In the Billionaire's Lair

Chapter Eight

ANNA

“YOU’VE TURNED very quiet.”

Something in the back of my neck tingled in pleasure at the softness in his baritone.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked when I didn’t reply right away. “Is there something wrong? Are you thinking of ways to ditch me now?”

I threw him a glance then shook my head at his antics. “I’d been doing that since the first time I saw you.”

“Aww… you’re breaking my heart.”

It was hard to fight the smile I could feel tugging at my lips so I just let it go. To be fair, we really were doing well. There was nothing unpleasant in the date, so far. In fact, he’s given me some pleasant surprises I didn’t expect. I was wary of him, but it didn’t mean I would trade being reasonable to stubbornness. “I was thinking about Kim, my friend. When we were in college, she had this huge crush on you. I didn’t know you then like… you know. You’re just some public figure people talk about. Like a famous actor or something.” I was so busy then, too, because I had jobs outside of the few credits I was able to work with in school. “But I remember hearing her repeat your name all the time that I was surprised it did not register to me until… today that I kinda knew about you before.”

“Who is she?” he asked with a quizzical tone to his voice that seemed out of place.

I raised my face and I saw we have already reached the car. “She’s the sister of Caloy’s wife. She’s a close friend,” I replied.

He turned a surprise look towards her.

“Why?” I asked, wondering more about his reaction.

He didn’t make a sound or moved for a second that he worried me. Then he was nodding. “I remember her. She used to have this very long hair and she was always in ponytails. She came to volunteer to work in Caloy’s very first business during weekends. She loves to cook, I remember that, and Caloy lets her help in the kitchen to teach her more and she was so happy doing so that I sometimes would watch both of them. I…” He shook his head gently. “I used to envy their sibling camaraderie. I lost an older brother when I was young. I’ve always wondered, if life had been different…”

“I’m so sorry. That must have been… I can’t imagine losing a sibling,” I said abruptly, my heart aching for the memory of the people I lost when I was very young. “I… I never had any, I was an only child. I would have loved to have a sister. I—” I caught my own babbling and tried to smile. “I can’t imagine what you must have felt.”

He was staring back at me, too. Then he smiled. It dispelled the growing awkwardness that I was feeling because of the naked loneliness on his face. “Don’t be sorry. I don’t want you to feel sad for me. It’s been a very long time and I was glad I can still remember how he laughed when we played. I’m thankful—” He gulped as if something blocked his throat. “I’m thankful I can even remember that. A good memory.”

I stared back at him. Good memories. Good memories… and I was seeing in my head flowing blood in the pavement, gray flecks of brain matter… and a silent, acute screaming inside my head.

“Anna? Anna?!”

I blinked. I didn’t remember what happened in the last moments until he was holding my shoulders, shaking me gently, and there was worry in his face that was near mine.

I did it again. Spaced out. That didn’t happen anymore. Not for a very long time.

“Are you okay? You were gone for a few seconds there,” he asked, an urgent look in his eyes.

I was still staring at him but I was back from where I’d been, the nightmare of a past I could never escape from after all these years. I always couldn’t talk right away after these episodes.

Then he was pulling me to him, and his arms were around me. He just held me to his body. I could feel his warmth. I suspect that I could even feel the vibration of his heartbeat as my breasts was against his hard chest. Why was his heart beating so fast? Why did mine felt dead?

As soon as I felt that I could sense his body, his embrace… and that I was intimately pressed to him in a way I had never been to any man, my heart kicked and started beating a high pace. My whole body tensed, but not because I didn’t want being this close to him. But because I felt like I shouldn’t feel comfortable being like this with him.

Especially him.

I shouldn’t let him be this close to me.

I shouldn’t let him become important.

I moved, made a sound of protest that even to me sounded weak, because to fight something that felt so good and peaceful seemed just wrong.

I hadn’t felt it like that for a very long time I sometimes wondered if I ever did.

He let go. “Anna?”

“I’m… I’m okay. You didn’t have to do that.”

He did not reply, so I looked up to see his face.

He was smiling. “It felt good to hold you whether you are okay or not.”

I stared. He knew I wasn’t okay. His face had this expression like he… knew. That would be impossible. My mind was making this all up. I took a deep breathe to calm myself. I fought for something to grasp to get me grounded as quickly as I could. I was just imagining things. Get back to Earth, Anna!

