Ellie stared, still trying to read Baz’s expression, her pulse going haywire under his thumb… He had to hate her. She hated herself right now, the way she had for so long afterwards, once she’d discovered what had happened to him.
‘Please Baz…’ She tugged her hand, but he held on.
‘Calm down,’ he said. ‘I’m not mad at you. Not anymore.’
But then his thumb stroked the inside of her wrist. The swell of desire, deep in her abdomen only made her feel worse, about herself, about their past. How could she be aroused when he probably thought she was pathetic, her excuses even more so.
‘I did something unforgiveable,’ she said. ‘You nearly died and I…’
‘Stop…’ he said, pressing a finger to her lips. ‘No, you didn’t,’ he said so softly, she almost couldn’t hear him above the noise from the bar. But then he skimmed a fingertip across her cheek and hooked a lock of hair behind her ear.
She shuddered, his touch both tender and yet unbearably sensual.
‘Ellie, you probably saved my life that night.’
‘B-but…how? You got knocked over while trying to escape. Because of me.’
‘Ellie… You told me not to go that night, but I didn’t listen.’
He cradled her cheek, the callused skin sending shivers down her spine.
‘You told Wilson, because you cared, Ellie. And you were right to be scared, because Clanton’s gang would have killed me eventually.’
Her breathing became laboured, the intensity drawing her back to that awful night, when the home had been in uproar…
But then Baz’s lips quirked. It was the same sensual smile he’d given the older girls in the home who had adored him, promising something she hadn’t really understood then, but did now.
‘Getting hit by that police car wasn’t just the wake-up call I needed. It was my way out.’ He chuckled, that unruly thumb caressing the pulse in her neck. ‘That night was the reason I turned my life around. I’m in a better place now.’
‘You are?’
His blue eyes sparkled with amusement at her stunned reaction. But underneath she could see genuine approval.
‘I’m not giving you all the credit, because I’ve worked my arse off since. But… Don’t feel bad about ratting on me. Okay?’
The breath trapped in her lungs gushed out.
He tugged her closer, until his lips hovered above hers. ‘In fact, I should thank you properly.’
A soft sob escaped as his mouth covered hers. The kiss was supposed to be quick, fleeting—a thank you between friends who had shared a difficult childhood. But as soon as his lips touched hers, she opened for him instinctively, encouraging him in.
His tongue tangled with hers and need yanked at the hot spot between her thighs, the kiss becoming searing and hungry in a heartbeat.
He dragged his mouth free to press his forehead to hers.
‘How would you feel about taking this trip down memory lane somewhere more private?’ he asked.
The shot of need was strengthened by relief—because he didn’t hate her after all—and exhilaration—because their kiss was full of possibilities she wanted to explore.
‘I—I live at Westwick Hall,’ she said. ‘It’s about twenty minutes’ drive…’
‘Let’s go.’ His quick grin bathed her skin in glorious heat as he tugged her out of the booth. ‘My motorbike’s parked right outside.’
Log in or create an account to read the next chapter of "Expecting the Billionaire’s Heir"
Every month we select a new title from one of our authors so that you can discover new stories, locations and genres for free.