Read Online The Billionaire's Gamble by Ava Miles - Free Book Online

his lungs burn, but it would only make him stronger.
    His visit to the local produce market was outright depressing. On the rare occasion he shopped for his own food in Paris, he never looked at prices. But since Evan Murray was on a budget, he needed to keep track of each penny. When had eggs gotten so expensive? And grapefruit? He splurged on the grapefruit to accompany his yogurt and granola, thinking it had better be the best damn grapefruit he’d ever eaten. To offset his splurge, he picked up ramen noodles for dinner. He was already missing the three-course meals he’d enjoyed without a thought in Paris.
    When he returned to the house, he was greeted with the delicious smell of baking bread, chocolate, and bananas. His stomach growled. He put his groceries in the refrigerator as Margie puttered around the kitchen in a yellow cotton dress, her sable hair dry now.
    “Something smells delicious.” Even he could hear the begging in his voice. He blamed it on the grocery store experience and the dinner of ramen awaiting him.
    Her eyes twinkled. “I might give you a taste when the bread is cool enough to slice. If you cut it when it’s too warm, the chocolate streaks.”
    “We wouldn’t want that,” he said. Apparently he wasn’t above flirting with her, after all.
    “No, we wouldn’t.” She ran her eyes over him, and while she wasn’t obvious about it, he could tell she liked what she saw.
    He might have puffed out his chest a bit. “I’ll just go grab a shower.”
    Leaving the kitchen, he realized he was aroused, and it was mortifying when he met Martin on the stairs. The guy was only a little taller than Margie and had wire-rimmed glasses that made Evan want to take him under his wing. Thank God his own vision had always been twenty-twenty.
    “Ah, hi,” he said, sticking out his hand. “I’m Evan.”
    “Martin,” the man responded. His clasp was bony and lacked confidence. “Margie says you’re only staying a month.”
    “That’s right.”
    “I’m not here a lot, but if you need anything, let me know. Although Margie knows everything.”
    “She seems very capable.” And sexy. Don’t forget sexy, he told himself.
    “That woman could run a small country,” Martin said. “I’m off to the lab.”
    “Enjoy.”
    He watched Martin sail out of the front door. In a way, he reminded Evan of himself, and it took him a moment to shake off the old memories.
    Margie was in the kitchen when Evan came down from his shower. He poured himself a cup of coffee from the pot she’d made and added granola to a strawberry yogurt before cutting open his grapefruit ever so slowly so no juice would escape. With the sugar she gave him, he feasted on the grapefruit, but its flavor didn’t quite make up for its price.
    Sure enough, when he was finished, she gave him a piece of her chocolate banana bread. After one bite, he knew this would become his substitute for pain au chocolat while he was in Dare Valley.
    “This is incredible, Margie,” he said, savoring the warm chocolate and the playful hints of banana. The bread was moist and had a hint of crunch from the nuts she used—walnuts, he guessed from the slightly bitter taste. “I think I’m in love.”
    She made a humming sound. “I’m glad you like it. I’m thinking about having a few breads with chocolate in them.”
    “There’s no way you’re going to apprentice at a boulangerie in Paris without learning how to make pain au chocolat.”
    She smiled. “I will be, yes. I’ve splurged on buying one of the machines you need to make croissants. There’s no way I’m going to make them by hand.”
    He didn’t know anything about baking, but even he could imagine all those buttery layers would be a bitch to make.
    “You’re a smart woman. It will be a good investment.” He finished the last bite of his breakfast and put his dishes in the dishwasher, making sure he hadn’t left a crumb on the counter. “Well, I’m off to paint your castle.”
    Her