FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS (Ophelia Corrigan) novel Chapter 214

CHAPTER 214

– JAMIE

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After I banished him to the couch, I couldn’t sleep a wink. I lay in our bed staring at the ceiling, breathing in the scent he’d left on the pillow beside me. By the time the clock on the nightstand read 2:17, I gave up.

I went downstairs barefoot, the hem of my silk robe brushing the steps. The living room was empty. The couch looked untouched, the blanket bunched over one arm as though he’d gotten up in the middle of the night. My stomach tightened.

I searched the kitchen, the library, even the terrace. Nothing. Then I noticed a faint light coming from the

garage.

I pushed open the door and found him sitting on the hood of the Bugatti, eating a sandwich like it was the most normal thing in the world. His white T-shirt stretched across his shoulders, his hair was a mess, and there was a streak of mustard at the corner of his mouth.

He looked up. The second his eyes met mine, it felt as though all the air had been sucked out of the garage.

“You’re eating on top of a three-million-dollar car,” I said.

Simon took his time wiping his mouth with his thumb. “And you’re standing barefoot in a freezing garage. I’d say we’re even.”

I shut the door behind me. The click echoed through the cavernous space between the cars, and suddenly the garage felt much too small for the two of us.

“I couldn’t sleep,” I admitted.

“Neither could I.”

He stayed where he was, watching me with those eyes that always managed to undo me. I hated how much I liked being looked at that way.

“Can we sit in the car?” I asked. “It’s cold.”

Simon slid off the hood and opened the passenger door for me. I climbed in, the leather cold against my bare legs. He came around to the driver’s side and started the engine just long enough to get the heat going. Behind the tinted windows, the rest of the world disappeared.

For a while, neither of us spoke. We both stared straight ahead.

“Mitchell,” Simon began.

“I don’t want to talk about Mitchell.”

“Jamie…”

“It was never about him being there, Simon.” I turned to face him. “Do you understand that? It’s about you

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FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS: MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

making decisions for my department without even talking to me.”

He held my gaze. “I know.”

CA 89

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“Then why did you do it? Tell me. Deep down, do you think I’m not capable of handling a crisis this big at Hart?”

Simon exhaled slowly, choosing his words. “That’s not it. I’ve always trusted you. I just wanted to protect you.”

“And in the process, you took away my right to choose.”

“I know.” His voice came out rougher. “And I was wrong. I should’ve sat down with you and said, ‘Baby, I’m worried. Let’s figure this out together.’ Instead, I acted like you were another problem I could handle on my

own.”

The silence that followed felt different. Heavier. More honest.

“I’m not trying to win an argument,” I said. “I need to know I can trust you to respect me as a professional, even when we disagree.”

Simon closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them, something in his expression made my chest ache.

“You’re right.”

Then he leaned toward me, slowly, until his forehead rested against mine. His breath warmed my face. He smelled like soap and mustard, and I could feel his pulse racing where our bodies touched.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “For going over your head. For making you feel like your position was in question. This was never about whether you’re good at your job. Not for a second.”

My hand rose almost on its own. I traced his jaw, the stubble scraping lightly against my fingertips.

“I know,” I whispered.

That was all it took. Simon pulled me into his lap in one smooth motion, and I let him, settling astride him with my knees on either side of his thighs and my palms pressed to his broad chest beneath the thin cotton of

his shirt.

“I’m still furious with you,” I warned, though I didn’t sound remotely convincing.

“I know.”

Then his mouth was on mine.

His tongue slipped between my lips, tentative for only a moment before the kiss turned hungry, desperate, as though he’d gone days without touching me. His mouth moved against mine, hot and demanding, and when he deepened the kiss again, I moaned and fisted a handful of his T-shirt.

He drew my tongue into his mouth with a maddening slowness that made my back arch. One hand traveled up my back, his fingers spreading over the silk of my robe, while the other gripped my hip and pulled me closer until there was no mistaking how badly he wanted me, too.

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FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS: MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

“Simon,” I breathed against his lips.

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