Page 61 of The Renegade Billionaire

Unable to stop myself, I press the gentlest of kisses to her soft lips. When she gasps for air, I lift her upright.

She exhales. “We missed the sunrise.”

“I guess we’ll need a do-over then.” I lead her to the driver’s side door and help her into the cab, then wait until she slides to the middle. “I’ll see what I can do for date number two.”

“This was not a date, Braxton.” The exasperation she was going for isn’t quite packing the punch she intended. “A date requires you to ask me if I want to go.”

“I did. I asked if you wanted a ride last night. And this morning, I’m taking you home,” I smirk.

She drops her head to the back of the seat. “I swear you’re doing this on purpose. The entire town probably thinks we spent the night together.”

Now it’s my turn to groan. “I don’t give a shit what the town thinks, Madison. But when we do spend the night together…” I bite my lip until she looks at me.

“What?”

“When we do spend the night together, you won’t be going home carrying all this…frustration, I can promise you that.”

She gapes at me. “Pretty confident in yourself for someone who doesn’t date.”

“Baby, dating has never had anything to do with it…until now.”

When her mouth falls open and her face darkens to the pretty shade of red I’m starting to believe only happens for me, I put the truck in drive, more confident than ever that my shooting star wish is Madison Ryan.

14

MADISON

“’Bout time,”Pops says with a chuckle, catching me off guard.

Why did I ever think we’d be able to sneak in this morning?

“Pops, why are you waiting in the dark?” I turn on the foyer light, and he’s sitting in his recliner, wearing pajamas covered in turkeys with his hands clasped over his belly and a smile so broad his cheeks smoosh up like Santa Claus.

“Why are y’all sneaking in at six in the morning?”

“Ah,” Braxton’s voice cracks. “That was my fault. Uh…” He cuts a nervous glance my way then flashes Pops an uneasy shrug. “We had a flat tire?”

I groan, but Pops throws his head back and laughs while swinging his feet back and forth on the footrest of his recliner.

“Try again, boy. I didn’t let Madi get her license until she knew how to check her oil and change a tire.”

“Ran out of gas?” Braxton tries again, not even bothering to hide the humor in his tone this time.

“Gas station ain’t open yet.” If I didn’t know better, I’d say Pops is enjoying this just as much as Braxton.

“A bear was blocking the road.” Braxton crosses the room to sit on the sofa closest to Pops.

“What color bear?”

Braxton turns a cheeky grin my way. “Black bear.”

“She’s still telling folks there’s bears around here?”

“Pops,” I huff. He’s supposed to be on my side.

“Chin’s not lookin’ as bad as I thought it would,” Pops says, eyeing Braxton’s face.

“Not bad at all.” As if to prove his point, Braxton works his jaw side to side.