Page 16 of The Billionaire Dating Game

After one night in Paris, she had burrowed under his skin as if she belonged nowhere else.How deep would she nestle now? Would he let her?

His hand flexed against her legs, the spot on her thighs just above her knees.Givno.He hadn’t stopped touching her during the entire car ride. As they pulled up to the country club, she glanced at him with those lust-filled eyes that hadn’t cooled after her orgasm. Witnessing how easy it is for her walls to crumble forhim, made Alexei realize remaining emotionally distant would be impossible.

The driver opened their door and he stepped out before taking Candice’s hand.

“Are we just here for dinner or am I charming your associates as I did in Paris?” she asked.

A ready smile spread to her lips, and he saw it for what it was, a brave face. Even if it cost her to pretend, she would do it because she’d made a promise to him. Circling her waist, he tugged her close. When her chin tipped and her eyes held his, he kissed her. Not the hungry kiss that plundered her mouth or allowed her to taste the remnants of her climax on his tongue, no. That would come later when he was buried deep in her fluttering pussy. Fucking her. The kiss he brushed over her lips was light. “I can have the driver take you home.”

She shook her head.

Loyal and brave. His thumb caressed her cheek.

“I only wanted to know what to expect.”

“Many will be curious about you.” How could they not be? Candice was a breath of fresh air. No coy pretense. No inflated ego, not like the people she was about to meet.

“You mean they’ll wonder why me over her.” She worried, her lower lip a sign she was nervous.

“You have nothing to worry about. You look beautiful, Candice.”

“You too were some sort of power couple, weren’t you?”

His lips thinned. “Let’s get inside,” he said, instead of answering her question. Any future with his ex was a fairytale he’d writtenthe endto years ago when he was fighting to keep out of prison and clear his name. When it came to Jasmine, all he cared about was bankrupting her company, the business he’d poured his sweat and money into. Instead of coming to him when she heard her other investors rumbling about voting him into the CEO position, she severed ties with him and dug up his past. Linking him to arson turned the investors he’d found against him. She destroyed his reputation for nothing because he would never have entertained the offers.

He and Jasmine hadn’t shared an undying love. But he’d foolishly thought they shared similar goals for success. He thought they had something far more unbreakable than love, loyalty.Hadn’t his past taught him anything?

Placing his hand on Candice’s lower back, they followed an employee to the dining room reserved for the small gathering. He spent the next hour shaking hands with men and women he hadn’t seen during his time away from the spotlight. The club, once a favorite hangout, now seemed tedious, except for moments he looked up and saw Candice laughing.

She was breathtaking and didn’t even realize how much so. Candice was a natural at putting those around her at ease and entertaining them. At the moment though, she was surrounded by women that were loyal to his ex. He knew them, and they weren’t as friendly as they appeared.

“Excuse me,” he said, extracting himself from among the group of men and taking Candice’s hand. “Ladies, I hope you don’t mind me borrowing my date.”

“You can’t have her for long, Popova,” one of the ladies said.

“She still hasn’t told us how you two met,” another chimed in.

As he led Candice onto the balcony, he didn’t spare any of the women a backward glance. The air was warm and still. During the day, the perfectly trimmed grass of the golf course stretched for miles, but on a night like this, where the moon was a sliver in the sky, the country club and lamp posts around the property created a romantic atmosphere.

The moment they were alone, he nudged her against the wall. He’d concluded his business, and the only person occupying his thoughts was Candice. “Are you ready to go home?”

She flushed, dropping her lashes in a move that was at once innocent and seductive.

So fucking tempting.

“Are you coming with me?”

They both knew what going home meant. He should say no, tell her he had other business. But he’d had enough of people, enough of parties. She would nod and leave quietly, but she’d be disappointed if he asked her to.

Putting his phone to his ear, Alexei ordered his driver to bring the car to the rear entrance, and they left the country club without saying goodbye. Alexei pulled her onto his lap and raised the partition between them and his driver.

“I saw you go to the washroom.”

“You were watching me?” She rolled her eyes toward the roof of the car. “There is nothing in our agreement that says I need your permission for bathroom breaks.”

“You need permission foranythingI say you need permission for,” he said, letting his tone harden.

She shuddered on his lap. It was a slight movement, but it radiated from her to him, tightening his groin.

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