Chapter 29

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It was not atypical for it to rain in Fall, but unusual torrential downpour never fails to grate on the nerve of the unprepared. And this was the case of Emery.

She saw it coming but still cussed her luck and all the weather forecasters in Manhattan as she packed her car by the curb, adjacent Menzgold.

Emery yanked off her seatbelt but stayed in the comfort of her car as she pondered on how to maneuver into the empty club. Without turning up at his doorstep looking like a baptized rat.

"Damn this. A little warning would do next time." she cried out in the silence of her car.

From her side window, Emery watched as the rain bore down heavily, hitting the glistened road with such agility that dared her to step out.

She was highly tempted to turn around and drive back home. But looking back at how she had managed to drive through the heavy rains for the last few minutes, going back was clearly out of the equation.

With steel-like resolve, Emery opened her side door and dashed out of the car. With a speed that would have shamed only her grandmother. Her behind alone pulled her back a few yards, and the slippery flops adorning her feet did not help matters either.

The icy rain bit into her skin, soaking her clothes as she raced into the building. But after a few artful words and steady military march, she was welcomed by the warmth of the elevator.

Bracing herself as the lift soared higher, Emery rubbed her arms to shake off the cold and to keep her nerves in check as well.

What if he doesn't want to see me? His behavior earlier was clear enough.

The ding of the elevator startled her out of her thoughts. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out and shuffled towards the suite.

Still lost in her mind, she did not see Samuel who was coming out of the suite thus bumping into the man.

"I'm so sorry-"

"Its all good, miss Hamilton." Samuel offered her a polite smile as he steadied her on her feet.

The wet patches on his crisped black suit had Emery grimacing. "Um… is he OK? Is he in?"

"I will definitely be unemployed tomorrow but yeah…. If you go and the door is locked, access code is 25909," Samuel said.

"Thanks." Emery gave him a gentle smile and strode towards the suite.

The door was indeed locked like Samuel had predicted, and she was quick to punch in the code before it escaped her already dense mind.

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Sprawled on a Persian rug beside the fireplace, Billion gazed upon the swirl of liquid pouring down the heart of the city through the glass panes.

"Clearly she won't be stupid to drive in this downpour." he mumbled under his breath.

"Billion?"

Billion jerked up, supporting his weight on his elbows. Surely his ears were deceiving him. He sighed in relief when there was no sound or movements for a while, and made to lie down again.

"Bill?" the same voice called once again from the doorway.

Damn this girl!

Billion sprang up and pranced over to the front door, ready to send her back like an unwanted gift. However, his anger extinguished instantly upon seeing the girl at his doorstep. 

She was drenched from head to toe, her dark matted hair falling into her face messily. And despite her sun-kissed tone, she was visibly pale from the cold.

"Hey." Emery mumbled with a wavering smile, her teeth holding onto her lips tightly in order to stop them from chattering.

Billion never blinked as he stared openly at her. He was furious with her for being so reckless by driving through the rain. And it took a clenched jaw not to lash out at her.

"Are you alright?" she asked, her eyes raking over him innocently.

Instead of an answer, Billion left her at the door and stormed out of the living room.

The hell?

Emery reeled back and forth on her heels for what felt like hours, wondering where he had stormed off to.

She rubbed her arms vigorously to shake off the cold shivers. "He doesn't even look that drunk. I can't believe I drove all the way up here for nothing."

Emery huffed in agitation and spun around to leave. But the stomps of feet down the corridor brought her to a standstill.

Glancing over her shoulder, she frowned when he walked over to her, with what looked like a blanket in hand.

Not uttering a word to her, Billion draped the wool gently over her shoulders and stirred her towards the bedroom.

Emery held her tongue and followed him solemnly. Heat crept up her face when her gaze unconsciously shifted to his firm ass with every stride he took.

Oblivious to the show he was putting up, Billion led her into the bathroom. He hunched over the tub and dipped a finger inside to check the temperature of the water.

