Bet On It: An Age Gap Billionaire Office Romance(66)

Reed rolled onto his back, tugging me close to him. His hand rested on my head as I placed it on his shoulder. "We need to talk about where we go from here."

The muscles in his abs where my hand rested tensed. Like he was expecting me to respond the same way I had before, pushing him away . . . running off. I knew I should, and yet at the same time, I found I couldn't fight any longer.

"You're right."

His muscles relaxed. "I'd actually meant to talk to you first, but when I saw you at the door, I kinda lost it there."

I tilted my head up to see him giving me a sheepish smile.

"That's all right. Although I'm a little surprised, considering I must look like a mess. Especially next to you in your dark suit."

"I swear to God, when you opened the door, I saw the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen."

I gave his chest a light slap. "I know that's not true, but flattery will get you everywhere."

He looked at me, his blue eyes intense as his hand caressed my face. "It's true. You are beautiful and sexy, and smart and strong, and my world is a better place with you in it. I don't have any answers, but I'm not leaving here tonight until we figure it out."

"Okay." This wasn’t the first time he’d sought to do this, but this time, his determination, his insistence that there was a solution, filled me with hope.

He studied me for a moment as if he was unsure of my response. "Okay, then."

"Will we be doing this here like this, or do you want to get up? We might have a little bit of wine left from last night. I could make you something to eat unless you want ice cream. Betts and I finished that off last night.”

"I meant to ask why you had taken the day off. Does wine and ice cream have anything to do with it?"

I nodded, wondering if I could tell my boss the truth. But since my boss was naked in my bed, I figured I could. "Betts and I talked things out. She wasn't happy to hear what Paul had done, but the thing that bothered her the most was how long it took me to tell her about him. I should've said something sooner."

"But everything's okay now?"

“Yes. We did consume a little bit too much last night. Although to be honest, I'm not sure if it's the wine or the ice cream that I was hungover from this morning. We decided to spend the day together. Of course, she got called into work. You won’t tell my boss I’m playing hooky, will you?"

Reed rolled us over until he was over me, his dick perched at my entrance. "I'm pretty sure your boss has no problem with you taking a day with your friend. He also has no problem with you taking some time with him." He thrust in, and for the next little while, we gave and took pleasure.

When we were done, we got out of bed and dressed. I went to the kitchen to fix something to eat, and then we were going to talk. I still didn't know how things were going to work out, but I was determined, just like he was, to find whatever the answer would be for us to be together.

I had just set out some cheese and crackers when his phone rang.

"Fuck."

“Who is it?"

"It's Catherine. I should take this."

I nodded. "Of course." The guy hadn't become a billionaire by shirking his duties.

I expected him to leave the kitchen, but he didn’t. "Catherine, what's up?"

I couldn't hear the other side of the call, but Reed's expression darkened. "What do you mean? What's going on?"

Again, I watched him as he listened. His gaze drifted to me, and I saw a tug of war going on in his eyes. Something must be going on at the office.

"Fine." He hung up the call, putting the phone in his pocket. He walked over to me, his hands cradling my face. "There's something going on at the office. I have to go."

I nodded. "I understand. Really."

"We are going to talk and sort this out. You understand that, right?"

"I do. I'm going to hold you to it."

The tension in his face lessened, and a smile replaced his concern. "Good. How about this? Meet me at the Golden Oasis." He looked at his watch. "Say . . . in one hour."

I had no idea what time it was. Based on the light coming in the kitchen, I suspected it was after four, but it didn’t matter what time it was. "I'll be there."

His smile was wide, his blue eyes bright, and I felt such happiness fill my chest.

"I'll be the guy at the end of the bar who needs someone to cheer him up."

I grinned. "I'll be there to do the cheering."

He leaned in and gave me a kiss. When he pulled back, he said, "One hour."

I nodded, feeling giddy like a teenage girl as I watched him leave. I hoped he'd be able to meet me in an hour and that whatever problem was at the office didn't take more time. But even if it did, I'd wait for him. He'd been right all along. There was no fighting what was between us. The only question was, how were we going to deal with the issues?

I took my time getting ready, vacillating between wearing a nice dress or jeans. Since Reed had mentioned re-creating the first time we met, I went with the red dress I'd worn that night. I combed my hair out, wearing it down in the soft waves I'd worn that night as well.

When Betts returned, she showed up in my bedroom doorway with a brown bag in each hand. "I've got more ice cream and wine." She arched a brow when she saw me preening in the mirror. "Or it looks like I'm going to help you get ready to go out."