Page 69 of The Billionaire's Kiss
Chapter Thirty-One
Warner
I didn’t get much sleep on the first night in my new home. Not that it felt uncomfortable to be there, but it felt uncomfortable not knowing what Orla was thinking or what she was going to do.
Interrupting a marriage proposal wasn’t exactly how I thought I would find her. But now I knew there was another man in her life. And that left me extremely uncomfortable.
After getting dressed, I went to the castle to better familiarize myself with the place. I’d been in such a hurry to go see Orla that I hadn’t even taken a tour of the castle before I had left the evening before.
No one had come to work yet, so I was all alone in the castle. Just as I’d come in through the front entrance, I heard a buzzing sound, and I followed the noise until I arrived to a box on the wall. It seemed to be an intercom system, so I pressed the button at the bottom of the box. “Yes?”
“Warner, is that you?” came Orla’s voice.
I felt like I might fall down, I was so relieved to hear her voice. “It’s me, Orla. Are you at the gate?”
“I am. Can you give me the code to open these gates?”
I saw another button on the box and pushed it. “I can do even better for you.” I pushed the button. “Are they opening now?”
“Yes. Thank you. Where are you?”
“I’m in the castle. Just follow the road to the drawbridge. I left it down, so you can drive right over and park near the little car that I’m renting. I’ll meet you there.”
“Okay. See you in a minute or so then.”
I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off as I searched for a mirror to make sure I looked okay. Finally, I found one and ran my hands through my hair before running out the front doors.
Panting with excitement, I knew I had to calm down. I had no idea what she was here to tell me. I couldn’t get my hopes up too high, or it would be devastating if she had bad news for me.
Her car was as tiny as mine was, I noted as she parked next to my rental. “Do they even make average-sized cars in this country?”
I went to her as she got out of the car. All I could think about was holding her in my arms and kissing her sweet lips. But she held up one hand. “No hugging.”
Immediately the air left my lungs. “I’m glad you came.”
She looked up and down at the castle behind me. “What’s with this? And why is it called Whisper Hills? Did you and your brothers buy a freaking castle?”
“Come inside. Let’s talk in there. It’s foggy out here.” I led the way back inside. “Is it always so foggy in the mornings here?”
“Yes.” She followed me inside. “This place is gorgeous.” She shook her head as if to clear it. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“I bought this place.” I watched her reaction as I took a seat on a nearby sofa. “Please, have a seat anywhere you like.”
She took a seat across from me. “You bought this place? And you’re going to be running a bed and breakfast here? Or you’re just here to get things set up, and then you’ll be leaving?”
“I’m here to stay.” I kept my eyes on hers to see what she thought about that. “I am making Kenmare my home.”
“And your home in Austin?” she asked without giving away any reaction whatsoever.
“I still have it. I’ll have to go back there each quarter for meetings, and I’ll stay in the house when I go. But most of the time, I’ll be here, in Kenmare, managing this business.”
Uncertainty shined in her green eyes. “So, you arenotleaving?”
“I amnotleaving.”
She looked at her hands, which she’d been wringing in her lap. Smoothing them over her slacks, she asked, “Why did you come here, Warner?”
“For you, Orla.” There was nothing else I’d come for but her. I knew that without a doubt now.
