My Dutch Billionaire 2 (10 page)

They were on their way to a charity ball organized by the de Konighs’ non-profit arm, but unlike most other events they attended together, Shane would be joining them as well.

When Serenity faced him, her usual composed mask had fallen into place, and her voice was polite as she murmured, “Of course.”

She started to turn away but he didn’t let her, taking hold of her hand and yanking her back to him. “You may not like your sister—”
 

Serenity flushed at the way the billionaire made her sound so foolishly caught up with childish squabbles. “I’m not the one who dislikes her,” she pointed out with dignity. “It’s Shane who dislikes me.”

“Of course,” he said soothingly. “I misspoke—”

She tried pushing him away, but it was like going against a brick wall. “I know when you’re just humoring me, Mr. de Konigh,” she muttered even as she finally allowed him to cage her in his arms. “And you’re doing it now.”

He smiled against her hair. “Am I?” Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, he murmured, “You know my hands are tied. Invitations had been sent out long ago, and your sister received hers because the charity assumed she would be coming as my date. If I backed out now, she would be suspicious, and you know it.”

Serenity still refused to speak.

Still smiling, he placed a sweet, short kiss on her mouth, murmuring against her lips, “You know I’m right,
engel
. Your sister is no idiot. She would know the moment she stepped inside the car that we have been doing things a boss shouldn’t be doing with his intern.” He paused. “Unless you’ve changed your mind?”

She bit her lip, then blurted out, “Unless you’ve changed your mind, too?” He didn’t answer, but he didn’t have to. He pulled away at her words, and when she saw the shuttered look that had fallen on the billionaire’s face, her fists clenched on her lap in frustration.
 

“I don’t understand you, Willem.” Looking at him suddenly made her want to tear up, and she hastily averted her gaze towards the windows. “You want everyone to know we’re together, but you don’t want to make love to me.”

Willem didn’t answer.

“Can’t you tell me why?”

But Willem remained silent, determined not to let her know the truth when he was certain it would only hurt her. Serenity was too young to understand that his forbearance – which was killing him – was for her own good.
 

She might have forgotten the years that separated them, but he hadn’t. She was only nineteen years old, with the rest of her life to look forward to while his was about halfway done. He did not want to tie her with him until she was absolutely sure she would not mind marrying a man who could give her everything except his heart.

They had been secretly seeing each other for several months now, and while the time he spent with Serenity in his arms were the best days of his life, he also knew that it could not – would not – last forever.

In half a year’s time, her gap year would end, and she would start fresh in college. She would meet boys her age, and he would have to let her go to spread her wings. Even now, he knew it would kill him to set his angel free, but Willem was just as certain he would be able to do it.

She had to have time away from him and find out on her own if a life with him was what she really wanted.

And if it was,
a voice inside him asked mockingly.

Willem took a deep breath. If it was, then he would have a ring on her finger faster than she could blink. Because he knew now. In fact, he was absolutely certain. Serenity Raleigh was his perfect match, the only woman he could imagine growing old with.

But right now, he was hurting that very woman, too.

He hadn’t known it until it was too late. As the car slowed to a stop, he heard the tiniest sound from her—

Serenity, trying to swallow back a sob.

Willem’s chest constricted.

Goddammit.

He started to reach for her, but then the door opened, and Serenity moved to sit on the opposite row with clumsy haste just as her older sister slid inside the limousine.

“I couldn’t wait,” Shane said gaily as she took her place next to the billionaire. As soon as the door closed, she reached for Willem to kiss him. He started to turn away, but she didn’t let him, murmurning throatily, “It’s just my sister.” She giggled. “She won’t tell the queen.”

Serenity heard the two kiss, and slowly she forced herself to look at the pair.

Willem’s eyes were open, and his gaze was on her even while Serenity’s sister was kissing him.

She stared back at him, unblinking, even as a tear slowly slipped down her face.

****

Willem was not used to being ignored. He was not used to being jealous either. But he found himself struggling intensely with both as he watched Serenity spend all her time with an assortment of his cousins, all of them younger and definitely more easygoing than the old and dreadfully grim Executioner, which was how the entire de Konigh family had come to describe him.

Beside him, Shane continued to pout and fume, and he was beginning to realize that everything about her was an act. He had thought her remarkably easygoing and understanding, and he was now disconcerted and uneasy to realize that her pretense had led him to once consider making her his bride.

Shane tugged on his sleeve again. “Can’t we dance once?” As she spoke, Serenity whirled past their table, dancing in Gabe’s arms, and Shane gritted her teeth.

Willem frowned.
 

There was something about the look in her face...
 

A thought occurred to him, and he abruptly made a decision. Coming to his feet, he smiled charmingly at his date and offered his hand. “Your wish is my command, my dear.”

Shane brightened and happily took Willem’s hand. Her laughter rang out in the ballroom as Willem expertly swung her onto the dance floor, the sound drawing lots of admiring glances their way.

It caught Serenity’s attention, too, and before she could stop herself, she was already looking around—

“I don’t think it’s worth feeling sad about,” her dance partner murmured wryly.

