The valet opened the door for her and she slid into the passenger seat, her smile contagious.
“How come you’re so happy?” he asked.
“Because I get to have dinner with my best friend tonight.”
His stomach tightened with the punch to the gut.Friendhad become a bad word in his mind. “Well, you’re about to get even happier.”
“I am?” One eyebrow lifted, and he could swear she was flirting with him.
“You are.” He said it low and seductively, earning him a giggle. With excited abandon, he told her about his conversation with Jamon West.
Her smile, instead of widening, got smaller and smaller until it was upside-down. In turn, he talked faster and faster, like he could crank it back up.
She drew in a breath through her nose as if she were trying to calm herself. “Quinn, I appreciate your concern, but I told you that in private.”
“I know. I trust Jamon.”
“I don’t. I don’t know him from Adam. There are. There’s trade secrets involved with this project, not to mention the very idea is my intellectual property. How would you feel if I broadcasted one of your designs to your competitor?”
“Jamon is my friend.” Coolness bit into the air, and he wasn’t at all sure it was because of the impending storm.
Ginny rubbed her arms. “Even admitting our limitations on this project could be detrimental. You should have consulted with me before you shared the information.”
“You once said that you didn’t care what it took; you wanted to see InfantPure make a difference.” He gripped the wheel.
“I was an idealistic twenty-something who had her daddy to back her up. I’m the one on the chopping block now. I don’t have anybody to fall back on.”
He twisted, feeling that verbal blow harder than any other. “You have me.” He lifted her left hand, running his thumb over the ring. “That’s what this means. I’m here for you.”
She sighed. “I know. But the company is mine, and I have to do what’s best. I can’t hide behind mybillionairefiancé.”
He paused, judging the amount of sarcasm in her tone. She often teased him about being a billionaire. His vision of how this conversation was supposed to go might color what he’d heard. He made an effort to lighten the mood. “You can try not to smile, but I know a billionaire bashing when I hear one.” He tickled her side.
She chuckled and squirmed away.
“Let’s not let this ruin our night. I admit, I should have talked to you before talking to Jamon. I did mention it was confidential, and he’s a cowboy who sticks to his word.”
She stared out the window for a moment. “I don’t want to fight.”
“Who’s fighting?” he joked.
She turned slowly, her eyes lighting up in the dim interior of the car. “Not us. We’d never fight.”
“Well, there was that time you took my ball hat. I still want that back, by the way.”
She laughed. “It looked better on me.”
“Says you.”
“Said Ricky Donahue.”
“Ooh.” He tickled her side again while they waited for a light to change. Her laughter pealed through the car, and he knew they were over the issue. She was so kissable right now. He clamped his hands on the wheel.
“What did you have planned for tonight?” She ran her hands through her hair, letting the silky locks fall to the side of her face.
“To kick your butt at pinball.”
She huffed, folding her arms. “You can try.”
