Billionaires Don’t Fall For Awkward Girls by Emma Dalton

Chapter Twenty-Seven

After coming home from the country club, which is close to ten o’clock, I plop down on the couch with an exhausted sigh. I worked myself to death today, and I still have so much homework to do. I thought my load was supposed to get easier now with Mom working for the Knights?

“Dani, you home?” Mom calls from the kitchen.

“Yeah, I just got back.”

She walks into the living room and sits down next to me. “How was it? You look exhausted.”

“I’m okay.” I force a smile. “It was…an experience. Here’s the money.” I hand her the envelope.

She pushes it back to me. “You keep it.”

“What? No, we all pitch in.”

She shakes her head. “I want you to have it. You’ve been working so hard and it was unfair that I sprung the job on you. You keep it, okay?”

I stare down at it, twisting my lips. “You sure?”

She grins. “Start saving up for when you move to New York City.”

I hug the envelope to my chest. “Thanks, Mom.” I lean forward to kiss her cheek.

“Was the landlord upset?” she asks.

My brows furrow. “Landlord?”

“When you brought him the rent money.”

It feels like a massive wave has barreled over me. Oh my gosh, I totally forgot about the money!

She studies me. “What’s wrong? Did he yell at you? Threaten to kick us out? Did you promise we’ll pay next month’s rent on time?”

I force a smile. “N-no, everything went great. He didn’t yell at me.”

She sighs in relief. “Good. You hungry?”

As if I can get anything in my stomach. “No.” I stand. “I have a lot of homework.”

“Okay. Try not to stay up too late. Good night.” She kisses my forehead before going to her room.

I’m like a zombie as I head to my room, and then I start pacing. Oh my gosh, how could I be so irresponsible? The rent money was so important and Mom entrusted it into my hands. And I forgot to give it to the landlord. It was due tonight!

Okay, no need to panic. I’ll just pop over to his place tomorrow morning. I walk to my desk to look for my bag, but I can’t find it anywhere. Did I leave it in the living room?

I hurry over to the couch, but there’s nothing on it other than the cushions. Oh no. Did I forget my bag on the bus? Holy crap, I left all that rent money on the bus! There’s no way I can get that back now.

Then it hits me. No, I didn’t leave my bag on the bus because I didn’t have it with me. I left it at the country club. In a locker Sandra said I could use. That means…the rent money is still in there.

I have no choice but to take a bus to the country club early tomorrow morning and get the money to the landlord. But he told my mom he had to have it in his hands by tonight.

“Oh no.” I cover my face. “We’re going to get kicked out and it’s all my fault.”

No. I can save the situation. I have to get that money back tonight.

Without another thought, I creep past the living room and out the front door, running to the bus stop. Luckily, the bus has just pulled up to the curb. I hurry on and sit down, squeezing my hands in my lap. I’ve officially lost my mind. What exactly am I going to do once I get there? Break into the country club? I have no idea. But I’m getting that money into the landlord’s hands. Tonight.

The bus ride to Silverton takes forever. When I finally get there, I dash out of the bus and all the way to the country club, coming to a stop before the gates. This is when I’m reminded what a complete idiot I am because how the heck am I supposed to get into this place? It’s locked and there’s a security guard.

As if on cue, the booth opens and a head sticks out. Before he can see me, I race to the side of the building, craning my neck to make sure he’s not following me. Then I sigh in relief. But that doesn’t last long because I still have no idea how I’m going to get into this place and get the rent money.

Why do they always make these things look easy in the movies?

I guess I can always ask the guard for permission to retrieve my bag. But what if he doesn’t believe it’s my money and accuses me of stealing it? What if I get arrested? I am trespassing after all.

“If you’re trying to blend in, you should have worn black,” a voice says from behind me.

I whirl around and come face to face with Easton.

He chuckles softly. “You really are a bad ninja.”

I grab my heart that’s about to jet out of my chest. “You scared me!”

“Sorry,” he whispers. “What are you doing here?”

“N-nothing.”

