CATCH (The Billionaire's Rules, Book 14) Read Free Page B

engine and opened his door.
    “Ready for what? What are we doing here?”
    “I’d like to take you to dinner,” he said.
    “But…I thought you said…”
    “Consider it my way of showing you there’s no hard feelings.” He got out of the car, and Lanie took a deep breath.
    One of the valet attendants opened her door. “Evening, ma’am.”
    She got out, feeling distinctly underdressed. Her skirt was so short, and she tugged at it, feeling the air on her legs—all the way up her thighs.
    The older men standing nearby in their suits and ties, with bushy eyebrows, stared at her legs so long that she wanted to hide.
    But then Brayden was taking her hand. “Come on,” he said, pulling her towards the restaurant entrance.

    * * *
    M idway through dinner , Lanie blurted out: “I’m drunk.”
    Brayden chuckled. “Have a little more water, then. And a little less wine.”
    “But the wine is amazing.” She shook her head in disbelief. “Actually, all the food’s amazing.” She stuck her fork into a piece of the tender pork loin and raised it to her lips, then inserted the delicate morsel into her mouth and began chewing.
    Every bite was exquisite.
    She rolled her eyes into the back of her head and gave a low moan of pleasure.
    They were sitting at a romantic table by the window, and outside the lights of various shops, buildings and cars reflected against the glass.
    Inside, the restaurant was crowded and she felt less exposed.
    Brayden smiled at her, but his eyes were watchful. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it all.”
    She nodded, swallowing her food and then taking a long sip of cold water, showing the glass to him as if for his approval. “I am.” She sighed. “But this can’t ever happen again, right? We can’t just go out to dinner, can’t be friends...”
    Brayden shrugged. “It’s not how I’m built.”
    “You’re a robot?”
    “No, I’m a very specific person with specific desires.”
    She felt her cheeks flush and she blinked rapidly. “But is this not enjoyable for you? What we’re doing right now?”
    He shifted in his seat and swished the dark wine in his glass before replying. “It’s enjoyable the way a vegetarian might occasionally smell a burger and find their mouth watering over it.”
    Her forehead wrinkled. “Wait, who’s a vegetarian? I’m eating pork loin and you had a steak.”
    “Okay, then.” He leaned slightly forward. “Pretend you didn’t really like seafood, but occasionally you might still have a tuna sandwich.”
    “So dinner with me is like a burger for a vegetarian or seafood for someone who dislikes seafood.” Lanie raised her eyebrows. “Somehow, equating our being friends with a stinky tuna sandwich seems a little crass.”
    “It’s not personal,” Brayden told her. “It’s just how I am. This isn’t me.”
    “But I didn’t ask for this,” she said. “I didn’t ask to come to this restaurant.”
    “I wanted to do it,” he told her.
    “Why?”
    He sat back now. His smile faded and his eyes grew distant. “I’m not completely sure.” He made a surprised face. “It just seemed like the thing to do. I’m glad we’re here together. But after tonight…” his voice trailed off and he waved a hand as if using a magic wand to erase everything.
    “I like you,” she said softly. “Maybe it’s the wine talking, but I feel like I can tell you that.”
    He stared at her. “I like you too, Lanie. Very much.”
    She felt her hands clench. “Then why can’t you be normal with me? Why does it have to be so…so strange? I mean, what we did in your office—I liked that. But does it have to only be like that?”
    Brayden scratched at his jaw. “It does. It’s how I like things. And what I showed you today at the club—that’s also how I like things. It’s how I need to be, Lanie.”
    “All I’m asking for is some normalcy.”
    His cheek twitched and his lips pursed. “I understood you the first half dozen times you told me