Page 136 of The Elusive Billionaire

“Casual.”

Madi’s smile widens. “Beach or mountain?”

“Beach.”

“Indoor or outdoor?”

“Outdoor.”

“Sailboat or rollercoaster?”

Savvy taps her chin with her pointer finger. “Sailboat.”

“Hot or cold?”

“Hot.”

The sound of my fingers hitting keys fills the silence until I finish typing Savvy’s final response.

“Okay, Grey. Your turn. Close your eyes,” Clover says.

I scowl at her for three long seconds, then begrudgingly follow her command.

“Picture yourself and Savvy together.”

That’s easy. Every damn time I close my eyes, visions of her rise like smoke.

“Now,” Madi says. “Build the perfect date in your mind and tell us what it looks like.”

Salt air.

Ocean breezes.

Private chef.

“The perfect date would be at a small private bungalow on the beach.” My voice is low, hesitant. It’s a weakness I force out with a cough. “The ocean would be calm and crystal clear, with a slight breeze that sways the empty hammock.”

The muscles in my neck release the vicious hold they always have on me as I fall deeper into the fantasy. It’s so real, I can almost taste the salt air on my lips.

“We’d have a private chef make us dinner. Lobster thermidor for Sav, surf and turf for me. He’s serving us at a table for two right on the beach that has sheer netting to keep any bugs away from Savvy—mosquitoes especially like her.”

My lips split into a smile. “We’re sitting on a raised platform, and all around us is decorated with those stupid twinkly lights and flameless candles so the breeze doesn’t extinguish them, but we aren’t across from each other. We’re side by side so I can hold her hand as we stare out at the ocean. She’s on my right because she can’t eat with her left hand, but I make do.”

Somehow, I conjure the sound of a pop and woosh in my mind—muscle memory kicks in, and it’s as though the bubbles are bursting on my tongue. “Our waiter opens the champagne and offers Savvy the first taste. It’s a very pale shade of pink because she prefers the slight sweetness of it. It’s…peaceful.”

I tilt my head down as my mind spins the tale in a dirty direction, and I pop my eyes open before it can get out of hand. The last thing I need is to sprout a boner with Savvy’s best friends in view.

Across the table, Madi’s eyes are wide and glassy. Clover’s chewing on her bottom lip, and when I drag my gaze to Savvy, she’s pale and trembling.

“Shit.” I snap my attention back to Madi. Seeing Savvy this way cuts deeply. It’s a knife to the gut that just keeps twisting and turning. “What did I do wrong? What did I say?”

Madi covers her mouth with a shaky hand. “Nothing. You didn’t say anything wrong.”

My neck cracks as I spin and turn from one face to the next. “Then why are you all staring at me as if I just kicked a goddamn puppy?”

Savvy’s chair screeches beside me, and she stands before I can stop her. “Sorry,” she mumbles. “Just…excuse me for a second.”

The short red skirt she’s wearing flows behind her as she rushes from the room.