Falling Hard (Billionaires in Disguise: Lizzy, #1) by Blair Babylon Page B

fingers trailed down his back and slipped
under his belt in back. Muscle rounded both sides of his spine.
    He untangled her arms from his body and
leaned back in his chair. “That would just get me more keyed
up.”
    “Really? Most guys roll over and go to sleep
afterward.”
    His mouth curved just a little, another
attempt at a smile. His hazel eyes softened. “Look, I’m not being
coy and I’m not leading you on, but let’s not rush. If, say, we did
like each other,—”
    She liked him.
    “—we’ll never get this time back.” He swooped
in and kissed her.
    His mouth was gentle on hers, just brushing
her skin. She opened, and his lips parted, too. The malty scent of
the beer swirled in her mouth, but she could taste him, a clean,
male taste, on her tongue.
    Desire sparked through her.
    Lizzy was used to that. It meant nothing. The
zaps never went anywhere. It was all just static arcing between
storm clouds for her. The electricity never condensed and became
that bolt that shattered her.
    Except that one time.
    But with Theo, the buzzing of electricity
seemed stronger, but it was probably just her imagination.
    As Theo backed up, his breath had turned
ragged, but his eyes had begun to shine with amusement again. His
hands were still around her face, and he rubbed her lower lip with
his thumb like he would like to still be kissing her. “So let’s not
rush.”
    Lizzy considered throwing her arms around
him, dragging him down to the soft carpeting, and rushing things.
“Yeah, it’s not like life is short or anything.”
    He blinked, and his eyebrows flinched
downward like a bright light had flashed in his face, but he sucked
in a deep breath instead of saying something. “So, about
tomorrow.”
    Tomorrow was Friday.
    Lizzy relented. “Yeah. I’ll text you where
Georgie and I are going to be.”
    “I was hoping that I could take you out,
maybe for supper.”
    “My roomie has insisted that we go dancing
tomorrow night.”
    His smile grew, and she could have sworn that
his dark gold eyes actually deepened a few shades. “Dancing.”
    “Yeah. Dancing.” She really wanted to dance
with him again. “You gonna show up?”
    His sweet smile melted her heart a little,
and she wondered if she should believe him when he said, “Of
course. I love to dance.”

The Dom-Date: 2
    That night, after Lizzy spent an hour
giggling and exclaiming in wonder at Bruce’s katas —and he
really had come a long way from that awkward geek who had booked
one of her first appointments two years ago,—she strode through the
corridors of The Devilhouse toward the ladies’ locker room to
change out of her bright-blue beaded cocktail dress. Bruce was a
sweet guy. She had accepted his invitation to watch his brown belt
test, watching his eyes to make sure that he understood that she
was there for moral support and in friendship.
    Bruce was also a smart guy and understood the
limitations of a Devilhouse relationship.
    Lizzy pried her high, high heels off her sore
feet and held them by the heels. The bones in her feet groaned as
they settled, adjusting to standing flat-footed on the cool
carpeting in the hallway. Old breaks in her toes protested, and
Lizzy rolled her ankle, loosening the ligaments.
    Down the corridor, The Dom turned the corner
and walked toward her. He was so tall that he looked lanky, even
though she had seen how ripped his forearms were and how broad his
shoulders were under that suit jacket.
    Lizzy’s heart hopped under her ribs. She
grinned a bright, sunny smile, refusing to look morose.
    One side of his mouth smiled at her, and his
eyes softened upon seeing tiny little Lizzy standing there,
massaging her own foot. “Are you finished for the day?”
    “Yep. Gotta study for a few hours before I
can crash.”
    His smile warmed just a little, maybe with a
tiny bit of fondness. “Are you all right to drive home?”
    The Dom called the car service if he so much
as suspected anyone was impaired.
    “Oh, yeah. I’m