Romance: Unlikely Love Boxed Set - A Billionaire Romance Series (Romance, Contemporary Romance, Billionaire Romance, Unlikely Love Book 4)

by Nancy Adams

  Mark smiled brightly at me, revealing a gap between his two front teeth that was big enough to fit a finger. “Welcome, welcome!” he said, standing up and offering his drink to me.

  “Try this. It’s the best.”

  I stood there in shock for a second. Was he seriously offering me something that he had already drank out of? I declined, saying that I had a sensitive stomach.

  “Oh, this stuff is great for sensitive stomachs. Try it.” He thrust it in my direction again.

  I was opening my mouth to decline when a voice said, “Let’s leave her alone, Mark. Not everyone likes your homemade concoctions.”

  The voice came from behind me, and I slowly turned around to give whomever had rescued me a grateful smile, when the smile froze on my face.

  I hadn’t been expecting this man. Not at all, I thought to myself as he rounded the corner. He was gorgeous. Kenneth had been handsome, but this man, as Libby would say, was off-the-charts hot. And I tried not to stare at his chest as he strolled around the corner, but it was impossible given that he wasn’t wearing a shirt. He had on just a pair of shorts that hung low on his hips. He wasn’t overtly muscular. He was all lean muscle, tall and slender without an ounce of fat on him. His abs, though, made me blush. I had to look elsewhere. But I had already memorized certain aspects of his body without meaning to. Every inch of his middle was defined, sinewy muscle. And instead of having really skinny legs like most guys who worked out, his legs were muscular and obviously strong. I was a sucker for a guy with nice legs and I forced myself to meet his eyes as he stuck his hand out to shake mine.

  “Miss van Basten? I’m Ezra. Ezra Corrigan.”

  “Marie. Please call me Marie,” I said, taking his hand in mine and immediately regretting my decision. My body instantly reacted to his touch as goose bumps cascaded down my arms.

  His dark brown eyes studied mine and then he looked away indifferently. He didn’t smile. He just grunted in acknowledgment and said, “Marie. Nice to meet you. Like I said, I’m Ezra. I handle the logistical stuff around here. So if you need anything, just come find me. Sorry about Mark and Tony. They’re not exactly the best at assisting our guests.”

  “No problem. They seem friendly enough.” I shrugged it off, trying to sound nonchalant when in actuality my body and mind were still trying to figure out why Ezra’s presence had caused every part of me to tingle. He was blonde and wore his hair long, past his shoulders. Normally, I thought guys with hair that long looked like wannabe rock stars so I never could take them seriously, but for some reason, despite the long locks, I was instantly attracted to Ezra. He seemed to be about my age, late twenties, but he had smile lines around his lips, which I found interesting given that I hadn’t seen him smile yet.

  Maybe I hadn’t given him anything to smile about, I thought to myself, feeling self-conscious as I looked down at my lackluster clothing choice for the flight. I was wearing fitted black ankle pants and a baby blue silk blouse with little yellow flowers on it. I felt very overdressed as I fidgeted with the button on the cuff of my sleeve. I then reached back to touch my hair, which was pinned into a bun. I wished at that moment that I had left my hair down. I looked like I was going to a meeting, I thought, groaning inwardly. He probably thought I was uptight…which made me feel as if I were in high school all over again.

  “You booked the Cinnamon Cottage, right?” he said, drawing my thoughts back to my present company.

  “Yes. Near the lake.”

  He paused and then said with a heavy sigh, “You didn’t get my calls, did you?”

  I looked at him concerned. “What calls?” And then I realized my cellphone was still off, given that I had turned it off as soon as I got on the plane. “I’m sorry, what? My phone was off. I forgot to turn it back on. With all the confusion of losing my luggage…Anyway, what were you saying about the cottage?”

  “I’m afraid there’s been a leak in your cottage—”

  “So there is indoor plumbing!” I said, cutting him off.

  He gave me a funny look and I immediately felt ridiculous, having let Libby’s earlier comment get to me.

  “I meant, is it an issue with the plumbing?”

