Seducing the Billionaire's Wife(21)
Her brown eyes widened. “Bridesmaid?”
Nodding, he said, “Yes. I want Hannah to have the wedding of her dreams.”
“Wedding of her dreams,” she repeated, then she took a step back and gave him a forced smile. “I’d love to help you and Hannah. How romantic of you to give her something so… special.” She looked away, a hand going to her face to wipe away the tears she was trying to hide from him. “If you’ll excuse me, I have an urgent call to make.”
Ella practically ran out of the room.
Drew scrubbed his hand over his face. “Damn it.” It hadn’t been his intention to make her cry, but he hadn’t led her on. Ever.
His phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen. His father. He had no desire to talk to him.
His phone buzzed again. This time, it was a text from Connor.
Sucker. You should have told the old man to shove it.
Before he could answer, his sister’s text came through.
LONDON: I’m so excited for you! Finally, I won’t be the only girl.
His phone continued to buzz, chirp, and ring until he shut it off with a growl. Apparently, no one could be trusted to keep his personal life private. Although, he doubted very much that Hannah or her grandparents had told anyone. They weren’t the kind to gossip.
An overwhelming urge to see Hannah hit him hard. Why shouldn’t he go to her? Why should he keep to Charlotte while she waited for him near the coast? She had practically ordered him come back on Saturday… yet six days seemed like an eternity. He couldn’t wait an eternity to be with her again.
He refused to wait a minute longer.
Mind made up, he stalked to the door as Blake burst inside.
“Where do you think you’re going?” his friend said, his blue eyes blazing.
None of your damn business. “I need some air.”
“Ella’s crying.”
“I know.”
Blake shoved him, his hands clenching into fists. “I should make you bloody pay for that.”
“But you won’t,” Drew said, irritated as hell that his friend would think he was solely responsible for Ella’s emotions. “I haven’t led her on. I haven’t done a damn thing to make Ella think I was interested in more from her.”
“Of course you haven’t. A man such as yourself, with ice for blood, would never make a woman think she was interesting, or had a fucking chance with you.”
Drew met Blake’s furious gaze head-on. “You’re pissed because I didn’t encourage Ella? I’m her boss, for God’s sake, and it’s not my damn fault.” His anger grew the more he spoke. “I didn’t say anything to her or attempt to embarrass her. At all. In fact, I’ve been pretty fucking tolerant.”
That seemed to calm Blake down a bit. “You’ve never been with Ella?”
“I can’t believe you would ask me that.” Drew pushed past him. “What kind of man do you think I am?”
“A better one than I am, mate,” he heard Blake say as he strode to the elevators.
“Let Ella know I’ll be gone for the rest of the week.” The doors opened and Drew stepped inside, pressing the lower level button. “She’ll need to rearrange my schedule.”
Blake appeared, stopping the doors from closing. “Where are you going?”
“To see my wife,” Drew said.
Obviously nonplussed, Blake moved his hand and the doors began to close. “Well, don’t let me keep you.”
*
Hannah was in the middle of cleaning the kitchen, singing along to Taylor Swift’s Style, when her doorbell rang. She cut down the volume on the radio before washing her hands.
The doorbell rang again and again. Her lips flattened. Only Fischer would ring that many times, and only to annoy the crud out of her.
“Coming,” she sang out as she hurried to the front door and opened it. “I swear, Fischer, if you’ve just come by to use my bathroom, I’ll smack you upside the—”
Drew stood there, wearing a suit sans the tie. His dark hair gleamed in the sun, and his sexy, green-eyed gaze made her entire body light up with awareness.
“Upside the what?” he asked.
“Huh?” she asked, trying to wrap her mind around his unexpected visit.
“I assume you were going to say head.” His lips twitched a little, his dimple appearing. “Sounds like Fischer is a thorn in your side.”
“Oh, that,” she said with a grin. “Yeah, he’s himself.”
“I hope you don’t mind, but I decided not to wait until Saturday.”
“Why would I mind?” She was about to lose her mind with confusion, joy, anxiousness, and a healthy dose of desire, but she didn’t need to let him know all of that. A girl had to keep her secrets after all.