Free The Gift, Book 3 (The Billionaire's Love Story) by Lily Zante

needed to hear it from her. One, maybe two, silent seconds passed by as they stood almost facing one another and in that hopeful moment he was overcome by the desire to grab her and kiss her. Yet he knew he could not, even though the blood in his veins drained south, leaving his mind in disarray.
    He wanted to know. “Are you going out tonight?” Then, without giving her a chance to reply, “You look as if you are, the way you’re dressed.” His voice was soft as he stared at the amber flecks in her eyes, reminding him of the yellow in the marbles he’d played with as a young boy. His heart pounded when she looked at him; the thump as loud as a cartoon caveman’s wooden club. “This?” she replied, softly, glancing down at her dress.
    “Yes, this,” he said, and fought the urge to skim his fingers along her bare arms. He moved his hand back into his pocket and shifted slightly, conscious of her nearness, and her resolve not to reveal any more about herself. But he couldn’t go another sleepless night. He needed something , and it had been a long time, decades, since Tobias Stone had had to chase after anyone.
    All thought of ethics, her role and his, crashed out of the window. This was new territory for him, unfamiliar, and as exciting as it was scary. He hadn’t thought it through, didn’t know what he expected, had no idea what he wanted, except for the desire to hold her and to have her, body and lips, soft, wet and yielding, against his. His insides inflamed. When she didn’t answer, he had to ask, “Is it Matthias?”
    “Matthias?”
    “Drinks on a Friday night?”
    She yelped in sharp surprise. “No! Why would you think so?”
    “Because you always seem to have time for him.” She waved her hand, her mouth twisting as she tried to express her alarm at his suggestion. From her response she was either very good at creating an elaborate denial or there really was nothing between her and Matthias. “What makes you think I would go on a date with him? What makes you think he would ask me in the first place?”
    “New Year’s Eve,” replied Tobias. “He asked you then and you went running. It’s an observation,” he said, taking refuge in his words.
    “I didn’t go. I went straight home in the end.”
    “You did?”
    “Yes. But why do you care what I do and whom I date?” Now she had him. Not wanting to answer that question, because he wasn’t so sure of the answer himself, he said, “I don’t care,” he lied. “Like I said, it was an observation. You and Matthias seem awful easy around one another.”
    “He’s good with people. Some people have that flair.” She looked daggers at him.
    “I know what Matthias is good at.”
    She angled her head. “You’re very quick to throw accusations about, Tobias. You seem to think you can ride rough shod over people’s emotions and that you can say and do as you please.”
    Her words made him suddenly defensive. “I can say and do as I please. I can do anything I want.”
    Her eyes blazed at him and all he wanted to do was to kiss her; the tantalizing way in which her lips moved, soft and supple, the way she was, unknowingly gutsy and sexy, and decent. She knew what mattered, knew what was important, unlike the plastic mannequins who wanted to dig their talons into him. Savannah Page didn’t seem to care, and that made him want her all the more. He craved to touch her, to feel her, to own her.
    “You think you can,” her voice turned sharp. “But there are limits and, failing that, there is the law.”
    “Anything can be bought, Savannah, and everything has a price.”
    “Only in your universe, Tobias.” She turned to go, but he grabbed her wrist again, lightly this time. “Ask me anything you want.” He insisted.
    “I don’t have any questions.”
    “You did the other day.”
    “And you made it very—”
    “It doesn’t matter what I said then. Things have changed. Ask me.”
    She gave him a pointed stare. “What’s