Page 9 of Driving the Billionaire Wild

An assistant popped her head in, interrupting them and announcing that their helicopter pilot awaited their departure.

‘Give us one moment,’ Apollo said, but the woman didn’t budge, instead explaining that their flight needed to leave immediately or risk being grounded due to high winds. He felt his own frustration peak, his body torn between needing Astrid to understand where his head was at as a driver, and his need to pursue her and get closure on that night in Venice.

Without consulting him, Astrid picked up her briefcase and strode past him.

* * *

Silence fell between them as he allowed Astrid space to stew and make her plans, her fingers tapping wildly on her tablet as the helicopter flew them through the rapidly darkening evening sky. The winds were strong, but she was completely engrossed in her work, so engrossed that she hadn’t noticed they’d been flying for a lot longer than planned and in the opposite direction from where they’d originally come.

‘You could have come to Falco Roux with this sooner. To me.’ Her voice finally sounded through the head sets they both wore. She was still staring down at her screen, legs crossed and mouth pursed. ‘We need to speak withTristan and Alain; set up meetings with the Elite One stewards.’

‘This hasn’t been a selfish choice, or an easy one. I’m painfully aware of the consequences that breaking my contract mid-season is going to have on Falco Roux. Do you think I want to let Tristan, Nina and Alain down? I have my own team of lawyers who have been investigating the various options and consequences, should I accept the terms of my grandfather’s will.’

‘You haven’t accepted the terms yet?’ Her eyes brightened. ‘That’s great, then…we need to get ahead of this once we get back to your estate.’

He fought the urge to smirk. ‘Didn’t I say? We’re not going back to Lake Como.’

As the view of the glittering waters and historic buildings of their destination became apparent, Astrid’s eyes flew to his.

Was it cruel of him to bring her back to the scene of the crime, as such? Perhaps, but there was no way he was going to take her back to his estate with the press surrounding it, not when an extra twenty-minute journey could bring them here instead. She would be intent on fixing his dilemma, of course, and truthfully he liked watching how her brain worked. But, on a more selfish note, he wanted herhere. He didn’t plan to let this opportunity go to waste. Not when she had already made it abundantly clear that she had regretted walking away from him that night without having revealed their identities.

‘Welcome back to Venice, Astrid.’

Chapter Five

ACONCIERGE METthem on the roof of the exclusive Venetian island resort with a team of staff to take their bags and accompany them across the lamplit rooftop garden path. Heavy wind blew at her hair and skirt as she looked out across Venice’s famous cityscape and wondered at how on earth she’d ended up back here. This infuriating man was fast wearing out her control and, after the series of revelations she’d endured in the past few hours, she felt a migraine threaten behind her temples.

Apollo took her by the elbow as they entered the top level of the atrium of the exclusive hotel and were greeted by a small army of staff, with one woman announcing herself as their personal concierge. With their destination being the penthouse, it wasn’t too long a journey, but she tried to hide the flare of awareness in her body as the concierge directed them towards the open doors of the private lift.

‘I’d prefer to take the stairs, please.’

She caught the sudden tightening of his jaw and swore she could feel the heat of his gaze upon her back as she pulled from his grip and walked ahead of him, descending two short flights of stairs to a floor with a singledoorway. Was he thinking of that night in the lift, just as she was? Had it haunted him just as it had haunted her?

She was barely aware of Apollo ordering dinner for them both as the double doors were opened and she was met with the most stunning apartment she’d ever seen. The hall alone had to be the size of the entire ground floor of her little London townhouse, and every spare inch seemed to be decorated with priceless paintings and polished marble.

‘A literal palace would be less extra than this place,’ she half-whispered to herself.

‘You think this is extra, you should see the master bedroom.’ A husky murmur interrupted her thoughts and she spun to face Apollo, realising they were now alone.

‘I don’t know what kind of games you’re playing, bringing me back to Venice. But it’s not going to work. Wewillbe discussing your ownership of Accardi and forming a plan.’

She was stalling as she tried to compose herself enough to tell him about the small matter of him having a secret son he’d never known about, but she could only fight one fire at a time. And truthfully, after speaking with Allegra and remembering just what kind of wealth Apollo came from, she felt even more fearful about disclosing her discovery.

Would he even believe her?

Apollo walked past her, disappearing through an arch into the next room. She followed along behind him, her much shorter legs taking twice the time to match his long, even pace as he strode towards a sunken sofa area in the middle of a lavish entertaining space. With a single touch of his hand to a panel on the wall, the lights dimmed anda large fire flared to life. A fully stocked bar rose from the centre of the coffee table, filled with gleaming crystal glassware and pretty much every drink imaginable.

He raised a brow in her direction, grabbing a set of glasses and a bottle of red wine that looked expensive.

‘I’m not here to drink with you,’ she said tautly, trying to ignore the flare of heat in her stomach at the way his strong hands uncorked the bottle—hands that she remembered working magic on her touch-starved body that night in the dark. Their time together had been fleeting…yet she thought she’d never felt so at ease with another human being.

Before that night, she’d wondered if breaking off her engagement had been a mistake. If maybe all couples had to force things in conversation and in the bedroom. She’d briefly toyed with the idea of going back to playing the part of the good daughter, if only to stop her politician father’s cold anger towards her as he’d tried to save face with his constituents in their town because of her having jilted Ian, supposedly the perfect fiancé.

But, after meeting her masked stranger, she’d felt a fierce spark awaken within her. She’d known then that she had made the right choice in wanting more for herself. Even before she’d discovered her pregnancy, just one encounter with this man had changed her whole world. Now, she was about to give him information that would do the same for him.

‘Let’s get business out of the way first, shall we?’ Apollo said, interrupting her thoughts as he slid a glass toward her. ‘I always planned to discuss the inheritance with you, but I broke my contract on advice from my lawyers.’

Sighing aloud, she sat heavily on the opposite side of the U-shaped sofa. She took a sip of the wine and barely avoided moaning with satisfaction at the rich, earthy flavour on her tongue. ‘Legally, is there no way that you can own another team and still be a driver for Falco Roux?’