Free The Billionaire's Secret by Ava Miles Page B

didn’t make him feel alone. If not for Margie…
    “Chase,” he said quietly, feeling the geeky boy he’d been emerge through the ether. “Do you trust me?”
    The man blew out a breath. “Mostly. Evan, you know how much…oh hell…you know what I’m saying. I do trust you. It’s only that you haven’t been yourself these last couple of years.”
    Truer words were never spoken. “I know. But I’ve found a lost piece of myself. Only this time it’s better.”
    The long pause made Evan shuffle his feet. He could feel Chase gathering himself to say something unpleasant.
    “I know Margie Lancaster is in Paris, Evan,” Chase said. “And I know you care for her. If you’re falling for her… Don’t mistake love for creative inspiration.”
    Chase was wrong. What he felt for Margie had opened up his creative inspiration, but the two things were still separate, like hydrogen and oxygen. Both interacted to become water under the right circumstances, but they still retained their separate properties. And when added to other elements, each could become something else, something new.
    “You’re still jaded after your divorce, so I won’t try to explain this to you.” Chase’s wife had taken him for all he was worth in the divorce. His friend’s private wealth had suffered, but it was his spirit Evan was still worried about.
    “All I can say is prenup,” Chase said in a harsh tone. “If the paint fumes have you thinking that far ahead.”
    Evan was surprised to find the thought of marriage didn’t freak him out…not like it did when it was mentioned by one of the gorgeous gold-diggers who had hoped to snag him so they could have access to his billions. Margie would never be like that.
    In fact, she would rather hate his money.
    For a moment, he let himself imagine what it would be like to be married to her. As he gazed across Paris’ rooftops, he could see them strolling along the Seine hand in hand. Every morning she would greet him with that sweet smile of hers when she woke. Of course, he would have to wake up well before dawn for that to happen, but this was his fantasy, so there was no need to account for her unusual hours.
    Her kisses would anchor him in a whole new level of happiness. And she would bake her cinnamon rolls, which she could sell to a bakery in Paris, while he worked on his inventions. And after they both finished doing the work they loved, he would sweep her off her feet and make love to her until neither one of them wanted to move. Yeah, he liked that.
    “Evan,” Chase urgently said. “You’re scaring me with all this silence.”
    “How did you know Margie was here?” he asked even though he suspected he knew.
    “You know I have a few people keeping an eye on you due to corporate espionage,” Chase said. “I get a call every time a new person comes into your circle. Especially in Paris, your hometown.”
    He understood Chase’s paranoia. His wife had taken some important corporate documents from him and used them as leverage in the divorce proceedings. Chase had feared one of Evan’s shallower girlfriends might do the same even though Evan had promised to keep everything confidential in his private R&D room in the penthouse or the special security box he’d designed for travel. Unlike some inventors, Evan still liked to hand draw until he was ready to start designing his work in AutoCAD. Of course, they were supposed to abide by these protocols anyway due to their security clearances, but things happened.
    “So your guys did their job, and now you know she’s not a threat to me. You can stop following her or whatever it is they’re doing. If you knew her, Chase, you’d laugh at the ludicrousness of the thought.” He didn’t think Margie would laugh though. She’d be insulted, and rightly so. It was another secret he’d definitely be keeping.
    “Are you sure about her, Evan? She grew up super rich, so she’s used to the lifestyle, but her parents disowned her years