Free LOVE AND HATE (A Billionaire Romance) by Mia Carson Page B

man. I’d come so close to telling her the truth, but I’d stopped. I was embarrassed. And I didn’t want her to tell Mr. Fallon.
    I remembered the cute house Lucas and I shared. In my imagination, I walked room to room. Scott expected me to go home with him to his penthouse. After hearing I wasn’t feeling well, Susie promised to bring by my suitcase with all my stuff in it—probably just to see the inside of Scott’s apartment.
    ###
    Holy crap, Scott’s apartment. I’d seen the floor plans in my office, so I had a vague idea of what to expect, but the reality was so much more.
    We didn’t speak on the drive from the airport. The doorman was a young Jewish kid, and Scott introduced him to me as Peter. “Peter, I’d like you to meet my wife, Mrs. Mackenzie Creed.”
    I glanced at him, feeling my cheeks redden. I couldn’t change my name, just to change it back in a month. The sick feeling in the pit of my stomach intensified.
    “She doesn’t have a key yet, but I’m having Isaac make her one this afternoon.”
    “Whatever you say, Mr. Creed. Nice to meet you!” Peter beamed at me, and I smiled weakly back.
    All was forgotten when the elevator doors slid open, revealing Scott’s home. Fifteen foot ceilings, everything in shades of black and grey. The sleek, ultra-modern kitchen stretched out to the left of the doorway, and a bright living room gaped to the right. Floor-to-ceiling windows showcased Central Park and the Manhattan skyline.
    I never thought I’d be anywhere like this in my life.
    “Follow me.” Scott walked straight down a hallway and up a curving flight of dove-grey carpeted stairs. He opened a door and revealed a sprawling bedroom. The cute bungalow I’d mentioned? Probably could fit in this one room. My old living room was the size of the attached bathroom. Was he giving me the master bedroom?
    “This is the guest suite. I’m right across the hall. You can come in any time. Make yourself at home.”
    “Are you serious?” I couldn’t tell if he really didn’t understand how crazy this was or if he was just messing with me.
    “You live here now, at least for the foreseeable future. Tomorrow night we have an art opening at the Coventry Art Gallery. Starts at seven. You’re probably going to want to do some shopping before that. When are they expecting you back at work?”
    “Uh, tomorrow. In the morning.”
    “Can you blow it off for the day? I mean, your simple presence here is kind of work, right? You can tell them it’s your first day in my house and you think you might have already figured out where I keep all the good secrets.”
    “Yeah, I can call out.” I thought about the piles of paperwork I’d come back to on my desk on Thursday morning, but Scott had a point. I was working here.
    “Do you need anything?”
    “No, thanks.”
    “Okay. Food in the fridge, entertainment center in the den. I’ve got some work to do. I’ll be in my office.”
    “Great. Thanks.”
    Scott left me standing in the middle of the palatial room. It was three o’clock in the afternoon, and I was officially a kept woman. I sat on the edge of the bed and discovered an amazing memory foam mattress and about a million-count cotton sheets. I supposed I could explore, though I didn’t feel quite comfortable leaving what we’d established as my space. I lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. My phone buzzed.
    When do you want me to come by with your stuff? Susie. The kindergarten teacher texted me! She wants to get together some weekend soon!
    How nice to meet a normal human being and share a connection. The only connection Scott and I shared was when neither of us wore pants. For a brief second I wondered if he would be up for a roll in the hay, but after yesterday I didn’t think I could take another round.
    I decided I’d have Susie bring the stuff by later and take a bath in the swimming pool-sized Jacuzzi tub in the attached bathroom. An array of decadent smelling bath salts and