Romance: Unlikely Love Boxed Set - A Billionaire Romance Series (Romance, Contemporary Romance, Billionaire Romance, Unlikely Love Book 4)

by Nancy Adams

  I looked down at the jeans and t-shirt I was wearing, courtesy of Gail, and sighed. I thought she was right. I wasn’t going anywhere, at least not today.

  “I guess I’ll just have to find a way to make the best of it,” I said and she nodded. I looked around, expecting people to be out front helping to clean up.

  “Where’s Ezra?” I wondered out loud, and Gail gestured behind me.

  “He’s out back rebuilding a shed and taking care of some other damage to the property. There’s a lot to get done and he’s pretty much the only one around to do it.”

  “Doesn’t he have a crew or something?”

  Gail shook her head. “No. Not really. We all try to help out, but Ezra manages all the daily ins and outs. He’s the plumber, the electrician, the handyman, the manager. You get my point. He’s the go-to guy.”

  I nodded, finally getting it. “Does he own this place?”

  Gail nodded. “He does. I’ve been living here forever. He bought it about four years ago. He’s doing a good job with managing the property.”

  “What made him buy a whole co-op?” I asked, genuinely interested.

  “Oh it just spoke to him one day, I suppose.”

  I didn’t know how to respond to that, so instead I asked about breakfast. Gail said she would join me, so we disappeared inside and helped ourselves to eggs and toast.

  “So how well do you know Ezra?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant, when I must admit I was curious about the enigmatic manager.

  “Oh, he’s like a son to me.”

  “A wayward son.”

  She smiled. “Definitely.”

  “What did he do before this?”

  “He was a construction worker. A general handyman.”

  “And yet he could afford to buy a 5,000-square-foot home and all the surrounding cottages around it?” I said, not believing what I was hearing. Either Gail didn’t know what she was talking about, or something wasn’t adding up.

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I guess he was financially well-off.”

  “Hmmm…”

  Deliberately changing the subject, Gail said, “We’re going to hang around in the common room and play a game of ping pong, want to join us?”

  “By we do you mean your fellow nudists?”

  “Yep.”

  “Gail, since we’ve been through a life-altering event together, I’m going to be honest with you: I don’t even walk out of the house without shoes on. Do you really think you could convince me to walk around here naked?”

  “Trust me, Marie. It’s such a liberating experience.”

  “Errr…I think I’m liberated enough.”

  She gave me look of incredulity and then said, “Are we talking about you or someone else?”

  “Hey!”

  “Joking…joking…maybe.”

  “Listen, just because I don’t want to walk around with all my, ummm, unmentionables showing doesn’t mean I’m not liberated. Plenty of liberated people wear clothes. Plenty of them.”

  Gail just stood there nodding and then shrugged and said, “Suit yourself. But just think of your dry cleaning bill. It would be practically nonexistent if you didn’t wear clothes.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “You do that,” she said, walking away and beginning to strip down. I directed my eyes elsewhere and shuddered. Call me a prude, but nudists, I just didn’t get them. I was about to stand up to go back into my room when I heard someone laugh. I looked up sharply and realized that Ezra was there and had overheard our entire conversation.

  “Not your cup of tea, I’m guessing.”

  “No. I prefer to keep my clothes on.”

  He let his eyes wander across my body and then winked comically. “What a shame.”

  I could feel myself blushing, but I couldn’t be offended by his words. I knew he was joking with me.

  I tried to hide my face behind my coffee mug as I said, “So I heard you’re pretty busy today.”

  He sighed and surprised me by saying, “May I?” indicating the chair next to me. I marveled at how different he was today. He was actually being pretty civil towards me.

  “Sure,” I said graciously, pretending that his presence didn’t bother me.

  “I have to work on the shed out back and there are a few other things. Tony and Mark are helping, but we could sure use additional hands.”

  “I can help,” I found myself saying, and then immediately regretted it. I was supposed to be on vacation.

