TheBillionairesPilot by Suzanne Graham Page B

meant he wouldn’t have
to bend over so far to kiss her.
    She glanced down at herself then lifted
an uncertain face. “Do I look okay?”
    “Okay?” he repeated dumbly.
    Her fingers twitched nervously at the
waist of her gown. “This isn’t my usual style. Should I change?”
    “Good God, don’t change a thing. You’re
perfect.”
    Her lips turned upwards in a little
smile. “Perfect?” Her voice took on a slight purr.
    He blinked and raised his gaze to find
her startling blue eyes shining on him. “Yeah.” His voice sounded rough. He cleared
his throat. “That’s the perfect dress for our celebration tonight.”
    Her smile faltered as she nodded. “Right,
the dress.” She stepped towards the door.
    And he saw, again, the insecurity
lingering right underneath the surface of her strength. If she were his sub,
he’d make sure she always knew her value. That shadow would never again cross
her beautiful face. “And you, Cassie. You’ve been perfect this entire weekend.
You have my deepest gratitude.” He reached for her, but she avoided his hand.
    “Just doing the job you hired me to do.
I’m glad my performance has been acceptable.” Her tone was robotic, and she
didn’t meet his gaze. Before he could respond, she opened the door to the
hallway, cutting off his chance to speak without being overheard by someone
passing by.
    Damn it. If they’d had more time, he
would have brought her back into the suite and made sure she understood what he
was really trying to say. It wasn’t just the good job she was doing that he
appreciated. It was her that he appreciated—the spunky, funny,
smart woman standing before him—but he didn’t have time. He wouldn’t be
late and give Xavier any excuse for thinking he’d made a mistake accepting a
deal with an inexperienced playboy like Evan.
    On second thought, it was good he didn’t
have time to explain himself to Cassie. He was getting carried away with his
own growing list of lies, starting to believe this farce was real. His
arrangement with her was merely business as she’d so clearly reminded him.
Anything he thought he felt for her was just residual emotion from their
playacting. Well, that and honest sexual attraction, but the emotional stuff…
That was better off left unexplored.
    “I appreciate everything you’ve done this
weekend,” he answered, joining her in the corridor and placing her hand in the
crook of his elbow.
    Then, resuming their roles for the public
charade, he escorted her to the celebration in honor of his new partnership
with Xavier.
    * * * *
    “ This is the
perfect night to end the perfect day,” Evan whispered against Cassie’s ear as
he held her in his arms on the dance floor, and suddenly a caution flag popped
into his mind, signaling him to slow down before he admitted something he
shouldn’t.
    After a dinner surrounded by Estrella’s
executives and their spouses, Evan was glad for the relative privacy of guiding
Cassie around to a slow, sensual Latin love song. Playing her role as his
fiancée flawlessly, she snuggled up against his chest, and he wrapped his arms
more securely around her small body.
    “You like that word, don’t you?” She
looked up at him.
    Ignoring his internal warning system, he
said, “When I have the perfect woman in my arms, what better word is there to
use?”
    She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, we’ve already
covered that.”
    “You didn’t let me finish before we left
the suite.”
    “I think I got the idea.” She leaned
closer, and he bent down so she could whisper in his ear. “You like the dress,
and you think I’m doing a good job.”
    “It wasn’t the dress I was complementing,
Cassie,” he whispered back in her ear. “It was the woman wearing it.”
    He tilted his head back, so he could see
her face. Her eyes widened as she stared up at him.
    “I think you are a unique treasure,” he
skimmed his fingertips up her exposed back, feeling her tremble, “and I can’t
wait to discover