He quirks a brow. “Then why does it look like you’re trying to break into the country club? And might I add, doing a pretty crappy job of it.”

I fold my arms over my chest. “It’s not like I’m a professional thief planning an epic heist.”

His brow quirks even higher. “So you are trying to break in.”

I sigh as I drop my hands to my side. “I left something in the locker and need to get it.”

“Tonight?”

I nod.

He whistles. “That’s rough. Is it really that important?”

I swallow the lump in my throat. “It’s a life and death situation.”

Now both his eyebrows shoot up. “Wow. Okay. Let’s do this.”

“Let’s? Why are you getting involved?”

“Because I know how to get you inside,” he throws over his shoulder as he walks toward the back of the building.

“How do you know? And why are you even here? Are you stalking me?”

He laughs. “Stalking you? That would mean I followed you home and then followed you back here. Way too much work for me.”

I put my hands on my hips and narrow my eyes at him. “How did you know I went home? You are stalking me.”

“I saw you get on the bus. And you came back two hours later. Which means you got home, realized you forgot whatever it is here, and you came back. The bus ride takes about an hour. One plus one equals two.”

I keep my narrowed eyes on him. “So you watched me get on the bus.”

“I was in the area.”

“Stalking me.”

He shakes his head. “I never left.”

“What do you mean you never left?”

He shrugs. “My parents left, but I stayed behind in my car.”

“Why?”

He plucks his gaze from mine. “Let’s just say I didn’t want to go home.”

What’s that supposed to mean?

“Are you coming?” he hisses as he continues making his way toward the back of the building. I quickly catch up to him, where he stands in front of the door the catering company used. It has a keypad on it.

“They secure the front,” he says as he steps closer to it. “But they’re not very careful about the backdoor.” He rolls his eyes. “Some security, huh?”

“You know the code?” I ask.

“I’ve known it since I was a kid. They never change it.”

He lifts his hand to type in the code, but I say, “Can’t you just ask the guard to let you in? He knows who you are, doesn’t he? It is your country club.”

He laughs, shaking his head. “Come on, Wood. Where’s the fun in that? Live a little.”

He taps in the code and the light turns green. “Open sesame,” he says before grabbing my arm and slipping inside. The area is pitch-black.

I reach for my phone and turn on the flashlight.

“I know exactly how to avoid the security cameras,” he tells me. “Follow me.”

“Thanks for getting me in,” I say as we creep in a specific path toward the lockers. “I really wasn’t thinking when I left my house,” I add with an embarrassed laugh. “I guess I was so focused on getting the rent money. So silly.”

He stops and stares at me. “Rent money? You said it was life and death. All this breaking in is because of money?”

“Um, yeah.”

“I could have lent you the money.”

“I don’t need handouts from you.”

He holds up his hands. “It’s not a handout. Just a loan until you could get your money back.”

“I’d rather break into the country club,” I say as I continue walking toward the lockers.

He shakes his head with a light laugh. “You are something else.”

Just as we’re about to turn the corner to reach the lockers, there’s a small light in the distance and heavy footsteps. I gasp. It must be the guard. Easton grabs me by the waist and yanks me behind the wall, concealing us from sight.

I find myself pressed against his chest. His strong, hard, warm chest. I slowly raise my head and look into his face, into his beautiful brown eyes that stare straight into mine. Heat engulfs every part of me as a tingle spreads throughout my body. All I want to do is push away from him, but that would be suicide. And anyway, his hands are still wrapped around my waist, holding me in place, almost as if he’s protecting me.

The footsteps grow louder and the light shines brighter. I squeeze closer against his body and his arms tighten around me, as if he wants my body to meld into his. I feel his heart racing and notice his heavy breathing. My heart races just as fast and my breathing is just as heavy.

“Sorry,” Easton murmurs as the guard’s footsteps die down. “I panicked. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“Is he gone?” I whisper.

He cranes his neck as far as it can go. “I don’t know. Maybe we should wait a couple of minutes just in case.”

While his chest is so hard and I can feel the strong muscles beneath, it’s oddly so comfortable. My eyes flutter shut.

