Beauty and the Billionaire (The Boys of Hudson Burrow Book 3) by Hayden Hall

Author:Hayden Hall [Hall, Hayden]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-11-07T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 9

Mine, Only Mine

Dominic

The apartment was dead quiet when we walked in. I flicked on the lights on the upper of the two floors, giving the place some desperately needed warmth. It was mostly bare and done in minimal design, lacking all the character of Harringford Manor and matching the way I felt about the city and its people. Normally, it wouldn’t jump out at me like this, but tonight, it felt empty and desolate. It felt like it was lacking so much, and I couldn’t help but consider it my fault.

Zain and I walked over to the lounge that offered a brilliant view of the city’s glimmering lights. I poured myself a drink and then offered Zain a Coke. He took it and sat down while I walked over to the fireplace and turned it on. The heating system worked, but the fire gave the room an extra touch of coziness, especially when paired with the smoky flavors of my drink.

“Did you enjoy yourself?” I asked.

Zain looked at me with a mix of gratitude and fascination. “I thought that was obvious.”

“Just making sure,” I explained.

He sipped his Coke. “It’s so beautiful up here.” His big, brown eyes were wide as he gazed out at the sprawling Central Park and the towering buildings on both sides. “The best view money can buy.”

I smiled to myself, looking at the rim of my glass.

“I’m sure you’d say you prefer the quiet forest,” Zain said.

It dragged a laugh out of me. “I do.”

“Away from the society,” he went on.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Depends on the society.”

He cocked his head. “Really? How did we get there?”

I couldn’t tame the corners of my lips. They kept moving up. “I’m not entirely sure, but it’s possible that not everyone is the same.”

Zain chuckled sweetly. “It’s possible?”

I played into it, shrugging. “I’ll have to commission a study on it, but I suspect not everyone is an asshole.”

“I can’t believe my ears,” Zain said elatedly. “Dominic Blackthorne, the great lover of humanity.”

I snorted and downed my whiskey. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I just think…” I considered what I wanted to say, and Zain waited patiently. “I don’t think your friends are such a bad bunch.”

Zain lit up and looked down; his ears perked, and his smile was contained. He got up and neared the large glass wall to look at the city below. “It was wonderful tonight.”

I said nothing. I let him have his moment.

“You dance well,” he said.

My heart glimmered with some strange emotion. The sensation spread to my stomach, fluttering and heating up. He was only a couple of feet away from me, so when he turned to face me, we were very close.

“Thank you,” he said softly.

“You don’t need to thank me,” I said, setting my glass on the mantelpiece above the fireplace.

“I know this isn’t your kind of entertainment,” he said. “But you put on a brave face.”

“I didn’t need to put on any face,” I assured him. “You made it easy.

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