Page 23 of The Billionaire's Vow

How did he do that?How did he see right through her so easily?

“It will!”she said quickly, far too quickly to sound convincing.

Dimitri didn’t move, didn’t shift an inch, but there was something in his expression that made her want to shrink under his gaze.

“Show me.”

The challenge was clear.

She let out a slow breath, knowing that arguing was pointless.He wasn’t going anywhere.He was going to stand there, waiting, watching, until she unlocked the damn car and proved she could drive away without issue.

“Fine,” she muttered, digging through her bag for her keys.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she searched self-consciously through the clutter, her heart pounding in her ears.She needed this to work, just this one time.She needed the lock to cooperate, needed the engine to turn over on the first try.The last thing she wanted was for Dimitri De Luca—the impeccably dressed, powerfully wealthy man standing beside her—to see just how much of a disaster her car really was.

She found the key and shoved it into the ancient lock, praying silently as she turned it.

Relief washed over her when the mechanism released.

“See?”she said quickly, forcing a bright smile as she yanked the door open.“All good.I know she looks rough, but underneath, this sweetie is reliable.”

That was an outright lie.Her car hated her.Half the time it refused to start, the other half it stalled at the worst possible moments.More often than not, she took the city bus simply to avoid the humiliation of having to bang on the dashboard and beg the engine to turn over.

She glanced up, hoping Dimitri would be satisfied and let her go, but he continued watching her, his expression unreadable.

He knew she was lying.He had known the moment she hesitated.How could he be so convinced that he was right?

Her pulse thrummed, her fingers gripping the edge of the door as she forced herself to meet his eyes.Dimitri didn’t say anything.He didn’t have to.The tension between them crackled in the chilly night air, making it impossible to move, to breathe.

For a split second, she thought he might reach for her.For a split second, shewantedhim to.But then he exhaled, a slow, measured breath, and took a step back.

“Get in,” he ordered quietly.“And drive straight home.”

She nodded, swallowing against the tightness in her throat.As she slid into the driver’s seat, she could still feel the warmth of him lingering in the space between them, a phantom sensation that made her hands unsteady as she gripped the steering wheel.

And when she turned the key, praying with everything she had, the engine sputtered once before grudgingly roaring to life.

She didn’t dare look up to see the knowing smirk she just knew was playing on his lips.

He stopped her from pulling the driver’s door closed by resting a big, warm hand on the window frame, his fingers flexing slightly against the cold metal.“Before you leave, I want to hear you say my name.”

Giselle’s breath caught in her throat, startled by the unexpected command.“Why?”

A deep chuckle rumbled in his chest, the sound curling around her like a warm caress.“Because you’ve gone to great pains to avoid saying my name ever since I ordered you to use it instead of calling me ‘sir.’”His dark eyes sparkled with something wicked as he leaned in slightly.“Now, I want to hear it.”

The space between them shrank, and the seat wouldn’t allow her to scoot back.

“Come on, Giselle.Say it.”At her stubborn frown, he grinned while his voice dropped lower, rougher.He leaned even closer, his lips just brushing her ear, making her shiver.“Idareyou.”

A rush of heat shot through her.He was so close, and yet, she couldn’t find it in herself to move away.

“I… can’t.”Her voice was barely more than a whisper.

“That’s a pity,” he muttered, as if her resistance personally offended him.“I’ll just have to do something to change your mind.”

Before she could react, his lips met hers.

A whisper of a kiss, nothing more than a teasing brush, back and forth, as if testing her, coaxing her to lean in.She swayed slightly, caught off guard by how soft, how gentle he was being when everything about Dimitri De Luca screamed power and absolute control.