Page 16 of Billionaire Unexplained: Kaleb

She’d left California only sharing her whereabouts with two people.

Well, now there were only three people who knew where she was at the moment, and I was okay with that. My brothers didn’t need to know I wasn’t alone here in the cabin.

I felt oddly protective of Anna. Probably because she’d been through so much over the last six months.

My chest had ached from her pain when I’d held her last night as she’d sobbed in my arms.

I’d also felt more than a little humbled by the fact that she’d felt comfortable letting down her guard with me when she apparently hadn’t done that with anyone else in her life.

Maybe that was why I was willing to let my guard down a little with her, too.

Looking at her now, it was hard to believe she was the same Anna I’d held last night while she’d fallen apart.

She looked gorgeous in a pair of ass-hugging jeans and a purple, thermal top that lovingly clung to her body.

She also looked more rested and healthier today. She’d fallen asleep soon after we’d talked, and as far as I knew, she hadn’t moved a muscle all night. Neither of us had. I’d slept like the dead without a single nightmare.

Had it been easy controlling my dick when I’d had her half-naked body against me all night? No. No, it wasn’t. But my protective instinct toward her was stronger than my lust at the moment.

She needed someone after all she’d been through, and I was going to be that someone she could talk to, even if it killed me.

Hell, I wanted her. There probably wasn’t a healthy, single male on Earth who wouldn’t. But I also really…liked her.

I was certain that my physical attraction to her wasn’t reciprocated, which made it a lot easier to keep my dick in check.

“You look different without your scruffy face,” she commented casually as she rose from the small table and made a beeline for the coffee machine.

Anna had carefully put away the cards and chips. Obviously, she was done with the poker session.

I ran a hand over the smooth skin of my face. I’d finally shaved after I’d gotten out of the shower this morning, and I probably did look different. I hadn’t put a razor to my face since I’d arrived at the cabin.

I was starting to get used to Anna saying the first thing that came to her mind without hesitation.

Honestly, I liked it, and I was starting to appreciate being treated like a normal person.

Other than my family and close friends, most people were standoffish around me, like they had to watch everything they said to me.

Generally, I was guarded because I’d been burnt too many times in the past by people I thought were friends or intimate partners.

It was almost impossible to stay distant with Anna.

She said exactly what she thought, and expected me to answer however I wanted.

She probably had no idea that interacting with someone this way was a novelty for me.

“Do I look less scary than I did yesterday?” I asked.

She shook her head, her attention focused on her coffee creation. “No. You’ve never looked scary. Today, you just look…different. Your green eyes are too warm to be frightening.”

I nearly laughed at her comment. My eyes were probably warm because I found her so fucking attractive.

“Would it surprise you if I told you that most people who don’t know me well are terrified of me?” I asked.

I’d perfected the art of intimidation with my business adversaries over the years.

She picked up the two coffees she’d created and set one in front of me. She’d made me one this morning, and it was surprisingly good, even with that dash of salt on top.

Anna tilted her head as she surveyed me earnestly. “No, that wouldn’t surprise me. I think you probably try to keep people at a distance, and you’re a big, gruff kind of man on the surface. You’re also extremely intelligent, which probably intimidates most people.”

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