Page 32 of Quarantined with the Billionaire

Walking toward him, I moved my eyes to another painting that might have been created by the same artist. The colors were similar, only this time it depicted a city street after a rainstorm. I most definitely planned to spend a lot of time in this hallway.

It felt like a museum.

As we turned the corner, I had an even bigger sense of a museum. A huge open space with only two walls held a grand piano, and the hallway was only designated now by different floor patterns.

“Over here,” Maddox said near a door, “is the second master bedroom suite. This is your room.”

I all but skipped over there, dying to know what a bedroom in this place looked like. He opened the door and flipped on a switch, stepping aside so I could walk through. There was one window with beautiful beige and white window coverings, and I could tell that when the sun was shining brightly, this room would be cheerful and light. The colors were light blue, beige, light brown, and white, perfect hues to reflecting sunrays. Stepping over to the window, I looked out. I had a great view of the lawn in front of the house. There was another window on the side, and I wondered how much early morning sun would be blocked by the house next door. But the best part of the room was the fireplace close to the window. “Is it gas?”

Maddox nodded, picking up a remote control off the mantel. “You can either use this or the thermostat over here.” As chilly as it was today, I thought a fire would be cozy. Turning around, I saw my luggage against the other wall beside a dresser and full-length mirror. “Follow me.” He led me through a bathroom complete with a huge tub and, deeper inside, a large walk-in closet. “Do you think you’ll be comfortable here?”

I nearly giggled, but I fought the urge to gush. “How could I not be?”

“I’m glad you said that. But we’re not done yet.” We walked back through my temporary bedroom into the hall. Maddox pointed to another door. “This is my bedroom. It’s like yours—fireplace, master bath, walk-in closet.” But he didn’t open the door.

Hmm.

As we got near the end of the open area, I saw a door to the south, beside what would become a hallway behind the music space. I pointed to it, expecting Maddox to continue doing what he’d been doing—taking me inside, commenting on what was there.

Instead, he said, “That room is off limits. Sorry about that. I want to be open with you, but that’s one room that stays closed.”

“Okay. You don’t have to allow me complete access to everything.”

As he nodded, I thought I saw a shadow pass over his eyes. Whatever that room was, I suspected, was something even he didn’t want to see, much less talk about.

All that did was make me curious as hell. After all, I’d read the Fifty Shades trilogy. Did Maddox have his own Red Room? And, if so, why would he have such negative feelings about it?

I tried not to shudder as we continued down the hall, and he pointed out two other bedrooms and what he liked to call a powder room between the two. We turned the hall one last time, walking past another set of stairs. “Those lead to the living room.” This part of the corridor led back to the stairs and more art covered these walls—but there was one more room he wanted to show me.

Walking through the door, I immediately relaxed. There were beautiful plants all through the room, and it smelled fresh and clean, like a forest after a rain. Flowery on occasion. Earthy in a good way. It was a room dedicated to plants.

“I like to spend a lot of winter months here in the conservatory,” he said. “Being around living things cheers me up.

“Conservatory? I always wondered what that was.”

Maddox tilted his head, a question in his eyes.

“Did you ever play the board game Clue?” When he nodded, I continued. “One of my friends had that game and loved it. But I always wondered what a conservatory was. Guess now I know.”

“Let your curiosity fuel your learning, Bailey. When we stop learning, we stagnate. When we stagnate, we might as well be dead.”

“Thus, two books a week.”

“Exactly. And, while you’re here, feel free to read any books I have around the house.”

I probably would. After all, I’d need something to keep my mind off the one room in the house I wasn’t allowed to touch.

“Tomorrow, I’ll show you around the grounds if the weather’s nice. There’s a pool and a garden. The plants should be greening up here in the next few weeks.”

“Sounds good.”

“Now…shall we go make some dinner together or would you like to settle in your room for a bit?”

Since I didn’t know the mysterious Maddox Steel’s routine, I was going to slurp up every single moment with him until he shut himself away in his bedroom.

Starting now.

“Let’s make some dinner.”

“Atta girl.” As we made our way down the stairs, I could feel his eyes on my back—and I didn’t know if I should shudder with excitement or fear.

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