“Anyway, that would be Kim. You described her exactly. You have a good memory,” I said in a rush. “Yup… that’s definitely her!”

He blinked at the change, but he followed my lead. “Is she still like that?” He reached for the door handle to my side of the car.

I was grateful for the return to normalcy. “If you meant does she still look like a three-year-old about to be handed her favorite ice cream after she did a good job of cleaning up her toys, yes. But in fashionable clothes now. And no ponytails. She’ll stab you to death if you even remind her of those.”

He laughed.

I was relieved as I watched him, admitting for the first time that it was indeed easy to be in his company even though I wanted otherwise. He had proven me wrong in many points already since I first met him, and many of those happened tonight. Even as stubborn as my heart was to trust anyone – especially beautiful strangers – I had to concede on this one.

For now.

At least.

“Hey, would you like to drive my car?” he abruptly asked as he was about to open the door widely for me.

I blinked at the sudden change in topic – and what a topic! – but managed to answer. “Are you sure? You are trusting me to drive your prized car?” I blurted out.

“You can’t be that bad,” he asked, deliberately trying to look dubious.

“I can drive your car,” I repeated to be sure.

He stared at me for a moment and I stared back in a dare for him to withdraw his offer.

“Okay,” he finally said in a choked voice.

I smiled like I won the lottery while he raised the key ring to hand to me. I reached for the noisy keys and pulled, but he didn’t let go. “I thought it’s okay to drive your car.”

He swallowed, and his Adam’s apple bobbled in his throat.

“Oh c’mon. You can’t be that chicken,” I poked at him while pulling at the keys again. He let it go. I didn’t think I was pulling at it that hard, but I stumbled back. His hand quickly reached to hold and pull me back by my wrist as if he was thinking I was going to fall on my back, though I knew I wasn’t.

The pull was harder than it should have been, and I suddenly found myself back at his chest – again – smelling the smell of his cologne where the column of his neck was at and feeling the warmth of his embrace.

“Are you alright?” he asked. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”

My senses were in high alert. Something in my body responded as I stood there in his arms. It wasn’t a bad response. It was… I wasn’t ready for anything like that. My hackles rose up defensively. “I’m sure you didn’t,” I replied breathlessly, not managing to sound angry at all as I would have wished. I wasn’t angry – I was panicking. This was just the first date, for Pete’s sake! I pushed at his chest. He’d let go, but reluctantly.

“Well, I really didn’t mean it. But I didn’t say I didn’t like it.”

I raised my eyes to his face. How was he standing so close still? Why wasn’t I stepping back? I was going to, but I felt frozen by the roguish smile on his face.

Step back.

But my feet wasn’t following my brain’s order. I didn’t want to. My body didn’t want to. My body wanted me to dare remain this close to him.

His smile had gone soft, in contrast to sexy eyes that went hot like coals on fire. His eyelids had lowered as his eyes traced the direction down towards my lips. I was suddenly acutely aware of that whole area. The soft skin of my lips tingled, like it was already feeling another’s lips touching it. A thumb caressing it.

What was happening to me? Why was I feeling like this… so sensitive? Like the air between us was solid and thick, and the heat from him felt like a caress. I hadn’t experienced anything like this before.

“I want to kiss you so much, but I will not,” I heard him say. The vibration on his voice tickled me, and a feeling like that of a soft touch traced the spine on my back. I managed not to shiver, I tried not to make any sound, afraid I would object to what he’d said. “Not right now, at least. I’ll kiss you when you’re ready.”

“I’ll not be ready,” I shot back. Woops. Too fast.

His lips stretched into that sexy smile again as if he couldn’t stop himself. “Then push me back again.”

I did that even before he could finish his sentence, and flustered, I stepped on the side to pass him so I could circle the hood to the other side, unlocking the car remotely with the key.

I got in to the driver’s seat as he got in on the other side. I started the car without a problem. He carefully put down the take-out on the floor in the back seat. I maneuvered the car out of its parking spot without a problem.

“Whoa. That was good and smooth.”

I sent him a grin for the first time that night as I held the wheel for the first time, familiarizing myself with the feel. I didn’t know much about cars but I loved being behind the wheel. I’d always wanted to drive. It made me feel free.

And we were off.