Billionaires Runaway Bride

“Oh, well, good thing I drove past you when I did, then.”

“And why is it you're driving this car today and not being ferried around by Alfred?”

“I prefer driving myself,” I replied. “I often have to use Alfred, though, just because of the volume of work I have. I can get quite a bit done in the commute if I'm sitting in the car working on my tablet instead of having to actually drive. Today's workload wasn't supposed to be too intense, so I decided I didn't really need to be driven around by someone else.”

She smiled and I couldn’t help stealing glances at her as I drove. The woman was breathtaking. I wondered if she realized just how much. I almost suggested that, instead of heading straight to her place, we could drive over to the beach and take a walk on the promenade.

I stopped myself before I said it, though; she had just made it clear that morning that she wasn’t interested in anything aside from focusing on the Harry Winston campaigns. Instead, I decided to just make light conversation until we reached her building. And so, I did. Though, I was tempted to take the long way just to keep the conversation going.

Twenty minutes later, I pulled up to the curb in front of her building to let her out.

“Thanks so much for the ride, Asher,” she said. “I appreciate it.”

“It was my pleasure. I enjoyed the company and the conversation,” I replied. “We should do it more often.”

“Maybe we should, maybe we should,” she said cryptically.

“See you in the office tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of the evening,” I called to her when she stepped onto the sidewalk.

“You, too! See you tomorrow.”

With that she turned on her heels and headed into her apartment building. I drove off, smiling.

Chapter Six

Lilah

After Asher dropped me off, I waited in the lobby of my building, watching as he drove away in his Maserati. I felt as if he'd been wanting to say something the entire drive from the office to my apartment, but had been holding himself back.

I couldn’t help but wonder if there was something he hadn’t said during the talk we'd had about our kiss that morning. To say that it had been somewhat awkward was an understatement. I can understand how some things might have gone unsaid. Things I wished I’d said had been on my mind all day—not to mention the kiss itself.

It had been an amazing kiss—I'd been aware enough to realize that. It wasn't as if we'd been blackout drunk. Both of us had known what we were doing, we had just had our inhibitions lowered. I couldn't deny that I'd wanted him to kiss me at that moment and that I'd thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.

But still, I had my questions regarding his motivations behind it and his interest in me. I knew, of course, that he was attracted to me—he’d made that clear. There wasn’t a single doubt in my mind of that. But, rumor had it that he was quite a ladies' man, and since he had neither denied nor confirmed this, I also questioned whether or not I was just another conquest for him.

It was easy enough to believe. Someone with his prestige, dashing good looks, killer body, impeccable sense of style, and billions in the bank could have practically any woman he wanted. He struck me as a man who was used to getting what he wanted—in life and from women. He came across as a smooth enough talker that I figured he had plenty of experience with women. So what was to say I wasn't just another name to add to what could very well be a rather long list?

The whole situation, to be honest, had me a bit perplexed. I needed to sort through all the mixed emotions I was having. I needed to have a good, in-depth conversation about it with someone who could understand where I was coming from, if that was even possible. And Eddie, bless his heart, was a man, so he wouldn't really be much help in that area. I needed Meg.

Meg had been one of my closest friends since our college days. We'd met as freshmen when we were both business majors, but she had dropped out of business school after a year and decided to become a lawyer instead. We'd maintained a close friendship, nonetheless.

I pulled out my phone and went through my contacts straight to “M.” I pressed the icon next to her name and waited for her to answer.

“Lilah!” she exclaimed as she answered. “Hey, girlie! What's going on?”

“Hey, Meg! Oh, a bit of this, a bit of that. Have you eaten dinner yet?”

“Not yet, no. I'm just about to get out of the office.”

“Perfect. Would you like to grab a bite to eat?”

“Sounds like a plan. Do you have anywhere in mind?”

“There's that new sushi spot that's just opened up a few blocks from your office. You know the one I'm talking about?”

“Oh yeah, I know the place. I've been wanting to check it out for quite some time now. How about I meet you there in half an hour?”

“Sounds great. See you then!”