Page 13 of The Billionaire's Wife

We stand around engaging in small talk for a few minutes before Marcus instructs one of his employees to show us to our rooms. “Meet us out on the middle floor deck for some drinks whenever you’re ready,” he says in parting before we’re shown down a staircase to the floor where our rooms are.

The steward takes us to our rooms where our luggage is waiting. Our rooms are all next to each other, and after saying a temporary goodbye to my family, Ella and I step inside ours.

She crosses the room and immediately heads to the balcony. She throws open the sliding glass door and steps out into the breeze, gazing out at the ocean. She spins around, a huge smile on her face.

“This is insane,” she declares with a giggle, spinning back around to admire the view.

That flicker of happiness returns just by witnessing her joy. I watch her for a moment, caught up in her happiness. My mind wanders back to the plane ride, just a few short hours ago. How her soft body had felt pressed against mine, my arm wrapped around her shoulders. The smell of her hair. Strawberry? Fuck. The memory of it does something to me I’m unfamiliar with. Am I actually attracted to her? This barely-out-of-college girl who I haven’t even acknowledged until now?

While she had been the one to sit up and pull away on the plane, it was probably for the best. I probably could have sat like that for hours—the entire plane ride. Just reveling in the feeling of her against me.

I shake my head, trying to rid myself of these thoughts, and turn to assess the luggage. “I’m going to change before we meet everyone on the deck for drinks,” I say.

“Okay. I’m going to upback a bit,” Ella says, returning to the room. She props her suitcase up on the bed and opens it. She rummages through a few things, finally pulling out the sandals I’d sent her. She turns it to me, a questioning look on her face. “These seem okay?” she asks.

I nod.

I pick out a new outfit, deciding to don a pair of khaki shorts and a nice short-sleeved button up instead of my dress slacks and long-sleeved shirt I’m currently wearing. Once I’ve emerged from the bathroom, I see Ella leaning down to clasp her sandals around her ankles. I subtly eyeing her up and down. Fuck she looks good in that dress. While it’s definitely classy and modest, it does show off her arms and legs, parts of her I’ve never seen thanks to the gloomy Seattle weather.

Once I’m dressed, we leave our cabin and head up the stairs to the second floor. We cross the room we’d originally met Marcus and Julia in, and head out onto an uncovered deck filled with lounge chairs, a few tables, and a bar. Marcus and Julia are sitting in a cluster of chairs under an umbrella at the edge of the deck and call out in greeting when they see us.

“What are you drinks of choice?” Marcus asks warmly as we sit down.

“I’ll have a gin and tonic,” I say, turning to Ella questioningly.

“Uh … rum and coke?” she asks.

The waiter nods and heads off.

“Ella, that is a gorgeous dress,” Julia says.

Ella smiles, a small blush creeping up her cheeks. I can tell she’s slightly uncomfortable—maybe nervous. “Thanks,” she says. “Alec bought it for me.” She glances to me.

I smile at her, reaching out to gently place my hand on her arm. I mean it in a comforting way, but the touch only seems to electrify both her and I. I immediately drop my arm.

Thankfully, Aiden and Lilly make an appearance, sitting down beside us. A few minutes later, Olivia and Asher appear, and soon we’re all engaged in conversation. Ella seems to relax now that the attention is spread evenly amongst us. I even notice her falling into a side conversation with Lilly and Olivia, seemingly hitting it off. I’m grateful that my sisters-in-law are being as welcoming as they are. Although I wouldn’t expect otherwise—they’re two of the nicest people I’ve ever met. It’s truly a wonder how my brothers managed to score them.

I notice a staff member appear, and he comes up to Marcus’s side. “We’re ready to depart,” he informs him.

“Good, yes. Let’s get going. Thank you, Damien,” Marcus replies.

“Off we go,” Julia says to the rest of us with a broad smile. “We’ll be in the Bahamas the day after tomorrow.”

We all smile, and the chatter escalates, expressing our excitement for the trip. I stare off toward the shore as our boat slowly pushes away from the dock and begins making its way out into open waters. I take a deep breath, glancing surreptitiously at Ella. Here we go, indeed. Hopefully we can pull this off.

Chapter 9

Ella

The warmth of the sun caresses my skin, a soft ocean breeze whisking through my hair. Olivia, Lilly, and I are all seated around the small pool on the top deck of the yacht as the boat sails through the open waters. Leaning back on the lounge chair, I stare out at the ocean. I’ve never seen waters like this. I’ve never seen anything like this. I never thought I’d be sailing on a multi-million-dollar yacht to the Bahamas. In a swimsuit that probably cost more than my rent. Somebody pinch me.

And so far, our ruse seems to be working. We’d spent the rest of yesterday casually chatting over dinner and drinks. And unlike the horror stories I’d imagined—Marcus drilling us on the details of our relationship—conversation seemed to flow naturally. Which is obvious, now that I think about it. I’m sure that my relationship with Alec is the least of either Marcus or Juila’s concerns. In fact, I’ve spent most of my time talking with Olivia and Lilly, who obviously know about our fake relationship, so it takes quite a bit of the pressure off.

“I swear, Asher was so excited to spend a week away from work, and now what does he do?” Olivia says with a laugh. “Talk about work.”

Lilly rolls her eyes. “It’s all three of them. And Marcus Caddelle too, by the looks of him.”

“Something in their blood,” Olivia bemoans.

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