Bought by the Billionbear(5)
“Do you like hiking?”
“I love it.” Self-conscious, she added, “I know I don’t look like I exercise, but—”
“Why would you say that?” Owen asked, looking sincerely baffled. “I can see that you’re strong. And fit. And beautiful.”
Raina stared at him. No one ever said she looked strong and fit. But it was true. She did exercise, when she could find the time. But nobody ever looked past her soft plumpness to see her strength. And nobody but Madison ever called her beautiful. Flustered, she didn’t reply.
“You should come hiking with me some time,” Owen said, after an awkward silence. “You’d enjoy it. I’d enjoy it.”
Raina tried to simultaneously not stare at Owen while also examining his face to see if he was coming on to her or just being friendly. It was impossible. She caught a quick glimpse of his deep green eyes, then hastily dropped her gaze.
Another silence fell. She could feel Owen’s presence next to her, radiating warmth. A flutter of nervous desire made her stomach quiver. Was the billionaire really flirting with her? Was she getting mixed messages because he was trying not to scare her by coming on too strong? Or did she just want him so much that she was imagining things?
He pulled up in front of a restaurant, gave the keys to a valet, and opened the door for Raina. Not only that, but he took her elbow to help her down. Men never did that sort of thing for her: opening car doors, or defending her from creeps. He’d been so protective of her, even though he hadn’t yet exchanged a single word with her. She liked that. It made her feel warm and safe.
She smiled. “You’re a real gentleman.”
“Sometimes.” His voice lowered, giving that simple word a heady sexual promise. Before Raina could think she’d imagined it, he added, “I have a wild side, too.”
His words made Raina imagine all sorts of things, in a split second: Owen naked, his muscular body gleaming with sweat. Having sex with Owen outdoors. Having sex with Owen up against the wall. Owen’s huge cock filling her…
She threw caution to the winds. “So do I.”
His strong fingers tightened on her elbow as he escorted her into the restaurant. “Tell me about it.”
“You first,” Raina said, as they sat at a table with a beautiful ocean view. The restaurant was elegant but not intimidating. The table was set with crystal wine glasses, but also with ordinary silverware rather than the twelve forks she’d briefly imagined as she walked in. “What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever done?”
Owen hesitated long enough that she couldn’t resist teasing him.
“Are you making something up to impress me?” Raina inquired.
“No, no,” he protested. “It’s just... How about this. I’ll tell you one of the wildest things I’ve done. It just won’t be the wildest. I need to save something for later.”
So he thinks there’ll be a later, Raina thought. She hoped he was right.
A waiter handed them drink menus before Owen could begin his story. Raina lost herself in delighted contemplation of the fanciest-sounding cocktails she’d ever encountered, from a Strawberry Tarragon Flip to a Grapefruit Rickey.
“A Scotch and soda,” Owen ordered.
With a giggle, Raina told the waiter, “I’d like a Lavender Bee’s Knees.”
Owen chuckled, but she could see that he was laughing with her, not at her. “What is that? Other than the girliest drink in existence— not that there’s anything wrong with that.”
With great dignity, the waiter replied, “Bombay Sapphire East gin, pressed basil, clover honey syrup, and lavender bitters.”
As the waiter left, Owen said, “I didn’t know there was such a thing as lavender bitters. I wonder what it tastes like.”
“Got me. But I don’t get that many chances to be girly, so I had to try it. I have to wear a uniform at work. It…” It makes me look fat and ugly, she thought. “It’s not very flattering. I stand there in my brown apron, ringing up groceries, and imagine girly things.”
“What’s your girliest fantasy?” Owen spoke lightly, but he obviously wanted to know.
Normally Raina would have changed the subject, but she felt sure that he wouldn’t laugh at her. And she so rarely met men who were genuinely interested in her, let alone her girliest fantasies, that she threw caution to the winds and told him.
“I never knew my biological parents. I spent my entire childhood in a series of foster homes.” Raina looked Owen right in the eyes as she told him, mentally daring him to pity her.
He spoke with sympathy, not pity. “That must have been tough.”
Raina nodded, not wanting to dwell on it. “Anyway, I imagine that I’m actually a princess who got kidnapped and then abandoned because of some scheme by someone trying to inherit the throne. I imagine that the king and queen have been trying to track me down this entire time, and finally they find me. And their royal messenger comes to the supermarket and says, ‘Your highness! At last we have found you!’”
Owen smiled. “And then they take you back to the palace?”
“To the beautiful palace in some tiny European country. And they throw a ball in my honor. I wear a gorgeous gown and diamonds, and princes come and beg to dance with me.” Blushing a little, she said, “I know, it’s so girly. But you asked!”