Free TheBillionairesPilot by Suzanne Graham Page A

diamonds sparkled at
her.
    Evan cleared his throat, drawing her
attention back to him. He smiled playfully at her. “Do I need to repeat the
question?”
    “What? No.” She shook her head, trying to
draw in a deep breath.
    Evan’s brow creased, and the smile fell
from his lips. He glanced nervously in the direction of Esmé and Xavier.
    “I mean, no, you don’t have to repeat the
question,” she quickly reassured him. “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.” Her stomach
leaped into her throat, and she met Evan halfway as he pulled her into his
embrace for a kiss.
    Their first kiss.
    Her head swam as his warm, tender lips
pressed against hers, and his strong arms encircled her in a close, protective
hold. Wrapping her hands behind his neck, she curled her fingers into his soft
hair. With her eyes closed, her other senses drank him in—the heat of his
skin, his freshly showered scent, the faint hum coming from his throat, and the
subtle taste of coffee on his lips.
    And heaven forbid, in that moment, it
felt too real. She really felt engaged to this handsome, smart, powerful man
kneeling at her feet, and she was happy. Happier than she could ever remember
being in her life…and wouldn’t it be wonderful to always feel this good.
    Xavier and Esmé’s polite clapping and
congratulations broke through Cassie’s fanciful thoughts. She sat back on the
couch, reluctantly removing herself from Evan’s warm embrace, feeling slightly
chilled.
    Evan returned to his seat close to her
side and took her hand in his. His grasp was strong and comforting as she
attempted to ground herself in the true reality of the situation. She was his
hired companion, nothing more, so why was she having such a hard time
remembering that?
    She risked a peek at him, but he was
giving his full attention to their host and hostess. Had he been as affected by
their kiss as she was? Or was it like the massage on the airplane when the
attraction had only flowed in one direction?
    “We must have some champagne.” Xavier
moved towards a bar set beneath an arched alcove. “And then, Evan, you and I
will excuse ourselves to conduct our business while our women enjoy themselves
at the pool.”
    “That sounds like a plan,” Evan said as
his hand tightened around Cassie’s.
    She glanced at him. Was he nervous about
this meeting? It was hard to tell because he always appeared so confident, but
when he turned to face her, she caught a glimpse of anxiety in the tense lines
around his mouth. She squeezed his hand in show of support, and the grooves
vanished as his smile reappeared.
    Her heart leapt in her chest, and that’s
when she knew. No matter how much she tried to pretend, when this engagement
was over, she was going to be hurt badly. Because her heart refused to listen
to her head and had already given a piece of itself to this domineering,
arrogant, sexy man.
    It was so unfair that history was
repeating itself. She should be able to protect herself from these feelings,
especially when she could look at her past relationship with Trent and predict
how terribly, badly things would go with Evan. How the hell had her concrete
wall collapsed so easily?
    She would rebuild it, but with manganese
steel this time. The incredibly hard skin of the steel would resist any wearing
down by her boss’s charm…she hoped.
    * * * *
    “ I am
unpleasantly surprised by your offer.” Xavier sat in a leather armchair in his
bookshelf-lined library, a frown marring his face.
    Evan took a sip from his glass of iced
tea, invoking the iron calm he’d been famous for on the racetrack. He would not
let Xavier take the advantage in this negotiation. Evan was willing to use
every bit of information he had.
    Lowering his glass, he studied the older
man, using the silence to his benefit before replying. “Your company was under
investigation for drug smuggling.”
    “And we were cleared of all charges.”
Xavier was quick to respond.
    “Yes. I know.” Evan had done his own