The Fine Print (Dreamland Billionaires, #1)

by Lauren Asher

Because if there’s one lesson we learned from Seth Kane, it’s that love may come and go, but hate lasts forever.

What is it about this woman, and why can’t she fall in line like everyone else? It’s like she shits sprinkles and consumes rainbows for sustenance. I’m not sure what kind of fairy tale forest she was raised in, but no one can be this optimistic about everything.

I’ve never seen someone look at me like that before. It’s strange. Like she’s genuinely interested in my company rather than the idea of getting something out of me.

I’m not too sure who he’s trying to fool here because I see right through him. But the real question is why. Why bother giving me a moment to take in my surroundings like this? Why lead me through the warehouse himself rather than throw the task on someone more willing and available?

He stares at me like he can’t believe I spoke to him the way I did. Honestly, me neither. And I can’t exactly blame a bottle of wine for this level of bravery and stupidity. There’s something about him that makes me want to push all his buttons. I’m interested in seeing who the real Rowan is beneath all those layers of ice and indifference.

I pretend I’m unbothered by his threat despite my racing heart. “You better have a massive dick to back up that attitude or else people will be mighty disappointed.” “Care to bring out a ruler and test your theory?” “I left my magnifying glass at home, so maybe tomorrow.” I’m pretty sure the angel on my shoulder has left the building. Something shifts between us. His eyes darken as they assess me. I’m not sure if he wants to choke me, fire me, or fuck me into submission. “Are you always this impossible?” “I don’t know. Are you always this much of an asshole?” One second he’s scowling at me and the next his lips are slamming into mine.

He’s the Devil, Zahra. Well, that explains why Eve fell for his tricks. If the Devil looked half as good as Rowan, I’d eat the damn apple too. Screw the consequences.

“When you blush, it makes your freckles stand out.” He traces the bridge of my nose with the tip of a red pen. His eyes move from my face to his hand, as if he can’t believe he did that. Me neither.

im screaming

“The idea is fine.” Fine. The word repeats in my head, ramming into my skull like bullets. Lance always said everything was fine. Our sex life. Our relationship. Our future. Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine isn’t good enough for me anymore

“Take a breath. I’m not in the mood to call an ambulance when you pass out and crack your head open.” “How dare I consider for a second that you would catch me before that happens.” “That requires caring and I’m fresh out of fucks to give.”

liar

Are you always this cynical about people’s intentions? Her soft voice enters my thoughts like it belongs there.

Me: Are you this hopeful about everything? Zahra: Sure. Why not? Me: Because life isn’t always rainbows and sunshine. Zahra: Of course not. But how can we appreciate the sun every morning if we don’t live through the dark?

It’s like she wanted to end everything on a positive note because she’s a damn ray of sunshine ruining my perfectly dreary day.

“Don’t start asking me personal questions. I might do something crazy like assume you care about me.” “Save the fairy tales for your proposals.”

The smile she unleashes makes me feel like I’m staring straight at the sun—beautiful yet blinding.

I’m not sure what throws me off more: the fact that Rowan’s idea makes mine pale in comparison or the burst of passion in his voice that I haven’t heard before. It’s like someone plugged him in and turned on his consciousness. His previous scowl is gone, replaced by the smallest smirk on his face as he stares up at the projector. The brightness in his eyes brings out a beautiful shade of honey brown I’d yet to see.

I’m acting like a goddamn maniac. Who cares who texts her? Me. I care. But why? I rub a hand down my face and groan.

oh baby you have it bad

I snap out of the moment and jump away from Rowan. His face remains blank, but I know how his body reacts when I touch him. And it feels pretty good to make someone like him nervous.

I can’t compare to a woman who can light up a room with her smile alone. She’s like the sun, with everyone orbiting around her to bask in her warmth. Unlike me, who keeps people away from me with nothing but a scowl.

I want to see myself like she sees me. Because in her eyes, I don’t feel like I’m a man carrying an entire mountain of expectations on my shoulders. I’m just Rowan, the kind of guy who sits on a floor in a pair of expensive slacks, eating takeout from a carton and loving every second of it.

“I wouldn’t have shown up if I didn’t want to do this.” “Why are you here?” I stare at him. His face remains blank. “Because your sister asked me to be.”

“If you hate the idea so much, then go back to your fancy office. No one asked you to come here. Actually, wait. Why are you here?” “I—” He pauses. “I don’t know.” His brows draw together. Whatever is happening in his brain shuts him up. Both of us remain silent while waiting in line, with both of us lost in our thoughts. Why is he really here, and why does it make me giddy to know he decided to wait in line with me despite hating the idea?

“Why can’t you leave me alone?” I croak. “I wish I knew.” He says the words so low, I wonder if I made them up.

I turn around and stare at Rowan’s expressionless face. “Why did you pay for it?” “Because I felt like it.” His response is meant to throw me off, but I’m onto him. I think Rowan likes me more than he’s willing to let on, even to himself.

“Why are you really spending so much time with me? Don’t you have other things to do and people to torment?” He offers a noncommittal shrug. “Maybe I enjoy hearing your screams.” “Freak.” I’m surprised Rowan doesn’t send me straight into cardiac arrest when he winks.

