Page 73 of Reckless Devotion

My interest piques. Could that be…a flush of color across his high cheekbones? It’s hard to tell in this light, but he’sdefinitelyavoiding looking at me.

“Huh,” I respond slowly, leaning forward.

He lifts his hand to brush a lock of hair that falls into his face back and I take the opportunity to pounce, launching myself in the direction of his pocket.

“Hey!” He clamps his arms around me, landing me effectively caged in his lap.

Damn, I didn’t think this through. I slip my hand between his arm and torso, sliding the paper from his pocket.

He goes still as I stare down at it. I fuckingknewit looked familiar. “Where did you get this?”

Silence. I twist to look at him, finding our noses just inches apart. I hold the crumpled leaflet up, but he doesn’t look at it, instead weighing his response.

“I took it from your office.”

My stomach plummets. “Why?”

“Because I saw in your diary that you had a vacation booked with Sunny and I felt bad for ruining that.” The arms around me become soft, holding me instead of keeping me there.

I consider retreating to my own chair, but I’m too stunned to make the move. “That’s why you asked us here?”

“It’s what gave me the idea.” He cants his head cautiously, as if waiting for me to blow up.

My gaze tumbles to the beach house advertisement leaflet, every irritated word I can think of sailing away on the ocean breeze. “That’s…very sweet of you.”

“It’s the least I could do.” He rubs a hand slowly down my spine, giving me a moment to collect myself. I take it gladly, allowing him to hold me as I stare at the moon, leaning back into his embrace.

It’s cozy and warm in the nook of his neck, and I get the dangerous feeling that nothing bad could ever reach me here, caged in his arms. That’s not true, though. Bad things can always reach you, which is why I spend all my time on such high alert. I sigh, suddenly feeling exhausted. I’m always running from something, whether it’s a physical thing or just my own anxieties. I wouldn’t change being responsible for Sunny for the world, but the worry that I’m fucking it all up is eating away at me.

“What are you thinking?” His chest rumbles against me, a large hand swiping my hair away from my face.

“That I’m a fuck-up,” I say honestly.

He angles my face up to look at him. “You’re not a fuck-up, Pepper.”

“Yeah?” I huff, averting my eyes away from the fierce glint in his eyes to focus on his mouth. “Then why do I feel like one?”

He chuckles, a low silky sound that makes my toes curl. “I’m going to let you in on a secret. Even the people you think have it all put together, they also have no fucking idea what they’re doing.”

I scoff.Yeah, right.“Says the billionaire who made his first million at twenty-one.”

He grunts, his face screwing up for a moment. “I hate that fucking word.”

“Billionaire? You can give that word to me, if you hate it so much. All it takes is one little bank transfer.” I smile, sneaking a glance up at his eyes.

He rolls them. Hard. “I’m grateful for my success, but sometimes I’d like to be just Chase. Not billionaire heir, or playboy bachelor, or whatever else the tabloids call me.”

My forehead creases as I try to hold back my laugh. I make a big show of checking my pockets, and then turn my attention back to him. “Sorry, I can’t find a violin small enough.”

He laughs, his arms squeezing me tighter. I can’t help but laugh too, taking an inhale of his masculine scent.

“Thanks for that, dickhead.”

“You’re so welcome, Chase.” I grin into his chest, lifting a finger to trace the small hairs that sit in the hollow where his collarbones meet. He lets out a deep sigh and drops his head to lean on mine.

“Can I ask you something?” I start tentatively, struggling to navigate this newfound closeness between us and where the boundaries lie.

“Anything.”