Free Mr. Arrogant: A Billionaire Romance by Alexis Gold

partly outside.” Happiness surged through him upon hearing that she would be there. He could not stop the thoughts that began to go through his mind about the two of them attending the function together and his imagination budded with scenarios he could only wish for in his heart.
    Naomi watched as the smile on his face widened, and it made her happy to know that he wanted her there with him and that she would be by his side for the event. She felt important to him, as though he needed her there, and feeling needed by him warmed her heart.
    ***
    Saturday morning arrived and Naomi took special care in readying herself that day. She wore a slim fitting black skirt and a light blue sweater that brought out the varying hues of sky blue in her eyes. She pulled her long curls up and wore them loose at the back of her head, and she used her makeup to accent her eyes, her lips, and the arch of her cheekbones. She pulled on a pair of heels and wore the pearls that she had worn the day of her interview with Cross Corp.
    After a careful assessment in the mirror, she gave herself a smile of approval and was just getting her coat when the car arrived for her. She thought about being with Jonathon at the event, feeling as if her being there with him was quite possibly the closest thing she would ever have to a date with him. She wanted to look the part of his date, even if it wasn’t really that way. Business event or not, she would be spending the day with him by his side, and that filled her with joy.
    She slid into the back seat of the car and the beginnings of excitement and anxiousness began to tangle her nerves just a little. She watched the city move past her, and the closer they got to their destination, the faster her heart felt like it was beating. She took some long, deep breaths as the car pulled into the driveway of the biggest mansion she had ever seen in her life.
    The driver helped her out of the back seat, and as she stood up and looked around, she was left speechless by what her eyes took in. She was standing in a rounded driveway that had at its center a beautifully manicured garden of hedges and roses surrounding a large marble fountain.
    Before her was the edifice of a billionaire. It was the home of Phillip Cross and his son Jonathon. There was a massive double door at the top of a semicircular marble staircase that led up from the driveway.
    There were wide Grecian columns all along the front of the home and their style made her think of the White House. The front of the home was filled with windows, and the second floor had a large balcony the width of the house, that overlooked the frontal grounds. She took a deep breath and walked up the steps to the front door. It was opened almost before she rang the bell, and standing before her was an older woman with a wide smile who welcomed her in.
    Just as she was about to ask the woman where Jonathon was, he came striding in from a hallway that led off somewhere. He was dressed in a suit, and though the jacket only barely disguised his muscled physique, his button up shirt did little to hide the form of solid wall that was his chest. Naomi caught her breath as she glanced at him and then looked up into his eyes.
    He seemed to be staring at her, almost looking straight into her as he walked toward her. When he reached her, he gently laid a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her, doing his best not to show her any of the effect she had on him. The sight of her crystal blue eyes had nearly arrested his heart when he saw her, and the vision of the curves of her form made his heart skip a few beats. Familiar heat crept through him and his groin tightened as her scent enveloped him.
    She looked up at him and as their eyes met, she felt as if nothing else around her was moving or even there, as if the whole world had stopped. She blinked and drew in a breath and tried to give him a smile as she struggled to appear as though nothing was unusual with her.
    He smiled back at her