Page 31 of Falling for the Wrong Billionaire

"You like it?" I ask, softer now.

She finally looks up at me, really looks. And she melts, just for a second. "I love it," she whispers.

Good. That’s all I needed.

It takes her a minute to get her bearings again. But when she does, she glances toward the back and then back at me, nervous now.

"Do you… want to talk? Alone?"

I ask and she nods. "Yeah."

She gestures for me to follow her, and we duck into a little break room just off the hallway. It smells faintly of coffee and dog treats, and the tension between us is so thick I can barely breathe.

We stand there for a second, both of us fidgeting, neither of us quite knowing where to start.

And then —

"I just—"

She stops. So do I.

We both spoke at the same time.

We freeze, staring at each other.

"Go ahead," I say, forcing a little smile.

But she shakes her head quickly. "No. You first."

I arch a brow. "Ladies first."

Her lips press into a thin line, and she hesitates. Then she takes a deep breath and blurts it out.

"I just wanted to say… about the kiss. The other night."

I swallow hard, my chest tightening.

She won’t look at me.

"It was just… a thing of the moment," she continues, her voice almost a whisper now. "And I don’t… I don’t want it to mess up our friendship. I really value having you as a friend, Liam. And I just… I don’t think it should change anything between us."

I don’t move. Don’t speak.

Because for a second — just a second — it feels like someone stuck a knife in my ribs and twisted.

That kiss was everything to me.

But not to her. Or maybe she just won’t let herself admit it.

I force a smile, though every muscle in my body feels like it’s made of stone.

"Yeah," I say, finally. My voice is even. Calm. "You’re right. It doesn’t have to change anything."

She lets out a breath, shoulders sagging a little, and something in me aches at how relieved she looks.

"Good," she says softly. "I thought it would be harder than this."

I nod, even though her words hit harder than they should.