"I picked some dry clothes for you." he pointed to the items on the bed.

Not waiting for her reply, Billion walked out of the bedroom.

Emery looked away from the closed bedroom door and turned towards the bathroom that was now clouded with vapor.

Considering their exchange at the parking lot a few hours ago, his behavior did throw her off guard but she was not going to waste another second in her bone-chilling clothes when a tub of bubbling water awaited her.

Scuttling into the bathroom, Emery shut the door for more privacy and stripped. A moan slipped out of her lips when she stepped into the muscle-soothing hot tub. The hot water indeed sieved the coldness out of her bones whilst his signature sandalwood smell calmed her.

Minutes later, she shuffled into the bedroom, clothed in a white bathrobe that swallowed her whole.

Her eyes raked over the neat and spotless room in awe. The place looked different from the last time she was there. It felt more homely.

The natural walls in the bedroom were now a deep shade of blue and the expensive black decors had been switched to white.

Raised on a huge fluffy Persian rug at the center of the room was the neatly laid bed—its silk covers, reminding her of a fantasy night in the Arabian desert.

From where Emery stood beside the huge flat screen, she could see the city lights against the grey night sky through the balcony doors. It was still pouring but not as heavy as before.

She tore her eyes from the scenery and inviting bedding likewise as the enticing thoughts bathed her skin in tingles.

She strode over to the bed where a red flannel and a brand new Kelvin Klein short laid. She adorned the clothes in a span of minutes, sliding the shorts lower for firmness.

She made her way to the living room to thank her host for the hospitality.

Her gaze fell upon his figure on the huge colorful rug beside the lit fireplace. It was an enthralling site with him lying on those lush pillows and silk covers. More so, he seemed composed than before.

Sensing her stare, Billion pointed to the coffee table where a mug sat.

Emery looked from the steaming coffee and back at him. She eased into the couch and grabbed the warm mug.

"Thanks…" she sighed when she got no response from him and took a sip of the heavenly drink, revering in its warmness.

It was blissful, sipping coffee made by Billion Miles Dekker in the comfort of his home, on a rainy night.

"I'm doing a little renovation in the bedroom but…" his words seemed to catch as if he was also reminiscing the events from that faithful evening when he had stubbornly signed her out of his life. 

"It should be conducive for you." He added, very lowly but Emery heard him since she was paying keen ears to his every word. 

"O no, this is your house. I will be leaving once the rain subsides anyways. Staying on the couch for some few minutes won't hurt." 

A prolonged awkward silence followed her reply. Having in mind that perhaps he was in deep thought, she left him alone and went back to her coffee.

"Why did you come?" Billion asked all of a sudden but never met her gaze as he laid on his bed for the night.

Emery glanced down at him. "Well Sam-"

"I know Cooper called you. But you could have refused, so why did you come?" he demanded, turning to stare directly at her.

She gulped at the intensity of his gaze and quickly averted her eyes. "I wanted to make sure you were OK." she muttered into her mug.

"And you care because?" he queried in all haughtiness.

Her eyes shot up to meet his. What kind of question is that?

"Because I simply care." Emery threw back at him, already bristled by his words.

Her defense took Billion by surprise, but he was still in doubt where it concerns her. She was in love with another man, and never did she put his feelings into consideration before rejecting him. Twice.

"Look, I know you're upset about what I said the last time but I'm really sorry for that. I never meant to hurt your feelings…"

"Well you did," Billion said gruffly, "but what is it to you if you trampled upon the entire world just to get to fucking McLean," he seethed. 

The nerve of this man!

Her anger might have overshadowed the sting of pain his words drew because she mounted the coffee mug on the table and traversed over to him in furry. 

"I only did that because Nicholas threatened to call us out on the contract! I did it for us!"

Us? That word stirred a familiar warm feeling in Billion's chest. There might be an us for them but it only existed in a certificate that branded them something other than strangers.

But he swore to never dwell on that while her heart belonged to another man. They were better off this way. As mere acquaintances and his conscience forbade him to think otherwise, knowing he couldn't grant her deepest desires.

