Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Christian’s Porsche rolled to a smooth stop in front of my house. The engine shut off, leaving behind only the silence between us so heavy it felt like a third presence in the car. Through the window, I saw my home exactly as I had left it days ago-modest, familiar, a world completely apart from the vineyards and mansions we had left behind.

The drive back had been almost entirely silent. A few attempts at conversation died quickly, as if we both knew that any word might shatter the fragile truce we had established. Christian had been polite, asking if I was comfortable, if I needed to stop anywhere. I had been equally polite, answering in monosyllables. We pretended nothing had happened. That we hadn’t slept in the same room, shared personal stories, danced together, and kissed.

We pretended there would be no longing.

“This is it,” Christian finally said, his hands still on the wheel even though the car was parked. “Thank you for everything, Zoey Bennett.”

The formality in the way he said my full name hurt more than it should have.

“Thank you,” I replied, my voice coming out strangely steady. “For clearing my father’s debt. For keeping your end of the bargain.”

Christian nodded, staring ahead, avoiding my eyes.

“As promised, it’s all resolved. Your father will receive the documents tomorrow.”

I moved to open the door, but something stopped me. An invisible weight, a hesitation I couldn’t explain. My hand hovered in the air, unable to finish the motion.

“Will you be alright?” I asked, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

He looked at me, surprised by the question.

“I always am,” he said with the kind of confidence that seemed so natural to him. “I’ll find a way.”

“And your grandfather? He won’t…”

“I’ll make something up. A fight. An irreconcilable disagreement.” He shrugged, though the tension in his jaw betrayed him. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Hard not to, when you look so much like a stray dog left out in the rain right now.”

A small smile tugged at his lips.

“Was that almost a compliment?”

“Almost.”

The silence returned, but it wasn’t as tense. Something had shifted-just a small crack in the wall we had built between us during the trip.

“How are you going to find another girl to pretend to be your fiancée?” I asked, trying to sound light. “Planning to crash more weddings in the hopes of being mistaken for a gigolo?”

Christian let out a short laugh-the first genuine sound since we’d left the vineyard.

“I think you’re one of a kind in that regard.” He looked at me, his eyes softening. “I doubt there’s another woman in the world who’d mistake Christian Kensington for a male escort.”

My heart sped up at the way he said one of a kind. Ridiculous, I know. I was searching for meaning where none existed.

“Well, you have to admit the situation was unusual. An abandoned bride, my ex-best friend’s wedding, a mysterious stranger who looks like a model…” I shrugged. “Anyone would’ve come to the same conclusion.”

“Anyone?” He raised an eyebrow. “Or just someone with an imagination as vivid as yours?”

“I’m starting to think you enjoyed the confusion.”

“Maybe I did.” His voice dropped an octave. “It gave my overly planned life a touch of… unexpected.”

That silence returned again. The kind filled with unsaid things, with possibilities we’d never explore. I glanced at my house, noting it was completely dark. It was Sunday-my parents had probably gone to the street market, Matthew was at soccer, and Annie was likely just waking up at a friend’s place after a night out. The house would be empty.

But neither of us moved. It was as if we were trapped in a bubble of time, the last moment of a story ending abruptly.

“Have a good life, Christian Kensington.” I tried to smile, aiming for a clean, definitive goodbye,

“You too, Zoey Bennett.”

Finally, with what felt like superhuman effort, I reached down for my bag. It was time to return to my real life, to leave behind the fantasy of being a billionaire’s fiancée, of belonging to a world that would never be mine.

My hand reached for the door handle, but before I could open it, I turned back to Christian. I wanted one last look, one final moment to keep in memory.

“Goodbye,” I murmured, leaning in to place a kiss on his cheek. An innocent gesture, an appropriate full stop.

But when my lips touched his skin, something happened. I don’t know if he turned his face, or if I changed the angle at the last second. All I know is that suddenly, our lips met.

It was like an electric current shot through me. I tried to pull away-I really did. But Christian’s hands were on my face, gentle yet firm, and my body responded to a desire stronger than reason.

The kiss started slow, hesitant, like a question. Then it became something more-urgent, needy, almost desperate. My hands tangled in his hair, pulling him closer. I felt his hands slide down my back, drawing me against him as much as the car’s console would allow.

A low sound escaped my throat as his tongue found mine, and I felt his body shudder in response. It was just us, surrendered to something we could no longer deny.

When we finally pulled apart, breathless, staring at each other with swollen lips and pupils blown wide with desire, there was no more pretending. No more contracts, no business deal.

My heart pounded so hard I was sure he could hear it. The silence between us now carried a different question, a new kind of possibility.

I sucked in a breath, fighting for clarity. It was madness. But I wanted that madness one last time.

“Do you want to come in?”