Page 23 of The Billionaire's Angel

Two years had passed since the day the kind police officer had informed me of Anthony's death. I'd gone through the motions, half-paralyzed by the tentative hope that I might have been granted a second chance at life. I sold our house and quietly movedaway.

For the first year, I’d focused on getting my nursing license current and finding a job. After so much time away from the world, I found that I preferred working in private homes rather than the hectic environment of the hospital orclinic.

I thought about going to therapy. I knew I should. But, something inside me revolted at sharing the humiliating details of mymarriage.

I knew it wasn’t myfault.

I understood that having the bad judgment to marry a man like Anthony didn't mean that I’d asked for what had come after. He’d been so charming when we’d met, he completely swept me off my feet. I’d been too young and inexperienced to see the truth. And I hadn't deserved anything that had happened. I knewthat.

Knowing it wasn't my fault didn't mean I trusted my own judgment. And even if I did, my best judgment told me Gage Winters was the last man I should be thinkingabout.

So what if he set my body on fire? So what if this was the first time I'd ever felt real lust for aman?

Was it worth risking myjob?

And even if I didn't care about my job, which I did, Gage was not a safe bet. He was clearly suffering from post-traumatic stress and had admitted himself that he wasn't entirelystable.

With my history, the last thing I needed was to get wrapped up in some guy who couldn’t control himself. Too much risk. Too much danger. Too much everything. I owed myself more than that. I had to be smart, and kissing Gage Winters was notsmart.

Chapter Nine

Sophie

My alarm wokeme only minutes after I finally fell asleep. I dragged myself from bed feeling hollow and fuzzy. A hot shower didn't do much to help. I covered the circles beneath my eyes with makeup, knowing Amelia would spot the camouflage and scowl atme.

Having never suffered insomnia a day in her life, Amelia was of the firm conviction that all I needed to do was close my eyes and simply fall asleep. As if I hadn't tried that a million times. I braided my wet hair and pinned it into a bun. Buttoning a carefully ironed camp shirt and tucking it into my jeans, I wished for a uniform, for something that would clearly divide me from the rest of the household and remind everyone that I didn't really belonghere.

Gage wasn't at breakfast, but surprisingly, Aiden was. He was usually out of the house by the time Amelia and I went in to eat. When I entered the room, he said, “Sophie, I'll be leaving town on business for a few days. I'd like to have a short meeting in my office before I go. Afterbreakfast.”

“Of course. Just let me know when you'reready.”

He rose from the table, folding his newspaper to take it with him. Sending Amelia an affectionate smile, he said, “No rush. Enjoy your breakfast and when you're done stop by my office.” To Amelia, he said, “Behave yourself while I'mgone.”

Amelia smiled a Cheshire grin and winked at me. It was pretty much a guarantee that Amelia would not behave herself while Aiden was gone, but then Amelia never placed a high priority on behaving herself at anytime.

I did my best to keep her under control, for her own health if not the sanity of everyone else living here, but secretly I loved her irrepressible sense of mischief. I enviedit.

I was a lot of things. Responsible. Dutiful. Loyal. I was not mischievous, and I noticed that people who were, people like Amelia, always seem to be having more fun. Fun had never been a big priority in my life, but maybe it should be. Maybe I was doing this allwrong.

A quick glance around the palatial dining room reminded me that it was all well and good for people like Amelia Winters to be lighthearted and mischievous. She had a family fortune to pay her bills. I'd been responsible because I'd needed to get scholarships if I wanted to go to college for nursing school and after that, I had to work hard to keepthem.

I couldn't afford to lose my job because I thought every day should be more about fun than hard work. I adored Amelia Winters. I truly, honestly did. But she and I were playing from a different set of rules, and I couldn't forgetthat.

We finished breakfast, and I settled Amelia in front of the fireplace in the library before crossing the short hall to Aiden's office. He looked up from his desk with a quick smile and gestured to the chair in front of him, saying, “Sophie, take aseat.”

I did and waited. “One second,” he said, looking back at the paper in front of him, making a few small notes and quickly scanning the words, his dark eyes flashing back and forth rapidly before he signed at the bottom and neatly placed the paper to theside.

Aiden Winters wasn't the type of man to make you sit and wait as a power-play. That was one of the many things I liked about working for the Winters family. They were wealthy, and powerful, beyond my conception of it, really. But they weren't all caught up in their egos, didn't feel the need to prove anything toanyone.

In the six months I'd known him, Aiden had been honest, forthright, and fair. Yet again, I reminded myself that I did not want to lose this job. I felt a trickle of fear that somehow Aiden knew what had happened in the kitchen the night before and had called me in here to fireme.

But, no. If Aiden were going to fire me, he wouldn't have smiled at me and told me to take my time at breakfast. I'd seen Aiden unhappy before. He didn't lose his temper, didn't rage and throw things. No, when Aiden Winters was angry he went icycold.

I tried to relax. Finally, he looked up with another smile and said, “Sorry to ask you in here and make you wait. I wanted to finish going through those documents while they were fresh in mymind.”

“It's no problem. Amelia’s settled in the library, and we don't have any plans thismorning.”

Aiden rose from behind his desk and crossed the room to close the door to his office. When it was securely shut, he turned and went back to his seat behind his desk. “Amelia has ears like a hawk,” he said inexplanation.