  He raised his eyebrows dubiously, and I narrowed my eyes at him. “I spent my senior year volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. During one spring break, my friends and I traveled down to South Florida and helped build houses in lower-income neighborhoods. I can hang up drywall better than most people.”

  He looked surprised and said, “Most kids spend spring break in Florida causing trouble and getting drunk.”

  I made a face. “Not my style.”

  “I figured as much.” He said this with admiration instead of judgment, and I realized that he was giving me a compliment in a roundabout way.

  “So you’re comfortable using a hammer and other possibly dangerous tools?” He leaned back and his brown eyes seemed warm and inviting; it was almost if I was talking to a different person. Ezra’s “nice” twin, I thought facetiously to myself. I watched as Ezra stretched out his long legs on the ottoman in front of him. He then crossed one over the other and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “What, you don’t trust me to be efficient?” I asked him, smiling a bit.

  He shrugged. “I have to admit that I misjudged and underestimated you, but something about you just says fragile to me, and the thought of you with a hammer just doesn’t seem like the best of ideas.”

  I found myself offended by his words. “I assure you, I’m nowhere near fragile.”

  He couldn’t hide the amused look in his eyes as he studied me quietly, holding my eyes and then letting his gaze drift down my body. I felt instantly uncomfortable knowing that I didn’t exactly look my best without makeup and my wardrobe. And I was wearing someone else’s shoes, a pair of flip-flops. Frankly, I was just lucky someone had given me an unused toothbrush this morning.

  “Then let’s get started, but first, what’s your real story, Marie? What’s a woman like you doing in a place like this?”

  It wasn’t until right then that I realized I hadn’t at one point in the whole journey thought of my ex.

  “What do you mean a woman like me?” I said stalling, trying to avoid talking about the fact that I was underemployed and my love life was nonexistent. “Rich and snooty?”

  He had the grace to look guilty. “Again, I apologize for that comment. I was being an ass earlier.”

  “Yes, you were.”

  He laughed. “You’re ballsy.”

  I had to laugh at his description. “Well trust me, it didn’t come naturally. I learned how to be, errr…assertive from my two best friends, who are probably having a fit right now because I haven’t called.”

  “You can use Gail’s cellphone or the landline in your cottage.”

  “I thought you said you didn’t have phones.”

  “I never said that. I just said that they’re hard to get to around here since only Gail owns one and she rarely charges it. Not that we get good reception out here anyway.”

  “Nice. You lied to me.”

  “More like exaggerated the truth. Sorry.”

  “No you’re not.”

  He smiled at me, an expression I found disarming. “You’re right; I’m not really sorry.”

  Gosh, I hated that I found him so good looking and he was charming even when he wasn’t being a jerk. I sort of preferred the jerk version of Ezra—at least when he was being a jerk I had a good reason to not find him attractive.

  “I’ll see if I can gather up some more tools. Meet me in the back in ten minutes?”

  I nodded. “Be right there, but I hope you’re paying me for my help,�
� I joked.

  “I’m sure I can’t afford your going rate. How about I pay you in food?”

  “Chocolate’s my currency,” I said, enjoying our banter.

  He winked at me. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  An hour later, even though the sky was overcast, I was sweating from exertion. The humidity was killing me and I could only imagine what it was doing to my hair. I felt sticky and uncomfortable and wanted a break, but I was too proud to tell Ezra that. I tried to focus on what I was doing and came really close to hammering my finger. I wacked the very edge of my thumb and let out a loud, “Ouch!” and proceeded to apply pressure to it while swearing softly to myself.

  “Crap! Crap! Crap!” I muttered, and then stuck my finger in my mouth in an attempt to ease the pain.

  Ezra looked up from where he was busy cutting a piece of wood. “Let me see,” he said, taking his gloves off. I hesitantly held out my hand. He traced the now-bruising part of my finger with his, and I felt a tingle go up my spine. He began to rub my finger, and I might have made a sound, but he pretended not to notice.

