Free Blank: Alpha Billionaire Romance by Cassie Wild

know how long I’d been sitting there, gazing out the window, when my cell rang. Speak of the devil.
    “Hey there,” Kris said warmly.
    I closed my eyes. I loved the sound of his voice. Stop it , I reprimanded myself. I just finished telling myself that nothing could happen between us and here I was, getting all weak-kneed and swoony.
    “Hello?” he asked.
    I suddenly realized that I hadn’t answered him.
    “Hi, sorry,” I said. “What’s up?”
    “I wondered if we could get together for lunch later. I have some information I think you’ll want to hear,” he said. “Can you get a cab? I’m happy to pay.”
    I wrote down the address and agreed to meet with him at one o’clock. It was already nearly eleven, so I had no choice but to risk waking Ava in order to get into the shower. I wasn’t sure I felt comfortable discussing my night with her, but I’d gotten the impression that we’d been the sort of friends who shared things like that.
    When I got out of the shower, Ava was awake and eating a bowl of cereal. Her spiky hair stuck up comically, her fluffy Dr. Who pajama bottoms looking extra comfy as she tucked her legs underneath her.
    “Welllll, good morning to you!” she snickered.
    “Do you think I’m a total slut for sleeping with him?” I blurted, closing my eyes and wincing, waiting for the impending lecture.
    “Of course not!” She pointed a spoon at me. “Good for you. I’m just glad you let me know that you were staying. I don’t know that my heart could take you disappearing on me again.”
    I told her about the lunch meeting we’d set up, and she raised her eyebrows suggestively.
    “Just to talk about my case,” I insisted. I could tell from the smirk she had on her face that she didn’t believe me. Then again, I wasn’t sure I believed me either.
    “It can’t happen again,” I said aloud.
    “Are you telling me, or yourself?” I stuck my tongue out at her. I guess she really did know me, after all.
    ***
    Kris was waiting for me in front of a large silver camper that functioned as a diner, and my rebel heart skipped a beat when I saw him. He paid the cab driver and wrapped an arm around my waist. A nervous sort of energy radiated from him, making me even more curious about what he wanted to tell me.
    “Come in,” he urged, pulling me toward the door.
    I expected him to start talking right away, but he let the waitress take our drink orders first.
    “I went to the police station today.” He must have seen the surprise that crossed my face. “If you want to find out the specifics, you have to go straight to the source. I knew I’d get nowhere waiting for paralegals and investigators to do the work.”
    “So what did you find out?” I asked, tension knotting in my stomach.
    He tapped his fingers on the tabletop, clearly irritated. “The files were pretty much empty. They’ve got almost nothing.”
    I was more confused than ever. “So you had me run here only to tell me you found…nothing? I hope I’m not being billed for this,” I spat, irritated.
    He’d gotten my hopes up that there had been a breakthrough, that maybe I could get some answers. I sat back in the booth and crossed my arms over my chest.
    “No, Preslee, I’m not billing you for this meeting,” he told me with a little twist of his lips. “I said almost nothing. But they do have something pretty damning.”
    I waited as the waitress deposited our food.
    “What is it?”
    He didn’t make me wait any longer. “There were no skid marks anywhere near the site. What does that tell you?”
    “The driver of the other car didn’t slow down before hitting me,” I whispered. “They didn’t even try to.”
    He nodded. “Smart girl. Simple deductive reasoning, but here’s what makes it even more important. The police weren’t willing to commit either way on a theory. On any theory.”
    “Seems fishy,” I observed. Again, he nodded. “Did you find anything else?” I leaned forward in my seat,