Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 277 "My God, it's freezing," I muttered, yanking my scarf up so high it nearly covered my whole nose as the English countryside blurred past the car window. The sky was completely overcast, that heavy gray that promised snow any minute, and the fields stretched endlessly on both sides of the road, dotted with tiny stone cottages that looked straight out of a fairy tale. "Are you warm enough?" Nate asked, giving me a quick glance before focusing on the road again. "I can turn the heat up." "No, it's fine," I said, shifting in the passenger seat.

"I'm just not used to this December cold yet. Back home, December is summer-beach weather, asphalt-melting heat." "And do you miss it?" "Sometimes," I admitted, watching a small medieval church appear in the distance. "But there's something about this scenery that's... magical. Feels like I'm in one of those British romance movies. All we need now is for it to start snowing when we get to Bath." Nate laughed-a warm, low sound that made my stomach flip the way it always did. "Careful what you wish for," he teased. "The weather's perfect for it.

And my mother would be absolutely delighted if it snowed on Christmas. She always says it's the finishing touch for the holidays." Just thinking about his family made my stomach tighten in that familiar nervous knot. I'd spent the entire week imagining how this first meeting would go-everything from cozy acceptance to polite-but-undeniable rejection, depending on the version playing in my head. "Tell me about Tori again," I said, turning slightly to face him better.

"You're absolutely sure she's not going to instantly hate me?" "Annie," Nate said, slipping into that patient tone he used whenever my anxiety kicked in. "She's not going to hate you. Tori can be... particular about certain things, but she's not a bad person. And even if she were, it wouldn't matter." "How would it not matter?" I asked, frowning. "Because I'm not bringing you home for my family to approve of you," he said, reaching over with his right hand to take mine, keeping the left on the wheel. "I'm bringing you because I want you to be part of my life. Completely.

And they're just going to have to adjust." I laced my fingers through his, feeling the warmth of his skin against mine. "Very confident, Mr. Carter." "When it comes to you? Always." He lifted our joined hands and brushed a quick kiss across my fingers before returning his hand to the wheel. We drove in comfortable silence for a while, the landscape shifting bit by bit as we left London behind. Villages grew more frequent, the houses older and more ornate, each one carrying a sense of history I could practically feel. "I'm hungry," I announced when my stomach growled loud enough to echo.

take us on trips around the area." The pub looked exactly like the kind of traditional English place I'd pictured-an old stone façade, small thick- paned windows, and a wooden sign swinging gently in the cold breeze. The moment we stepped inside, we were greeted by the comforting warmth of a crackling fireplace and the rich smell of beer, burning wood, and something that definitely involved steak

made my way to the counter, where a friendly bartender greeted me with a warm smile. "Good afternoon. What can I get for you?" "Good afternoon," I said. "Do you have anything quick to eat? We're just passing through.' "Of course. Our chicken and mushroom pie just came

talking quietly about everyday things, and the atmosphere was exactly the cozy pub vibe I'd always imagined England would have. "You're not from around here, are you?" a male voice said beside me. I turned to see a man about my

warmer, I imagine." "A bit," I laughed, amused by his enthusiasm. "Especially this time of year." "And what brings you to our little village?" he asked, clearly trying to

stepped up beside me, pressing a soft kiss to my temple before turning his attention to the man. "Everything alright here?" he asked politely, but with a tone that left absolutely no doubt that lines were being drawn. The man instantly took a step back, hands raised in harmless retreat. "Of course, of course. Just chatting. Safe travels," he said quickly before heading back to his table. 2/4 Nate kept his arm around my waist as the bartender brought our pies, neatly

my heart pound a little faster. It wasn't possessive in that toxic way. It was more like a quiet declaration that I mattered to him, that he wasn't willing to play it cool when someone else showed

it doesn't hurt to make sure everyone knows you're not available." We got back on the road with our still-warm pies, eating while the world outside slowly dimmed. The sky shifted into that deep purple that only winter evenings pull off, and the first lights in the scattered houses flickered to life among