  When he stopped, I slowly pulled my hand from his. “Better?” he asked, and I nodded as if in a trance. He stepped towards me, closing the distance between us, and I knew what was going to happen next. I didn’t fight it. I just let it happen, as if his mouth lowering towards my own was the most natural thing in the world. As his mouth touched down on my lips, I felt as if my mind shut down and only my body responded. His mouth gently moved back and forth across mine and I knew I wanted more. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he started trailing kisses across my cheeks and then across my neck, and I moaned as his warm lips caressed the crook of my neck and traced a hot path back up, pausing right below my ear, as he nuzzled my neck.

  Even the feel of his nose against my skin made me shudder. I had never felt this way about my fiancé. If anything, our love life had been monotonous, and now that I thought about it, it had also been passionless.

  He pulled away reluctantly and said, “I’m sorry. That was inappropriate.”

  I didn’t say a word, just stared at him, still in a little bit of a stupor.

  “Did you want me to stop?” he asked, bringing his hand up and tracing my lower lip. I felt myself tremble at his slight touch. His eyes were dark and seemed to penetrate mine. He appeared to be looking for something in my gaze. I didn’t know what, and I didn’t care to think about it further as he lowered his head, not waiting for me to answer. Excited, I tilted my head up and was about to circle my arms back around his neck when someone cleared their throat.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” a voice said from behind us, and guiltily we sprang apart. It was one of the house residents that I didn’t know by name. He held a cellphone and seemed to be uncomfortable, as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. I self-consciously wiped at my lips, as if I could wipe away the feel of Ezra’s mouth against mine.

  “It’s the authorities. They’re looking for somebody,” the man said, scratching his head.

  “Looking for somebody?” Ezra said frowning.

  He reached for the phone and said gruffly, “Hello. This is Ezra. What can I do for you, Officer?”

  His eyebrows went up immediately and he looked at me and said slowly, “Miss van Basten is here. Alive and very well, I assure you.”

  I placed my hands on my hips, wondering who could possibly be calling about my whereabouts. I prayed it wasn’t my parents. Just when I was finally proving to Ezra that I wasn’t a pampered princess, the last thing I needed was my parents calling to check on me as if I weren’t capable of taking care of myself. I took the phone when Ezra handed it to me. I briefly talked to the officer on the other end. He said he would have come out personally to check on me, but most of the roads in the area were closed due to the flooding. We spoke for a few more minutes and then I handed the phone back to Ezra.

  “Yes, Sheriff, I will do everything in my power to keep her safe.” He looked at me as he said it, and I forced myself to get back to work, not wanting to, but feeling as if that were the better option than meeting Ezra’s knowing glance.

  I dared to look at him when he finally hung up and handed the phone back to the guy, who then scampered off quietly. Ezra came over and stood next to me, waiting for me to acknowledge him. I glanced up at him, pretending to be occupied and trying to appear nonchalant as I said, “Sorry about that. Apparently, my friends contacted my father and got everyone worked up. They were afraid something was wrong. I guess the flooding was on the news. I totally forgot to call them. My fault.” I was hoping to sound apologetic, not really wanting to think about the kiss we had just shared.

  He grunted. “I can understand their concern, but I promised to take care of you, and I plan to keep my word.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  He grinned at me, and something about it made him seem almost boyish. “A promise is a promise.”

  “What if I don’t want to be taken care of?”

  “It doesn’t matter; you don’t have a choice.”

  “Oh really?” I said, now smiling, unable to hide it from him.

  “As trite as this sounds, you’re really beautiful when you smile.” He searched my face, as if finally seeing me for the first time. I wondered what he saw. When I looked at him, I saw a powerfully built man who acted as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. Despite this, he seemed up for the task, as if carrying the burdens of others wasn’t too much to ask of him. He seemed strong: the type of man a woman could lean on during hard times. Someone she could count on. Someone who was the opposite of my ex, I thought bitterly. Speaking of which, wasn’t the thought of Kenneth/Philip supposed to have turned me off from all other men? If so, apparently Ezra had changed that. I forced my thoughts to not go down that path given that I was going back to Massachusetts as soon as possible. My life was in the Northeast, and Ezra’s life was in the South. Some impromptu fling wasn’t going to change that. But maybe it didn’t have to be a fling, I found myself thinking. Maybe it could be more.

