Page 21 of The Billionaire's Bad News Baby

“Really?”

Kayla grinned and nodded.

“Right. Cool. Great.” Elio stumbled through the affirmations, forever on the back foot with this woman, but still awash with relief that she’d said yes. It was probably too late to make excuses for his intentions; he felt as transparent as glass in front of her, but it was worth a shot.

“I’ll show you around Malbia properly,” he said, shoving his hands deep into his pockets to stop himself from fidgeting. “You can get a proper idea of the place before you head back to the States. And feel free to tell the lawyer representing the idiot who nearly choked to death that I was a very generous host. I’d very much appreciate it.”

“So I shouldn’t pass on that you keep calling this guy who nearly choked to death ‘the idiot’?”

“Uh, no. Probably not. If you could keep that part to yourself, that’d be great.”

“No problem,” Kayla said with a solemn expression. “I’ll keep that locked down and talk about how the island is real, real pretty instead. And about how much I liked the onions and tomatoes.”

“If you wouldn’t mind.”

She smiled, and it was such a small, sweet thing compared to her unabashed bravado that Elio felt heat crawl up the back of his neck so fast it felt like a third-degree burn.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” he said, backing out of the hall so the back of his neck wasn’t exposed. He was sure the skin was as red as spilled wine back there because it certainly felt that way.

“To it?” Kayla asked, unable to help herself and continuing to tease him. “What are you leaving me to, exactly?”

“You know, your omelet, showering, preparing for the day, meditating if you want. You seem like someone who could use some meditation.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, take some deep breaths. Consider your place in the universe. Take a nap. Whatever you need to do.”

“This island tour sounds like it’s going to be very taxing.”

“It is, so you better get your affairs in order.”

He’d run out of things to say, and also found himself nearly entirely out of the hall. There was nothing left to do but turn and leave. The problem was that was the last thing Elio wanted to do. Luckily — or maybe unfortunately, he couldn’t tell which — Kayla put her hand on the door and did it for him.

“I’ll get ready, then,” she said, that small, beautiful smile still hovering around her lips as she entered the suite and closed the door with a gentle click, her footsteps padding away into the guest rooms.

So he said no to having breakfast with her, but he’d invited her to stay on Malbia for a full extra day. Yeah, that made sense. Elio rubbed his temples, hoping that it would somehow work to clear his thoughts, but no such luck. They were just as messed up as before.

* * *

Elio wanted to take a bit of time to plan something for Kayla’s proper introduction to the island. The problem was that he didn’t expect her to take all that long to actually get ready, despite his jests about meditation and spiritual reflections. She didn’t have any of her things here, after all, so he was going to have to think on his feet.

Picnics were good, right? They were universally considered a nice experience to have, and Malbia, with its general lushness, natural beauty and a view of the ocean in every direction, was the best place on earth for a picnic. He didn’t have one of those old-fashioned baskets like they used in the movies, but he had a canvas tote bag that his housekeeper Gianna used to bring produce over from the mainland. It was sturdy and clean, so it would have to do. He had plenty of wine; that wasn’t a problem. And Kayla had done nothing but rave about the produce here, so he opened up the fridge and scanned through it to find things that would serve as a last-minute charcuterie board that they could take into the vineyard.

Elio paused as he was looking through the fridge, taking stock of what he was doing and the frenzy he’d worked himself into.

It wasn’t romantic, what he was doing. It was just nice. That was all. The poor woman had been stuck here for days with a strange man she didn’t know, in the middle of a storm, in a foreign country, and she’d even cooked for him. It was the least he could do. This wasn’t a date. No. It was a thank-you, an apology, and a farewell all wrapped up in one very casual outing.

So as he prepared food in containers, shutting the lids tight and placing them in the bag, and as he selected the right bottle of wine to go with the flavors, he just kept reminding himself that this was a casual, relaxed, and entirely normal thing to do. If he was nervous, it was because conversation wasn’t his strong suit. That was all. And he had a lawsuit hanging over his head, which was giving him an anxious edge. That was it.

But when he met up with Kayla at the front of the villa, his bag of preparations in tow, all of Elio’s reasoning flew out of his head.

She had washed the clothes she’d arrived in and stepped out in the skirt and top in which he’d first seen her, and Elio felt a bizarre pang of grief at no longer seeing her wear his clothes, shocked at how much he’d come to appreciate the sight. It had felt… comfortable. Familiar and friendly. Now he was just reminded of how much of a stranger Kayla actually was and he didn’t like it. He didn’t want her to be a stranger. He didn’t want her to leave.

God, what a mess.

“What’s in the bag?” Kayla asked, trying to peek into the top of it.

Elio snatched it out of her line of sight, feeling like a kid as she grinned mischievously at his reaction.

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