Page 22 of Billionaire Unexplained: Kaleb

“Do women throw themselves at you on a daily basis because you’re uber rich and hot?”

Shit! How was I supposed to answer that? “Not on a daily basis, no. My brothers and I keep pretty low profiles. We live in the small town we grew up in, and our headquarters in Billings doesn’t have a lot of staff turnover. Most of our employees have been there for years. My life is pretty uneventful the majority of the time.”

“I think you’re full of crap, Kaleb Remington,” she said with a delighted laugh. “Or you’re looking for a way not to admit that women fall all over you. It’s not like there are a lot of gorgeous, single billionaires in Montana.”

“I don’t really date,” I grumbled. “The women that I’ve dated in the past were more interested in my money than they ever were in me.”

She frowned at me. “I doubt that’s true. The money and your hotness might initially attract a lot of women, but I can’t imagine that any sane woman wouldn’t be interested in you once they get to know you. I can honestly say I don’t give a damn about your money or that you’re some kind of business tycoon. I care about you.”

Fuck! I knew that. It was probably one of the reasons I couldn’t let her go.

Anna had liked me even when she thought I was a furniture maker. In my world, that was a pretty rare gift.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and simply answered, “I care about you, too. That’s why I want you to come to Crystal Fork with me. You need more time, Anna, and it’s a friendly little town most of the time.”

She chewed on her lower lip as she glanced at me.

Unfortunately, I could still see her hesitation, and it made my gut hurt.

What in the hell was making her so wary? Not once had I seen real fear in her eyes, even when she’d woken up half naked and on my lap in the very beginning.

“I suppose it’s my turn to tell you who I really am,” she said with a long sigh. “You might change your mind about that invitation. Like I said, my life is really complicated, and if I come with you, you might get more attention than you want to get.”

“Who you really are isn’t going to matter to me, Anna. You already assured me that you’re not a criminal and that you’re not being chased by a crazy stalker. I can handle whatever you tell me.”

She shifted until she was sitting on the edge of the couch.

Anna reached for her phone and pulled up her photos.

She took a deep breath as she brought up a picture. “I was grateful that you didn’t recognize me when I fell through your window, and I’ll always be glad that you got to know me as just Anna. But there’s a big part of my life that you don’t know, Kaleb.”

She handed me her phone without saying another word.

My eyes shifted to the photo, and my jaw dropped as I perused it closely for a few moments.

I didn’t realize that it was Anna in that photo until I carefully compared the facial features, but I had immediately recognized the name on the album cover.

I looked at her and back at the picture again, my brain in total denial, even though I logically knew that the woman in the picture and my Anna were one and the same. The distinctive eyes were a dead giveaway.

Now that I knew her, I’d always be able to recognize those unique eyes of hers.

“Christ! Is it true? Are you really Annelise?” I asked hoarsely as our eyes met.

Other than those unforgettable eyes, nothing in the photo looked like Anna.

The image had a woman in heavy makeup and thick, very long blonde hair. The album cover looked slightly familiar, but since I didn’t follow the pop music culture, I’d probably never paid that much attention to it in the past.

She nodded slowly as she looked at me like she was afraid of my reaction. “My full name is Annelise Kendrick, but people who know me call me Anna.”

Okay, this definitely wasn’t the reveal that I was expecting.

In fact, I was having a hard time processing her real identity.

Anna was one of the hottest pop artists in the world, and had been for many years. She was so well known that people rarely used her last name anymore. She was simply known as Annelise.

I suddenly felt a little idiotic for not recognizing her.

I shook my head. “I didn’t recognize you. I don’t follow the pop scene. I know your name. Everyone does. I’ve seen you perform briefly, but I didn’t connect you with Annelise.”

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