The Billionaire's Secret: A BWWM Romance Mystery Read Free

mouth. My lips felt swollen under his gaze. Tender and
fat with the need to be kissed.

 
    "Wait," I might have been
saying that to myself. "Just listen."

 
    "I'm listening."

 
    And he was. He was focused on me like I was the only thing he saw. I felt
like a queen."Victorians with
their, shall we say, rather roundabout way of expressing things like love and
passion, came up with a whole dictionary of flower meanings." I pulled the
little battered paperback out from under the counter and showed him. He took
off his gloves and handled it like it was a sacred object. "Look, see
here? They would send each other these coded messages." I flipped through
the pages excitedly. When his bare, heated skin brushed against my fingers, I
felt a jolt of electricity pass between us. "Uh, yeah, coded bouquets.
They called them tussie-mussies. Isn't that a cute word, tussie-mussie?"

 
    "Adorable," he exhaled. He
wasn't looking at the book.

 
    "Those little tussie-mussies let
them say all sorts of beautiful," I snuck a glance at his dimple,
"and dirty things to each
other."

 
    "Dirty, huh?"

 
    "Filthy. And they could say it
without ever having to speak anything out loud."

 
    "Would you want a tussie mussie,
Shay? Or do you prefer those things said out loud?"

 
    I gaped at him. There was a promise
in his eyes. A dangerous one. The heat under my skin threatened to burn me to
ash. "Mm, I'm not sure," I heard myself say, then blushed to hear
myself say it.

 
    He held my gaze firmly for one more
moment. Then, just as I was about to combust, he looked back down at the book.
"This is really interesting, Shay," he said, and I exhaled a breath I
hadn't realized I was holding.

 
    "It is!" I exclaimed, happy
to be back in safer territory. "It's a whole hidden meaning. You can put
together a bouquet that tells this whole story...."

 
    I trailed off as I realized he wasn't
even looking at the book anymore. "I am really glad I met you today,
Shay," Liam said.

 
    He sounded sincere. He looked
sincere. Every cell in my body wanted to believe he was sincere. I wanted to
say me too.

 
    But the small, wounded part of me,
still protective and suspicious, shut my lips and instead I just smiled. And
the moment of openness passed. I felt myself close up tightly again. "So,
Liam. What is your bouquet going to say?" I lifted my pen.

 
    Segues were never my strong point.

 
    He blinked. "I'm trying to
say...." He thought for a minute. Several shadows passed over his face. "I
want to tell her I'm proud of her."

 
    Wait.

 
    Her?

 

 
 
    Chapter Three

 
 
 
    Her. Of course it was for a her.

 
    Hot, angry blood beat in my ears. Her? How
dare he? Flirting like this when he was already with someone? What kind of
arrogant bastard does that?

 
    The kind of arrogant bastard you always fall for? The kind of arrogant
bastard you married?

 
    I opened and closed my mouth several
times, each time having to bite my bitter words back. You cheating son of a bitch, your woman deserves better than you I
didn't say.

 
    I also didn't slap the dimple off of
his beautiful face.

 
    InsteadI swallowed and tried to regain my professional tone.   "You're proud of her ." Emphasis on the her. " Pride, ah, yes, well that's amaryllis,
that's easy."

 
    I stalked over to the fridge and let
the cool air blast my overheated face and took a deep breath. It helped being
away from his dizzying presence.

 
    Feeling marginally less ready to kill
him, I pulled out the few amaryllis we had. "It's a beautiful flower, almost
like a lily." I turned around to see him staring at me, an odd expression
on his face. It was unnerving. I looked back down at the flower instead. "I
like how the petals aren't perfect. They're a little tattered looking,
see?"

 
    He was breathing heavily. "I'll
have to think about it." He looked ill. "I'm...not sure that's saying
exactly what I want to say."

 
    I swallowed again. The store needed
this