Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 330

Chapter 330

The bedroom was a state of organized chaos, with two large suitcases spread open on our king-size bed and clothes scattered everywhere as we tried to decide what to pack for our trip to Verdania. It was Matt’s first birthday, and Nate was about to be officially introduced to my parents.

Packing which was something that had always been simple for me, had turned into a much more complex operation now that we had to consider not just our own needs, but also those of our newest four-legged family member.

Ginger was sprawled right in the middle of the mess, occasionally grabbing a sock or a piece of clothing that fell to the floor and turning it into her personal toy, completely oblivious to our serious attempts at organization. Her golden fur looked striking against the navy-blue duvet, and she seemed perfectly content being the center of attention while we organized our lives around her.

“Are you absolutely sure Ginger can fly?” I asked for the tenth time in two hours, stopping mid-fold of a silk blouse to look at Nate, worry written all over my face. “She’s still so small, and it’s such a long flight… What if she gets traumatized? What if something goes wrong?”

Nate chuckled softly—that patient, affectionate laugh I’d come to recognize whenever I slipped into what he fondly called momma owl mode. It was a phrase he’d been using more and more since Ginger came into our lives, especially when I started worrying about every tiny detail of her well-being.

“Annie, love,” he said, completely abandoning his neatly folded dress shirts to look straight at me, his hands settling on my shoulders. “Oliver personally cleared the trip and gave us all the paperwork. He’s a vet, remember? If there’s anyone on this planet who knows whether she’s ready to fly, it’s him. And he examined her three times just to be sure.”

“But what if she gets nauseated during takeoff? What if the engine noise scares her? What if the cabin pressure hurts her tiny ears? What if-”

“And besides,” Nate interrupted gently, stepping closer and wrapping his arms around my waist, pulling me against him, “we’re flying on the company jet. That means plenty of space for Ginger to run around whenever she needs to burn off energy, and lots of things for her to knock over with that hyperactive little tail.”

The mental image of our tiny golden retriever wreaking adorable havoc inside a multimillion-pound private jet made me laugh despite the anxiety that had been gnawing at me ever since we confirmed the trip. I crouched down to scoop Ginger into my arms, and she immediately rewarded me by enthusiastically licking my face, exactly as she always did whenever she got attention.

“Don’t be afraid of flying, Ginger,” I told her, using that soft, overly sweet baby voice Nate always teased me about whenever I talked to our puppy like she was a human child. “You’re going to do great, sweetheart.”

That made Nate laugh even harder, his green eyes sparkling with pure amusement as he watched me have a very serious conversation with a dog.

“I don’t remember you being quite that brave the last time,” he teased, clearly referring to my far-from-heroic behavior on the flight to London when we first met.

I grabbed a neatly folded polo shirt from beside my suitcase and hurled it at him, hitting him square in the chest and only making him laugh more.

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Chapter 330

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“You don’t know that,” I shot back with mock indignation, trying to keep a straight face. “Maybe it was my plan all along to get your attention. Maybe I calculated the exact right level of vulnerability to trigger your protective instincts.”

Nate laughed, picked up the shirt from the floor, and tossed it back at me with that wicked smile that still managed to make me blush no matter how many times I’d seen it.

“At least this time we’ll have a bed,” he said, referring to the luxurious accommodations on the private jet compared to the very obvious limitations of a commercial flight.

“Christian is completely obsessed with his new toy, isn’t he?” I asked, deliberately changing the subject before we got too distracted from packing and wandered into far more interesting… and tempting activities.

“A top-of-the-line Bombardier Global that he managed to buy before the model was even officially released?” Nate replied, his eyes lighting up with that unmistakable male excitement men get when talking about expensive toys. “Even I’m excited.”

It was honestly adorable how men no matter how sophisticated or successful, always turned into kids in a toy store when luxury vehicles and cutting-edge technology were involved. Christian had spent weeks obsessing over the new company jet’s technical specs and Nate was clearly just as eager to experience that level of airborne luxury for the first time.

“Oh, by the way,” Nate continued, returning to his suitcase and resuming the process of choosing clothes suitable for the Verdanian tropical climate, “Gwen’s coming with us. And Matthew and Marcus decided to come to London first so we can all fly to Verdania together instead of them heading straight from Longmin.”

The casual mention of Marcus made me stop abruptly mid-fold of a patterned skirt.

“Marcus?” I asked carefully, keeping my voice neutral. “Are you really okay with that? With him being on the trip?”

Nate immediately stopped what he was doing and turned fully toward me.

“I am,” he said without hesitation, absolute conviction in his voice. “I understand the pressure he was under when he tried to win you back. And honestly, he ended up helping us in the end.”

He walked over and took my hands, lacing our fingers together with that gentle touch that always managed to calm me instantly.

“And besides,” he added, a mischievous smile starting to curve his lips, “if he tries to get anywhere near you with the wrong intentions this time, I have a powerful ally.”

“Oh?” I asked, genuinely curious about his sudden confidence, and this mysterious ally.

Nate looked straight at Ginger, who was now enthusiastically chewing on one of his very expensive leather shoes, and said in a commanding tone, “Ginger, bite.”

Our puppy immediately lifted her head when she heard her name, barked once with full enthusiasm, and then, apparently deciding she had far more important things to do, spun in three tight circles chasing her own tail before launching herself straight into my lap and resting her small, furry head on my legs with a deeply contented sigh.

“Impressive ally,” I laughed, stroking Ginger’s soft, silky fur affectionately.

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