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Pushing the curtains aside, she stepped into the villa. “Wow,” she whispered. It was like walking into the middle of a Saks Fifth Avenue catalogue. Everywhere she looked was gorgeousness upon gorgeousness. Cream and pale beige sofas with the hint of a gold stripe on the edges sat either side of the elegantly furnished entrance.
If her heart and mind hadn’t been so focused on finding Bryce, she might have lingered and taken it all in. But she only wanted one thing. One person.
“Bryce?”
The breeze rippling through the curtains was the only reply. Moving further into the villa, Vivian checked the living room, then both bedrooms. Bryce was definitely staying here, his luggage was in the master bedroom. His laptop sat open on a table, the red and gold House of Royal insignia shone bright on the home screen.
Her teeth grazed over her bottom lip, as butterflies danced in her belly.
Where are you?
She turned and headed back to the entrance. She’d been too focused on the villa and what lay within to have checked the beach when she arrived.
Through the open door she glimpsed the silhouette of a man. He was framed by the orange of the sunset on the ocean. His back was to the villa, but she had no doubt as to who it was…
CHAPTERFIFTY-THREE
The soft hush of footsteps on the sand had Bryce turning from gazing out to sea. At the sight of Vivian, his heart leapt in near painful longing. Smiling, he held out his hand, relieved beyond measure when she took it. “You came.”
“I did. I mean I would have to be crazy not to make the effort, especially since you flew all the way from New York just to see me. I understand you threw yourself on the mercy of my friends.”
The fairy lights which hung from the trees overhead bathed Vivian’s face in a pale shade of champagne.Please let this be a champagne moment.
Bryce gently squeezed her hand, just to reassure himself that he wasn’t dreaming. She really was here.
“Friends.”More like the three witches from the opening scene of Macbeth.“Yes, those three helped get me here.”
Her brows furrowed. “Three? I thought Mia and Grace put you up to this, who is the third person?”
“Sheila. She is my brother Jordan’s executive assistant. Though since he has been sent back to California, she will probably be working for me for the foreseeable future.”
“I see.”
“They are a protective bunch. I couldn’t even get your phone number out of them.”
Vivian let go of his hand and pulled her cell out of the pocket of her sundress. “Give me your number.” Bryce recited his details and she tapped away at the screen. His own cell pinged in his pants pocket. “That’s a contact message from me. Now you have my number. Don’t lose it, Bryce Royal. I’m hoping you will use it for the purposes of good, not evil, in the future.”
He was already planning to have the number tattooed on the inside of his wrist. Or at the very least a thousand business cards printed. God forbid he ever lost his phone.
When Vivian drew in a shaky breath, the lightness of the moment transformed into something more solemn. Bryce waited. His heart was thumping hard in his chest.
Please. Please god let her want me.
He was desperate to know Vivian’s take on where this encounter might lead. She was here and it was more than he had dared hoped for over the past twenty four hours. But who was to stay she hadn’t gone back to herlet’s part as friendsmode? He would be gutted if she had.
“I’m really sorry about Galveston, Bryce. I truly am. Instead of giving you the chance to explain yourself I just fled. My trust issues are kinda heavy at the moment, but you shouldn’t be the one to bear the weight of them.” Her gaze dropped to the sand at her feet. “I’m surprised that a man like you would still want to have anything to do with me.”
The sadness in her voice tore at Bryce’s heart. Vivian had been hurt. “I have to confess I was completed blind-sided when you took off in Texas— but can we please put it all behind us? I’m sorry for what you have been through. Some of the NYC brotherhood have let you down, Vivian Holte. I’m hoping you will give me the time and space to correct that oversight on behalf of all the males in the greater New York area— starting with your credit card.”
“Huh?” said Vivian, her head lifting. She met his gaze.
Bryce curled his toes up in his Italian loafers. He’d been waiting hours for this exact moment, to tell her what he had done. “The charge for the dating app has been refunded, in full. And I paid off the rest of the balance.”
Her eyes grew wide. “But…but how?”
He leaned in close and smiled. This was pure magic to his ego. “Don’t you remember where I’m from? On Planet Billionaire we simply have to ask, and problems disappear.” Vivian raised her eyebrows. “Ok, I asked Grace for the name of your bank. It just so happens that the CEO of that particular financial institution plays tennis with my dad every second Saturday.”
She shook her head and laughed. “Planet Billionaire, of course. Oh, wow. I don’t know what else to say other than, thank you. You’ve just saved me from a steady diet of cheap noodles and no social life for the rest of my entire existence. How can I ever repay you?”
