Page 35 of The Billionaire Offer
“Yeah, we are,” he said, his thumb stroking my hand as he used it to pull me closer.
Then he kissed me and my entire world stood still. Because he wasn’t paying me for this. I shouldn’t have been working right now and there was nothing standing in our way. In this moment, there was only us, only what we wanted, and it seemed like we both wanted the same thing—each other.
CHAPTER23
BART
We stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment after the kiss, my hands lingering on her and hers on me. I wanted nothing more than to do it again, but as my lips started moving back in on hers, the crowd roared and the game was over.
Before we could talk, kiss again, or even think about it, the announcers were going wild and so were the people around us. Tanner’s old team, the home team, had won, and the fans were clearly over the moon about it.
Serenity’s mouth inched into a small, almost relieved smile, which puzzled me. Then she leaned back and got up, shouting over the noise. “We should probably go. The day isn’t over just yet.”
I sighed but stood up and stuck close by her side as we got caught up in the rush of everyone leaving the stadium. When we finally got back to the car, she babbled about everything but the kiss. Knowing Serenity, that meant she didn’t want to talk about it right now.
“You’re not tired, are you?” she asked. “I’ve got something else for us to do, but if you’re tired or you need to get home to practice, they’ll understand.”
“They?”
She clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes going wide as she shook her head. “I wasn’t supposed to say that. It’s another surprise. Anyway, are you tired?”
“No, I’m fine,” I said just as someone gave her some space to back out of our parking spot. “Am I allowed to know where we’re going?”
“Nope, but I hope you’re going to enjoy it. It felt like a natural thing to do after a game, so that’s what we’re doing.” She cocked her head thoughtfully. “Especially now that our team has won. It’ll be a celebration as well as a get-together.”
She groaned. “Damn it. I’m really not very good at keeping things a surprise, am I?”
We inched out of the parking lot with the rest of the traffic, and I rolled my eyes at her. “You’re very good at keeping things a surprise. I wasn’t expecting today at all. The cap could’ve been for any outdoor activity, and now all I know is that we’re going to a get-together, but I don’t know who we’re getting together with or where.”
Pride must’ve swelled through her because her chest puffed out slightly and her spine straightened. “That’s true. It’s like a game of cryptic clues. I’m not giving you any more hints, though.”
“That’s fair,” I said, settling in for the drive when we finally got onto the main road. Instead of driving back to her place for this get-together, or to anyone else’s, she drove to a bar where the guys and I regularly hung out.
As soon as I recognized where we were, I grinned. “It’s them, isn’t it? We’re getting together with the others?”
“Yep, and Leah,” she said as she eased into a spot down the block from the bar. “She’s my guitarist and my best friend. I know you don’t know her yet, but the others do. Plus, she’s really been wanting to meet you and I think you’ll like her.”
“I’m sure I will. I’ve always liked your friends.”
She laughed. “That’s because most of my friends were always your friends, too. Does that mean you’re okay with all of this?”
Her teeth sank into her bottom lip as she breathed in through her nostrils before turning to face me once the engine was off. “It’s really okay if you’d rather just go home. We did a bucket-list activity, and if it made you sad, you don’t need to stay.”
I considered her question, my gaze locked on hers, and I saw the sincerity and uncertainty in those bright blues. Without pausing to second-guess myself, I reached out and took her hand, stroking my thumb over her knuckles as I spoke.
“Today is the perfect day out for me,” I said firmly. “I couldn’t have planned it better myself. It’s a break from all the financial shit I’ve been dealing with and from the whole being-a-billionaire thing, which has started to feel like a job all on its own. I was sad that my dad wasn’t watching that game with us, but you were right that he was there in memory. Besides, the people you chose to invite to meet us after are my best friends. They’ve seen me through much worse than feeling a little down because he wasn’t there.”
Her fingers closed around mine, and it looked like she wanted to say something else before she thought better of it. She smiled and withdrew her hand. “We’d better get in there. They’ll be waiting.”
“We’re the last to arrive?” I groaned.
“I hope so.” She frowned. “I told everyone to get here just after the game so they’d be here by the time we arrived. I knew it’d take us a few to get out of the stadium, to the car, and out of the parking lot.”
She hesitated, then laughed as her eyes rolled. “Do you guys still have that silly rule?”
“Yep.”
“Then I guess tonight is on you.” She waggled her brows at me before turning and getting out of the car.
