Page 15 of Big Billionaire

“Why would I do that?” she asks quietly, a soft smile playing on her lips. “Last night was beautiful.”

My chest tightens with something indescribable, and in that moment, I want to hand her the whole damn world.

“You’re good at this,” I mutter, changing the topic to distract myself from the strange emotions welling in my chest. “How long have you been dancing?”

Her lips twitch. “I’ve been dancing since I was six. It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted. We used to watch the big companies on TV and copy their moves in front of the mirror.”

“We?”

“Abby and I. Abby is my sister,” she adds with an apologetic smile. She seems to read the question in my eyes. Her smile dims and she lets out a soft sigh. “Abby was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, so she couldn’t continue with ballet.”

“I’m sorry,” I say quietly, holding her gaze.

She nods, giving me a sad smile. “It’s fine. She’s the reason I fight so hard. I dance for both of us now.”

Something twists in my chest. I’ve built an empire from nothing, clawed my way up from a shitty apartment and an absent father. I know what it means to fight for something no one else believes you can have.

“You’ve earned your place, Lena,” I tell her, keeping my voice firm. “Don’t ever let anyone, including Logan, make you think otherwise.”

“You sound like you know what it’s like,” she says, her eyes searching my face like the answers are etched somewhere on my forehead.

I give a short laugh, low and bitter. “I know exactly what it’s like. I grew up with nothing. No money, no connections. Just a mother working herself to the bone and me swearing I’d never stay trapped in that life. I worked, studied, fought for every inchuntil I could build this company. People see the Blackwell name now and assume it was handed to me. They have no idea.”

Her hand tightens in mine. “That’s why you built the Academy, isn’t it? To give other kids chances you didn’t have?”

I pause. No one’s ever said it out loud before. “Maybe,” I admit quietly.

She studies me, her lips curving into a smile that hits me harder than it should. “That’s…kind of beautiful, Damien.”

The way she says my name, soft but certain, does dangerous things to me.

I pull her closer, enough to feel her heartbeat flutter against my chest. “Careful, firefly. Keep looking at me like that and I won’t stop at dancing.”

Her blush deepens, but she doesn’t look away. “Maybe I don’t want you to,Daddy.”

Fuck.

Her words hit me like gasoline to an open flame. Every shred of restraint I’ve been clinging to snaps. I cup her face in both hands and crush my mouth to hers.

She gasps, but instantly melts against me, her hands interlocking around my neck. I slide my tongue into her mouth, claiming her, savoring her sweet, addictive taste.

She whimpers, and it drives me insane. I slide my hand down her slender body, gripping her hip, pulling her flush against me. She fits so perfectly, like her softness is meant to press against every hard line of me.

Her body arches, breasts pressing into my chest, and I groan into her mouth. God, she’s fire and innocence at once. Soft lips,frantic heartbeat, the faintest tremor in her knees as if she can’t handle the storm I’m unleashing in her.

I back her toward the wall, pinning her there with my weight. She tilts her head up, giving me everything, and I take it. I kiss her harder, deeper, until she’s clinging to me, until my self-control is hanging by a single fraying thread.

I cup one of her breasts through the material of my shirt, rubbing my thumb over her nipple. She moans, the bud hardening under my finger.

I let out a soft growl, tearing the shirt away from her shoulders. Buttons pop and fall to the ground but I don’t give a damn. I snatch my mouth from hers and lower it to the exposed flesh with a satisfied groan.

She lets out a breathy sigh, burying her fingers in my hair as I suckle her breast, rolling my tongue around the tip. I slip a hand between her thighs and her legs instantly widen. I fondle her entrance, sucking harder when I discover how wet she is.

Just as I’m about to slide my finger into her, my phone vibrates harshly in my pocket.

I ignore it at first, burying my face in her neck, tasting her skin, but it keeps buzzing relentlessly.

That can only mean one thing. Trouble.