  “No. I guess the roof had a leak. We’re going to take care of it though. We had a few bad storms blow through here recently, so I guess the roof finally started showing a little wear and tear.”

  “I’m sure any of the other cottages will be fine as a temporary solution,” I said, trying to sound gracious.

  “All the other cottages are occupied.”

  I stuttered. “Umm…then, where can I stay?”

  Mark interrupted, “There’s room here in the main house.”

  “This is the main house, right? I thought only full-time residents lived here.” I said, looking around. It wasn’t the charming little cottage, but it would do fine temporarily

  “I doubt she wants to stay here with us.”

  “Sure she does,” Mark and Tony said simultaneously.

  “No. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t,” Ezra insisted.

  I frowned, wondering why he didn’t want me around. The idea that I wasn’t welcome didn’t sit well with me, and I said, trying to keep my voice even, “I think that’s a brilliant idea. I would love to stay in the main house. Sounds like a great plan. Thanks Mark, Tony for offering up the idea.”

  They beamed at me—Ezra didn’t look too happy. For someone who seemed so laid back in appearance, he sure acted pretty uptight I then felt bad for judging him so quickly like others had judged me. Maybe I just made him uncomfortable for some reason. I was interested in knowing the reason. This trip is going to be really intriguing, I thought to myself, feeling more alive than I had in the last two months.

  “So where do I bunk?” I asked Ezra, trying to sound nonchalant.

  He looked at me and smiled suddenly. It was a broad smile, and it made me catch my breath. The man was breathtaking when he smiled, but something about his smile also seemed teasing. And then I realized why as he said softly, “The only bed that’s available is in my room. So that means you’re bunking with me…”

  Chapter Three

  “You have to be kidding me. That’s the only available room or bed or whatever?” I asked as I followed Ezra around while he looked for linen and towels for me. What type of resort was this?

  “Unfortunately.”

  “No. I refuse to accept that.”

  “Excuse me?” he said finally, turning around to look at me. I was reminded again of his size as he looked down at me. He had to be at least six-three. He made me feel like a pipsqueak standing next to him. I backed up a little, suddenly needing space now that I knew we might be roommates. I was ashamed to say that the idea of rooming with Ezra both appealed to me and scared me to death. And what was even scarier was that I wasn’t sure which emotion I felt more.

  “I refuse to accept that. What type of establishment doesn’t make suitable arrangements for a guest, especially after you failed to inform said guest that there was a problem with her cottage?”

  He shrugged. “As explained in the pamphlet, we don’t keep cellphones or other modern inconveniences around the campus. I had to go find a way to call you. And so I did. It’s not my fault that you didn’t answer your phone. And by the way, it was your idea to stay in the main house. In fact, you insisted.”

  “Only because I thought the main house had a room!”

  “It does. Mine.”

  “Surely, you see how unprofessional and just plain odd it would be for me to stay with you.”

  He shrugged. “It wasn’t my idea. You’re the guest. I’m just appeasing your request.”

  “You know this wasn’t exactly what I signed up for.”

  “It’s what you’re getting.”

  I instantly didn’t like his tone. “Listen. I paid good money to stay here, and I expect to at least have reasonable accommodations if my cottage isn’t available. If you can’t provide those, then kindly refund my money and I’ll find
somewhere else to stay.”

  “Okay,” he said simply and walked away from me. He didn’t go back to the receptionist desk though; he just kept walking out of the main house without another word.

  Surprised, I marched away and sat down in the small lobby across the hall, pulling my phone out of my purse. I then promptly stood up and paced around trying to find a strong enough signal, and once I did, I proceeded to call every hotel within a twenty-mile radius. There were only three of them in Wheatonville. And to my surprise, they were all booked.

  With disbelief in my voice, I said to one of the receptionists who answered the phone, “What’s going on? Why are the hotels booked?”

  “Annual wine festival. It’s a pretty big deal around these parts.”

  I sighed. I had read about that, but hadn’t paid it much mind since I didn’t exactly plan to leave my cottage the whole month. In my mind, I imagined myself catching up on all the books I’d meant to read and swimming in the lake to pass my time.

