Page 27 of Beauty and her Billionaire Beast
In any event, whether he uses this weekend to break the news to us or not, I’llbe okay. Knox seems to be handling whatever it is, taking it in stride. And as it deals with his grandfather, it’s no one else’sbusiness.
He stops the car in front of a large three-door garage and turns off the engine. “I’ll get our bags. Pops sent all the serving staff home for the long weekend thisyear.”
“I’ll help,” I tell him. He may be used to butlers and maids waiting onhim hand and feet, but I do everythingmyself.
He grabs our suitcases before I can step out into the noticeably cooler night air. A light breeze is blowing, wafting in the scent of the ocean. The Atlantic is on the other side of thismansion.
I follow him down the side of the garage until we reach the back of thehouse.
“Is there a cabana waiting for us that we’ll stay in?”I ask, because normally, his grandfather would assign me and my parents to a guest roominside.”
“I made an executive decision. You’re staying in the pool house withme.”
“Uh,” I start, searching for the right way to put what I’m about to say. “Don’t you think that my staying in your room will play right into what our families are hopingfor?”
“Belle, you know I don’t givetwo fucks about what people think. But relax. There are three bedrooms inside. You won’t be sleeping in my bed...unless you ask realnicely.”
“Tease,” I say, punching his upper arm as he searches his set of keys for the one that opens the front door of the poolhouse.
He rests a hand at my waist, motioning for me to go inside ahead of him. I step into the dark space and hear himas he flicks on a light switch to the foyer. My mouth drops open. It’s clear to me that someone has done a major renovation on this place. It’s no pool house. Not with marble pillars and gleaming granite floors, and massive crystal chandeliers sending beams of sparkling light through thespace.
“This is nice,” Imouth.
“Yes, I had Pops’ decorator design it just the way Iwanted.”
“You have goodtaste.”
He smiles down at me suggestively. “Thebest.”
My heart does a little flip in my chest, and I sort of wish I hadn’t asked him to kiss me on the way here. It’s bad enough there’s all this chemistry between us. Now that it’s in the open, he’s that much more comfortable pointing itout.
“The guest rooms are to your left and they each have their ownattached bathroom, so feel free to choose whichever one you like most,” he informs me. “It’ll only be the two of us in here. And my master bedroom is at the end of thehall.”
“Allright.”
“Pops is probably fast asleep. If you’re tired, don’t worry about setting an alarm. He’s up for breakfast super early, but the weekend event staff will pop in to prepare meals andsuch.”
I nod and follow him down the hallway to the bedrooms. “Sounds good. Yes, I’m pretty beat. I haven’t had a full night’s sleep inweeks.”
“No?” He puts the bags down and opens the first guest room, flicking on the main set of lights inside. “Howcome?”
“You really want toknow?”
“I wouldn’t ask if Ididn’t.”
“You. Us. Seeing you again...I don’t know. That night in thelimo.”
“Right. I’m sorry aboutthat.”
I turn and lean my head into the bedroom. I’m sure it’s perfect, but I’m curious about what the others are like. This one is gorgeous, decorated in Venetian creams and light-colored vintage furniture, with airy, flowy curtains draped around a king-size four-poster bed. “Don’t be sorry,” I tell him without turning around. “Not anymore. We’ve workedit out and got it all out in the open tonight. I’m pretty sure I’ll sleep like a baby now. Especially in a room like this. Do they all have the samedecor?”
I feel the warmth of his body at my back, and his arms snake around my waist, his fingers lacing together at the front of my stretchy jeans waistband. “They’re all different,” he whispers at my ear, and I feel the stubble of his jawgraze my neck. “That’s why I left your bag in thehall.”
“Oh,okay.”
He kisses a spot on my neck and I let out a helpless whimper. “I’ll show you the other two rooms and you can decide where you want to bethen.”
“Okay.”
