Share
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Related chapters
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
BRANDON'S POVEverything went in a blur while on the drive to the office, my head running full of thoughts about the spat with Natalie. I could see her face all too clearly, and now it seemed she had been angry, hurt, and unwilling to listen. I could feel the scene replaying before my eyes as my hands tightened further on the steering wheel, and I so badly wanted to have done things differently, wanted her to give me a chance to explain.But she hadn't. Not like she used to.She hadn't been warm. She had said all the right things, but she still hadn't been warm.I drove into the underground garage of the Martinez Building. Familiar surroundings that did very little to ease the tension starting to knot in my chest. I blew out once, then stepped out into the large echoing sound of footsteps in the cavernous, quiet space to get into the elevator. I bent forward toward the lighted buttons as if by pushing one in with more vigor than usual, it would take longer to register so.How could it
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Natalie's P.O.V.I sat in the office, feeling tons of paper was due on me, the morning sun lighting the restaurant right through the windows. But I just sat there working those numbers, though my mind kept going back to the fight the prior night that Brandon and I had had. It was tension like it had never been between us, and I was feeling more of the sting from his words, hurt boiling underneath the anger.Wouldn't allow the luxury of it. Not now. Work had always been my solace, my refuge from the tempest that rattled at the gates of my personal life. Today would be no different.I exhaled and pushed thoughts of Brandon to the back of my mind, burying myself once again in the reports in front of me. My restaurant was doing well—I needed to do well. I had to be top, right from the word go and to make sure everything was perfect, more so now that we were entering into peak season.There was a very light, soft knock that soon ushered in heavier raps before I was seized from my inventory
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Brandon's POVI was staring out from behind the desk in my office through the mountain of papers right before me. The words and numbers written across the pages were totally lost on my mind, which was walking miles away to the house, back to last night's argument with Natalie, during which I replayed every single heated word and cold glance she threw my way.The friction between us had drifted to a peak; and her presence had me obsessing about her at each moment, as much as I tried to concentrate on only my work, where she was or what she was doing, and most importantly if she was upset with me.I had never been one to let personal problems come between me and the job; in my book, business was business, and it always had to be. Oh, but that was really quite different when it came to Natalie. There was something about her that lay in my skin and made me question all I thought I knew about the way I reacted.The most painful thing of all was that which I didn't know: if she cared for me
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
NATALIE'S POV“What are you doing here?” She asked, looking down at the sheets of paper in front of her."I needed to talk to you,” I replied, shoving my hands in my pocket.“You could have waited till I got home. There was no point in coming here.” She kept her eyes glued to the paper.“It couldn't wait.” I moved closer to her.The next moment, she simply glanced at me without a single word, fixing me with those bright eyes of hers. Then she rocked backward in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. "About what? You and your ex-girlfriend showing up at my workplace, trying to remind me of your history together? Your ex-ex-girlfriend already filled me in, so you don't need to waste your time telling me again.”“No, Nat.” A bitter fierceness underlined her words; I winced. "I do know you have every right to be angry, but whatever Arlys said — it is a lie. She and I broke up years ago; there is nothing left between us."Her eyes turned back to me, filled with hot anger. "Then why
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
BRANDON'S POVNatalie's fingers tangled in my hair as she pulled me closer, her lips moving against mine with a fervor that equaled mine. I could feel the uncertainty on her tongue, her heartbeat fast against my chest, but there was something else there, something deeper, something that felt a lot like the emotions I was trying so hard to deny.I didn't want to let her go. I didn't want the spell cast between us to shatter. It was finally too much, and with a sigh, reluctantly, I pulled back to lay my forehead against hers as we both worked for breath. Her lips were swollen from kissing and I had to admit that she looked sexier.We both just stood there in silence for a moment. The sound was that of ragged breathing, the only feeling that our hearts thundered to a matching rhythm. Lying there with my eyes closed, I was half-afraid that if I opened them, one blink and this moment would shatter, sending us hurting with a rude crash, back into that gosh-awful reality we had been living.
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Natalie's POVI stood right in the middle of my office, staring through the door Brandon had just walked out of. I indeed did have a thousand different thoughts swirling inside my head. His kiss was still fresh on my lips, his touch scorching to the tips, and the things he had said still echoing in my ears—that he cared for me, that he had feelings for me. Now, it was as though everything that I had ever thought about this marriage, about us, lay toppling to the ground, over and lay there, topsy-turvy.How could I set this straight? It was like grasping at smoke with my bare hands. That was supposed to be a concocted business contract, nothing now…now it had turned into something, something so much dirtier.My door creaked just about when I was going down, lost in thoughts. I turned back to face Brandon again, but the head poking in was Hailey's. Her eyebrows furrowed, a mix of worry and concern."Natalie?" she asked hesitantly. "Are you okay? I saw Brandon leaving… Is everything all
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
I bit my tongue on my coffee the next morning when Brandon offered to give me a lift to work. I nearly choked on my coffee. He stood there a bit back-leaning in the corner of the kitchen, and his eyes nailed mine. I almost felt that my heart missed a beat."Want a ride?" he asked in an ultralow voice.I blinked, trying to figure out his words. "Uh, sure," I let it out, revealing how clueless I was.I finished my coffee and followed him out of the house. To my surprise, he opened the car door for me and closed it after I went inside. The drive turned out to be musings. Brandon appeared different, less tight, less on edge. There was a weighty silence between us but not tensely so, as if both were becoming comfortably accustomed to this strange particularity. I shot a glance at him from the corner of my eye and wondered what could have caused the change.As we pulled in front of the restaurant, he turned towards me with a little smile. "I'll come pick you up later if I finish early at
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER THIRTY
Brandon's POVThe sun had barely heated the rims of the horizon when I pulled up to headquarters. By most standards, it's early, but today I need to get an edge. If what happened with Natalie last night has anything to say on the matter, I'm more driven than ever to square things—not just those between her and me but all around.I got out of the car and started up to the entrance, but was hardly aware of the confusion or whatever it was up near the security desk. I squinted, trying to figure out what was going on, and there was my stomach, which twisted right away at the sight: a familiar figure, Arlys, whose voice rose in frustration with an altercation against security guards."Let me in! I have every right to be here!" she was saying, her strident voice slicing through the room. The guards, to their credit, stood firm, not letting her past the threshold.I gathered my pace together, now heading directly towards the scene. A cold anger started bubbling up within me. What in God's na
Latest chapter
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER FIFTY
