Love and War with the Billionaire

Mila nodded. “No problems so far. But I had a good guide.”

Parker gave her a weak smile. “Is he being nice to you?”

“Yeah. I mean, you know, for Maddox.” She picked at her food, wondering if he’d thought about her at all that night.

Parker kept his eyes on her. “I was wondering because when he stopped in, he asked if you’d complained about anything.”

Mila shook her head. “No complaints.” Except that she sincerely hoped that Maddox wasn’t messing with her head.

“He sounded worried,” Parker added with perhaps a touch of suspicion.

Mila half smiled. “I highly doubt that. You know how he is better than me.”

Parker snuggled back into his pillows. “In any case, just do what I told you and things will be fine.”

Mila wondered if that was true of everything else involving Maddox.

After eating and watching part of a movie, Maddox texted her to meet him in the hotel gym. Apparently the dinner meeting had ended early. Mila apologized but Parker waved it off. He was half asleep anyway.

When she entered the gym, she found Maddox running on a treadmill. Didn’t he ever get tired? “What do you need?” Mila asked over the noise.

Maddox slowed down and grabbed a water bottle. Sweat dripped down his face and his hair was stuck to his forehead. From the looks of things, he’d been back for a while.

When he caught his breath, he said, “We’re making a detour between stops this weekend. We’ll need to reschedule a couple of things.”

“Oh…” Mila held up her tablet to make notes.

“My sister is available this weekend, so I’m going to see her. I wasn’t sure when we could arrange it, so it wasn’t in the official itinerary. But don’t tell anyone. It’s none of their business why things are being rearranged. If they give you flack, send the call to me.” His voice sharpened and she pitied anyone who would take that chance.

“Okay.” She wasn’t sure why, but Maddox liked his privacy.

“Parker will stay here until he’s well enough to travel.” He toweled off his face as he talked.

“So…will I stay here with Parker?” Since visiting his sister was a personal thing, Mila figured he’d leave her behind somewhere. Or send her home, which made her stomach knot up.

“Is that what you want?” Maddox set his intense eyes on her.

Mila blinked. “Well…I…you’re visiting family, so...I figured you’d want to be alone…” Mila’s eyes darted to the side as he stared at her. What did he want her to say?

Maddox half smiled and leaned back on the treadmill. The tough, terse CEO was gone again, and she was just talking to a normal guy. “I’d like you to meet Nikki. And she lives in a beautiful home in Provence if that tempts you to accept.”

It did tempt her to accept. That and the deep gleam in his eyes now.

“So…you’re inviting me to come?” she said in a quieter voice in case anyone could hear them.

“I’m going right now so I can easily bring you with me without raising suspicions.” He also lowered his voice.

Mila hugged the tablet as her heart pounded against her chest. “Really?”

“You should pack.” After guzzling more water, he added, “I take it you’ve gotten over whatever you were upset about earlier.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She was still reeling that he wanted to take her to Provence. To meet his sister.

He shrugged. “You ignored me all day and only said something if I asked you a question.”

“You were working.” She thought that was obvious.

“And you were mad about something.” He wagged his eyebrows.

Mila squared her shoulders. “Who says it has anything to do with you?”

“I didn’t say it has anything to do with me.” He glanced up at the ceiling. “But now that you mention it…I guess it does.”

Mila could feel her face start to get blotchy from embarrassment. She tightened her arms around the tablet. “I’m not mad.”

“You seem mad.” A smile tugged on his lips.