Page 51 of Her Filthy Cold Billionaire Boss

I checked the clock again, then let myself watch the surveillance feed for the main hall. Not because I expected an emergency. Because I was addicted. There she was, moving through the foyer with her phone clutched to her chest. Her hair was up, a few loose curls framing her face. She’d worn the white blouse today, the one with the soft, impossible sleeves and the button at the throat she never bothered to fasten. It was driving me insane.Shewas driving me insane.

Don’t look. Don’t… dammit, why is she standing right there?

She paused at the mirror to adjust her collar, then caught sight of her own reflection and smiled, a small, private thing that had my body instantly reacting. I wanted to know what she was thinking in that moment, what it felt like to see yourself through the eyes of someone who wanted you so badly it hurt to breathe.

I told myself it was a passing infatuation. That I’d seen it before, a thousand times, always ending in disaster. But that was a lie, and I couldn’t stop.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her, at the breakfast table, on the balcony, kneeling by the koi pond, probably naming the fish even though that was a bad idea. I dreamed about her at night, woke up with my sheets twisted and my skin burning, ashamed and satisfied and desperate for more.

She was everywhere, and I had no idea how to make her stop.

My phone buzzed, a calendar alert. Final walkthrough, rose garden, 2:00 p.m. I grimaced. The thought of wading through vendors and clipboards made my temples throb, but if I skipped it, Eden would have an excuse to bother me all afternoon.

Maybe I wanted her to.

I stood, smoothed my tie, and checked my reflection in the glass. I looked tired, older than usual. There were faint lines atmy eyes, a tightness at the mouth that wasn’t there a year ago. If Eden saw me now, she’d say something sassy.

With a deep breath, I left my office, took the back stairs, and crossed the corridor that led to the gardens. The air outside was thick with green, wet grass, new leaves, the heavy sweetness of blooming roses. All the rain lately had done beautiful things for the gardens.

The garden was already crawling with staff. Two groundskeepers fussed over cuttings of a white rose, the vendor was scanning the property, stunned, and Eden stood at the edge of the gazebo, checking her phone and looking deeply unimpressed by the people around her.

I watched her for a moment, pretending to care about anything else. She’d put on sunglasses, but I could see the pinch of concentration at the corners of her mouth, the way she bit her lip when she scrolled. I wanted to walk up behind her, slide my arms around her waist, and sink my teeth into that soft, perfect spot just below her jaw.

Instead, I cleared my throat. “Problems already?”

She lowered her phone, and the sound of her voice hit me like a left hook. “If by ‘problems’ you mean the catering manager threatening to quit unless Maribel backs off and lets them do all the planning, then yes. Problems.”

I snorted. “No way she’ll step down, so catering better get it together.”

Eden’s mouth twitched. “What, Maribel being bossy? Unthinkable.”

I let myself look at her a little longer than necessary. The sunlight hit her hair, turning it almost gold. Her blouse was too thin for the weather, and the breeze pressed it against her body, outlining everything. It was distracting. She was distracting. I had to fight the urge to drag her into the shade and see how far I could push her before she started biting back.

Instead, I said, “You’re overdressed.”

She smiled, teeth bared. “You’re one to talk. That suit probably cost more than my first car.”

“Your car must have been a real piece of shit,” I said, just to see if she’d blush.

She did. “It was. But at least I never let any stains set.” She nodded at a faint spot on my lapel. “Didn’t know you were capable of human error.”

I almost laughed. I hadn’t noticed the mark, but now I was hyper-aware of it. I brushed at it, as if my fingertips would remove it. “I make mistakes all the time. Hiring you, for example.”

She stepped closer, the space between us shrinking to a few feet. “Liar. You love having me here.”

“I tolerate it,” I lied, but my pulse was already pounding.

She tilted her head. “You need to get out more, Gareth.”

“Noted,” I said, but I was staring at her lips.

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. The voices of the staff faded into the background, leaving just the two of us in the center of the world. I could have kissed her, right there, with the entire household watching. I wanted to.

But Eden blinked, broke the spell. “Come on,” she said, leading the way into the gazebo. “We have to talk about the seating chart before you bolt like a frightened deer.”

I followed her, desperate for more of her voice, her scent, the way she moved, the way her backside caught my eye and all my attention. The gazebo was empty, shaded by the climbing roses I’d imported at obscene cost two years ago. Eden slid into the far bench, stretching her legs, and patted the seat beside her.

I sat, careful not to touch her.