Billionaires Dollar Series

“That I’ll never hurt you? No, I suppose I can’t.” His jaw works, like he’s angry at the fact that he can’t. “But I promise that it’ll never be intentional. That I’ll make up for it if I do.”

I look away from the fire in his eyes. My stomach feels like it’s clenching so tight my muscles will be sore tomorrow. “What are you suggesting?”

Liam steps closer, a warm hand closing around my arm. “I want all the mundane things we laughed about. I want to waste my day texting with you. I want to have missionary sex. I want to go on dates, and have you laugh at me, and make mistakes and apologize for them.”

He’s so close, so present, that he drowns out even the vastness of the ocean beyond. My breath feels short. “Liam…”

“I know Jason was an asshole, and that he hurt you. But I won’t.” He guides my hand to his chest, pulling it flat against his warmth. “I’ve always been the happiest when I spend time with you. It was as true twenty years ago as it’s been these past few weeks. I don’t know how I forgot that, after I moved away from here.”

I wet my lips. Forming thoughts feels difficult-forming words even more so. “You chased your goals,” I murmur.

“I chased prestige,” he says. “I realize that now. Ethan and I were competitive, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But competing now, when we’re both adults and I’m apparently the only one still in the contest… it’s mildly pathetic.”

A surprised laugh slips out of me. “Only mildly.”

“Thank you.” His hand covers mine completely, warm and dry. “You’ve always been kinder to me than I deserve.”

I look at my fingers peeking out beneath his. My nails are round, his square. His fingers long where mine are short. “If you need time to think about it, I can give you that,” he says. “Perhaps a minute or two. Maybe even five.”

I snort. “You were always impatient.”

“The worst,” he says, and there’s something in his voice… I meet the familiar green eyes, the ones that I somehow lacked for a decade of my life.

“Why me, though?”

His eyes widen. “Haven’t I just explained that? Childhood friends, excellent conversation, kindness… you’re funny, you know me, I feel myself when I’m with you.”

The words land like a balm over my skin, but it doesn’t stop my fear from bubbling to the surface. “Liam, in the short time I’ve known you again, I’ve already met two women you’ve been in relationships with. You needed a fake fiancée. The jewelers knew you by name because you buy women so many gifts! That life’s not for me. That lifestyle. And I can’t… Liam, you realize why that scares me?”

His face is set in determined lines. “I do. Truly, I do. But I’m not Jason. I’ve never once cheated on anyone, and I’ll be damned if I’m about to start now. Maddie-hey, Maddie, look at me. Do you know why the jewelers knew me by name?”

“Why?”

“Because that’s where I buy my mother’s gifts. Mother’s Day, birthday and Christmas. I have for years. They have her ring size and color preferences on file.” He smiles softly, his hand coming up to cup my cheek. “The only woman I’ve ever bought jewels for is… well, you.”

“Me?”

“Your ring,” he murmurs. “The one we picked out together.”

I swallow hard against the sudden lump in my throat. “You genuinely want to be in a relationship?”

“With you, yes.”

My other hand joins the one on his chest, taking in the solid feel of him beneath my hands. “I work a lot.”

“So do I,” he says.

“I want to open my own restaurant.”

“And I want to run the most successful hedge fund in America. I don’t know what we’re doing here, by the way, but I’m game.”

I bite my lower lip to keep from smiling. “Stop distracting me with jokes when we’re having a serious discussion.”

“I can’t help it,” he says. “The longer I can keep you from saying what I pray you won’t, the better.”

“You think I’m about to turn you down?”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

The smile on his lips doesn’t meet his eyes. “Aren’t you, though?”

“No. No, Liam, I…” Shaking my head, I stand on my tiptoes and press my lips to his. They’re frozen in surprise under mine.

But then he kisses me back so sweetly that it aches, hands tightening around my waist. “I’m not turning you down,” I murmur. “Even if I’m still annoyed at you for not showing up yesterday.”

His smile is one of genuine relief. “Of course. I’ll let you cook me lunch every day for a week as penance.”

Laughing, I push at his chest. He staggers back without a shred of hurt on his face.

“That’s not punishment!”

“Then make me your prisoner,” he teases, hands circling my wrists like manacles. “Do whatever you want to me.”

“That doesn’t sound like something you’d dislike.” My chest feels light, airy, echoey. “This is scary, Liam.”

“Being with me?”

“Being with anyone. I’d sworn it off after Jason, not letting myself… I promised I wouldn’t get attached to anyone, but here I am.”

Long fingers slide under my jaw, tipping my head back. Goose bumps dance across my skin. “You’re attached to me?”

“Dreadfully,” I say. “I don’t know how to stop.”

“I hope you never do, because Maddie, I think I’m awfully attached to you too.”

I give a mock shudder, swaying closer to him. “What are we going to do about that?”

“I don’t know,” he admits, his warm breath ghosting across my lips. “We’ve been careless.”

“The worst.”

“Just like when we were kids.”

“At least there were no broken bones this time.”

“Just an impaled hand.” His fingers slide through mine, grazing the edge of the gauze. “How’s the injury?”

“Will you just kiss me again?”

“Now who’s impatient?” he murmurs, but he’s smiling, lowering his face to mine. It starts out gentle, but like so often between us, the kiss soon grows heated. His hair is soft through my fingers and his body firm against mine. He’s a mile away from the boy I’d known-and I’m not the same girl, either-and yet he’s everything I remember. Everything I want.