Dorian shot her a look. Naomi immediately lifted both hands.
"I’m sorry. Continue."
He gave her another second of suspicion before looking back at the road. "My third..." Dorian’s jaw tightened. "Let’s just call her a mean, psychotic bitch you think is sweet until you realize she’s actually a snake. She is creating all this dust because she got nothing from the marriage."
"That’s the Instagram one?"
"Yeah."
Naomi nodded slowly. So that explained the sudden explosion outside her apartment. Apparently Wife Number Three had finished divorcing Dorian but had not yet finished participating in his life.
Dorian turned into a private garage entrance, and Naomi’s attention immediately shifted. The gate opened smoothly in front of them.
Then the car descended.
Naomi stared. There were actual parking spaces beneath the house and the cars sitting there looked expensive.
Dorian parked. "Come on." He got out.
Naomi followed. They crossed the garage toward a private elevator. She looked around once more. "You have a garage under your house."
Dorian pressed the elevator button. "Would you prefer street parking?"
Naomi gave him a look. "See, this is why people find you unbearable."
The elevator arrived. They both stepped inside. He pressed the button for the fourth floor. She watched the numbers change as the elevator moved upward.
Then realization slowly settled in.
Fourth floor.
Inside his house. They were taking an elevator through his house. Naomi turned toward him.
"This... this is your house?"
"Yes."
"All of it?"
Dorian looked at her. "Yes."
Naomi’s eyebrows climbed. "You make that much money as a lawyer?"
"Also family money, but yes, I do."
The elevator opened. Naomi stepped out and stopped. The fourth floor was quiet and elegant, with a wide hallway, soft lighting and several doors spaced along it.
He stopped at the first door on the right and opened it. "You can stay here tonight."
Naomi stepped closer and looked inside. The room was beautiful. Soft neutral colors. A sitting area. She turned toward him. "This is a guest room?"
Dorian gave her that expression again. "Freshen up and join me for dinner...Second floor."
Naomi nodded then paused. "Uhmm... uh... Who is cooking?"
His eyes narrowed. "Don’t worry. I’m not."
Relief washed over her face.
"I’m ordering in."
"Oh, good..." Naomi realized how enthusiastic that had sounded. She tried to look innocent.
"Were the pancakes really that terrible?"
Naomi hesitated. There were moments in life when honesty was necessary. This was one of them. "Uhm... you know how pan and cakes come together to make one word?"
Dorian gave her his signature stupid look.
"Remove the cake. That’s what you made."
he actually chuckled. "Go on," he said, shaking his head. "I’ll bring you something to change into." He stepped back, ready to leave her to settle in, but Naomi moved toward him before he could turn away.
"Dorian?"
He stopped. "Yeah?"
"Thank you." Naomi rubbed her fingers together awkwardly. "For coming to get me tonight."
"I know I’ve been trying to hand you all of the blame for this, and that’s unfair." he gave a small shrug. "Whatever happened in Vegas, it’s my fault too."
Naomi gave him a small smile. "It was great sex though, wasn’t it? Come on. We can admit that much."
"One of the best I’ve had in a very long time."
Naomi’s eyebrows shot up. "Whew! High praise."
"Don’t let it go to your head."
"Oh, it’s already there." Naomi laughed.
The sound did something strange to the quiet hallway. Made the house feel less empty. He stepped away.
"Go freshen up, you lunatic."
Naomi grinned. Dorian chuckled under his breath and headed for the stairs. By the time he reached the next landing, the smile had faded.
There were still things to handle. A lot of them. He pulled out his phone and called Adrian. The call connected quickly.
"Schedule a press conference for tomorrow. And schedule an appointment with Camille. And Adrian? Bring me the contract in the morning. Just bring it," he said and ended the call. His private suite occupied most of the upper floor. He walked into the dressing room and changed out of his suit.
He pulled on a pair of dark shorts and looked through one of the drawers. Naomi would need something comfortable. He grabbed a T-shirt and headed back downstairs. He reached the guest room and knocked. "Naomi?"
"Come in!"
Dorian put his hand on the door and opened it. Then immediately forgot why he was there. Naomi was bent over the side of the bed.
A towel was wrapped around her body. Apparently, she was searching for something she had dropped between the bed and the nightstand.
Her back was to him. The towel had ridden dangerously high. Dorian stopped in the doorway. His hand tightened around the T-shirt.
From where he stood, he had a very clear view of the curve of her ass. His eyes dropped before he could stop them.
Jesus.
He could see far more than he had any business seeing. The delicate line between her thighs. The suggestion of her pussy where the towel failed spectacularly at its one job.
Vegas rushed back into his head.
Lord almighty!
"Quite the view..." Dorian said, stepping farther into the room.
Naomi spun around so fast she nearly gave herself whiplash. "Holy Ghost!" She straightened too quickly.
The room tilted. Her eyes widened, and she reached for the nearest solid object before she hit the floor.
Unfortunately for her dignity, the nearest solid object was Dorian. Naomi grabbed him with both hands and held on for dear life.
Dorian caught her automatically, dropping the tshirt then one arm coming around her waist to steady her. "Easy."
Something much worse happened. The towel slipped. It landed on the floor between them. Naomi stopped breathing.
Her fingers tightened around his shoulders. "Don’t you dare let go!"
"Okay... okay, I won’t." His hand remained firmly around her waist while Naomi pressed herself against him in the absurd belief that if she stayed close enough, perhaps the rest of her body would somehow become invisible.
It did not.
"What are you doing in here?" she demanded, talking faster by the second. "What? You are too rich to wait a few seconds? Is patience not included in the billionaire package? You people can buy houses with elevators but apparently not manners?"