Page 184 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 10

"I guess you could say that." She knew I bought that country club. But she was still surprised to see all my cars. And surprised that I lived in a nice apartment building. She really had no clue who I was. And she was still standing here with me. With a smile on her face. And I didn’t have the slightest idea why.

She looked around the elevator like she had never been in one before. But certainly she had. Maybe just not one with doors on either side that opened directly into apartments.

The elevator stopped. I took out my apartment card, swiped it through the reader, and the doors parted.

She stood there for a moment like she had never seen anything cooler.

I grabbed her hand and escorted her into my place.

"Wow." She walked down the few steps from the elevator and looked around. She was standing in my living room, which was surrounded by windows that overlooked the small college town. I walked over to the fireplace, touched a button, and a flame burst to life. I knew what she was probably thinking as she looked around. There was no T.V., no magazines on the coffeetable, and the modern couch looked like no one had ever sat on it. The kitchen to the right had granite countertops and shiny new appliances. And there was a dining area with a vase of fresh flowers in the center of the table. But it looked like no one lived here. It looked like the model home they used for display purposes only. It was cold and uninviting. But I didn’t have good memories to fill pictures. Or anything I wanted to share. It was just me here. Alone. Until her…

Ever since Ian told me the place looked cold, I’d been worrying about bringing Penny here. But it was like she brought life to the place when she stepped into my apartment. It wasn’t that she didn’t fit. She fixed it. She fixed everything.

Her eyes stopped at the flowers on my dining room table. "Oh, Professor Hunter. Thanks for the friendship roses."

I laughed. "You're welcome."

"But really, thank you. How did you know I was going to agree to skip class anyway?"

"I just hoped you would. And I know that I can be pretty persuasive."

"Yes, you can."

She started looking around again and I realized I was being rude by just staring at her. “Okay, so this is the living room." I walked over to her, grabbed her hand, and steered her to the windows all along the back of the apartment. The lights from the small shops on Main Street made the view of the sweet town even lovelier. I wrapped my arms around her.

"It's beautiful,” she said.

"You're beautiful," I whispered into her ear.

She laughed. "I'm a mess."

I was sweaty from the beach and my skin was tight from the saltwater. But she looked perfect. And despite the sunscreen and ocean water, I could still smell a subtle scent of cherries on her skin.

She ran her fingers through her hair.

"Well, I was thinking maybe a quick shower could be the rain portion of the date you requested."

"Actually, that sounds perfect. Are you sure that's okay?" She turned around to face me.

Did she think I meant I was just going to let her shower by herself? That wasn’t my plan at all. I smiled down at her, already thinking about her naked skin dripping with water. "Come with me." I grabbed her hand and led her to my bedroom, one of the closed doors next to the kitchen. I flipped the lights on.

My bed was in the center. Pristine white sheets just begging for me to get dirty with Penny. I turned on another light and stepped into my walk-in closet. She looked around the large space. There was a whole row of white collared shirts and suit jackets. And below it, all my pants were folded on hangers. Shoes lined the bottom of the closet.

"You really don't need your sweaters back." She was staring at the dozens that were folded on shelves next to my dress shirts.

I laughed. "I'm afraid I don't really have anything for you to change into." I opened up a few drawers.

"Could I just borrow one of those shirts?"

I handed her one of the V-necks from the drawer I had just opened, switched off the light, and led her to the bathroom. There was an elegant bath to the left with a few steps up to it. And attached was a shower with three glass walls. The vanity was to the right and the only things on it were my toothbrush and some toothpaste. If she was still searching for something personal, she wasn’t going to find it.

I switched on the shower as she was looking around. Then I came up to her and slowly unzipped her hoodie. She didn’t need to hide. Not here. No one would ever find out about us here. I slowly slid the fabric down her arms, pushing her hoodie until it fell to the ground. Only she could make a hoodie sexy. I pulled her tank top up her sides and over her ribcage, trailing my fingers along her soft skin. She lifted her hands in the air and I pulled it off over her head. I undid her shorts and then slowly slid them off her hips. Since her bathing suit had been snatched, she was left completely naked in the center of my bathroom. Her skin was a little bronzed from our time in the sun, despite her insistence she’d burn. There were more freckles beneath her eyes too, and I found myself leaning in closer to see them better.

"Do you mind if I join you?" I asked. I could already feel myself growing hard again.

She shook her head.

I slowly undressed. I wanted her again. I wanted her here, in my apartment, in my shower. I wanted her to be mine. I stepped into the shower and she followed me.