  To say I was disappointed would be an understatement.

  “Have you tried that hippie co-op place? I heard they started renting out the cottages on the property.”

  “Hippie co-op?” I asked absently, cursing my luck. Surely I deserved something good to happen to me considering all the crap I recently went through, but that didn’t seem to be in the cards for me. A hippie co-op was the opposite of what I wanted. I didn’t need peace, love and happiness. I just needed quiet and a hot shower.

  “Yeah, it’s this “resort” run by a bunch of hippies. What’s it called again?” She seemed to be talking to someone else near her, and then she returned to the phone. “Clandestine Resorts, that’s the name. Maybe they have room.”

  “Excuse me? Did you just say Clandestine Resorts?” My head was starting to hurt.

  “Yeah, it’s owned by a bunch of hippies. They sit around playing drums and eating weird stuff. I even heard there was a nudist colony out there. Bunch of weirdos.” The receptionist laughed derisively.

  It was then that I looked to my left and wished that I hadn’t as a group of naked people walked by and waved at me cheerfully from outside the window. One of them was Gail, the driver, and I groaned to myself: No wonder she didn’t think twice about me not having luggage. She probably thought I was a nudist! One of them!

  I directed my eyes elsewhere, as my head began to pound, and it was then that I saw Mark and Tony getting their drums out and people began to fill up the hall, chatting excitedly with various percussion instruments of all shapes and sizes in their hands.

  “You have got to be kidding me,” I said to myself.

  “Ma’am, are you still there? Ma’am? I’m sorry, but like I said, there aren’t any rooms available here. You can try calling us tomorrow though. Maybe by then we’ll have a cancellation.”

  “When…uhh…” I tried to get my thoughts together as a nudist came up to the drummers and started chatting as if it was the most normal thing in the world to be walking around a house full of people naked. “When’s the festival over?”

  “Oh, next weekend.”

  “Next weekend is seven days away,” I said, hearing panic in my own voice and hating it.

  “Hey, Marie! There you are! You want to participate in the drum circle?” Mark said, either not noticing I was on the phone or not caring.

  I stammered, “Uhhh, no. I don’t think—”

  “You don’t need to think for the drum circle, just feel the rhythm man and play. Hey Julius, did you meet Marie?”

  To my horror, Julius was the nudist. He came over and I instantly shut my eyes, feeling like a child but unable to think of what else to do.

  “I’m sorry, there’s something in my eye,” I said, rubbing at it fiercely. And like clockwork, I could feel it begin to twitch.

  I heard snickering behind me and hazarded a look back, and saw Ezra with a drum in his hand smirking in my direction.

  I hung up the phone and stood up, squaring my shoulders, trying to maintain a semblance of dignity although I just wanted to run away and take a shower. There was something about naked strangers that made me feel dirty.

  “No nudity at the drum circle; you know the rules Julius,” Ezra said. He then turned to me and said, “My room is the second down the hall. See you later. I hope you enjoy your stay!”

  I gave Ezra a look that would have killed a lesser man, but he just ignored it and began to whistle as he walked happily away.

  The crowd in the hall had dispersed, and without any other options, I made my way to Ezra’s room, glad that he would be too busy drumming to bother me. I sat on the bottom bunk bed, upset beyond reason. I had made several more phone calls in vain, trying to see if anyone would be able to offer me any accommodations, and all I heard were apologies. I could have kicked Ezra right then and there if he had been standing in front of me. I was so stressed that I tossed myself back against the lumpy bed in frustration. My last thought before my eyelids became too heavy to hold up was that I would eventually figure it all out. Hippie haven just wasn’t for me.

  “Ms. van Basten?” a voice said before I felt someone poking me gently in the shoulder. I slapped at the hand and mumbled something before turning away.

  “Miss, you’re going to miss dinner if you don’t wake up. “

  “Ughhh, go away, Silas,” I mumbled, shooing the person’s hand away.

