Free House Of The Billionaire (The Billionaire's Contract Series) by Angelina Jenoire Hamilton Page B

wrong?’
    She shrugged. ‘Sometimes I feel like I hardly know you.’
    ‘Of course you know me.’
    ‘Not really.’
    ‘Yes, really.’ He stood up and grabbed his jacket from the back of a chair.
    ‘I know about your business deals...well, I know what you tell me about them. I know you own Inception Publishing and a cottage in Cornwall as well as an apartment in London. What else do I know?’
    A darkness passed over his features for a moment. ‘What else is there to know?’
    ‘There has to be more than that, Tyler. No man is an island. What about your family? Your past? I don’t know anything about your childhood.’
    ‘We spend time together.’
    ‘The time we spend together, you’re either reading over my manuscripts or we’re in bed. Business and pleasure combined. Now that’s a way to save time.’
    ‘That isn’t true.’
    ‘Isn’t it? It’s how I feel sometimes.’ She felt tears welling up in her eyes and she fought to stop them. ‘I feel like one of those old factories you like to take pictures of. Used and abandoned.’
    ‘I have to go,’ he said, throwing his jacket over his shoulder. ‘We’ll talk about this when I get back.’ He leaned over to kiss her but she turned her head so his kiss landed on her cheek.
    Without another word, he left. When she heard the door click closed downstairs, she remembered when Simon had left her.
    But this meant more.
    So much more.
     
    Chapter Two
    ‘And he left?’ Jane Johnson asked after hearing Kirsty’s retelling of the events of the previous night. She leaned forward over her coffee, rapt with the story, even though Kirsty had left out the details of the sex. Behind Jane, a slight drizzle had started and it ran down the coffee shop window in blurry streaks, turning the view of Nottingham’s main street into a smeary mess.
    ‘He said we’ll talk about it when he gets back from Milan.’
    ‘Oh my God, when is that?’
    ‘Tomorrow.’
    ‘Don’t worry, love, it’ll all be OK. He’ll come to his senses.’
    ‘But then what? We’ll just go back to the same routine. He’s so busy with his business and I’m busy with my writing that when we do manage to get together, it’s always rushed. I mean, it’s nice at the time but then he always has to leave.’
    ‘You should put you foot down, love. Ask him what he really wants. He should make some compromises.’
    ‘I know. It’s just...I don’t want to lose him.’ She took a sip of her coffee. It tasted cool and bitter.
    ‘You don’t want to be a doormat either. You’re worth more than that.’
    Kirsty shrugged and looked into the dark coffee cooling in her cup.
    ‘Why don’t I go get us some more drinks and you can tell me about your new book?’ Jane suggested.
    ‘There’s not a lot to tell,’ Kirsty replied. ‘I’ve got a few ideas scribbled down but every time I sit down to write, nothing comes out.’
    Jane put her hand on Kirsty’s. ‘You need a break, love. All this worry is getting to you and affecting your work. Do you want me to see if the cabin is Scotland is available? You can get away from everything...leave it all behind.’
    ‘That won’t work now,’ Kate said. ‘Going to the cabin to write was a good way to get away from Simon but I don’t want to be separated from Tyler. It would just make the problem worse.’
    Kirsty sighed and looked out of the window. The rain had sent the shoppers scurrying off the street and into the shops for shelter. The deserted street made it look like the world had frozen.
     
    * * *
     
    Tyler Blake stood on the balcony of his hotel in Milan and watched the afternoon sun play across the rooftops of the city. His deal had gone bad. There was no other way to describe it. He had come out here to purchase an automotive parts company that had factories in Italy and Spain and supplied parts to the major European car manufacturers. The company was struggling because of poor relationships with its customers, which had resulted in loss of