The Faithful One: Billionaire Bride Pact Romance

by Checketts, Cami

  He pushed the button and turned to face her. “Only with you actually. I don’t like to talk about it much.”

  She couldn’t believe this man, who was so easy to be around, wasn’t close to anyone. How sad. “Now I feel really special.”

  “You should. Cause we’re friends, right?”

  “Yes, friends.”

  He gave her this look that was way past friends and just about made her melt into a puddle. He was sweaty and still in running clothes and she probably smelled like plastic cleaning gloves and disinfectant, but still she was tempted to hit the button to stop the elevator and see if she should kiss him like he’d suggested a few days ago.

  The elevator dinged and the doors slid open, yanking her back to reality. Zander broke her gaze and pushed the cart out. She led the way into the laundry room and showed him how to load and start the washing machine.

  “I can’t believe you’ve never done laundry in your life.”

  Zander shrugged. “Loser, eh?”

  “You’re pretty far from a loser. It’s just … such a different lifestyle than I can understand.”

  “We all have our own realities, I guess.”

  She guessed he was right, but honestly. To be twenty-eight years old and not know how to run a washing machine? They went outside and found Marcus raking leaves. He lifted a hand in greeting. Trin waved then led Zander to the back of the property and opened a shed. “I need to trim some bushes. I guess you’ve probably never done that either.”

  “Actually, I have. I used to love helping the gardener back home. He was this cool old guy, Mr. Tyler. He passed away a couple years ago.” Zander suddenly blinked and looked away.

  Trin laid a hand on his arm. “You okay?”

  He nodded. “I just feel bad that I didn’t say goodbye to him.”

  “You haven’t been home in a while?”

  “Ten years.”

  Trin’s eyes widened. She didn’t even like her stepdad and she was really busy running this place, but she still tried to go home at least once a year. Mr. Keller encouraged her to block out weeks with no reservations so she could take a true vacation and he could bring in crews to do updates. She’d taken a couple weeks last summer when it was hot and miserable in Montgomery. She didn’t go home the entire time, but she did go see her family. Her mom and half-brothers and sisters were always fun to be around.

  “So, which bushes?” Zander clutched the trimmers.

  “Over here.” She grabbed her own pair and walked to the border of the property on the west side. “We just need to trim them so they look more orderly, less out of control.”

  “Okay.” Zander set to work and soon they had a sizeable pile of branches. “Not that I mind doing this, but isn’t it Marcus’ job?”

  “I should make him do it, but he’s pretty busy with other projects. He fixes stuff all the time. Even though we’ve done a lot of renovations to the place it’s still a hundred and fifty year old house. I honestly make a daily list of little things for him to fix. He saves us a ton of money because we don’t have to bring specialized workers in all the time.”

  “That’s good. So, what’s his story?”

  “I don’t know a whole lot about him. He asked me for money down on the Riverwalk almost a year ago now. I gave him a couple of bucks and told him he could have a job if he cleaned up.”

  “That was brave.”

  “I guess. I know how it is to be alone.” Why did she admit that to him? She might as well spill all, that after her grandparents died she really felt like she was on her own. “I wanted to help him,” she said quickly.

  “Has he cleaned up?”

  Trin shrugged. “He doesn’t work plastered, but I’ve seen a lot of beer cans in the garbage.”

  Zander looked sharply at her. “Don’t you both live in the guesthouse?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you think that’s smart?”

  Trin bristled. “I can take care of myself.”

  “I’m sure you can, but you don’t understand the strength and lack of brainpower of someone that’s intoxicated.”

  “Spoken like someone who’s been there.”

  “I have.” He clipped more vigorously. “Luckily, I never hurt anyone while under the influence, but I know some who have.”

  Trin sighed. “I lock my door at night. Don’t worry.”

  “I will worry.”

  “Why?” She stopped clipping and turned to face him.

  “Because we’re friends.” Zander beseeched her with those smoky blue eyes and she probably would’ve agreed to anything he said at the moment. “Please watch yourself and don’t be alone with him outside of work.”

  “Okay,” she whispered.

  “Maybe I can find a way to help him.”

