Page 115 of Money Reigns
He looks like he walked out of a billionaire magazine spread titled:Undress Me With Your Eyes.
Unfortunately, my eyes are traitors.
He hasn’t said much since we arrived, just kept pace beside me as we followed the winding paths. The conservatory garden is lush, overgrown in the best way, with high hedges and arched iron gates and blooms that look like they were painted instead of grown.
My brain should still be in fight mode. Still pissed. Still storming out.
But he handed me a coffee I didn’t ask for, my order, perfect,of course,and led me through this secret pocket of the city like it was a gift.
I hate how easily my heart flutters.
“You brought me here to win me over,” I murmur, half a step ahead of him now, dragging my fingers through a cluster of soft pink petals.
Warren’s voice comes low behind me. “No. I brought you here so you’d stay long enough to see I’m not trying to win. I’mclaiming.”
My stomach flips.
I whirl on him. “What do you want from me, Warren?”
He doesn’t answer right away. Just steps closer. Eyes on mine.
Not devouring like earlier. Not demanding.
Just…seeing me.
“I want you,” he says quietly.
“That’s not an answer,” I snap, voice too breathy.
“It’s the only one that matters.” Another step forward. So close his cologne permeates my senses. “You can ask why.”
I do.
My voice comes out softer. “Why me?”
His gaze drops to my mouth and then lifts again. And when he speaks, it’s a whisper, meant just for me.
“Because you’re the only woman who seems strong enough to survive me.”
My heart stutters. Hard.
Before I can say anything—before I can breathe,he lifts a hand and brushes a petal from my hair like it was interrupting his view.
“What’s your favorite flower, Olivia?” he asks softly.
I blink, still rattling.
“What?”
He repeats it, even softer. “Your favorite flower.”
The question guts me in a way I’m not ready for.
No one’s ever asked.
Not once.
Not in all the years I’ve bought them for myself and pretended it didn’t matter.
