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Combing through her memories, she had yet to find an instance where she met someone with a comparable amount of wealth to Mars Casey. He was abillionaire, someone who possessed a lifestyle she could only dream of.
According to Gerri, Rhiannon was meant to date this guy. That was a crazy idea in and of itself. Why would Mars be interested in someone like her in the first place? Sure, she could pull her own weight, but she never had the time to focus on romance. Her career and aspirations came first. Always.
However, the more she thought about Mars, the more she found herself leaning into the idea. She wasn’t like this. She wasn’t the type to go out on spontaneous dates with people she had never known, and yet, here she was.
In the middle of the Concourse, she waited for an attractive billionaire in the hopes of getting their date over and done with. Hopes for the future were quickly shrugged off.
Please don’t get too excited over a guy like this, she convinced herself amidst the stomach flips and butterflies.He has a world of options in front of him. So many women to choose from. You’re just one of them.
With a sigh, she turned and continued admiring the artwork. At that moment, she noticed a man in the distance walking toward her.
She squinted her eyes, soon realizing that this was the man who dominated her recent Google searches. The man whose features she scrutinized tirelessly as she scrolled through pictures of him on every website she came across.
Mars Casey. Was there even a need for a formal introduction?
Swallowing thickly, she reminded herself that this was all a silly attempt by Gerri Wilder to matchmake her with someone new. Nothing about this was organic or real.
Why did it have to be?That little voice in her mind wanted to be a contrarian for some reason.Who cares how you meet this guy as long as he knows you exist?
“Nice to meet you. You’re Rhiannon, right?” Mars smiled wide, offering an outstretched hand. “I’ve heard a few things about you.”
He was more attractive in person. She noticed the definition of his muscles even through the fabric of his shirt. His ice-blue eyes looked deep into every crevice of her soul, sending a chill down her spine the longer she stared at him. He stood at an impressive height. As she took a whiff of his cologne, she nearly froze.
This man evensmelledrich, for God’s sake.
“Good to meet you too,” she replied with a tight smile, rigid with her movements as she shook his hand. “It’s strange to meet in a place like this.”
“Is it?” Mars cocked a brow, observing their surroundings. “I love coming here.”
“Why’s that?”
He shrugged in an effortless way. Everything he did seemed to increase her attraction to him.
“It’s a beautiful place. Whenever I feel stressed or overwhelmed by the world around me, this is one of the few places I go. There are not many people here.” With a hand, he gestured to their stagnant surroundings. “It hardly gets crowded. It feels like my safe space.”
Rhiannon smiled. She didn’t know that billionaires needed places to kick back and relax too. Then again, the idea of a billionaire was more abstract to her than reality. She was going to need time to remember that they, too, were real people with real needs.
She still couldn’t understand why Gerri was so adamant about shoving her into the picture, though.
“There’s something nice about the simplicity of it all, wouldn’t you agree?” He gazed at her. “The people who installed the artwork didn’t have to do much for it to be beautiful. Everything meshes well with each other.”
“It’s very beautiful. Yeah.” Rhiannon nearly grimaced at her robotic responses. “I’ve heard things about the Concourse in the past, but because of my schedule, I never got the chance to visit before.”
“Seriously? How long have you lived in this city?”
“For a while. Why?”
“How could you live in a city for so long and not visit some of its hot spots?” Mars chuckled to himself, beckoning her with a nod to follow along. “Sounds like you have a lot of life that still needs to be lived, Rhiannon.”
Sticking his hands in his pockets, Mars led the way.
“What else have you missed out on?”
“I-I don’t know. A lot of things, maybe. I don’t go out very much if it’s not related to my job. Or grocery shopping.”
“Then how do you do most of your errands? Do you go to the gym? What about taking a walk through the city and window shopping in the fashion district?”
“Sounds like a waste of time if I’m not coming away with anything in my hands.”