Everything I do today is for Zahra’s sweet smiles and soft laughs. She has the magnetism of the Bermuda Triangle, and I’m a lost plane desperate to land.

“Well, you’re my boss’s boss, which means I should definitely not bring up my ex to you. So be a gentleman and shut up. Kay, thanks!” I chuckle under my breath as I lean over and talk into her ear. “Gentle is the last thing I want to be around you.” Her skin breaks out in goose bumps. “What are you doing?” “Having fun.” “Did I miss the start of the apocalypse or something?”

Her hands smack against my chest and her eyes hold mine hostage. She feels perfect in my arms, and I’m tempted to keep her tucked beside me where I can protect her from all the darkness in the world, including myself. I’m not sure what’s happening to me, but all I know is that I’m captivated by Zahra.

Kissing Zahra is like reaching heaven after an eternity spent in purgatory. Like I’ve spent most of my life hopelessly ambling around, waiting for her to show me the way back to the light. She’s divine with enough wickedness to make a sinner like me want to pray in devotion.

My stomach rolls. I’m tempted to say something snappy, but I hold back. I don’t want to be that guy anymore. The one who loses the girl before he even had a chance. The same one who hides behind a pseudonym and waits up for her messages because I hate the crippling loneliness that hits me every time I walk into my empty house.

Like I don’t fit into that persona anymore because my interest in Zahra has evolved. I don’t want to pretend I’m some loser who has no contact with people. I don’t want to pretend anymore. Period. So I start a new conversation as Rowan. From now on, that’s all she’ll get from me.

A liar is a liar, no matter what excuse they have. And honestly, I can’t imagine anything is worth deceiving me for as long as he did.

I don’t deserve that niceness, but she gives it to me anyway because she’s just that damn good.

Her rejection stings more than I care to admit. I hate the distance between us. We didn’t spend months getting to know each other for her to pull away like this.

“I’m not asking about people. I’m asking about you.” “You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?” “If apologizing were easy, everyone would do it.”

“You proved me wrong every time you spoke to me. You didn’t even know who I was and you were willing to make me feel like I mattered to someone.” My whole resolve crumbles in front of me like a house of cards. “I was proud to make your drawings. It made me feel happy to make you happy.” His voice cracks and I feel the sound straight through my heart.

“I couldn’t keep pretending after our day at Dreamland. I became addicted to the way you made me feel, to the point that I couldn’t find a way to tell you who I really was. I was afraid and I didn’t want it to end. So, instead of giving myself up, I found ways to spend time with you as Rowan while purposefully stealing the rest of your attention as Scott. It was a stupid idea. It was unfair of me, but I don’t regret a single thing except hurting you.”

I’ve never heard Rowan talk this much, and I realize it’s such a shame. The way he speaks…it’s beautiful. He makes me feel beautiful. Not the superficial kind either, but in a way that makes me proud of who I am. In a way that makes me think he cares about my soul first and foremost.

“While I’m sorry he hurt you, I’m not sorry he let you go.” I shoot him a wobbly smile. “Are you always so selfish?” His eyes glint. “With you, yes.”

I’m having an out-of-body experience where I want to do something for myself that defies my usual logic. That doesn’t require a list, risk analysis, or excessive thinking. I want to be free, if only for a few months while I’m still here.

Zahra kisses with a wildness I want to match. Like she senses the kind of man I’ve kept trapped for years and wants to unleash it. Instead of giving in to the fear and pulling back, I bring her lips back to mine and unlock the part of myself I’ve hidden away from the world.

“I like how you look begging on your hands and knees.” “I don’t beg.” “Practice makes perfect.”

“A kiss for a secret.” “I’ve never heard of this game.” I smirk. “That’s because it’s exclusively ours.”

If Rowan’s trying to keep things casual, he’s doing a terrible job of it. Seriously, is the man trying to make me fall in love with him? Because if he keeps up with these kinds of displays of affection, I won’t survive him. I’m already slipping into dangerous territory.

He’s my dark storm cloud in the middle of a drought—an underappreciated beauty that makes me feel equally alive as the sun or the stars.

“If I had a heart to give, it would be all yours. Free of cost.” My spine tingles, and it has nothing to do with his hand running down my back. I want to tell him he has a heart, but the words get stuck in my throat. So instead, I soak in whatever kind of affection Rowan is willing to share.

don’t know the first thing about being human.” “That’s okay. I’ll teach you everything I know.” I grin as I drop into the passenger seat. “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of,” he mumbles under his breath. Challenge accepted.

“What’s it like to have more money than God?” “Lonely.” His word carries enough heaviness to taint the air around us.

“I never thought I could feel happy at Dreamland again, but now I’m not too sure.” I smile. “Really?” “I might have met the one person who makes the place bearable.” His gaze remains solely focused on my face. His answer makes my breath all shaky and my legs all wobbly. Hopeful little butterflies take flight in my stomach, proving just how far I’m falling.

I grab a lock of her hair and tuck it behind her ear. “You’re ridiculously amazing.” “Because I wear awesome pins?” “Because you’re you.”