The Billionaire from Her Past by Leah Ashton Page B

shrugged. ‘That’s a shame.’ Her gaze zeroed in on the coffee tray. ‘What do I owe you for the coffee?’
    â€˜ Nothing ,’ he said. ‘I’m not here just to bring you coffee.’
    â€˜Really?’ she said. She turned, propping her butt against the sink cabinet. She wore skinny black jeans beneath a long artist’s smock, liberally splashed with what he assumed was clay and glaze.
    Her feet were clad only in flip flops, her toenails painted a vivid red. They drew his eye, and also drew an unwanted memory of bare feet on the beach, sinking into sand as he and Mila sank into each other.
    â€˜So what do you want, then?’
    Mila’s voice dragged him back to the present. Her tone was strong and direct—like the Mila he was used too. Not fractured or abandoned. He’d never seen Mila like she’d been on that beach, even as a teenager. Friday had been something else—a different level.
    He’d hated to see Mila in pain. He’d hated to cause her pain.
    â€˜I want to fix this,’ he said.
    â€˜I thought I’d made it clear how our relationship would progress from now on,’ she said.
    She was meeting his gaze now. Her big blue eyes were luminous.
    â€˜I don’t want to just be another forgotten acquaintance on your friends list.’
    â€˜You want me to be a real friend?’ Mila said, very calmly. ‘Who you can have lunch with and buy coffee for—’ she nodded at the cups he still held ‘—and chat about current events and our lives and stuff?’
    He nodded, but he knew this wasn’t headed anywhere good.
    â€˜But not to kiss on the beach under any circumstances, right? Just so we’re both crystal-clear.’
    He couldn’t read her at all now. He didn’t know what she meant.
    â€˜Did you want that to happen?’ he asked, genuinely surprised. Although he wasn’t sure if he was surprised by what she’d said or the fact that she’d said it.
    He hadn’t allowed himself to reflect on what had happened, and the tension between them well before that kiss. He’d only focused on the fact that it shouldn’t have happened at all.
    â€˜No,’ Mila said. ‘I didn’t.’
    She said the words firmly, her gaze equally firm. But there was still something wrong. Something in the way she held herself and the way she looked at him. A vulnerability, perhaps, that made Seb want to fill the air with explanations.
    â€˜I just can’t do this, Mila. And not just with you—this isn’t about you. This is about me , and what a crappy husband I was, and how that proves I shouldn’t do relationships, that I’m terrible at them. I’d just screw things up and hurt you like I hurt Steph. And I just can’t face hurting you, and losing you, too—’
    â€˜It was a kiss, Seb, nothing more,’ Mila said, again with that relentless calm. ‘There’s no need to talk about relationships.’
    â€˜Mila—’
    She shook her head. ‘You were right. It was a mistake.’
    â€˜So why—?’
    â€˜Can’t we be friends?’ she said. ‘Because it’s a waste of time. Just like it’s a waste of time whenever I answer a call from my dad. Or am stupid enough to agree to see him. People make time for those who are important to them. Neither of us did that—for years . You know what? I can’t be bothered with subterfuge.’
    â€˜I’m not like your father, Mila,’ Seb said, his jaw tight.
    â€˜You’re right,’ Mila said simply. ‘You have absolutely no reason to feel guilty for walking away.’
    â€˜I’m not walking away.’
    Mila smiled sadly. ‘You already did. So did I. Can’t you see?’
    It felt as if a hand was inside his chest, relentlessly smothering his heart. Until now Seb had refused to believe this could happen. This was fixable. It had to be. He