Page 109 of Marrying the Billionaire

To guest star on their D-list reality show? Yeah, no, thanks.

A figure in navy blue appears at my side, almost like she could sense my discomfort, and my arm slips easily around her waist. Serena nods at the Nashes as I ask them, “Why do you want us on there?”

Harlan’s smile falters the slightest bit. “Oh, you know, the network mentioned they’d like more star power. And you guys definitely fit the bill.”

“I heard you promised them we’d be on it,” Serena says cooly.

Is that so?

He pulls at the collar of his shirt, gaze darting between me and Serena. “I… um…”

“We’re not interested,” I interrupt, not wanting to listen to him hem and haw trying to come up with an excuse.

“But we came to your benefit,” Courtney says, frowning.

I chuckle, though there’s little humor in it. “From the way I hear it, you asked for an invitation after you found out who else would be here.”

She blinks at me, almost like she’s surprised I called her out on that, but I’m not finished with her yet. “And I don’t believe you ever apologized to Serena for how you treated her in high school.”

The woman’s cheeks redden, even in the relatively dim lighting of the event space. “That was like a million years ago,” she sputters. “Who cares about any of that now?”

Serena stiffens, and I squeeze her tighter to my side. “I care.”

Harlan glares at his wife, wrapping an arm around her shoulders a little too tightly. “Why don’t you just apologize, babe?” he grits out.

She huffs out a breath, nearly rolling her eyes. “Sorry, okay? Is that better? Will you be on our show now?”

Serena’s back straightens as she looks her squarely in the eye. “You can’t give me a half ass apology you don’t mean then expect me to do you a favor.”

“Oh, sick burn.” A dark haired woman joins us, chugging the last bit from her champagne glass. “You should have had that on your show.”

Courtney’s lips tighten. “No one asked you, Claire.”

“Ah, ah, ah,” the woman tsks, waving her finger. “You have to be nice to me. Remember, my husband’s an executive at RealityTV.” Oh, is that how Serena got them to do a behind the scenes exclusive for the shelter?

Harlan glances between the women, then steers his wife away, cutting his losses. “Let us know if you change your mind.”

Yeah, don’t think so.

“Looks like you finally found your voice,” the woman says to Serena, smirking at her.

“Yeah, a decade later,” she mumbles, relaxing into my side again.

The woman stops a server, taking a refill of champagne. “Well, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I just couldn’t help overhear your satisfying takedown. Now, I’ve got to find Ava. When I last saw her, she was trying to convince Jerome to adopt another dog as a friend for Sandy.”

She wanders off and Serena turns in my arms, her lips tilted up in a smile. “Thank you for standing up for me. Again.”

“Always,” I tell her. And I mean it too.

She reaches up on her toes to whisper in my ear, “Let me hear you say it again.”

It takes me a moment to understand her meaning before it clicks. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She kisses me soundly, no thought to everyone surrounding us, but that’s how she’s always kissed, from the very beginning. With her whole soul, nothing held back.

She breaks away, grinning devilishly at me. “I want you to say that later to me. In bed.”

My dick twitches. “Yes, ma’am.”