Billionaires in New York Boxed Set: Billionaires in the City Books 1-3 by Laura Burton (learn to read books .TXT) 📕

fingernails digging into his leg. After a few minutes, she pulled her hand away and David caught sight of her cheeks reddening as she bit her lip and looked away. He took a hard right and the helicopter swung to the side; Emily gasped and gripped the bottom of her seat. Her back was straight as a board and her eyes were like saucers, taking in the scenery.

“Do you like it?” he shouted. Emily turned to him and offered a beaming smile. Her face was lit up like a little girl on Christmas day.

“This is AMAZING.”

David reached their destination, a large skyscraper with a hidden helipad on the rooftop.

“Wow,” Emily said with a big sigh, once the engine stopped running. David wondered if she had been holding her breath. “What a rush!”

“Have you never been in a helicopter before?” David asked as they unfastened their belts and straightened their clothes. Emily pulled off her headphones and shook her head.

“I’ve set up dates for clients before. I know they do helicopter tours of the city and always wanted to do it, but just haven’t had the time.”

They locked eyes for a moment and just stared at one another. Sitting in such close proximity, David could make out the faint freckles on Emily’s cheeks and the shine of her lip gloss invited him in for a kiss. He inhaled nervously. Flurries of excitement grew in his stomach as he considered making a move. What was the hesitation? It was so easy to throw caution to the wind and dive in the night before. Now… in broad daylight, there was something about her guarded eyes and the way she leaned back against the window that had him wondering; maybe she didn’t want him to kiss her?

“Shall we get out?” Emily said. David snapped out of his thoughts and nodded. He climbed out of the helicopter and held Emily’s hand. She remained perfectly poised as she descended the steps and smoothed her skirt.

“Where are we?”

David motioned for them to walk and Emily linked her arm with his.

“I thought we could eat somewhere private… with a view.”

They entered through a steel door and David led Emily down a flight of steps. The hall wrapped around a corner and David raised his watch to a metal grid beside a door. It clicked and the door swung open. When they entered, David craned his neck to get a good look at Emily’s reaction.

“Oh.”

Her mouth fell open and her eyes widened as she took in the room. David beamed with pride, happy with the response.

“Is this… a ballroom?”

She let go of David’s arm and twirled in the center of the huge room. Three large chandeliers hung from the mirrored ceiling and a line of glass windows covered the back wall. The golden sunshine shimmered over Emily’s dark hair with her movements and she spread her arms out wide. David had been impressed at how composed she was, yet it was a rush seeing that she had the ability to let her hair down with such enthusiasm.

“It could be a ballroom,” he finally said. Realizing he had not yet answered Emily’s question. He strolled over to her and offered his hands. She accepted it, and they took a dancing position and waltzed around in circles amongst the circular tables in the hall. A resounding bang had them drop their hands and look at the door.

“So sorry,” a petite woman, dressed as a chef walked into the room with a large trolley of food. A group of staff followed. David watched them dress one of the circular tables and set out their meal. He marveled at how fast they were able to work and noticed that no one made eye contact with him.

“Thank you,” he said as he motioned for Emily to take a seat. She gracefully lowered into a chair and smiled up at the staff working around them.

“Thanks, this is great,” she said to the chef as she put down a plate of food in front of her. Wild salmon on a bed of brown rice and quinoa with an array of vegetables adorned the plate. Even to David, who was a bigger fan of red meat, salivated at the sight of it. He gestured to the chef.

“Excuse me.”

The chef jumped at the sound of David’s voice and straightened her hat as she hurried over to him. Her dark narrow eyes were wide with anticipation. David leaned close to her and she clasped her hands together as he whispered into her ear.

“Could you prepare some cinnamon buns for dessert?”

The chef’s face broke into a smile and she bowed her head. “Yes, sir,”

David eyed Emily, who had already placed her napkin in her lap and picked up her knife and fork. “You’re not waiting around, hey?”

Emily looked up at him after popping a piece of salmon in her mouth, then slumped into her seat with a moan. She closed her eyes and shook her head, with a drunken smile on her face. “I told you,” she said between bites. “I’m starving.”

David grinned, quite unaware of the steaming plate of food set before him. He stared at Emily as she made herself comfortable and devoured her meal. It stirred up emotions that he hadn’t experienced before; it was a bittersweet sensation. Happiness mingled with sadness. A sense of belonging mixed with regret. He fiddled with his watch and clenched his jaw as his mind battled.

I should tell her the truth and get it over with… but then she’ll leave and never speak to me again.

Emily opened her eyes and grinned at him as she chewed, her cheeks bulged like a hamster and her eyes sparkled. David wanted to rush over and scoop her up in his arms, kissing those cheeks and lose himself in her sparkling eyes forever.

She’s too good for you, David. If she finds out what you’ve done, she will never forgive you.

Chapter Nine

A Growing Appetite

“You’ve barely touched your food, everything okay?” Emily eyed David suspiciously while