She was still hovering over him, her eyes stern as she looked down at him like a scolding wife. The latter thought truly warmed Billion's heart. But from where he laid, the sight was also carnal provoking—if the way some part of his anatomy pulsed counted.

In one swift move, Billion pushed himself off the rug and took a step closer. He heard her sharp intake of breath, her chest heaving lightly as if she was trying to suppress her emotions. She was deliberately avoiding his gaze again, and it took everything in Billion not to pull her into his arms and make her acknowledge his very presence.

"Us?" Billion taunted. "I never knew there was an us cause if I remember correctly, you refused to let us happen." he added teasingly yet menacingly.

Emery's gaze shifted to her flops as her stomach flipped in a hot mess from the closure. "Let's talk when we're both in a pleasant mood. Goodnight." with that, she turned around to leave.

"You're being a coward. Again." Billion intoned, his indirect insult, pricking a nerve.

"I am not a coward, Dekker." she said crossly.

"Then prove me wrong Em cause I'm sick and tired of you acting as if what we have means nothing." he retorted in equal frustration.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she defended, but her surly voice sure gave her away.

"Oh you don't?" Billion minced with much more intensity. "then I might as well show you."

Before she could even turn and cowardly walk away from him again, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into his chest—his lips slipping onto hers before she could think of more lies.

And for someone in such denial, she was more than eager to savor those enticing taste of him again. Grabbing a fist full of his shirt, she kissed him back with an equally burning fervor. Her stomach curled, her knees weakening as he eagerly tasted her with his tongue and warm mouth. And more so the tender way he held her in his arms.

Panting and clutching unto each other desperately to take as much as was given, he pulled back gently, his fingers caressing her soft cheeks affectionately. The rumble of rain somewhere in the distance, matched the beat of their leaping hearts as they stared into the depths of each other's eyes.

Against all reasons, Billion needed this girl like he had never yearned for a woman before. And he sure as hell wasn't going to let her go without a fight.

His fingers slid from her waist as he grabbed her hand gently in his, and placed her warm palm against his racing heart.

"It is always out of control whenever you're near. It needs you to stop running, Em. It needs you here," Billion confessed, his warm breath fanning her wet pink lips.

Her eyes held his steadily for a second, probably searching for an ounce of lie or joke in his open admittance. But Billion felt like he had been stabbed a thousand times in the heart when she said nothing in return and averted her gaze.

Of course she did not believe him. But he didn't blame her. With his reputation, who would? He was only making a fool of himself by letting his guard down and inviting her in. His hands fell from her waist and he backed away from her.

"Bill…" she called gently, grabbing him by the wrist.

Words seemed to have failed Emery because his confession did take her off guard, but she yearned to show his man what he does to her as well—emotionally and physically.

Without hesitation, she stood on the tip of her flats and pressed her lips against his. Billion's chest filled with warmth from the act. Pulling her gently into his chest, he kissed her with all the love his heart could render. Her delicate fingers found its way underneath his shirt and she eagerly touched him, glad to feel his warm skin for the first time.

Billion's heart thumped feverishly, the dam of restraint breaking when she tugged at the hem of his shirt impatiently. Reluctantly, he unlocked their lips, a wishful smile taking over his face when she released an impatient sigh from the lack of contact.

Even though her beautiful caramel eyes were dilated with pleasure, there was also some form of uncertainty in there. And despite the burning desire seeping through Billion's bones, mutual consent was key to him. There was no going back after this, and she had to avow it as well.

Cupping her cheeks, he held her equally hooded gaze and asked, "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes…" she said while meeting his gaze.

That was all the answer Billion needed before his lips met hers once more, hot and demanding this time as his warm tongue sorted her shy one out in desperate need. With all the gentleness his masculinity could provide, he swept her into his arms, and once her hands were secured around his neck, he took long powerful strides towards his Persian bed.

To make love to his woman.

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