Afterendingthecall,I just stared at the wall for a long moment before my stomach growled. I stood and when I walked out into the main dining area, my eyes went directly to Rylie’s, whose rose and met mine. The smile on his face was dazzling.
I strode right for him, and when I reached the table, he was already standing and holding the seat out for me. “You really are going to spoil me this trip, aren’t you?”
He shrugged. “You deserve it.”
“But when you are back home, we don’t do… well, this.” I said, waving my hand to encompass all that was around us. Black suits, fancy dresses, and the glass of red that likely cost more than the pair of running shoes I had back at the hotel per glass. “Fuck, Rylie, the last few times we were here, we hardly left the hotel, not that I’m complaining about that.”
“Back home, I’m just Rylie. We go to the lake, fish, camp, and do normal things. We hang out with our mutual friends, and things are… simpler.”
“Yet, here you are somehow, Mr. Allen.” I eyed him, and he was fidgeting with his glass, causing the red liquid to swirl. “Rylie. You said we need to talk, and we really do for a multitude of reasons. One of which is why my boss, who just offered me the position of a lifetime, which I won’t tell you about because my decision could be affected by what you are holding out, asked why I was out with you tonight.”
Rylie looked at me and blinked. “Care to repeat that slower next time?”
“My boss, just called to offer me a position of a lifetime. Before I tell you what that is, I want to know why he was curious why I was out to dinner with my boyfriend, not that he knows that is who you are to me.”
“What did you tell him?” His voice was low, and he was studying his glass again. There was something in the way he wouldn’t make eye contact with me that worried me.
“What did I tell him when he asked why I was out with Rylie Allen? I told him it wasn’t any of his fucking business. Professionally, of course, but the point was made.” I reached over and made Rylie look at me. “Now, tell me who you are.”
“You know who I am. The rest is bullshit and image.” He said, taking my hand in his. His eyes focused on our joined hands before he said, “None of that matters. None of the bullshit matters when you are by my side, andyouknow the real me.”
“Rylie.” I drew out his name and gave him a look. “What have you been hiding from me?”
He turned my hand and kissed my palm. “I didn’t want to tell you like this. I had a plan for this weekend. For everything. This is not how I had planned it. Promise me you won’t look at me differently.”
“I promise.” That was pure worry in his eyes. No, fear. He was terrified that whatever he was going to tell me was going to change us.
“After Shannon and I separated, I needed a new start. As you know, I met Harper when I moved here, and as you also know, he helped me get my feet on the ground. He did more than that, actually. He silently made me a partner in his business.” His eyes flicked up to me and I realized what he was telling me.
“Harper made you a partner in Webster Enterprises?” I blinked. Repeatedly. Webster Enterprises was the number one tech development firm in the US.
“Full partner.” He breathed. “Just he and I.”
“Harper died a year ago.” I looked around and realization hit.
“He did, and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t miss him terribly.” I stared at him. “When the trust and final will were read, I inherited the entire company. All tech rights, all copyrights, all trademarks, all things Webster Enterprises. Everything. Much to the Board of Directors’ chagrin.”
Rylie and I had only been together for about six months at the time Harper had died, and he had flown me out for the funeral. There had been a lot of sideways looks at Rylie, but it hadn’t mattered. Harper was our friend, and we were there to mourn him.
Our dinner came, and it smelled divine, but I just watched Rylie. “I ordered while you were on the phone. I hope it’s okay.”
I sat there, totally and completely stunned. I had assumed the company had been passed on down to Harper’s nieces and nephews, but Rylie? Rylie got everything?
“Sweetheart, please say something.”
“Holy fucking shit, Rye!” I said it a tad too loud, and the silence that came from the neighboring tables made him chuckle.
“Well, that’s one way to respond to finding out that you are madly in love with a billionaire.”
“I’m sorry, what?” I asked, as I glanced around, because everything pointed to this being the truth. The fancy clothes, dinner, new car…
“Are you going to tell me you aren’t?” He smirked and then he bit his bottom lip, making that very predominate pulsing happen between my legs again, because fuck if that look wasn’t sexy as hell…
“Why didn’t you tell me? Did you not trust me? Did you think I would only stay with you for the money?” I asked because well it hurt that he hadn’t told me. He knew everything about me. He knew me better than I knew myself.
“I knew it didn’t matter to you. I knew you loved me for me. I can just be Rylie with you. I never have to be Mr. Allen or the sole heir to Webster Enterprises. I am just Rylie. There was this part of me that thought you wouldn’t want me anymore, and…” The look in his eyes broke my heart. “I just want to be Rylie with you.”
I nodded. Strangely, I understood that. “So it isn’t that you thought I would want you for your money?”
