The Billionaire’s Unexpected Proposal (Evelyn and Derek)

my wrapping around his Evelyn's mind screamed at her to stop, but her body betrayed her, responding to his touch. She kissed him back, her arms wra neck as she melted into the kiss

For a brief moment, she let herself get lost in the sensation and the world around them faded away. Nothing else mattered but what she was feeling.

All she wanted for this brief moment was to forget all about the past and to live a little, but then reality crashed back in

She couldn't do that. Not when a lot was at stake. Not when she had to protect Samantha and herself

She pulled away abruptly, her heart pounding. "I can't do this," she said, her voice filled with regret. "I'm sorry, Derek

Before he could say anything, she turned and hurried back inside the suite. She needed to get away, to clear her head. She grabbed her toiletries and disappeared into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Once inside, the leaned against the door, taking deep, calming breaths. Her lips

r lips still tingled from the kiss, and she could feel the lingering warmth

of his touch on her skin. She shook her head, trying to dispel the memory.

Evelyn splashed cold water on her face, trying to wash away the confusion and guilt that swirled inside her. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, searching for some semblance of clarity.

e a mess."

"You can't let this happen," she whispered to herself. "You have to stay focused. You need to stay focused else everything will be a After a few more moments, she undressed and stepped into the shower, hoping the hot water would soothe her frazzled nerves.

As she stood under the spray, she replayed the kiss in her mind, wondering how she had allowed herself to do that.

When she finally emerged from the shower, she felt somewhat calmer, but the memory of the kiss still lingered at the edge of her thoughts.

She dressed quickly and returned to the bedroom, determined to keep her distance from Derek for the rest of the night.

She was a bit shocked when she stepped out and saw that he had pushed both the table and sofa closer to the bed and there were two wine glasses and a bottle of champagne on the table. "What's that for?" she asked with a frown, not liking the feeling she was having about it.

Derek, still wearing his bathrobe, looked up at her with a mischievous smile. "I thought we could drink to our last day here together and probably the last day I could get to seduce you" he said, holding up the bottle of champagne

He had been pleased by her response to his kiss earlier and that had assured him even more that she wanted him as much as he wanted her but was holding back for reasons he intended to find out "I don't think there anything worth drinking to or celebrating about our stay here," Evelyn said and Derek raised a brow,

"Okay. If not for celebration, at least let's have a drink together and perhaps get to know a little more about ourselves. I told you stuff about me yet I don't know anything about you" Derek said, trying to convince her to have the drink with him.

Evelyn hesitated, her mind racing. She knew Derek was trying to charm her, but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing she was affected by the thoughts.

"I really just want to get some sleep, Derek," she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Just one glass, Derek insisted, pouring the champagne into the glasses. "I promise, no tricks and I won't do what you don't want

She had a problem with the way he worded it. His promise to not do what she didn't want was not something she could rely on since they both knew now that she couldn't trust herself.

Every fiber in her being was screaming for her to decline and just go to bed as planned but somehow she found herself taking the wineglass he offered.

"Alright, just one glass," she said, sitting down on the bed since Derek was already sitting on the

sofa.

Evelyn took a small sip, the bubbles tickling her nose as she eyed him warily. She still couldn't understand why he wanted her.

"So, what has been bothering you lately?" Derek asked and she raised a brow,

do you mean?

"I noticed you seem unusually distracted lately. And you always have worry lines between your brows. Is there anything I can help with?" Derek asked, wanting to see if she would open up to him. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

Evelyn shook her head. "It's personal. I don't want to talk about it, Evelyn said and Derek looked at her with interest.

"So, you do admit that something has been bothering you:"

"We all have things bothering us. I'm sure you do too," she said taking another sip from her wine.

"The only thing that bothers me is how to get you to open up to me," Derek said and s

she rolled her eyes.

"And was that the reason you brought me here?" she asked, deciding to confront him directly. "I know you lied about a property owner asking you to come in person," Evelyn said and Derek chuckled as he leaned back in his seat

"I told you, Eve. Aside from the fact that I want to charm you into my bed and have you as my woman, I wanted you to get to know me better." he said easily.

"And you think lying to me and tricking me into coming here with you is the best way to do that?" she challenged, raising an eyebrow and Derek chuckled

"Yes, I think so. Tell me honestly, Eve, would you have gotten on the plane with me had I told you the truth?" Derek asked and she shook her head. "Obviously not