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

“Easy for you to say.” Catherine marched over to the whistling kettle and pulled out a couple of mugs from her cupboard. “He’s a creep. I don’t feel safe in my own house.”

“You call this a house?” Edward asked, looking around. He guessed the entire footprint of Catherine’s apartment was the same size as his bedroom at the penthouse.

Catherine glared at him. Edward swallowed and smiled back at her weakly.

“Sorry,” he said. “Go on.”

Catherine poured water from the kettle into the mugs and stirred vigorously, biting her lip. Strands of frizzy hair covered her face. Edward wanted to sweep it to the side and smother her troubled face in kisses.

“He keeps saying I’ve got something of his, but he won’t tell me what. And I can’t find anything.”

“That’s weird.”

Catherine handed him a mug and walked back over to the couch, kicking her boots off as she went. Edward glanced at the lumps in the hot chocolate and smiled to himself as he followed her to the couch.

“So, you don’t want to get back together with him?” he asked. Catherine looked at him with disgust.

“Definitely not.”

Edward’s shoulders relaxed. He took a sip of the boiling hot chocolate and winced.

“Careful, it’s hot,” Catherine said absent-mindedly as she stared at the wall. Edward smirked.

“Thanks,” he said. He lowered his mug and reached out to her. “So, what do you want to do?”

Catherine shifted in her seat and glanced at Edward before really looking at him, as if only just seeing him properly for the first time.

“I’m so sorry, we’ve only just met. You must think I’m a – a –”

“I think you’re dazzling,” Edward said deeply, leaning into to look at her closely. Her cheeks flushed. “And incredibly sexy.”

“You do?” her voice wavered and she raised her mug to her lips slowly. Edward watched as she softly blew the hot chocolate and blinked at him. He nodded and cradled her face with his hand, grazing his thumb across her cheek. All of the muscles in Edward’s body tensed, and he no longer paid attention to the throbbing ache in his back and stomach. This time, a new ache took center stage and it urged him to move closer to Catherine. He obeyed. A little too willingly, because just as he went to lean into her mouth, his mug tipped, and Catherine howled as she jumped to her feet.

“I’m so sorry,” Edward said, breathless, staring at the half-empty mug in his hand and the damp patch of burning liquid that had drenched Catherine’s dress.

“And you thought I was clumsy?” she laughed and backed over to the counter. Edward stood, looking wildly around the room, as if for instructions on how to handle the situation. He had never poured boiling hot chocolate on a woman before. This was entirely new territory.

“What can I do to help?” Edward asked, frantic. Catherine dabbed her dress and looked at him with a mixture of annoyance and sympathy.

“I think you should go,” she said slowly. Edward slowly lowered his mug to the counter and nodded, his breath catching in his chest.

You blew it. Totally blew it.

Edward apologized again and without another word, left the apartment, wondering if he could possibly make things any worse.

Chapter Fifteen

Deeply and Truly

Catherine collapsed in a tired heap on her bed and sighed heavily. Her damp hair fanned across her pillow and her inner thigh still smarted where the hot chocolate had soaked in through her dress. She thought that a warm shower would help, but it seemed to only worsen the pain.

It was long after midnight and every part of her body ached, but none of it could wipe the goofy smile from her face.

What a day. What a week!

Catherine huffed. Part of her was giddy, wondering just what Edward might have done had he not scalded her with hot chocolate. The other part of her was troubled by Calvin. She had the feeling he was sending her on a wild goose chase. Just what was it that he left at her apartment? Why wouldn’t he tell her? Calvin’s cryptic replies were no help.

“You still have something of mine,” is all he would say. His air of mystery was annoying and the thought of Calvin showing up at her front door unnerved her. She thought for a moment about moving away, but the memory of Edward’s arm wrapped around her shoulders, giving her a reassuring squeeze as he stared Calvin down, made her grin spread from ear to ear.

My protector.

As soon as the thought crossed her mind though, a small voice in her head reprimanded her. Catherine Fisher was not that type of woman. She was pragmatic, adventurous and had the nerve to stand up for herself. She didn’t need a man to save her.

Yet ever since the moment she met Edward, that was exactly what he did. Over and over again he saved her. And it was exciting. She slid underneath her bed sheets and pulled them up to her neck as she squirmed. Her mind replayed Edward leaning in, his lips puckered and eyes dark, hungry and intense. She hummed as she rolled over and curled into the fetal position, trying to ignore the hollow sensation in her midriff. She blinked in the darkness and allowed her mind to slowly play out thrilling scenarios of Edward that had her blushing. Then, she finally succumbed to sleep, losing herself in sickly-sweet dreams.

The doorbell rang, and Catherine stretched out like a cat on her bed. A weak beam of sunlight poured in through the gap in her curtains and she blinked sleepily, looking at the dust particles flying around the sunlight.

“Just a minute,” she shouted as she slinked out of bed and staggered bleary-eyed to the door.

“Good morning, I thought I’d, oh––”

Catherine stood with her hand resting on her door handle and squinted into the sunshine as her brain fought to catch up. Edward stood with a huge bouquet