Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 316

Chapter 316

I woke slowly, drifting out of a deep, restorative sleep that felt like a blessing after everything I’d endured the night before. Soft morning light filtered through Nate’s curtains, creating a warm, peaceful atmosphere that couldn’t have been more different from the horror of that hotel room. For a few precious moments, I stayed still, simply savoring the feeling of safety, and the blessed absence of the pounding headache that had tormented me hours earlier.

Whatever James had slipped into my drink had finally worn off completely. My head was clear, my movements steady, and while there was still some lingering emotional soreness, physically I felt almost normal again.

I went downstairs still wearing Nate’s T-shirt and the pajama pants from the night before. The smell of freshly brewed coffee and something that suspiciously smelled like pancakes pulled me the rest of the way down.

I found Nate in the kitchen, dressed in nothing but a gray T-shirt and pajama pants, focused on making what looked like a full English breakfast. There was buttered toast on a platter, fried eggs, bacon, sausages, baked beans, grilled tomatoes, and a generous tray of fresh fruit that included strawberries, melon. My heart warmed when I noticed plenty of green grapes.

“Good morning,” I said softly, walking up behind him and lightly touching his back.

He turned right away, his face lighting up with genuine relief.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he said, pulling me gently into a warm hug. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better,” I answered honestly, leaning into his chest for a moment. “And apparently starving.”

“Perfect,” he said with a smile. “Because I made enough food to feed a small army.’

We sat down at the kitchen table, and I immediately reached for the grapes, grabbing a generous bunch and eating them one by one. There was something grounding about the simple act of eating something so fresh and

sweet.

“Annie,” Nate said after a few moments of comfortable silence, “we need to talk about Wanderer.”

I froze with a grape halfway to my mouth, knowing this moment had been unavoidable. I took a breath and nodded.

“I know.”

“How do you feel about… all of it?” he asked carefully, watching my expression.

I chewed thoughtfully before answering, organizing the swirl of emotions I’d been carrying.

“Honestly?” I began, picking up another grape. “I was angry that I couldn’t stay angry.”

Nate frowned slightly, clearly confused.

“Why?”

“Because,” I explained, gesturing with the grape, “the two men I had feelings for over the past few months were the same person. Which proves we connected on every level-physical, emotional, intellectual. That should’ve been a beautiful discovery.”

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Chapter 316

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I paused, feeling the complexity settle back in.

“But I wanted to be mad. I needed to be mad about the lie, about the omission. Do you get it? It felt like I should be furious, but deep down… I was almost relieved.”

“I get it,” Nate said softly. “And I understand the mistake I made too.”

He paused, running a hand through his hair.

“I’ve never been in love before, Annie,” he admitted, his voice so raw and honest that I stopped chewing altogether. “I’ve had plenty of flings. Casual relationships that never lasted more than a few weeks. Smart, beautiful, interesting women, but none of them ever stirred anything beyond physical attraction and surface- level compatibility. With you, it was different from the moment we met on that plane. You challenged me. You made me laugh. You made me think. And then I panicked. I didn’t know how to handle feelings that intense, that overwhelming. I was terrified of losing you, of ruining everything before it even started. So I made terrible decisions. Creating Wanderer was my cowardly way of getting close to you when I didn’t have the courage to be

vulnerable as Nate.”

My heart warmed at his confession. I stood up from my chair and walked around the table to where he was sitting. I rested my hands on his shoulders and leaned in to kiss him-a soft kiss, full of forgiveness and understanding.

“Now that I think about it,” I said when we pulled back, smiling against his lips, “it was kind of romantic. In a very complicated, very confusing way.

Nate laughed, visibly relieved.

“But,” I added, my expression turning serious, “you need to promise me you’ll never lie to me again. About anything. No matter how scary the truth is.”

“I can’t promise that,” Nate replied and my heart nearly stopped until he continued with a mischievous smile. ” Well, if you keep attacking the grapes like that, I might have to hide them and say they’re gone. You do know they’re my favorite fruit, right?”

I laughed out loud, picked up a single grape, and gently placed it in his mouth.

“That’s the best I can do when it comes to sharing food,” I said with mock seriousness.

He chewed slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. When he finished, his expression shifted. It was softer, almost dreamy.

“I could get used to this, you know,” he said quietly.

“Sharing grapes?” I asked, grabbing another one for myself.

“Sharing a life,” he corrected, his voice deepening in a way that sent little flips through my chest. “I mean… waking up every day with you beside me, your messy hair on my pillow. Having breakfast together while you read the news on your phone and I pretend I’m not watching you over my tablet. Arguing over who ate the last grape, debating what movie to watch on the weekend, splitting chores and discovering you’re terrible at folding laundry but make perfect coffee. I want the small annoyances and the everyday joys. I want to learn all your weird habits and let you learn mine. I want us to build silly traditions-like pancakes on Sundays or walks in the park when it’s raining.”

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“Nate…” I started, my heart racing.

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“I know it’s fast,” he went on, standing up and stepping closer to me. “But everything with us has been fast. Meeting on the plane. Falling in love. Almost losing each other. Finding each other again. We don’t have to-” He paused. “We don’t have to make it official all at once. To start with… you could move in here…”

“Nate…” I tried again, but the words stuck in my throat.

There was so much to think about. Our relationship was still healing from secrets and recent trauma. Moving in together was a huge step, especially after everything we’d been through. And yet, the idea of waking up next to him every morning, of having that sense of safety and love all the time…

Before I could form a real answer, the doorbell rang, abruptly interrupting our moment and leaving Nate’s question hanging in the air between us.

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