“Are you sleeping?”

My eyes shoot open and I yank my head up. It knocks into his jaw, causing me to cry out softly and him to groan. “Sorry!” I whisper-yell. “That was an accident.”

He rubs his jaw. “You seem to get into a lot of accidents.”

“Goes with the territory of being the Awkward Girl.”

He cranes his neck again. “Looks like the coast is clear. Let’s go.”

We creep out of our hiding spot and rush over to the lockers. I quickly put in the combination, open it, and nearly jump for joy when I find the bag inside. After grabbing it, I look inside and nearly collapse in relief when I find the envelope still in there.

“Shh,” Easton whispers. “You’ll wake the neighborhood.”

“I think I might cry,” I say as I swing the bag over my shoulder.

“You can cry all you want once we’re back to safety.” He places his finger on his lips before leading me back to the door we came from.

The guard must be long gone because we don’t see him anywhere.

“That was close,” I say when Easton shuts the door, the lock automatically turning on.

“Too close,” he says with a laugh as we walk away. “I guess you’re not such a bad ninja after all. Although you did have help—”

“Hey, who’s there?” a voice yells.

Easton’s eyes widen. “Run!” He grabs my hand and yanks me along as he sprints away. Holy crap, his legs are so long and mine are so short. This is a recipe for disaster.

“Stop right there!” the guard calls.

I don’t know what it is—because I’m sure as heck not a runner—but something ignites inside me and I race away from the country club like a cheetah. Maybe it’s the fact that I’d be so screwed if we’re caught, or maybe it’s because of this rent money that needs to be in the landlord’s hands tonight. Whatever it is, I’m like a freakin’ Olympic runner. I even catch up to Easton, whose eyes widen in complete shock.

We stop in an alleyway a few blocks away from the country club, both of us sucking oxygen into our lungs.

“You think we lost him?” I ask.

“Definitely,” he says as he continues catching his breath. “There’s no way he could have caught up to Miss The Flash.”

I giggle uncontrollably. “I did run fast, didn’t I?”

“You kidding? It was like someone shot super speed into you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone run as fast as you.”

I continue giggling uncontrollably, which makes him laugh as well. This whole situation is so crazy, I can’t help but laugh.

Until someone yells, “I see you! You can’t hide from me.”

The giggle vanishes from my lips. “The guard!”

Easton’s eyes widen “How did he catch up to us?”

I look to the left and find the light from his flashlight jumping around, as though he’s running extremely fast. It won’t be long before he catches up to us. Won’t be long before I get arrested and screw up my life forever. Easton will be pardoned because he’s rich, but me? I can’t let this happen.

He’ll be here any second. What do I do?

Grabbing Easton by the front of his shirt, I tug him into the alleyway and press my lips to his. He’s startled for a second or two, but then his arms come around me and he pushes me against the wall, his lips moving over mine slowly and then more frantically. My hands tangle in his beautiful, soft brown locks. They feel like silk. He gently squeezes my waist as his lips continue moving over mine.

“Excuse me, you—oh, forgive me. Sorry, I was looking for—Sorry.” The guard stammers before walking away.

My lips don’t move from Easton’s and his don’t lift off mine. The guard should be long gone by now, but we’re still in this position. Then it finally hits me that I’m kissing Easton Knight Jr. My sworn enemy. Holy crap, my first kiss is with my sworn enemy.

Though he feels like anything but my enemy at this very moment…

I stumble away from him, tearing my lips off his. He just stares at me with heavy eyes and a bit of surprise and confusion. He blinks and shakes his head. “What was that, Wood?” His voice is breathless.

“Sorry.” My cheeks are so hot they might melt the rest of my face. “I just panicked and…I’m sorry.”

He shoves his hands into the front pockets of his slacks. “It’s cool. You saved our butts.”

“You were never in danger,” I enlighten him. “You would have gotten off scot-free, but me?”

“I did whatever I could to keep you safe. Why are you going off on me?”

