Page 16 of How to Undo the Proud Billionaire

He sounded exhausted, like he was all out of patience with her and the situation. Brinley, no longer prepared to hang around when she wasn’t wanted, picked her bag up off the floor and reached for the handle of the door.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Brin told him, determined to hold on to her manners. One of them should.

Holding her bag strap, Brin walked up the steps leading into what she presumed was the lobby of the hotel. There was no reception desk, just two expensive, stone-colored modern couches facing each other and, above them, two massive abstract paintings reflecting the colors of the rapidly fading sunset.

Turning left, Brin walked into an open plan lounge and instantly realized why all the travel magazines rated this one of the most luxurious lodges in the world. The furniture was obviously expensive but looked incredibly comfortable, deep cushions and gleaming wooden side tables and footstools in greens and golds and browns, all the colors of the African bush.

She could get lost in the decor, but her eyes were immediately drawn to the huge floor-to-ceiling sliding doors that were pushed open to reveal the deep deck and the sparkling infinity pool. As the sun faded, stars popped through the deepening darkness, first one, then another, then a handful.

The air smelled verdant and rich and primal, and Brin placed her hand on her heart, conscious, yet again, of that strange feeling of connection.

Despite never visiting this part of the country before, her soul recognized this place…

“Miss Riddell?”

Brin, not wanting to pull her eyes off the night sky, reluctantly turned around and watched a slim woman cross the deck to her, her elegant hand outstretched. This Iman lookalike had to be Mari, Radd’s manager.

God, she was gorgeous.

“Welcome to Kagiso.”

“Thank you, it’s beautiful,” Brin replied.

Mari lifted her eyebrows. “Radd didn’t accompany you in?”

Brin shrugged. “He went on to his villa.”

“As I’m sure you want to do, as well,” Mari smoothly replied.

“I’m really happy to stay here and look at the stars,” Brin confessed.

Mari sent her a small smile. “Well, in your villa, you can soak in an outdoor bath and look at the stars.”

Oh, God, that sounded…blissful. Indulgent, luxurious.

“And I can send your dinner to your room, along with any beverage you desire.”

It was Brin’s turn to raise her eyebrows.Anythingwas a big word. “Anything at all?”

Mari nodded. “Pretty much.”

Wow. Okay, then. Brin looked up at the diamond-on-velvet sky again before following Mari’s long-legged stride inside the lodge. She crossed the slate floor, running her hand along the top of a butter-soft leather couch, her eyes taking in the world-class sculptures on the floor and stunning art on the wall.

Good job, Radd. This is amazing.

Mari opened a side door and led her down a stone pathway, past a cozy library and what looked to be a beautifully appointed office. “Yours?” Brin asked her.

Mari laughed. “I wish! No, that is the office the guests use for the important calls, video conferences and emails they can’t afford to miss. That’s the only room where there is Wi-Fi, otherwise we encourage our guests to disconnect to reconnect.”

She’d avoid the office, Brin thought, smiling, liking the idea of being unreachable.

“And this is our multipurpose room, we can hold mini-conferences here or cocktail parties or discos.” Mari stopped by a door at the end of the main building and pushed open the door. She flicked on a light and moved back to allow Brin to enter the room.

“Why would anyone want to be here when they could be on the deck?” Brin asked but didn’t wait for a reply, her attention caught by the various shades of blue flowers standing in buckets on the long stainless-steel table.

There were delphiniums, blue hydrangeas, cream roses and lilies, blue grape hyacinths, blue roses and delicate orchids and freesias. Brin dropped her bag to the floor and hurried to the table, dipping her head to smell the freesias, running her finger over the delicate petals of a creamy, blue-tinted rose. Her eyes danced over her supplies, huge glass vases and earthenware pots, tape, shears and wire, delicate ribbon and buckets of glossy green fillers. A list of arrangements sat on the desk and Brin quickly perused it, making adjustments here, leaving or adding flowers there.

Looking at the stars from a bubble bath could wait, because she’d just stepped into her own version of heaven. And it was filled with flowers.

---