The Billionaire's Forbidden Obsession'

didn't recogni

from the other room about how nobody should be awake before seven, and the walk to the subway m

day's confrontation had settled into something almost pleasant, a funny

was

door chimed, and Claire looked up out of habi

because the charcoal one hadn't survived yesterday's incident. Same effortless, ir

ay, he'd looked at her like she was an obstacle. Today, t

herself, setting down the mug she'd bee

eaning one arm against it with an ease that made her

Come back to insult the coffee again? Or are you hoping I'

ghtened almost imperceptibly, though the smirk on his

aught off guard.

most bored by his own admission. "I was out of line yesterday. I'd had a difficu

ut Claire supposed it was better than nothing. She studied him for a moment, arms crossed, tryi

. Now are you going to order something, or

"And this time, I promi

es on her the entire time in a way that made the back of her neck prickle. When she slid the cup acro

not moving to leav

ed. "How do you

ten she was wearing. It was a good enough lie that she let it go, though something about the w

she asked, cr

ffered, which struck her as strange but n

pleased by that, like her ignorance of his family's emp

njoy your coffee. Try not to insult a

at by the window instead of leaving, which surprised her. Rich men in expensive suits didn't usually linger i

ptop open, occasionally typing, occasionally

ied to ig

magazine cover sitting quietly in the corner of her modest little coffee shop,

er apron, she found him standing by the door,

" she said flatly, though there wasn't

aid instead of answering. "L

"Absolutely not. I don't know you. And even if I did, I take t

eth said, a hint of dry amusement in his v

the door, and to her surprise, he didn't argue further, th

ion," he said. "Surely you can't obj

d he kept pace beside her, hands in his pockets, looking entirely too pleas

us. "Why weren't you afraid of me yesterday? Most people are. Even when they don't know who I am, there's

't scare me," she said finally. "I've never had much of it. What scares me

because you assumed I couldn't do anything about it.

er with an expression she couldn't quite r

dignity a

hat most people around me only tell me what they think I want to hear. You just

e of her guard just slightly, though she wasn't about to let him see that. "Must be

neth murmured, almost t

and Claire stopped, turning to face him. "Well, t

w," Kenneth said, and

erself glancing back once as she descended the stairs, catching him still standing there, w

That he was just a rich, bored man amusing hims

o idea how wrong she

with two mugs of tea and an expression that told her a full i

ding her a mug. "You'

eeks anyway. "He came back. The coffee guy. Apologized, if you can call it that,

o the subway? Claire. That is not nothing. Ric

y people did when they were trying to convince themselves as much as anyone else. "He's bored. I'm a

of someone who suspected she was about to be proven right about something. "And wh

e moment the name left her mouth, G

. As in, the Reed family. As in, half of the buildin

No. That's not ... he didn't

d the display - Kenneth in a tuxedo at some gala, flanked by reporters, the caption beneath identifying hi

mplicated and uncomfortable. "He let me think he was just s

't sound entirely convinced by her own theory. "Or maybe he's used to usi

tand yet. Whatever game Kenneth Reed was playing, she was suddenly