Free His Until Midnight by Nikki Logan Page A

Every sound that wasn’t Oliver’s low voice seemed to have vanished. But something stopped her from letting his words fill her heart with helium.
    ‘I don’t need you to do this, Oliver.’ In fact she really would rather he didn’t. ‘I don’t care what you think of my appearance.’
    ‘Of course you do. Because you’re human and because I just reinforced all those jerks at your school with my stupid, careless words.’ He stood and pulled her to her feet. ‘ I care what you think of my appearance.’
    It was such a ludicrous concept—not that he cared, but that there was any question about how good he looked—she actually laughed. Out loud. ‘No, you don’t.’
    ‘I changed three times before coming here today.’
    She looked him over, some of her pre-shock spirit returning. ‘And this was your best effort?’
    The lips that gaped at her then were stained slightly red with pomegranate ice and looked more than a little bit like they were flush from kissing. ‘This is all brand-new gear!’
    ‘Oh, you shopped too? Wow.’ Her umbrage eased a bit more.
    ‘And I didn’t shave this morning because you once said you liked stubble. Four years ago.’
    A reluctant laugh tumbled out of her. ‘Oh, that’s just sad, Oliver.’ It didn’t matter why he was demeaning himself to stave off her further embarrassment, she was just very grateful that he was. She peered up at him. ‘I know what you’re doing.’
    ‘What am I doing?’
    ‘You’re lying. To make me feel better.’
    His eyes narrowed as he towered over her. ‘Is it working?’
    ‘Yes, actually.’ Purely based on the fact he cared enough to try. He’d meant what he said but he hadn’t meant it to be hurtful.
    He took half a step closer. ‘Great then.’
    ‘Besides, you always look good. You don’t have to try.’
    ‘Small mercy. There are plenty more ways that I feel deficient around you, Audrey.’
    The wealthiest and most successful man she knew? ‘Like how?’
    Indecision carved that handsome face. ‘I live in fear that I’ll glance up suddenly and catch you looking at me with the kind of patient, vacant tolerance I give most of my dates.’
    ‘You think I’m humouring you?’
    His shrug only lifted one big shoulder. ‘You only came here at all because of Blake. Maybe it’s all Christmas charity.’
    The thought that she’d caused someone to question themselves the way she had—even someone as profusely confident as Oliver—made her squirm. Though she knew the ramifications of correcting him were steep.
    ‘I’m still here, aren’t I?’
    He knuckled a loose piece of her hair more securely behind her ear. ‘Ah, but you came to say goodbye.’
    ‘I did,’ she breathed. That was totally her plan when she walked in. Until something had changed without her consent. ‘So why haven’t I?’
    His eyes glittered and his hand turned palm side up and curled around her cheek. ‘Something else I’d give my fortune to know.’
    A steam train thundered through her brain. ‘You’re rapidly running out of fortunes.’
    ‘Benefit of a double-A credit rating.’ His thumb crept across to trace the shape of her bottom lip. ‘I can get more.’
    ‘What are you doing?’ she whispered, and he knew exactly when to drop the game.
    ‘Everything I can before you tell me to stop.’
    She absolutely should. They were in a public place and this was ‘The Hammer’ , notorious player and corporate scourge of Asia. And more to the point, this was Oliver. She had no business letting him this close, no matter how much the furthest corner of her soul tried to tell her differently.
    It didn’t matter that she was no longer anyone’s wife. It didn’t matter that he was the one controlling the lazy drag of his fingers and therefore any resulting public exposure. Those things only made it more dangerous. More ill advised.
    But as his hazel eyes blazed down on her and his big, smooth thumb pressed against the flesh of her lips she struggled to