Page 59 of Secret Baby for Dr. Billionaire

I didn’t know it was possible, but just staring at Chloe, listening to her laugh and tell her stories, made me want to worship her, spoil her, and ruin anyone who dared hurt her.

I was falling hard for her soft smile and sparkling eyes, her courage, and her grace.

I wished I hadn’t left her in New York. I owed her a lot, and I was just starting to make it up to her.

She was mine, and right now, I was hers. And I was willing to do everything in my power to keep it that way.

We enjoyed the rest of the night talking. By nine p.m., I brought her to one of the rooms in the building, and we made love everywhere—on the bed, on the floor, against the tinted window, and even in the porcelain bathtub.

By some miracle, we managed to come home by midnight. The kids were asleep, and Sam was picked up by her boyfriend.

I could live like this forever as long as I had Chloe—in domestic bliss.

Chapter nineteen

Chloe

ThewomaninBen’skitchen was stunning. If anything, she seemed to belong effortlessly in a life of luxury and extravagance.

She was the woman at Janice’s party the other night. Gwen, the statuesque blonde Ben said, was just an old friend. But the way she said his nickname told me they were more than that.

Tonight, she wore a navy-blue camisole that accentuated her midsection and was paired with light blue, high-waist jeans. She was helping herself with Ben’s brandy from the kitchen island.

Ben squeezed my hands as he closed the door behind me to reassure me that it was going to be all right. Sofi’s portable crib wasn’t in the living room but in her sister’s room. Billy Anne had told Ben to move it there so they could have a sleepover every time Sofi was here.

I realized that it was a good thing because Gwen seeing another child in Ben’s home would raise questions. And I didn’t want Ben or the children to be the subject of gossip in Ben’s family.

“What are you doing here, Gwen?” Ben’s words were laced with so much intensity and tension that even I didn’t dare move.

Gwen let out a low, coquettish giggle that made Ben raise an eyebrow. Sam, who was busy reading a book under the lamp on the couch, looked between us and the clearly unwanted visitor.

“Your help let me in,” Gwen pointed, bringing the glass of brandy to her rosy lips. She was a beautiful woman oozing with sex appeal. But it was clear that he didn’t want anything to do with her.

She turned her attention to me, sizing me up and assessing me with disdain, and I couldn’t help but square my shoulders. If there was anything I hated, it was bullies, and with all the years in the messed up foster care system, I had fought my fair share of them. I wasn’t going to let this woman make me feel small.

Ben snapped his head towards the woman on the couch.

“She said she knew you, sir,” Sam pointed, shutting her book and sitting straighter. The look of guilt on her face made me pity her. “She knew your daughter and said you were expecting her.”

“Well, I wasn’t,” Ben retorted, shaking his head. “Next time, Sam, call me. Okay?”

“I’m sorry, I—”

“It’s okay,” Ben interrupted, and the pregnant silence in the room was deafening. He told Sam that he’d transfer her the money before dismissing her. I let go of Ben and helped Sam gather her things in the living room. I felt bad for her because it was clear that she didn’t mean for Gwen to ruin our night.

I saw her off, whispered my thanks, and assured her that I’d handle Ben. I didn’t know this Gwen woman, but it was clear that she wouldn’t intentionally put the kids in harm's way. She wasn’t here for them; she was here for their father.

I could almost taste the tension in the atmosphere Inside Ben’s apartment. Ben was pissed, and Gwen knew, and the smirk on her face as she finished her drink told me enough that she was enjoying it.

“Why are you here?” Ben asked again, marching into the kitchen. He spotted a pack of cigarettes by her vintage Prada bag. He picked them up and threw them in the trash can.

“That was not nice,” the intruder pointed out, and her lazy eyes followed Ben’s movements.

It was evident that the blissful bubble we were in before coming home had popped, and the way Gwen was eye-fucking him told me that whatever thing they had in the past was not yet resolved.

Was she Ben’s girlfriend? An old flame? Perhaps. Ben was allowed to see whoever he wanted to see, and he can fuck whoever he wanted. He wasn’t…mine. It wasn’t my place to be jealous of them—of the thought that a woman as beautiful as Gwen had maybe slept with him. But the unpleasant tug in my chest and the nauseating feeling in the pit of my stomach told me I was green with envy.

From the foyer, I stepped toward the living room and sat on the couch. I debated whether I should stay or not. The former meant I’d witness how things would unfold, and the latter meant being kept in the dark. One promised misery. One promised ignorance.

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