Page 15 of The Morally Grey Billionaires Boxset

Liam

Her chin wobbles. Her gaze widens. The tension coils inside her until every line and curve of her body seems to be vibrating with it. Then she juts out her chin and says, "Nice try, but I’m not falling for this. What we have is a business transaction; I suggest we stick to that."

"We went past that into strictly personal territory a while ago, sweetheart."

She firms her lips. "Don’t fool yourself. Just because you kissed me—"

"You kissed me back."

"Doesn’t mean anything."

I pinch her chin so she has no choice but to meet my gaze. "Look into my eyes and tell me you don’t feel anything for me."

She swallows.

I hold her gaze for a few seconds more. "That’s what I thought... Whatever it is that’s bothering you, I’m going to get it out of you. This, I promise."

She jerks her head to the side and glances out the window. "Looks like we’re about to land."

The captain’s voice comes over the speakers, confirming what she surmised.

We snap on our seatbelts in silence, and after we land, I guide her to the waiting car that drives us to my estate. We ride in silence for a few minutes, then she asks, "So this island is near Venice you said?"

"It’s twenty minutes by boat."

She glances at the sparkling sand and the waves as we pass the beach.

In the distance, the spires of St. Mark's Church, a Venetian landmark, can be seen. Venice itself is bustling with tourists, but where we are is an oasis surrounded by an open lagoon and wild marshland. Trees line the road, and wildflowers abound on both sides. A peacock saunters by the wayside, it’s gorgeous blue and green feathers trailing behind it.

She sits up straight and points at it. "Is that a… a…"

"Peacock, yes."

"And it roams wild?"

"As do the more than a hundred other different species of animals and insects on the island."

"No predators among them, I hope." She laughs nervously.

The only predator you need to be afraid of is the one sitting next to you.

When I don’t reply, she turns to me and asks, "What did you say?"

"That you have nothing to be worried about. The wildlife on this island is not dangerous."

She stares at me from under heavy-lidded eyelids, then turns back to her perusal of our surroundings. For a few seconds, she says nothing. "It’s a gorgeous place," she finally sighs. "Who did you say it belongs to?"

When I don’t respond, she turns to face me. She scrutinizes my features and her gaze widens. "It belongs to you?"

I smirk.

"Of course it belongs to you. Why am I not surprised?"

"You’re going to marry one of the richest and most powerful men on the continent," I remind her.

She locks her fingers together in her lap, the skin across her knuckles stretching white.

"Hey..." I place my hand over her joined-up ones. Her fingers are ice-cold. "You don’t have to be nervous about anything. I promise, everything is going to be okay."

She chuckles. "Only a billionaire who’s insulated from the day-to-day happenings on social media would say that."

"It’s a choice, LadyBird. Either I spend all my time obsessing over what others think about me, or I can focus on what I want and let the others eat dust in my wake."

She hunches her shoulders. "You sound like Zara, and why LadyBird?"

"Listen to her then, if not me. And LadyBird because you’re cute and always just out of my reach. Also, how can I alleviate your nervousness about this situation?"

She chuckles, then shoots me a sideways glance. "You could always kiss me again."

My pulse rate instantly shoots sky high. My blood pumps through my veins.

We hold each other’s gazes, and the air turns electric. My cock stiffens. I lean in toward her, and she clears her throat.

"Forget I said that. I don’t know what comes over me when we’re in close proximity.

You short circuit all of my brain cells.

And now, I’m shooting my mouth off like a complete nincompoop.

Gah!" She squeezes her eyes shut. "I’m tired of making a fool of myself in front of you.

Tired of stressing about what the reaction is going to be when we get married, tired of…

being tired." She hunches her shoulders and lowers her chin to her chest. "What I wouldn’t give for one evening where I don’t have to think about the future.

I just want to let go of my worries for a little while, you know? "

I take in the downturned curve of her lips, the dark circles under her eyes, the hollows under her cheekbones.

My heart does a strange leap in my chest. My stomach muscles tie themselves up in knots.

Of course, I knew she was stressed but I hadn’t noticed the toll it was taking on her.

And I’m the cause of it. I push that thought away.

This is the only way forward for both of us.

Doesn’t mean we can’t live in the here and now and enjoy ourselves while we’re at it.

It’s why I’ve worked so hard all my life, for Chrissakes.

I lean in close and place my mouth next to her ear. "Your wish is my command."

She insisted on taking the room down the corridor from mine. I didn’t push it. She needs her space for the moment, needs to sort things out in her head, and I understand that. For now.

I also told her to freshen up and meet me downstairs.

My team deposited our bags in our rooms, and I changed into my work-out clothes and headed out for a run.

Now, I jog up the beach that runs around the villa.

My feet sink into the wet sand. The wind brushes my hair.

The afternoon sun rays warm my skin. My pulse settles a little.

An eagle circles lazily in the sky, riding the air current.

I follow the bird’s trajectory, watch as it swoops down to hunt its prey, then rises in the air again with a fish caught in its beak.

I thought I was the hunter in this relationship, but damn, if the net doesn’t seem to be closing around me instead.

I continue running when my cellphone vibrates. I pull it out and swipe; Hunter’s face fills the screen.

"Missing me already?" I smirk.

"Like I miss having my prostrate examined."

"Ouch." I decrease my speed. "What’s up?"

"A few of us were wondering where you’d vanished to."

"Just needed to get away before the big day."

"This have anything to do with the video that went up yesterday?"

"You saw it then?"

"Me, and three million others."

"Three million?" I come to a stop. Not that it matters to me, but it’s probably going to send Isla into a tizzy.

"In short, you two have gone viral. So, wherever you’ve escaped to, you may want to stay there until this blows over."

"It’s going to get worse—"

"With the wedding, yes." He narrows his gaze. "The attention is good for your impending IPO, even though it’s not the same bride you started out to marry. Still everyone loves a good wedding. The only way to trump that is if or when you announce the imminent birth of your heir."

I wince. That’s my plan, of course. Use the clauses of the will to further my share prices. But having him lay it out like that makes it all seem cold and calculated. Which is what it is. So why am I shying away from my actions?

"How’s Isla taking it?"

I wipe my face on the sleeve of my T-shirt. "It’s stressing her out. Maybe there’s an easier way to achieve what I want without putting her in the eye of the storm."

"You’re changing your mind about how high-profile you want the wedding to be?"

"Maybe."

"She knows about your plans?"

"Not really. This is supposed to be her showcase wedding so she can highlight just how well she can pull off a wedding of this magnitude. It helps exhibit her company in the best light."

"Hmm." He strokes his chin. "So, what are you going to do?"

"Definitely going to manage the situation so it doesn’t stress her out more, but at the same time, not diminish the benefits of sharing this wedding with the world… Which is what she wants… I think."

"You do realize what you just said is a contradiction? You can’t do both."

"I’m aware, but maybe I can." I turn and begin to jog toward the villa.

"So, you’re going to find a way to make it happen?"

"I have a plan."