Page 15 of Suddenly Desired (APEX Billionaires’ Club #2)

ELLIE

At first she wasn’t sure if it was him. He looked different, his hair hidden by a cap, a pair of glasses perched on his nose. He was clean shaven, and his casual jeans and polo shirt didn’t give much of a clue as to who he was.

But there was something about the way he carried himself, something unmistakable.

She followed him across the floor of the library and halfway down the corridor to the reading rooms, her heart thudding harder with each step.

When he turned his head slightly, that jawline gave him away, and she knew for certain.

“Blake?” She lightly touched his arm. There was nobody else around, but she spoke in almost a whisper so as not to give his identity away. He turned, his startled expression changing instantly to one of delight.

“Ellie!” he said, and he’d opened his arms before he even seemed to know he was doing it.

Ellie had to hold back from throwing herself at him, instead leaning in and kissing him on the cheek.

His arms folded gently around her back for a moment, holding her tight.

He smelled amazing, like sandalwood and citrus, and she let herself rest against the hardness of his chest. He let go too soon, and she took a reluctant step back.

Her cheeks were on fire, and she waved a hand in front of her face.

“Really hot in here,” she said, trying to cover her embarrassment. “Are you hot? I’m hot. Really hot.”

Blake chuckled, his eyes sparkling behind the glasses. “It’s definitely warm.”

“Roasting.” Stop talking, Ellie.

“What brings you here?” he asked, still smiling, and the way his voice softened made warmth pool in all the softness of her body.

You , she wanted to say, relief washing over her now that she’d found him.

It had been a ridiculous long shot coming here, a spur-of-the-moment decision after last night.

She hadn’t been able to shake the image of him walking away, his shoulders weighed down by more than just the coffee-soaked hoodie.

“You know,” she said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Work. LifeWrite stuff. Speaking with you last night motivated me, you know? I wanted to strike while the iron was hot and what better place to do so than a library?” She looked over her shoulder to make sure they were alone.

“Are you okay, after . . . That barmaid never should have done that. She was way out of line.”

Blake sighed, pulling off his glasses and dragging a hand down his face.

When he slipped them back on, Ellie’s breath hitched.

The way the frames hugged his sharp features only emphasised the striking intensity of his eyes — eyes that burned with a quiet strength, yet carried a vulnerability that made her chest tighten.

The contrast was intoxicating, a mix of control and rawness that had her pulse racing.

“She had every right to do it,” he said. “If she believed I said the things on my Heartbook profile then she was actually entitled to do a lot worse.”

“But you didn’t do it,” Ellie said, moving closer to him so that she could keep her voice low.

“I know that,” he said. “But nobody else does. As far as the world is concerned, I’m a woman-hating monster.”

“You’re not,” she said, her voice resolute. “I don’t think you’re a monster at all.”

Blake managed a small, sad smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “You’re in the minority, then.”

Ellie shook her head, wanting to scream from the rooftops that this man wasn’t what everyone thought he was. But she was in a library, and whispering was all she dared manage.

“Did you look at them?” he asked after a beat. “The posts?”

She hesitated, then nodded. “Some of them.”

“Then I’m surprised you haven’t thrown something at me yourself,” he said. “I’m surprised you’re even talking to me.”

“Blake,” she said, her voice soft but firm, “it doesn’t take a genius to know when someone’s lying. I’ve only known you a day, but I’d bet everything I own that you didn’t write a single one of those posts. Not that I own a huge amount of stuff, but . . .”

He stared at her, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard.

“I’d testify in court if I had to,” she continued, her eyes locking with his. “I know .”

Blake exhaled, his shoulders easing slightly, and for a moment, neither of them spoke. The faint hum of the library filled the space between them, punctuated with the distant sound of footsteps on polished floors.

He nodded.

“All we have to do now,” Ellie said after a moment, “is figure out how to let the rest of the world know, too.”

Blake’s lips twitched — almost a smile — but there was still a heaviness in his expression. “Easier said than done.”

“We’ll figure it out,” she said confidently, surprising even herself.

“You seem so sure of me,” he said, his voice quiet, almost reverent.

“I am.”

His eyes searched hers, and the weight of his gaze sent a shiver down her spine.

There was so much vulnerability there, so much unspoken emotion, and she felt an overwhelming need to protect him.

But it wasn’t just that — she wanted to do more than protect him.

She wanted to close the distance between them, to feel his breath against her skin, to trace the curve of his jaw with her fingertips.

The thought of his lips on hers sent a rush of heat through her, and her heart raced, her body betraying her restraint.

“Thank you,” he said.

“For what?” Ellie hoped he couldn’t read her mind.

“For believing me.” His hand twitched as if he wanted to reach for hers but thought better of it.

She smiled. “Let’s just say I have a good gut instinct.”

Blake chuckled, the sound low and warm, and for a brief moment, the tension between them eased.

“You know,” she said, tilting her head, “you’re pretty good at hiding, but the glasses don’t fool me.”

He laughed. “Yeah, I figured.”

“Next time, maybe try a fake moustache,” she teased, and the sound of his laughter was like a balm to her nerves.

“Noted.” His smile lingered as he looked at her.

The air between them seemed to alter, the light-heartedness giving way to something heavier, more charged. Ellie’s pulse quickened, but she didn’t dare look away.

“We should find somewhere to sit,” Blake said eventually, breaking the silence but not the tension. “Away from . . . people.”

“Yeah,” Ellie said, her voice a little breathless. “Good idea.”

They walked along the corridor, peering in the reading rooms, and as they approached the room at the very end, away from all the prying eyes, Ellie couldn’t shake the feeling that something between them had shifted again.

And she wasn’t sure if she wanted it to shift back.