Page 4 of The Billionaire's Secret Kiss

Behind me, I heard him say, “Later, Ella. I’ll find you later. This isn’t over.”

But it was. It had been over for months before we’d finally broken up. Noah wasn't mine anymore. I'd moved on. I wasn't going back.

I couldn't afford to.

Chapter Two

Ella

Noah didn't try to stop me as I snatched up my purse and keys and ran for my car. He was probably too busy cleaning up his bloody nose. I didn't feel guilty about punching him. I shouldn't. He'd been right—he did have it coming.

He was lucky a punch to the nose was all he'd gotten from me.

I jumped in my car, threw on my seatbelt, and sped down the driveway.

I was going to be late. If traffic was on my side, it wouldn't be too bad. And if I could find a parking place.

My lips burned, swollen and hot. Why had I kissed him? He'd started it, but that was no excuse.

I'd kissed him back.

Why? I didn't want Noah. I didn't.

He'd broken my heart. Shattered me. He didn't deserve a second chance. I wasn't going to give him one.

Unbidden, an image of Noah the day we’d met popped into my mind. He'd been in my Introductory Media Computation class. I was a freshman. He was a sophomore. I grabbed a seat two down from his, got out my notebook, and realized I'd lost my pen somewhere in the rush between classes.

I’d turned to ask if he had one I could borrow, and those bittersweet chocolate eyes had me. Back then, his thick hair had been short, but not like today. Whoever was cutting his hair now, they knew what they were doing. It might be shorter than I liked, but it showed off his bone structure beautifully.

The day we'd met, he'd had one of those utilitarian haircuts that boys get when they don't know any better. He'd been gangly, too tall for a body that hadn't really filled out yet. He'd flushed a little when he lent me the pen, but he worked up the nerve to ask my name. When he complimented my Buffy T-shirt, my cheeks had turned pink to match his.

After class, he'd asked me to get a coffee together. I said yes.

We were together all the time after that. Noah was smart and funny, and he seemed to think that I was the most gorgeous, interesting creature on the planet.

I fell hard.

Our relationship went backward. I was already head over heels in love with him by the time he made it past first base. Neither of us had a whole lot of experience. I was a virgin, and so was Noah, though he turned bright red and stuttered a little when I got him to admit it.

By the time we finally had sex, I was sure Noah was the only man I'd ever love. He swore he felt the same.

You’d think the sex would've been bad, considering neither of us had any idea what we were doing. But Noah and I had always been good at talking, and we’d learned together. He was patient and a good listener. By the time we’d had a few months’ practice, sex with Noah was amazing. We both took classes that summer so we could stay on campus together, and I think we spent more time in bed than out of it.

Noah was my everything. My first love, my best friend. He was set to graduate a year ahead of me, and we’d both planned to go to grad school. Everything was good until Noah got an offer from Caltech that he couldn't turn down. A full ride to one of the most competitive master’s programs in the world.

We were so naïve, so certain everything would be fine with him across the country. As we’d both originally planned, I was set on the master’s program at Georgia Tech. I didn't have anything against moving to California, but not yet. Noah’s program at Caltech was only two years. He accepted, promising he'd be back as soon as it was done.

Instead, he developed a pioneering program to target rogue drones, dropped out of Caltech to start his own company, licensed the program to the military, and made a ton of money. He was on the cover ofWired,Fast Company, and a whole bunch of other magazines and newspapers.

By then, he'd gotten bad about returning my calls. He claimed he was working non-stop on a new version of his drone software, as well as expanding the company and licensing other, related software. Suddenly, he had employees and clients and so many other things more important than a girlfriend across the country.

When he'd no-showed my college graduation, I’d been so hurt I'd lost my temper.

We'd been fighting, off and on, for months. Mostly about his preoccupation with Endicott Technologies and his changing plans for the future. He kept pushing me to apply to Caltech, but the program I wanted at Georgia Tech was unique. There wasn’t anything at Caltech like it. I’d worked too hard to walk away from everything. California wasn't on my roadmap until I finished school.

The day of my college graduation finally arrived, and Noah's travel plans were still uncertain. He left me with the impression that he might show up. I spent the day with a pasted-on smile to appease my parents, craning my neck to look over the crowds for Noah.

He never made it.