He’s right. He did help me break in and tried to protect me from the guard. I guess it’s the kiss. The dang kiss. I don’t know what to make of it. It was my first kiss and I have nothing to compare it to, but it was amazing.

I have no idea how he feels about it. And for some reason, I really want to know.

“You’re right,” I say. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to go off on you. Thanks for getting me into the country club and for helping me get the money. I guess I’ll be going now. See ya.”

“Wait.” He takes hold of my arm and turns me back to face him. “How are you getting home?”

“The same way I got here.”

“By bus.”

“Unless I somehow sprout wings and can fly.”

“It’s nearly midnight. I can’t let you take the bus all by yourself. Can I give you a ride?”

“You mean, can your driver give me a ride.”

His brows crease. “What?”

“You have a driver. I saw him.”

“Yeah, but I sometimes give him the night off when I want to be alone.”

“Like tonight?”

“Mhm.”

I’m bursting to know what happened tonight. Is it because of his fiancée? It must be awful to be forced to marry someone he doesn’t love. And someone who seems as horrible as her. I’m about to offer some sympathy when he says, “It’s late and I’m tired. Hop in, Wood. I’ll give you a lift.”

“Okay, thanks,” I say as he turns toward the country club. “Uh, you’re going back to the scene of the crime.”

“Right. You stay here and I’ll bring the car. If the guard catches me, I’ll just say I left my car here.”

“Okay.”

“Stay right here, okay?”

“I’m not a little kid.”

“I just don’t want anything to happen to you.”

His words…warm me up. I shake my head. Nope, it doesn’t mean anything.

I fold my arms as the night grows chilly, looking to my right and left to make sure there are no criminals around. This should be a safe neighborhood, but you never know.

It’s not long before Easton’s shiny black car pulls up. He pushes open the passenger door and motions for me to get in. “Are you sure this is okay?” I ask as I take in the expensive-looking leather seats.

“Of course it’s okay. Are you scared you’ll contaminate the seats?”

“Kind of,” I admit.

He shakes his head with a laugh. “What am I going to do with you, Wood?”

What’s that supposed to mean? I shove that aside and slide in. “Thanks again.” I stretch the seatbelt over my body. “Um, we need to make a pit stop.”

“Okay. Where?”

“The landlord.” I hold up my bag. “The reason for this night’s adventure. He’s staying at his daughter’s house and the envelope needs to be in his hand by tonight.”

“I got you. Just tell me his address and we’ll be on our way.”

What a different experience it is sitting in this fancy car. I don’t ride in cars often because we can’t afford one, but this? It’s like a whole new world. I can’t believe people like Easton actually live like this.

“You seem deep in thought,” he observes.

“You’re so rich,” I blurt.

“I’m also a good kisser.” He winks. “As you experienced tonight.”

Oh my gosh. How could he throw it out there like that? Now that the danger is over, reality rains down on me. I grabbed him and kissed him, without his permission. How mortifying. And he’s just laughing about it.

He tries to strike up a conversation on the ride to the landlord, but the only thing running through my head is the two of us pressed together in that alleyway, our lips roving over each other’s. I want to erase it from my mind and from the world. Poof, like it never happened. Easton must realize I’m in no mood for conversation because he eventually stops talking and focuses on the road. The car is completely silent, but I like it that way. It beats having to reference that.

“We’re at your landlord,” Easton announces after a few minutes.

I raise my head and find a huge house standing before us. A mansion, almost as grand as the Reyes’s.

“Thanks.” I undo my belt and open the door.

“Want me to come with you?”

“It’s fine. It’ll only take a minute.”

I march up the pretty cobblestone walkway, hoping the landlord isn’t asleep. It’s close to midnight after all. After taking a deep breath, I ring the bell. There’s no answer. I try again. No answer.

The car door opens and Easton gets out. “I can give it to him tomorrow morning,” he offers.

“No,” I say, trying to fight the tears threatening my eyes. “It was supposed to be in his hands tonight.”

He holds out his hand. “I’m sure it’ll be okay, Dani. I know the family. They’re all right.”

I hear the sound of a lock opening and a tired-looking man sticks his head out. “Yes?”

