Yours Completely (Billionaires and Brides 1)

He walked out of whatever conversation he had been having with Leo and Gabe, leaving them staring after him to meet me at the bottom of the stairs.

“Ava,” he whispered, waiting for me to descend the last stair. “You came back...”

“You can't get rid of me that easily.” I grinned, my heart pounding in my throat. “Especially when you offer me dream vacations to Paris.”

He blushed slightly, the edge of the scar on his cheek going white. “Oh, that.”

“Yes, that.” I took a step forward, feeling braver by the second. He seemed happy to see me. “Even without that, I couldn't stay away. You didn't have to do that.”

“I wanted to.” The honesty in his light eyes made my stomach do happy flip-flops.

“That's why it means so much to me,” I told him. I couldn't stop smiling. “It's everything. Thank you.”

He raised his hand, moving it like he was going to pull me into a kiss, but then he stopped and let it fall. He looked past me and frowned, taking a step back. The light in his expression was now tempered with caution. “Why did you come back?”

I turned to see what he was looking at. Chad. The woman with the diamonds was now flirting with one of his cheaply-dressed friends and he was sipping on champagne that he couldn't afford. I could only imagine what he had told Bastian.

“There's something I need to tell you,” I said quietly, biting my bottom lip. I knew I was probably smudging my lipstick, but if my nervous biting hadn't worn it off by now, nothing would. “Something important.”

Bastian's eyes darkened with seriousness, but flooded with concern at the same time. He took a step forward, ready to protect me, even from my own words. “Anything.”

I glanced back over at Chad. “Somewhere private?”

He nodded and took my hand to led me from the staircase. I could see Charlotte making her way down. Leo's eyes fixated on her and I wondered for a moment what was going on between the two of them. I didn't get to see what happened next because Bastian was pulling me into the next room. We hurried out to the back porch.

Outside the murmur of the music filtered through an open window somewhere, but it was soft and muted. The ocean hummed against the shore, dark water against white sand. I was suddenly incredibly nervous about being alone with Bastian.

He hadn't lost the guarded expression. In fact, as soon as the door swung shut, he dropped my hand and went to the railing to look out at the beach without me. The loss of his touch hurt like a physical wound. The waning moon shone on his dark suit and caught the dark edge of the scar along his cheek.

“Why are you here, Ava?” Bastian's voice was low, but I could hear the quiet anguish in his voice. His hands tightened on the railing making his knuckles turn white.

“I'm here for you.” My voice shook. My whole body was shaking. I felt naked even with the beautiful dress and perfect makeup.

He forcibly relaxed his hands from the railing and turned sharply, his eyes catching the moonlight. “Why?”

I swallowed down the fear and turmoil roiling up in my throat. This wasn't exactly the greeting I had been promised by Charlotte.

“I had to see you,” I whispered, taking a step forward. He retreated slightly.

“You said that when you left, you were gone.” His beautiful eyes were like stars in the night sky: distant and cold. “I was told you were seeing someone. That you had been seeing someone when you came here.”

“What?” I shook my head confused. “I wasn't with anyone but you. I don't want anyone but you.”

His hard expression flashed with hope for the briefest second before his brows came together again like storm clouds. “Please explain, then.”

The breeze off the ocean tugged the loose strand of hair across my face and I carefully tucked it back where it belonged before starting. I was surprised I could talk at all my stomach was so tangled up in knots, yet the words came smoothly.

“When I left, I was sure I didn't deserve you,” I started. I looked at his hands, remembering how they felt against my skin. So strong and safe. “I still don't think that I do, but I can't be without you.”

I glanced up from his hands. His face was still hard, his expression unreadable. I smoothed the fabric of my dress.

“I'm not worthy of a billionaire. I'm still a little broken and I'm not used to any of this,” I motioned to the party behind me, but I looked up and into his eyes. “But, I was wrong to leave. I was wrong to push you away because I was afraid. I guess if anything, it just shows how much I don't deserve you.”

My voice failed me at the end and I had to look away.

“And you didn't go home to be with someone else?” he asked. He sounded far more calm than I was. Almost business like. I looked up and into his beautiful, sad eyes and realized that he was using his business voice and face to keep from crumbling.

“No,” I replied emphatically. “Who ever told you that was a liar.”