CLAIMED (By the Alpha Billionaire #2) Read Free Page A

forget about my pain for a while,” I said, alluding to my Alexandria. “But you’re nothing like her. And that’s okay, Maisie. It’s not a bad thing.”
    I stood up, walking around the desk and approaching her. I cupped her pretty face in my hand and stared deep into her eyes.
    “This whole thing is kind of fucked up isn’t it?” I asked. “We both just wanted to forget our pain for a bit.”
    Her eyes glassed over and she wiped a rogue tear with the back of her hand. “It worked.” She shrugged and gave me a humble smile. “I don’t know about you, but I forgot for a while.”
    “You still want to do this?” I asked. “Four days with me?”
    She nodded. “Believe it or not, I kind of do…”
    “You do or you don’t?”
    “I do,” she said.
    “Get dressed,” I said, nodding my head toward the foyer where bags of clothes awaited her. “I’m taking you to dinner. And after that, well, you’ll just have to see…”
    She smiled, her teary eyes drying.
    “Oh, and Maisie? No panties tonight under that dress I bought you.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
FIVE
     
    Maisie
    I was supposed to go home Saturday, but we both decided just one more night was in order. By the time Sunday rolled around, we’d had one last romp in the sheets before I dashed to the shower.
    When I emerged, I found a Louis Vuitton suitcase sitting on his bed next to all the new clothes he’d bought me.
    “You’re taking this stuff with you,” he said. “It’s all yours.”
    “Seriously?” I asked, clenching onto the towel around my body. “All of it?”
    He’d adorned me in expensive designer clothes all week, and an arsenal of high end perfumes and beauty products lined the sink in the bathroom.
    “Thank you,” I said. “Wow. I didn’t expect this.”
    “You can keep the luggage too. I have more.” He folded a dress and placed it inside the suitcase, slowly, as if he didn’t really want me to go yet.
    I wanted to make a comment about how it sucked that school started back up Monday, but I remembered the agreement. We were supposed to spend a few days together and then go on like this never happened.
    For the last five days, I forgot about Luke and Sara. I forgot about being lied to. I forgot about how awful it was that I wasted some of the best years of my life with someone I didn’t really even care that much about.
    Sawyer opened up about Alexandria once, for maybe three minutes. He spoke of her with love and admiration and a longing that made my heart ache for him. I could only hope one day to have someone who loved me the way he used to love her.
    “The car’s downstairs,” he said.
    I scampered back to the bathroom. “I just have to dry my hair and change, then I’ll be ready.”
    I stood in front of the vanity and blew out my blonde hair. I wanted to remember how the tile felt beneath my feet. How the detailed carvings of the custom vanity looked. How soft and fluffy the towels were against my bare skin. How Sawyer made me feel like the most cherished thing on earth for five days of my life…
    ***
    We pulled onto the tarmac of a private airport just outside the city where he kept his jet.
    “So I guess this is goodbye,” I said. “I had fun, Sawyer. Thanks for everything.”
    We climbed out of the car and he leaned in for a hug, squeezing me tight. We shared something special, whatever it was, that week. I pulled away, looking into his hooded hazel eyes and trying to take a mental snapshot. I wanted to remember that week – and him – for as long as I lived.
    He walked me to the stairs that led up to his jet, and for some reason, I wished more than anything in the world he could fly back with me so I could have just a few more hours with him.
    I was going to miss his kisses. The way he stared at me. The way his cock felt buried deep inside me. The way his presence commanded my attention. The way he made me forget about life for a while.
    I wanted to kiss him, but I couldn’t. It wasn’t appropriate. He