Give Me More--A Sexy Billionaire Romance A.C. Arthur (the giving tree read aloud .TXT) 📖

past anymore.” She was happy to hear him say that. “And I don’t want you writing this story. But—” he turned her slowly until she faced him again “—I know how much your career means to you. I also know how tenacious you can be, and while I’m certain I could shut this down even if it cost us a little backlash in the press, I’m not going to do that.” He shook his head again. “I’m no stranger to ambition.”

That was an understatement. She didn’t say that, but simply gave him a tentative smile. “We can meet tomorrow morning and go over my notes from Veronica.” There—she was putting the offer out there again. She told herself this was how she’d deal with any possible source in a story, giving them a little so that they’d eventually offer her a lot. But it was probably a big fat lie. A part of her had always wanted to give RJ everything, just not at the risk of losing herself and all she wanted to become. She told herself that was then and this was now. Could she give him everything now? Was there a place in his life for her after all they’d been through? Of course not. They weren’t the same people, too much time had passed, he was about to become CEO of RGF, an even bigger and more high-profile position than he’d had before. And she was writing a story that would undoubtedly expose some of his family’s deepest and darkest secrets. Ambition had once been their biggest commonality; now it was probably their greatest obstacle.

His hand still touched her arm lightly. “I have to check my schedule.”

“Me, too.” Moving her free arm, she reached into her bag and found the business cards she’d tucked in the side pocket.

“We’re quite a pair,” he said.

She looked up at him again just as he clapped his mouth shut.

“I mean, what other two people would come to a beautiful island like this and still keep scheduled appointments.” He finished the statement with an uneasy look.

“You’re right about that. But I definitely plan to take some R & R time while I’m here. I mean, who knows when I’ll be back here again?”

Probably never, since traveling alone wasn’t high on her list of things to do and after walking away from RJ. The extent of her dating life since had been dinner-and-a-movie dates, and occasionally sex before getting in her car and driving home. Work was her priority and it created an easy excuse for those parameters. An excuse that didn’t allow her to admit she didn’t want to do any fun social activities without RJ in her life.

“Yeah, well, at least you’re not being forced to do that. Riley’s got us booked mostly every day up until the wedding.” He pulled his hand from her arm to look at his watch. “Speaking of which, I really have to get going.”

“Sure, no problem. Here, take my card.” She pushed it at him and he accepted it. “I’ll be around tomorrow if you want to hear about my interview. Just call or text me and we can set up a place and time to meet.”

He nodded, glanced down at the card he now held and then back up at her. “I’d like that,” he said. “I’d like to hear what Veronica says.”

“Good.” She almost said “it’s a date” but wisely kept her mouth shut. She and RJ weren’t dating.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” he said after a few more uncomfortably silent moments.

“Right. Tomorrow.” Then, because she couldn’t stand this awkwardness that had replaced the desire brewing between them, she turned and lifted the curtain before stepping out of the cabana.

Nobody paid attention to her as she walked toward the building where her room was located, and she didn’t look back to see RJ again. It was smarter to play this as a business dealing, not any type of rebooted affair. She and RJ as a couple were over. No matter how much her body wanted that statement to be false.

CHAPTER SIX

IT WAS A little after ten the next morning when RJ knocked on the door of Grace’s room. While waiting for her to answer, he adjusted the tray containing two cups of coffee he held in one hand and clenched his fingers over the bag of doughnuts in the other.

“Hey,” Grace said brightly when she opened the door. “Oh, wow, you brought coffee. Bless you!”

She stepped back out of the way before he could respond, so RJ walked into the room saying, “Yeah, I was hungry so I figured you might be, too.”

“I thought you might’ve had something on the schedule for today, so I was surprised when you texted me a while ago.”

Today she wore another pair of those barely-there shorts, the ones that seemed to make her legs appear miles longer than normal, giving him way too many ideas about traveling up and between those legs. Yesterday’s kiss had rattled him. It had felt like they’d never parted ways and yet, things were drastically different now. With a shake of his head to rid his mind of the thoughts of Grace that’d plagued him during the hike yesterday afternoon and well into the evening, he walked through her room, toward the table near the open patio door. She had her laptop set up on the table. Two spiral books and a handful of pens were scattered around as well.

“Nah, I got out of it. Well, to be fair, the women are having dress fittings.”

Grace was already lifting one of the coffee cups to her mouth, pausing only to say, “And you don’t need to try on your tux?”

He shrugged. “I’ve tried that tux on three times already. If it doesn’t fit by now it never will.”

She chuckled and then sipped from the coffee. “Still the defiant one.”

He watched the way her lips pressed over the lid of the cup, then forced himself to stop being a horny fool and