The Billionaire's Bought Bride and Instant Mom Chapter 65

Aveline

"Married?" Bryce repeated, his eyebrows shooting up in genuine shock. "Oh my! You're so young, I just assumed you were single!" He quickly waved his hands in a placating gesture. "But don't worry, my dear, I'm absolutely not here playing cupid! I would never try to help my grandson win over women—that's something a man has to accomplish on his own merit!"

I managed a polite smile, relieved that he seemed to be backing down from whatever scheme he'd been hatching.

Bryce stood up from his chair, straightening his flamboyant velvet blazer. "Well then, I should be going. But please," he added with a conspiratorial wink, "don't mention to my grandson that I stopped by for a chat. If he knew I was meddling in his business, he'd probably ban me from seeing Ryan altogether!"

I nodded, rising to escort him out. But just as Bryce reached the door and stepped into the hallway, he suddenly spun around and darted back into the office, his eyes wide with alarm.

"What's wrong?" I asked, startled by his abrupt return.

"My grandson just walked in!" Bryce whispered urgently, glancing toward the corridor. "I need to make myself scarce!"

I stared at him in disbelief. One Blackwell wasn't even gone yet, and now another was arriving? This was turning into a complete circus.

"Quick!" I hissed, grabbing Bryce's arm and guiding him toward the tall bookshelf behind my desk. "Hide back there and don't make a sound!"

I had just managed to get Bryce concealed when the office door burst open with enough force to rattle the frame. Orion stood in the doorway, his imposing figure filling the space, his dark hair perfectly styled despite the obvious urgency that had brought him here. His sharp suit and controlled expression couldn't quite mask the predatory intensity burning in his dark eyes.

Looking at his devastatingly handsome face set in such determined lines, I couldn't help but find the whole situation ridiculous.

"Well, well," I said with mock sweetness, settling back behind my desk with deliberate nonchalance. "To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure? I distinctly remember you telling me that your... personal issues... didn't require my professional services."

Orion stepped into the office and closed the door behind him with a soft click that somehow sounded ominous. He moved toward my desk with the fluid grace of a predator stalking its prey.

"I also told you," he said, his voice carrying that dangerous undertone that made my pulse quicken, "that you and I had unfinished business."

Despite my attempt at casual indifference, I felt my heart rate spike. But I forced myself to maintain eye contact, determined not to give him the satisfaction of seeing me flinch.

"So what brings you here today?" I asked with false brightness. "Wasn't your background check thorough enough? Are you here for some kind of hands-on investigation now?"

Something predatory flashed in Orion's dark eyes. "Why would you ask that? Afraid of what I might uncover?"

"What am I supposed to be guilty of?" I shot back, lifting my chin defiantly. "I'm not some criminal mastermind you need to interrogate."

He moved closer, circling around the side of my desk until he was standing directly beside my chair. The expensive fabric of his suit brushed against my arm as he leaned down, bringing his mouth dangerously close to my ear.

"Aren't you?" he murmured, his warm breath sending involuntary shivers down my spine. "Because last I checked, what you did to me in that hotel room might qualify as several different crimes."

My legs turned to jelly at his words, heat flooding through me despite every rational thought screaming at me to maintain control. How could he say something so provocative in broad daylight without an ounce of shame?

But instead of pulling away, he moved even closer, his hand coming to rest on the back of my chair, effectively trapping me in place.

"Tell me, Aveline," he continued, his voice dropping to something almost intimate, "what exactly has your conscience so troubled?"

I forced myself to meet his penetrating gaze, my voice coming out steadier than I felt. "My conscience is perfectly clear, thank you."

"Is it?" His free hand moved to the edge of my desk, and suddenly he was leaning over me, his face mere inches from mine. "Because your pulse is racing so fast I can see it in your throat."

"That's called being alive," I managed to say, though my voice came out breathier than I'd intended. "You should try it sometime."

The air between us was electric, charged with something dangerous and intoxicating. Orion's cologne filled my senses, and I could see the flecks of gold in his dark eyes, could feel the heat radiating from his body as he hovered over me.

For a moment, neither of us moved. The tension was suffocating, exhilarating, and I found myself leaning slightly toward him without conscious thought.

Just when I thought I might do something incredibly stupid—like close the distance between us—a loud, deliberate cough shattered the spell.

Orion jerked back as if he'd been electrocuted, his head whipping toward the sound. When he spotted his grandfather emerging from behind the bookshelf with an amused expression, his face went through several shades of mortification.

"Grandfather?" he said, his voice slightly strangled. "What the hell are you doing here? I thought you left after dropping Ryan off."

Bryce brushed imaginary dust off his velvet blazer, looking entirely too pleased with the drama he'd just witnessed. "Funny," he said with obvious entertainment, "I was about to ask you the same thing. Didn't you have that urgent morning meeting you couldn't reschedule?"

Orion's jaw tightened visibly, clearly caught in his own lie. "I was... checking on Ryan's adjustment. Making sure the transition back to school was going smoothly."

He moved toward the door, but his steps were hesitant, conflicted. At the threshold, he paused and looked back at me, and I saw something raw and unguarded flash across his features before his mask slipped back into place.

"This conversation isn't over," he said quietly, and there was a promise in his voice that made my stomach flutter with equal parts anticipation and dread.

I responded with my most dismissive eye roll, which only seemed to intensify whatever dark thoughts were playing behind his eyes.