area, walking through the open doors and out onto the small wooden deck overlooking the sea. Drew is lounging casually in a deck chair, his legs stretched out straight and ankles crossed loosely in front of him. A jug of water and two glasses sit on the table beside him. At least out here I can only smell the salty sea breeze and not him.
“Katie, I’d like to explain everything if you’ll let me. Please.” His hand gestures toward the other deck chair. I sit, perching on the edge of it.
When I’m settled, he asks, “Would you like some water?” I nod. I’m thrown by the conventionality of the question and watch on while he fills both glasses. He hands me the frosted glass of water, and I take it, avoiding his touch.
The icy liquid soothes my raw throat. Then, placing the glass back on the table, I look out toward the sea and wait. Drew’s the one who needs to do the talking, and I’m not about to make it easier for him by starting us off.
He releases a sigh. “All right, let’s start at the night of the party.”
My eyes dart back to him. “Yes, let’s,” I say with a scathing edge to my voice, then sit back in the chair with my arms folded around my body and my legs crossed.
He sits up straighter, and I turn away again to stare, unseeing, at the deep blue expanse below, the sound of waves crashing up against the rocks at the base of the cliff an apt backdrop to the way I’m feeling.
“Katie, I had every intention of staying that night and waking up next to you. But when I went to get us some water early that morning, I saw your pass and realized who you were.”
I look sideways at him, and he runs his hand roughly through his hair. It’s longer than I remember it.
He glances at me, then quickly looks back out to sea before continuing. “I was worried that our night together would jeopardize the contract negotiations. We had nearly reached a deal, and I guess I panicked. It was stupid, really.” He seems to struggle with the words. I get the impression that he doesn’t often have to apologize for doing stupid things.
He turns back to me, and this time holds my gaze as he says, “Katie, I’m sorry I took off rather than staying and explaining who I was. I regret leaving for that and many more reasons.”
His voice dips low, and there’s a somber quality about it. His head is bent, looking down at his legs.
“Fine. I get that you’re sorry and all that. But it was two months ago. You’ve known all that time who I am, and yet only now are you deciding to inform me. Why now and why like this?”
I’m not letting him get away with a simple sorry, no matter how heartfelt it sounds.
He scrubs both hands across his eyes so roughly it’s like he’s trying to erase something. “Well, there’s a reason. In my rush to leave that morning, I called a minicab to take me back to my friend’s house where I was staying.” His voice drops lower, and I strain to hear the next words. “On the way, there was an accident. A drunk driver slammed into the front of us. My minicab driver and the guy driving the other car were both killed instantly, and I was injured.”
