Page 54 of The Billionaire in Her Bed

He frowned. “Why me? What does she want?”

“Who knows? She didn’t say.” Paige looked over her shoulder and swore under her breath. “I was hoping to hustle you out of here, but she’s on her way over. I hope you can diffuse this without creating a scene.”

“Trust me. Whatever it is, I’ll take care of…”

The words curled up in his throat and died when he caught site of the woman storming her way across the room. In other circumstances, he’d be admiring her long legs in her open-toed stilettos, the way her fire-engine-red dress clung to her breasts and hugged her tiny waist before flaring out at her hips. Now all he could focus on was the murderous glint in her eyes and the steam practically coming out of her ears.

“Told you she was pissed,” his sister warned as Brooke bore down on them. “Is she one of your exes or something? Are you sure you didn’t break her heart?”

No, he wasn’t. But she might be about to break his.

He acknowledged what he’d been shoving to the back of his brain for weeks. He was in love with Brooke. Why else would he barely bat an eyelash when Simon confessed to having a fling with his PA? Why else would he do a complete one-eighty on his plans for Candy Court?

And now he was going to lose her, unless he could convince her that he wasn’t a complete douchebag for lying to her.

“I’m out of here,” Paige said, turning on her heel and sprinting for the door just as Brooke was about to reach them.

“Good luck, big brother,” she called over her shoulder. “Remember, no ugly scenes. It’s bad for business.”

“Thanks for nothing,” Eli muttered at her retreating back. But Paige was right. He didn’t need her as backup. This was something only he could fix.

“This was what you meant by ‘I’m in finance.’” Brooke stood in front of him, fists on her hips, feet firmly planted at least twelve inches apart. Her Wonder Woman power pose, reserved for when she was really fuming. Like now. “According to my parents, you’re some sort of hotshot real estate mogul. And here I was picturing you bent over a calculator, crunching numbers.”

He scrubbed a hand across his freshly shaven jaw. “We need to talk.”

“No shit, Sherlock.”

His eyes flicked around the jam-packed ballroom. Way too many witnesses within earshot. “But not here.”

“What’s wrong with here?” She waved a hand wildly. “I’ve got nothing to hide.”

“You might not. But I do.” He reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, but she flinched and pulled away. “Please. I promised my sister we wouldn’t make a scene. Geek Girls was our parents’ brainchild. It’s really important to her.”

And to him. But not half as important as Brooke.

She huffed out an exasperated breath. “Fine. But not for you. For your sister. And because it’s for charity.”

He didn’t dare try to touch her again, so he motioned for her to follow him into the hallway. He took a sharp left, heading away from the hotel lobby and the overflow crowd gathered there, and opened the first door he came to, which turned out to be a supply closet.

“In here.” He stood back and held the door for her to precede him.

“Are you serious?” She peered in at the shelves of toilet paper, soaps, and cleaners. “You realize this is a closet, right?”

He leaned against the open door. “Which pretty much guarantees we won’t be interrupted.”

“If it means we can get this over with, then I’ll go.” She pushed past him. “But don’t blame me if it’s a little cramped.”

Get this over with. Didn’t sound promising, but he hadn’t madeFortunemagazine by giving up when the going got tough. There was one, big difference, though. This wasn’t some cold, impersonal business transaction. This was his future. This was Brooke.

He wiped his damp hands on his tuxedo pants and followed her into the closet. Brooke stood with her back to him, her shoulders pinched together.

“Let’s have it,” she said without turning around. “I can’t wait to hear your excuse for letting me believe you were a normal guy.”

“I am a normal guy,” he insisted.

She turned to face him. “You know what I mean.”

“I never set out to lie to you.” Lame, he knew. But he had to start somewhere.