Page 32 of Lodged

“Gio, I hate to be so nosy, but I can’t help but wonder—is that airplane yours?” Ruin asks, moving uncomfortably in her seat. I give her a smile as I get ready to let it all out.

“I was wondering when this would come up.” I glance at her, making sure she’s paying attention. She gives me a sweet smile that calms my nerves. It’s not everyday I have to tell the girl I like how much money I have.

“I don’t think there’s a way to say this without sounding awkward or cocky, so I’m just going to say it.” I take a deep breath before saying the words out loud. “I’m a billionaire.” Silence fills the car, and I can only guess what’s going through Ruin’s mind. I briefly take my eyes off the road and glance at her—she is in pure shock.

“Please say something.” I chuckle nervously.

“How… I mean, wow.” Ruin chuckles as she shakes her head.

“I’m not going to bore you with all the twists and turns, but my grandpa left most of his land and money to me and my two siblings when he passed away. Once I officially became an adult, I started investing my share. When I moved here, I metPenny, who became my financial advisor. That’s when my assets skyrocketed.” Another round of silence falls upon us, but this time, I don’t feel as anxious. It’s all out in the open now.

“That’s impressive, Gio,” she says easily, and I release a deep breath. “I feel so incredibly unworthy, though. Here you are—one of the smartest people I know, not to mention a freaking billionaire. And what do I have to offer?”

I give her a pointed look as I press the button to open the gate to my house.

“Don’t you ever refer to yourself like that, Ruin. There’s so much more to you. Can’t you see you have me hanging on your every word? Every move? I don’t think one life will be enough to spend with you.” She chuckles nervously, and I turn to face her once I’ve parked the car.

“Come on, let me show you around. I can’t wait for our getaway to start.” I get out of the car and jog around to open the door for her. “Thank you,” she tells me with a bright smile as she holds my hand.

“Always.”

The moment we step into the house, I hear Ruin’s gasp. “Gio, this is incredible,” she gushes as she twirls around the living room. I grin at the sight—I’ve come to realize that Ruin’s happiness is my happiness, and I’ll make it my purpose in life to see that smile on her face every single day of our lives.

“Are you hungry?” I ask her as I walk toward the kitchen. This place was the first big purchase I made after becoming a billionaire. I fell in love with the view. The entire first floor has glass windows instead of walls. The marble floors were imported from Italy, and I remodeled the entire house. I wanted to have a state-of-the-art gourmet kitchen, hoping my siblings would come and visit one day. But having Ruin here is even better.

“Oh my goodness, Gio. I feel like a broken record wooing and wowing at every turn, but what’s all this?” Ruin comes to standnext to me, and I wrap my arm around her shoulders, pulling her flush against me.

“Well, I wasn’t sure if you had breakfast this morning, so I thought we’d have brunch.” Her eyes light up, turning the lightest shade of green.

“Thank you, Gio. To be honest, I didn’t eat anything because I’m not a morning person, and I’m not usually hungry until I’mstarving.” Her face turns pink again, and I could kiss her right now—she looks so cute. But there’s stuff to talk about before we get to that point.

There’s a buffet-style spread of food: pumpkin pancakes, apple cider donuts, scrambled eggs, hash browns, and fresh fruit. There’s also a coffee bar and a chocolate station. I put a little bit of everything on my plate, while Ruin piles hers with pancakes, topping them with whipped cream and caramel sauce. A smile spreads across my face as I watch her enjoy plating the food.

“Here, let me make you the most delicious pumpkin-spiced latte you’ve ever tasted,” she says as she puts her plate down and gets to work. She starts by brewing espresso in my fancy Nespresso machine. Then she froths the milk, and for the pumpkin sauce, I am surprised when she makes it from scratch. Once all the ingredients are ready, she pours each of us a cup and tops it with whipped cream and pumpkin spice seasoning. I give her a thankful smile when she hands me my cup, and I moan after taking a sip.

“This is delicious, thank you.” She does a curtsy, and I bite my lip. Taking a deep breath before speaking, I try to calm myself.We’re not there yet.

“Do you want to eat outside? I have space heaters.”

“That would be lovely.” Once we sit down on the patio, I enjoy a few sips of my PSL before digging into my food.

“How did you prepare all this? I’m amazed.”

“A company on the island offers things like this, preparing homes for guests to arrive. I decided to take it easy today and have the day planned for us. I figured tomorrow we could cook together.”

“I love that idea. What else do we have planned for today?” she asks after taking a huge bite of her pancakes.

“Patience, sweetheart.” She stops chewing, and I freeze.

“Was I too forward?” I ask, suddenly unsure if we’re on the same page here.

“No, it just caught me by surprise since you’ve said we needed to take it slow.” That sweet blush starts rising from her chest to her cheeks, and I can’t help it, I close the distance between us and place a kiss on her forehead. Ruin’s breath caresses my neck, and fuck if I don’t feel it all the way down to my cock.

I clear my throat as I create a little distance between us, needing to clear the air on a few things before I can actually kiss her.

“Yes, I’ve been adamant about us taking things slow and waiting until I’m no longer your teacher. But Ruin, the more time I spend with you, the more I want to get to know you and experience everything with you.” I release a breath as I look up at the sky—a beautiful, bright, sunny day with clear blue skies on this fall day at the beach.

“I had a conversation with Dr. Smith yesterday.” Ruin tenses.

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