“Are you Mr. Harding?”

“I’m the butler.”

“Oh. Mr. Harding is staying here tonight, isn’t he? I have money for him.” I hold out the envelope. “It’s rent from the Woods. Can you please make sure he gets it? It’s very important.”

The man nods as he takes it. “I’ll deliver it to him personally.”

“Thanks.”

The butler shuts the door and I head back to Easton, who’s leaning against his car with his eyes locked on me. “All good?” he asks.

“All good.”

“Home?” he asks.

“You don’t have to drive me. I’ll take the bus.”

“Didn’t we already discuss this?” He walks around and opens the passenger door. “I’m not letting you take the bus so late at night.”

“This ‘not letting’ me thing…” I mutter as I get inside. “Don’t be chauvinistic.”

He slides into the driver’s seat. “Since when is it chauvinistic to be concerned about another person and want to make sure they’re safe?”

I puff out my cheeks. “You’re right. Sorry.” It’s that darn kiss…

The ride home is mostly quiet, with me staring out the window deep in thought and him focusing on the road. We finally pull up before my house and I undo my belt. “Thanks for…tonight,” I say.

He nods. “No problem.”

I’m about to open my door, but the front door to my house opens and both Mom and Dad hurry out. “Dani?” Mom calls, voice frantic with worry. Dad looks like he wants to leap down the stairs and gather me in his arms.

I climb out of the car. “Mom? Dad?” I look back at Easton and find him also getting out.

“Um, good night,” I mutter, cheeks flushed so strongly it’s a good thing it’s dark out because I definitely look like a cherry. I dash up the stairs to my parents.

“Where have you been?” Dad asks as he pulls me into his arms. “I found your bed empty when I stopped by your room to check if you were asleep. I wanted to wish you a good night.”

“We were worried sick about you!” Mom yanks me to her chest.

“I’m sorry!” I sob into her chest. “I left the rent money at the country club and didn’t give it to the landlord.”

Mom freezes. She slowly pushes me back to look into my eyes. “What did you say?”

“But it’s okay now,” I quickly reassure her. “I got the money and gave it to the landlord. Well, his butler, but he promised he’d deliver it to him personally.”

Mom’s expression holds relief, worry, a bit of confusion, and extreme love for me. She wipes the tears that stain my cheeks. “It’s okay, sweetie. The money isn’t as important as you are. I’m so glad you’re okay.” She hugs me again. “Please don’t ever do anything like this again.”

“I won’t,” I promise.

She looks past me at Easton, who stands at the foot of the stairs. “Easton,” she says.

“Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Wood. I just wanted to make sure you’re all okay before I head off.”

“You were with Dani?” she asks.

He nods. “We met at the country club. I gave her a ride home.”

“Thank you, young man,” Dad says as he descends the stairs and shakes his hand. “That was very kind of you. Thanks for looking out for my daughter.”

Easton nods as his eyes flit to mine. “Of course.”

“Can we offer you a drink?” Dad asks.

Easton holds up his hands. “I’m okay, thanks. Good night.”

“Good night,” they wish before he climbs into his car and drives off.

“He’s such a kind young man,” Mom says as we head inside. “Thank goodness you ran into him, Dani. But I don’t want you doing anything like this again. You hear?”

“I already promised I won’t.”

She puts her hands on my shoulders and looks into my eyes. “I don’t want you ever thinking you need to shoulder our problems. That’s for Dad and me to handle. You should have told me about the money. I would have dealt with the situation.”

“I’m sorry.” Fresh tears pool in my eyes. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

Dad wraps his arms around me again. “The important thing is that you’re okay. I almost had a heart attack when I found your bed empty.” He squeezes me tight like he never wants to let go. “My little girl.”

After Mom hugs me one more time, I wish my parents good night and go to my room. I dress into my pajamas and roll into bed, hugging my stuffed gorilla to my chest. The only thing running around in my mind is what happened tonight, specifically the lip-locking session with a certain rich hottie.

“Ugh!” I groan as I smash my face into my pillow.