Billionaire Bad Boys of Romance 2(92)

Oh God, was I in a worse position than ever?

When I heard the front doorbell chime, signaling Tevin’s arrival, I turned to my boss, and said, “Thank you for being so understanding.”

“You’re welcome.” She gave me a quick hug—something she’d never done before—then a little push toward the front lobby. “Now go. Have fun. Introduce that man out there to the beautiful, confident, intelligent woman that you are.”

Confident, I was not. Not in the least. “I will.”

Her expression sobered slightly. “Do I need to remind you of the rules?”

“No, of course not.”

She continued anyway, “Only one drink. Keep to public places.”

We’d already broken the second rule.

“No sex on the first date,” she warned.

My cheeks heated. That one, well, technically we hadn’t broken that one, since our first date had been the trip to Ludington. “No worries.”

“Good. Have fun.”

My heart started pounding again as I clattered down the hallway. I took a deep breath before opening the door leading out to the lobby. The extra oxygen did nothing to help settle the deranged butterflies zooming through my insides.

I pulled open the door.

Tevin was sitting on the couch, one ankle resting on the opposite knee.

He looked relaxed and so incredibly handsome. When our gazes met, a brilliant smile blossomed across his face, touching each feature. He pushed to his feet and started walking toward me as I clicked across the lobby’s polished stone floor.

“You look incredible,” he said, catching my hands in his as soon as I stepped within reach.

“Thanks.” Cheeks sizzling, I gave him a quick head-to-toe perusal. “You look pretty good yourself.” Laughing, even though my insides were a twisted up mess, I said, “I see you remembered our rules. Jacket, button down shirt, dress shoes.”

“I tried.” He motioned toward the door. “Shall we go?”

“Sure.”

He led me outside and into the waiting limo. Recognizing the driver, I gave him a little grin and a “Nice to see you again,” greeting as I ducked into the car. I watched Tevin climb aboard as I settled onto the buttery soft leather seat. He folded his large frame into the seat next to me and draped one arm over the back.

He smelled great. And, even though I was now more anxious than ever, I had to admit it felt good sitting beside him, the heat of his body warming mine. I gave an audible sigh.

“Am I that boring?” Tevin asked, laughter in his voice. He pinched my chin and turned it so I was looking at him.

Our gazes met, and my heart did a triple flip in my chest. I opened my mouth to respond, but he cut me off by slanting his mouth over mine.

My heart jerked. My lungs deflated. Then a surge of heat blazed through my body. I whimpered. I hesitated. And then, when I simply couldn’t fight it any longer, I surrendered. The kiss quickly changed from a soft seduction to a fierce possession. His tongue pushed into my mouth and filled it with his decadent flavor. As a rush of need blazed through my body, I melted against him, my curves pressing into his hard, lean bulk. A sigh slipped up my throat and echoed in our joined mouths when one of his hands cupped my breast. A buzz of electricity snapped and sparked all around us.

Never, not in my entire life, had I felt such overwhelming chemistry with a man. It was magical, and for one moment, I let myself hope it would never fizzle out, that it was real.

By the time the kiss had ended, I was breathless and a little dizzy and disorientated. Snuggling into his embrace, I murmured, “I’m so glad to see you. To be with you tonight.”

“I take it this means you’re not upset with me for talking to Marguerite?”

“No, I’m not upset. A little surprised, maybe. I thought you would pick someone else. Another girl.” I tipped my head back to find that he was looking at me with the oddest expression on his face. A chill swept up my spine. “Tevin, is something wrong?”

“No.”

It was a short word, and yet it felt heavy. “Are you sure?”

“Nothing’s wrong.” He cupped my cheek. “But there’s something we need to talk about.”

Random thoughts popped into my head. None of them made any sense, not after what he’d just done, talking to Marguerite about me. Was he about to give me the this-doesn’t-work-for-me speech? Already? Was he sick? Was he moving? Had he lied about something? “Okay.”

His gaze dropped. He slowly shook his head. “I don’t know how to say this. But I have to. I owe you the truth.”

The truth?

About what?

I swallowed hard.

I was about to be crushed. That had to be it.