The Billionaire's Ballet: A Contemporary Billionaire Friends to Lovers Romance (Friends with Benefits) by JJ Knight, Deanna Roy, Lucy Riot Page B

But the feeling here was nothing like then. Quinn was frustrated and anxious. Bennett had talked softly, like he was wooing me.
    “When will you leave?” I asked.
    “Tonight.” He glanced at this watch. “Well, in the morning.”
    My fingers tightened on the glass. “For how long?”
    He tossed back the contents of his glass. “Hopefully just a day. Maybe two.”
    That wasn’t too bad. A thin film of condensation had formed on my glass and I ran my finger down it, leaving a trail.
    “Hey,” Quinn said. He reached out and covered my hand with his. “Why don’t you come with me?”
    My heart fluttered. “Really?”
    “Yes!” His face lit up. “We can make a vacation of it! See San Francisco. Eat on the pier!”
    I pulled my hand away. “I can’t. My mother has a cancer appointment. I haven’t been there for her for any of her treatments. She’s getting the results, and I need to be here this time.”
    His face drew into a frown. “Danika has cancer?”
    I carefully checked my upset. Quinn had no reason to come in contact with Mother these days. Even if he saw her, he would probably take little notice of her appearance.
    “Yes. Treatable. But I want to be here.”
    Quinn came around the bar. This time he took both my hands in his. “Jules, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
    I couldn’t stop myself from blurting out, “Bennett did.”
    His chin dropped. “He’s the better brother. Nobody doubts that.”
    “Of course not,” I said. “Nobody is comparing you two.”
    He moved in very close until his face was just inches from mine. “I’m completely captivated by you, Juliet.”
    I could barely breathe. “Why?” I asked.
    He tucked a loose tendril of hair behind my ear. “Because you aren’t afraid of anything. You took off for New York and made something of yourself. And then you came right back, even though nobody here deserved another minute of your time.”
    “You do,” I said.
    He lifted my hand and pressed it to his cheek. “I do?”
    He leaned even closer. I could feel the breath of his words on my lips.
    I didn’t answer, suspended, waiting for the coming kiss. I remembered the one in the studio and wanted another, and another. We didn’t have to go to the barn, of course not. That was a silly thing he did when he was young. We were here, in his rooms.
    He freed my hand from his chin and his lips lightly brushed against mine. But just as the kiss began to expand, a sharp knock on the door startled us both.
    “Mr. Quinn, your brother has arranged for a car to take you to the private airport. Your flight leaves in less than an hour.”
    “What?” Quinn opened the door. “Now?”
    Adams stood there in his formal butler attire. “He went to quite a lot of trouble since you mentioned you were anxious to leave straightaway.”
    Quinn looked back at me, then to the butler. “What else did he say?”
    “That this would be the last opportunity to use the company plane. He has business with it tomorrow.”
    I ran a finger along the rim of the cold glass. It didn’t really matter to me now what decision Quinn made. He had baggage to deal with, and I was definitely in the way. I stepped down from the stool. “I’ll let you pack,” I said.
    Quinn held out his hands. “Juliet, I—”
    “Don’t worry about it,” I said quickly. “Thank you for a lovely party. The carriage was something I will never forget.”
    The butler disappeared from the doorway. Quinn took me into his arms again. “I will be back soon.”
    “I know,” I said. “And I’ll be here too.”
    He let out a long sigh. “Okay. Take care of your mother.”
    I stepped away. “I will.”
    The walk along the hall and down the stairs felt long. The crowd was thinning now.
    Nobody looked up at me this time when I passed through. I wasn’t sure if I should go out the front and around the wall or out the back and to the stable and around. Both seemed interminably long.
    I paused in the foyer. Adams appeared again.