Page 17 of Contract of a Billionaire

Though I didn’t have a death wish so the last word remained sealed behind my smart lips.

“Branka sent some of your photographs,” Alessio said, something ghosting through his eyes. But it was gone too fast for me to catch the emotion. “They are really good.”

Falling. Falling. Fallen. God, was it that easy for me to fall for someone?

The deep, smooth timbre of his voice sent a warm shiver down my spine, while I held my breath. I eventually took a deep breath in and released it. It was just the way I remembered it that first day I met him. When I shoved him out of my bedroom and all the while my thighs clenched with this ache that I knew only he’d be able to sate.

I mentally slapped myself. It did nothing to sober me up from this lust-filled haze. God, why was he so damn sexy? And hot? That dark expression on his face and ghosts lurking in his eyes tempted me. I wanted to explore what he hid underneath that ruthless persona and ease all his pain.

Did it make sense? Absolutely not.

“Thank you.” It was the most intelligent response I could come up with.Lovely, I thought dryly to myself.

“You’ll have to share your work with us,” Cassio remarked. “If there is something fitting my style, I’ll buy a photo. Before you become famous.”

A soft breath of air left my lungs. “I’m not sure that I’ll be famous. But you’ll be sure to see my photos inNational Geographic.”

“Ohhh, wild nature photos,” Luca mused.

I just couldn’t deal with that guy, so I just rolled my eyes.

“Any photo will be good coming from Autumn. Even the one taken of Luca King… dead. It could be your obituary photo,” Alessio remarked, shutting down Luca’s smart mouth.

And I swooned for the man even more.

He trapped me with the gravity of his gaze, watching me. I got a sense he could see every corner of my soul. I was an open book to this man, while he was a mystery to me. The one I wanted to solve.

“SoNational Geographic, huh?” he asked since I remained quiet. I exhaled a deep breath and nodded. The corner of his mouth tugged upward. I amused him. Wonderful. “What’s the first assignment?”

“Kuala Lumpur.” This time I smiled too, that dreamy feeling swelling in my chest. “First stop, Batu Caves. It’s over four hundred million years old.”

“Oh lovely, a history buff,” Luca muttered.

“Shut the fuck up,” Branka snapped.

“Better watch it,” the third man remarked. He was at the funeral earlier too. Alessio’s friend, I guessed. “Or you’ll end up six feet under.”

Alessio didn’t spare either one of them a glance. I dropped my gaze to my hands, his cologne seeping into every single pore of me. We might as well be alone because my body was only attuned to him.

Like the entire world ceased to exist, and he was the only human that mattered.

It was petrifying, thrilling and exhilarating all at once. I had never felt such attraction towards anyone. The last time I felt my blood buzzing like this was the day I first saw him.

I swallowed nervously, flicking a gaze to my best friend, and the rest of the men around the table. Could they feel the air sizzling?

I resisted the urge to shift in my seat while Alessio adamantly stared down at me. His eyes moved slowly down my body, leaving a trail of fire erupting in its wake. Suddenly, I regretted wearing a short dress. I needed to hide, cover every inch of my skin because I feared he’d be able to see what he was doing to me.

My fingers curled into my palm, nails digging into my flesh, as I fought the urge to cover up. He was calm and collected while I burned with a craving that threatened to turn me to ash. A pulse throbbed between my legs, causing my thighs to clench.

Alessio’s gaze flickered and I knew, just knew, he noticed my movement. When his lips tipped up, I got my confirmation. He read me like an open book. Something dark and hot lurked in his stormy eyes that suddenly didn’t look so cold.

I gulped, attempting to calm my racing heart.

Casually, yet I’d bet my life that it was on purpose, Alessio leaned back and rested his arm behind me. He hadn’t touched me, but my skin tingled like he had. The heat of his body snaked through the space between us. His spicy, sandalwood scent enveloped me and even that turned me on. Fireworks exploded through my bloodstream.

I pretended to be unaffected, but my heart thundered so hard, I was certain everyone could see it beating out of my chest.

Fuck, why didn’t I sit on the other side of Branka?