Page 39 of Falling for the Billionaire Best Man

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DORIE

Isat at the kitchen counter, watching as he moved around the space with ease, pulling out plates and reheating the pizza. The smell of cheese and pepperoni filled the air, but my stomach was too tied in knots to feel hungry. I absently rubbed my arms, still feeling the chill from the rain despite the dry clothes. He’d thrown me off guard again—his words, his intensity, the way he looked at me like he could see straight through my defenses. It was infuriating.

And oddly comforting.

“Here,” he said, sliding a plate with a slice of pizza in front of me. “Eat. It will warm you up.”

I didn’t argue this time. I picked up the slice and took a small bite, mostly to avoid more of his hovering. He was watching me like I might collapse at any moment.

“You don’t have to babysit me,” I said between bites. “I’m not going to drop dead because I got a little wet.”

“A little wet? You’re drenched. And don’t even get me started on the fact that you walked here in a storm when you could’ve called for help.”

“I didn’t need help. I’m not some damsel in distress, okay? I can handle myself.”

“I know you can,” he said and started to plate his own pizza. “But that doesn’t mean you have to. There’s no prize for suffering in silence, Dorie.”

I looked away, my gaze falling on the window where rain still streaked down the glass. His words hit a nerve, one I didn’t want to acknowledge. I was used to being the strong one, the one who held everything together. The idea of letting someone else shoulder even a fraction of that weight felt wrong.

I knew I shouldn’t have exploded on Kaisen like that. He didn’t deserve it. But he was in my line of fire, and I couldn’t help it. The stress of the past few weeks—no, the past few months—had been building up, and he’d been the unfortunate target of my frustration.

“I’m sorry,” I said. My voice was so low I barely heard myself. It was hard to apologize, especially to a man like Kaisen. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. I already called a tow truck for my car. It’ll be fine. I’m just stressed. There is a lot on my plate. You don’t deserve to catch the bullshit.”

Kaisen looked at me. I couldn’t quite read his expression. “It’s fine. I get it. I’m the one who should apologize. I shouldn’t have bought you the espresso machine without asking. I didn’t mean to overstep.”

I shook my head, feeling even worse. “You didn’t overstep. I overreacted. It’s been a stressful few months. But I’m not about to trauma dump on you.”

He took a bite of his pizza. I could tell he wanted to say something. I wanted to say something too, but neither of us could bring ourselves to cross that line. Instead, we ate our pizza in silence.

I knew better than to trust Kaisen. Eliza had told me all about his party-boy reputation, his endless string of flings, and his general disregard for anything that didn’t involve making money or having a good time. But the man standing in front of me didn’t match that description. He was kind, patient, and confusing. And my attraction to him was getting harder and harder to ignore.

I didn’t know what to think of him. He made me want to talk to him about things I told no one—not even Eliza. For some stupid reason he made me feel like he actually cared.

That couldn’t possibly be true. I was convinced there was an ulterior motive. There had to be. I couldn’t imagine any other reason he would want or need to be friends with me. And despite what Annie said, I knew Kaisen would not be interested in me. Now that I knew just how wealthy he was, I was more convinced than ever he dated Hollywood starlets, models, and probably actual royalty.

“Did they tell you they want to have a game night?” he asked after a few minutes.

I blinked, pulled from my thoughts. “Game night?” I repeated, a little thrown by the sudden change in topic.

“Yeah,” he said. “Eliza and Cullen. They mentioned something about it before they left. Apparently, they’re big fans of board games now.”

I snorted, shaking my head. “Of course they are. Eliza’s always looking for an excuse to turn everything into a social event. She’s probably planning some elaborate theme night with costumes and snacks.”

“Costumes?” Kaisen raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk on his lips. “What kind of costumes are we talking about? Are we dressing up as Monopoly pieces or something?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the image that conjured in my mind. “Knowing Eliza? It’ll be something ridiculous. She’ll probably make us dress up as characters from Clue or something equally absurd. There will be themed cocktails and appetizers.”

“That could be interesting,” he said.

I finished my slice of pizza. My plate was empty for less than two seconds before Kaisen took it. I watched as he put another slice on the plate and popped it in the microwave. I didn’t even know what to say. It made no sense the man was this thoughtful. How could he be so abrasive and cocky one second and then so kind the next?

He put the plate down in front of me.

“Thank you.”

“Want a beer?” he asked.