Page 8 of A Billionaire for Christmas
Molly decided not to dignify his accurate assumption with an answer. ‘That’s very kind. But it’s late, and I’m sure I’ll find my way back to my…hotelroom somehow.’
She shivered even though her cheeks were on fire. She really hadn’t thought this through. Weaving a web of lies was utterly exhausting.
‘Are you cold?’
‘Yes.’
See? She was still lying. What was the matter with her?The place had to be about fifty degrees. It was as hot as a furnace.
Levi whipped off his jacket, placing it gently around her shoulders before stepping back to give her some space. ‘Maybe it’s the shock.’
Her neck tingled where he’d grazed it with his knuckles. ‘Maybe.’ She caught his manly scent. A stark contrast to the perfume-filled room she’d left earlier. Something weird was happening. Molly had never felt this drawn to a man before. At a loss for what to say, she stood staring at him.
He stepped towards her.
She stepped towards him.
They were an inch apart. She had never wanted to kiss a man so badly. Levi’s eyes roamed her face before dropping to her mouth.
‘Is it me or is the universe drawing us together this evening?’ His voice was enticingly soft and low.
If she was entirely honest, Molly wouldn’t have been surprised if it was Ava, incessantly trying to matchmake from beyond the grave. Ava with her many failed attempts to fix Molly up on dates.
From the way he was looking at her, Levi was interested. Very interested.
Molly’s morals got the better of her. Yes, he was handsome. Yes, he was a billionaire. Yes, the opportunity to persuade him, or someone like him, to take off all their clothes and drink champagne with her in a hot tub overlooking the Alps might never come around again in her lifetime. But something held her back. He seemed like a decent man. She did not want to deceive him. Besides, he had just come to her rescue. She owed him.
A clicking sound jolted her out of the trance. A few feet away, the burlesque entertainer closed the door to the hen party quietly, swept her pillar-box red hair into the hood of her black silk cape and lifted her smiling gaze to Levi. He stepped away from Molly as though she was on fire. He fiddled with his bow-tie, clearly embarrassed.
‘Nice to see you again… Angelo, mi amore,’ she said lazily in what sounded very much like a fake Italian accent, now Molly was hearing it for a second time. The woman flicked her uninterested eyes to Molly and back to Levi. When he didn’t respond, she did a double take, screwing her eyes at Molly. ‘Wait. It’s you, isn’t it? Aren’t you the one who broke the famous camel?’
Mortified, Molly tried to deny it. ‘No. Absolutely not.’
‘Yes, it was you.’ The redhead put her hands to her hips. ‘That was a priceless antique. Over a hundred years old. It came all the way from the film studio in America.’
Molly’s neck prickled. ‘It was a health and safety hazard. I was testing it.’
As though that was any better.
The redhead tutted loudly, turning to Levi presumably for some sort of agreement. ‘She should be sued! Wilful criminal damage.’
Shitting hell.There was nothing like being made a fool of in front of France’s most handsome man to make you want to fill your pockets full of rocks and walk into the nearest lake. Luckily for Molly there were no lakes within a hundred-mile radius.
Instead, Levi gave Molly a mischievous grin. ‘You have had an eventful night, haven’t you? I’m sure my team of lawyers can reach some sort of amicable agreement.’ He nodded curtly to the redhead. ‘Leave it with me. I’ll sort it.’
‘Fine. Call me,’ the redhead demanded brusquely in a sulky voice, flapping her silky cape with annoyance.
Molly was pleased Levi did not reply. He gave her a cursory nod, and they watched her saunter away. A proper saunter, Molly was disheartened to see. She took in a deep breath to regain her composure. ‘A friend of yours?’
She noticed Levi’s cheeks redden slightly. He cleared his throat. ‘No. She works here. Occasionally.’
‘Well, it’s very nice to meet you,Angelo.’
Intrigued, Molly wondered why he didn’t correct her. More to the point, Levi obviously did break the rules from time to time. Perhaps he was not soangelicafter all. She held his gaze. The energy between them was obvious. It was causing a major about-turn. If he was withholding his true identity, should she do the same?
They stood gazing at each other.
‘Would you like to get a drink? Shelter from the storm together?’