  “Who’s Silas?” a voice asked, and I instantly sat up and blinked at the man in front of me. It hadn’t been a bad dream, I thought to myself as I looked at him and then flopped back on the bed and began to pout. It wasn’t Silas, my parent’s butler. I had only been dreaming that I was back home. I was still at the hippie hotel.

  “Are you okay, ma’am?”

  No. I’m stuck in hippie hell and there’s nothing I can do about it, I thought to myself.

  Out loud, I said, “You’re Tony, right?”

  “Yep!” He looked pleased that I remembered his name.

  “Well Tony, what’s for dinner?”

  “Free-range chicken, organic peas and potatoes, all freshly grown by the neighborhood farms,” Tony said proudly.

  “Sounds delicious,” I said and actually meant it. I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I’d had something substantial to eat. “Lead the way,” I said, getting up, and like a true gentleman, Tony extended his hand to help me.

  “The kitchen’s just this way,” Tony said, walking me in the direction of the hall.

  “So do you, ummm, live here?” I asked, trying to make conversation.

  He nodded. “Yep, fortunately I do.”

  “I guess you like this, errr, lifestyle a lot.”

  “What’s there not to like? I’m around people who get me. People who understand community and togetherness. I don’t worry about money. I don’t spend my days making people miserable anymore. It’s a win-win.”

  “You used to spend your days making people miserable?” I asked him, thinking that was a funny confession to make to a stranger.

  He shrugged. “I worked on Wall Street before all of this.”

  “And you gave up your career to come here?” I asked incredulously.

  “Yep, and would do it again, a million times over.”

  Before he could continue, he opened the kitchen door. It was then that I realized the kitchen was restaurant quality, and it seemed full of activity.

  “What’s going on? I thought you said it was dinner time,” I asked, turning to Tony, not understanding why he’d brought me into the actual kitchen. Surely, he meant to take me to the dining room.

  “It is. We’re cooking it now. Everyone in the main house helps.”

  “Cook? But I don’t—I mean, I could, but I don’t know how.”

  “I’ll take over from here.” Gail, the nudist driver, said to me as she came around, now fully clothed. I gave a sigh of relief that she was now what I considered presentable.

  “I don’t remember if I introduced myself the first time around; I’m Marie,” I said,
holding out my hand.

  She shook it. “Oh yeah, I remember. I’m Gail, just in case you forgot mine. Want to help me cut up some potatoes?”

  “Sure,” I said with a shrug.

  I was arm deep in potato peelings, chatting with Gail about the inner-workings of Clandestine Resorts, when a thought occurred to me. “How did you become a part of this community? Did you grow up with hippie parents?”

  When she laughed, I blushed. “I’m sorry. Did I offend you?”

  “No. It’s just that I grew up exactly the opposite. My parents were very strict, not exactly go with the flow or fun-loving people. But I wonder if that was more of a generation thing or if they were just doing their best given that their parents weren’t exactly the most demonstrative or tolerant people.”

  I nodded. “My parents, well my father mainly, is like that. My whole family (and I included) can be a little standoffish at first.” I gave a little shrug. “If you hadn’t noticed, I can be a little uptight.”

  She laughed again, and I felt myself warming up to her; aside from the nudity she could have been a second grandmother to me.

  “You? Uptight? I hadn’t noticed at all.”

  Her frankness made me smile, and I found myself enjoying her company as we talked about the co-op.

  “So this is a nightly affair? Everyone pitches in making dinner?”

  “More or less. Some people cook, others do the prep work. Then we have those who stick around to help clean up. But overall, we all help out in some way.”

  “Sounds taxing…” I said, and bit my lip.

  She shrugged. “Once you get used to it, it’s not actually work. It’s like being part of an actual functional family. We all help out, play our part, and for the most part we’re friends.”

  I looked around and realized that she was right. Kitchen hour was like a social hour, and everyone was animated and chatty. Laughter filled the area, and I found myself relaxing and envying their lifestyle just a little bit.

  “I guess it’s not so bad,” I said finally, and she patted me awkwardly on my shoulder.