Serenity was startled. “Pardon, Your Highness?”

Gabe said gently, “My cousin’s just dancing with his date, and she’s just whoring for attention.”

She choked. “T-that’s my sister.”

“That sucks,” he said sympathetically.
 

She almost smiled, but laughter tinged her voice as she said, “No wonder you keep getting into trouble, Your Highness.”

Gabe gave her a look of sham innocence. “Me?”

“You.” She nodded sagely. “I’ll go as far as saying you’ve cost my boss one or two nights of lost sleep.”

An injured look fell on the prince’s face. “I’m hurt. Just one or two?”

Before she could answer, someone said behind them. “An exchange of partners perhaps?”

Serenity stiffened.

Willem.

The prince only smiled. “One lovely lady for another? A fair exchange,” he murmured as he let go of Serenity and drew Shane into his arms.

As Willem took Serenity’s cold hand in his, he bent his head to Gabe and said under his breath, “Distract her, please.” He spoke in Contini’s native language, which he knew Shane did not speak.

The prince nodded before whirling Serenity’s sister away, which left Serenity and Willem alone.

“I...I...” She blurted out the first excuse that came to her. “I think I, umm, need to rest my leg.”

His smile was pleasant, but it didn’t reach his eyes as he said, “I know.” Her eyes widened, more so when the billionaire hissed under his breath,
“You little fool.
” Before she knew what was happening, he was already drawing her close and taking her back to their table. “I saw your face a while ago. Your leg was paining you, but you couldn’t make yourself tell the prince.”

She started to protest, “I knew the dance was about to end—”

He cut her off, saying sharply, “And you’re not wearing any of the shoes I’ve given you.” His eyes raked her with furious disbelief. “How long are you going to act like a child with this? Every time I piss you off, you’re not going to wear my shoes?” He pulled back a chair for her as he spoke, and she lowered herself to it with dignity.
 

Sitting down next to her, he demanded, “Well?”

She glared at him in mutinous silence.

In the past, the rare sight of Serenity fully riled up would have amused him, but not now, not when he was still seeing red with the way the prince’s hands had stayed too damn long on her hips and his fingers too damn close to being splayed on Serenity’s pert bottom.

“Did you enjoy dancing with the prince?” he bit out.

Defiantly, she said, “More than I ever enjoyed dancing with you.”

His eyes turned a frigid shade of blue.

“In fact,” Serenity continued in a low voice made shaky by her own pent-up jealousy, “I’d say he’s better than you in every way—”

“Shut up,” Willem snarled under his breath, “or I’ll shut it myself with my mouth.”

“I dare you!” She had hissed the words unthinkingly, forgetting that this was Willem de Konigh she was talking to, and he did not take kindly to being dared.
 

But when the billionaire made a move to do exactly as he had threatened, she panicked and quickly leaned back—

The chair started to fall back at her sudden movement.

Serenity paled.

The people around them gasped as she started to fall with the chair, but just when she thought her head was going to crack against the floor, Willem had caught hold of the edge and pulled it back upright with one firm yank.

The guests around them burst into applause.

“Are you alright?” he asked immediately.

She could not speak right away, could only stare at him while he gripped her hand tightly under the table.

“Sere?” the billionaire asked gently even as wickedness glittered in his eyes.

She swallowed. “I’m o-okay.” His fingers tightened its hold and she swallowed again. “T-thank you for helping me.” Her voice was tremulous, her gaze glued to his face, and every cell in her body concentrated on their clasped fingers.
 

He bent close, and she held her breath.
 

“I didn’t like seeing you dance with another man.”

Her heart skipped a beat, and she whispered, “I d-didn’t like seeing you kiss my sister either.”

Silence.

Then, finally, the billionaire said, “You win.”

Her lips parted in bemused shock. “W-win what?”

“If you’re a good girl for the rest of the evening,” the billionaire said calmly, “then I’ll fuck you tonight.”

Her throat dried. Her breasts swelled. And her pussy slowly throbbed in a thoroughly drenched state of arousal.

The billionaire leaned back against his seat, and as his thumb stroked her knuckles under the table, he arched one elegant brow at her, asking easily, “Do we have a deal,
engel
?”

“Yes.”

As soon as she said the word, she heard Shane rushing to their table, exclaiming, “I saw it while the prince and I were dancing! Are you okay?” But this was directed to Willem, which made the billionaire frown.

“I’m not the one who almost fell, Shane,” he said gently. “Perhaps you were too far to see how it truly happened?”

Flushing at the hint of disapproval in his eyes, she eagerly grabbed the excuse, saying, “Yes, I’m sorry. I thought it was you.” She looked at her younger sister with sham concern. “Are you all right, darling?”

Willem chose that exact moment to prod her uninjured foot with his, and even the simple contact was enough to have blood rushing to her head. She croaked out to her sister, “Yes.”

Shane looked at her oddly. “You look like you’re about to have a fever.”

“It’s the scare of almost falling off her chair, I’m sure,” the billionaire murmured. Smiling at Shane, he said, “Just enjoy yourself, my dear. I’ll look after the child while I make some business calls.”