  He offered a hand to help me up and I took it, not wanting to miss an opportunity to touch him again. “Let’s go get lunch and then we’ll tackle this later.”

  He didn’t let go of my hand as I expected him to; instead, he kept it tucked in his arm. It reminded me of something an older gentleman or maybe even a cowboy would do.

  “I didn’t expect you to be the chivalrous type.”

  “Stick around and you’ll learn even more about my quirks.”

  “You mean there’s more about the mysterious Mr. Corrigan? I can barely deal with you now.”

  He nudged me playfully with his shoulder and I laughed. When we got up to the porch, we parted ways, albeit reluctantly.

  “Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it, and I’m done underestimating you. You might have almost lost a thumb, but you definitely don’t mind hard work.”

  “Who needs opposable thumbs anyway?” I said lightly, and he laughed. I smiled at the sound of it, liking that I had caused it.

  He opened his mouth to say something else, but then Tony and Mark approached, eagerly rushing to speak with Ezra.

  “I think we can have everyone back in their cottages later on tonight. The storm’s moved out and everything’s drying.”

  I looked around. They were right. Even among the mud and puddles, you could see glimpses of what I had originally thought made the area so beautiful. In fact, the trees and surrounding landscape seemed to look even greener than before.

  I voiced my opinion and Ezra nodded in agreement before saying, “Come on guys; let’s go eat.”

  I went to wash my hands and put my hair back into some semblance of order. When I finally arrived at the dining room table, almost everyone had already sat down, and the only available seat was next to Ezra.

  “I saved you a seat,” Gail called happily, waving me over once she spotted me. I admired her friendly demeanor. She always seemed happy and positive. Even when we had be
en facing the possibility of drowning, she hadn’t been all doom and gloom. Part of me envied her.

  I settled down next to Ezra and tried to avoid the stares in our direction as I helped myself to whatever was passed to me on a plate.

  I tried not to think of all the carbs I was consuming as I stuffed one sandwich after another in my mouth.

  “These are great,” I mumbled.

  Ezra heard me and replied, “One of the residents used to own a chain of restaurants. And before he came here, he expanded his business to include food trucks that sold gourmet sandwiches. He whips up these crazy fancy sandwiches for us whenever he’s feeling especially nice.”

  “But back to my earlier question that you didn’t answer: What really brought you here?” Ezra asked, speaking in a low voice. I subtly looked around before answering, not wanting anyone to overhear.

  “I made a bad relationship decision and had to get out of town.”

  He put his sandwich down and studied me. “What type of decision could be so bad that you went running from home?”

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” I said, deliberately being furtive.

  “Try me.”

  I opened my mouth to tell him the whole sordid story and then shrugged my shoulders, thinking better of it.

  “I think that’s a conversation for another time.”

  He studied me, shrugged as well, and picked up his sandwich and took a bite.

  “What’s your story?” I asked after he finished chewing.

  “My story?” he repeated, arching his brows, looking down at me.

  “Yeah.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.” He was being deliberately obtuse.

  “I guess I’m not the only one with secrets,” I said turning away.

  He seemed ready to tell me something, but then changed his mind. “You have yours. I have mine. Maybe we should keep it like that.”

  I shrugged my shoulders. If that was what Ezra wanted, I would respect his wishes. But I wasn’t interested in pursuing something else with someone who kept secrets. I was troubled by the direction of my own thoughts. Was I really considering starting something with this man who was practically a stranger? Truth be told, I found something appealing, or dare I say even irresistible about Ezra. I guess my decision was made after all—I would stick around. I had the rest of the month, and nothing was so pressing back home that I needed to head back anytime soon. I might as well have a little fun and stop overthinking everything. I smiled to myself: Libby would approve.