All Chapters of Surrendering to the Billionaire : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

# MatthewShe moaned into my mouth, making little attempt to push me away. So this was the language my Mia understood best. Did she really think I would just let her walk out after seeing her in my shirt? Mine.The thought of her bare beneath it drove me insane. My hand cupped her breast through the fabric, her gasp opening the way for me to deepen the kiss. I teased and pinched, determined she would be just as restless through dinner as I was. Pulling her flush against me, I gripped her ass, squeezing hard, already imagining the sounds she would make when I finally spanked her.When I felt her trembling, I forced myself to let go. Her lips were swollen, her eyes hazy. Perfect. Mission accomplished."Dinner is ready baby girl," I whispered in her ear and pulled her with me giving her no chance to compose herself.I should have known my mother would use this chance to scrutinize Mia. She sat across from us, that patient, amused look on her face as if she were peeling Mia apart with her

# MatthewThis was the second time I was losing control in front of Mia. Though I craved the comfort of her arms around me, I still needed to get my shit together. I gently lifted her hands off me. "I'm fine now," I whispered, my voice hoarse though both of us knew I was not. The concern in her blue eyes only deepened, so I added with a weak attempt at humor, "I wouldn't mind sleeping in your arms though." I winced when she did not buy it. I had not thought she cared this much."What did my mother tell you?" I asked."She said you lost your baby girl, the one you loved so much, and that she's sorry she was so cruel."I swallowed hard. My mom rarely apologized. "She can tell me that herself."A small smile curved Mia's lips. "That's what I told her.""Evelyn was the best thing that ever happened to me," I said, my chest tightening as her name left my lips. I rarely spoke about her, but now the words spilled unbidden. "She had my eyes, my smile, even my laugh. Every morning she would

# MatthewThe rest of the night I replayed every move. I could not lose the ground I had finally gained with her. She kept pulling away and I could not protect her like that. Renson was a different kind of threat, desperate and reckless. He needed that shipment. I had no intention of handing it over. He knew I would not, so he aimed at the one with the least knowledge of what she was fighting for. Mia. Telling her would undo her. She did not make wise choices when she was upset. She did not need that kind of raw truth so I needed her closeby until I sorted things out.I tried every angle. Begging would not work. Force was a last resort. Small manipulations would show. I needed her here and I needed it to look natural. I wanted her body. I wanted her heart. I wanted her whole life folded into mine. That thought hit me with a stupid, raw clarity and I cursed under my breath.I had memorized her details. I ran them over in my head until a clean idea landed. One shot. No second try. A pl

# MatthewI should have been smug. My plan had worked. The moment I saw her storming down the street, shoulders stiff, fury radiating off her, victory should have tasted sweet. But it didn't. All I wanted was to ease her anger, smoothen the scowl on her face, and make her look at me with something softer.I stayed hidden, watching as she pulled her phone from her pocket, raised it to her ear. I waited, certain she had no one else to call. The thought was pitiful, really, but I consoled myself with the knowledge that I would be enough for her. I hated the sight of her standing alone in the sun. That was on me. I could have had her car repainted after it was vandalized, or simply bought her a new one. But the selfish part of me liked having control, knowing she relied on me for movement, for escape. It tethered her to me, and I wasn't ready to cut that cord. Still, watching her now, wilting under the weight of betrayal, I shifted the matter higher on my list of things to fix. I sent a q

I couldn’t believe I’d lost her. One second she had been there, stepping out of the bar into the night, and the next she had melted into the shadows like smoke. She must have slipped into a crowd or ducked into a cab while my attention wavered for a heartbeat. Goddammit. I should have spotted her. I always did.I drove like a madman, cutting across lanes, scanning sidewalks, scanning cabs, desperate for even a glint of her unmistakable red hair. My pulse hammered as I searched, my chest tightening with every block. When I came up empty, I doubled back, retracing my route hoping she’d pop up somewhere.In a last, irrational hope, I drove to my mansion. Maybe she’d somehow slipped past me, maybe she’d be there, sitting in the living room, safe. Empty. The house was silent. That was when the guilt started clawing at me. I don’t usually do regret. I don’t usually do fear. But this was different. She was different.Hell, I was barely living as it was. Mia was the one thing that made me car