  Trin didn’t know what to say, but appreciated that he cared. The branches were snipped and cleaned up quickly and there weren’t enough weeds in her garden to keep them busy nearly long enough.

  “I think I’ll change out of my work clothes and do the paperwork. You wanted to shower?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Trin smiled. “You may have proven yourself a decent worker, but you don’t get to yes ma’am me.”

  “Forgive me?” He brushed the hair from her neck, his fingers grazing the sensitive skin.

  “Sure.” Trin moved a few inches closer, mesmerized by his smoky blue eyes.

  The roar of a motor pulled them apart. Marcus blew leaves out from underneath the trees’ branches and was headed their direction. Trin turned and walked back to the house. Her time with Zander had left her liking him a lot more. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to kiss her boss and complicate her life far too much.

  Chapter 7

  Chapter

  Zander was impressed with Trin in more ways than he could count, but terrified of her naivety around Marcus and the way she made Zander feel. He participated in Ironmans because they exacted everything from him and made him feel accomplished and alive. Trin could make him feel more alive than he ever had just by a simple look or a touch of her hand on his arm. The past couple of days, he’d spent more time with her than he had on his training. His training had taken precedence, almost from the day he walked out of Tranquility Woods. To be more focused on a woman than his next race was an odd switch for him.

  He’d tried to talk to Marcus about getting help, but the kid had almost growled at him and brushed him off. Maybe Marcus was just a social drinker, but something about him didn’t bode well with Zander. He wished he could help the kid get admitted to somewhere and get help, but the person had to be willing to get treatment, unless it was court-ordered.

  Part of him knew he needed to slow down where Trin was concerned, but he wasn’t listening to that voice as he picked up drunken noodles, curry, pad Thai, basil rolls, and chicken skewers from the Green Papaya. He’d rarely seen Trin take time off and he probably couldn’t talk her into letting Marcus man the bed and breakfast after Moriah went home so Trin could take a break. How did she ever get a vacation? She worked night and day. He needed to talk to his dad about that one too. He hoped she was making a lot of money, giving her life to her job and this house like she did. The house was like her family. He couldn’t even imagine what she’d do if his dad sold it or changed management. Zander would fight his dad if he tried.

  He drove into the bed and breakfast and parked his rented Audi in one of the guest spots. Whistling as he took the food up the walk, he wondered how to kidnap her for a semi-date. She was sitting at the front desk, tapping away on the computer with her ear to the phone. “Thank you, Mr. Finley. I’ve got your reservation down for January fourth through the ninth. We look forward to seeing you.” She set the phone down and her eyes met Zander’s. Her smile seemed to penetrate into his soul.

  He held the food aloft. “Hungry?”

  “Yes. How did you know?”

  “I’m finding that you work far too much and don’t take near enough time for yourself.”

  “
You could kidnap me and take me to Tahiti.”

  He thought that was the best idea he’d ever heard, but couldn’t believe she’d made the suggestion. He’d enjoyed his last trip to Tahiti. He’d never traveled with someone before. With Trin, he could imagine all kinds of possibilities that had his neck burning.

  “I sure could,” he said, “but you’d probably have a panic attack worrying about deserting Moriah and your house.”

  She sighed. “You’re right.” She stood and they walked to the kitchen.

  “Why don’t you hire more help? At least a night manager and an assistant housekeeper. You shouldn’t be doing so much and neither should Moriah.”

  They settled into barstools at the wide counter and Zander started pulling containers out of the sacks. It was comfortable and familiar, like he picked up takeout for them often instead of this being the first time.

  “Moriah needs the money and I, well …” She opened the container of basil rolls. “Oh, yum. Thank you. Who told you that I love Thai food?”

  “Lucky guess.”

  “Moriah. Right?”

  He grinned, but wasn’t revealing his source. He’d quizzed Moriah this morning when she was restocking linens after he came back from a long swim at the local YMCA.

  “You were going to tell me why you haven’t hired more help?” He prodded, opening the container of drunken noodles and grabbing some with his chopsticks.

  She chewed slowly on a basil roll. “I love that we’re just eating straight from the containers.”

  He loved it too, it felt very intimate. “You’re dodging my question.”

  “Okay.” She stood and got them each a glass of ice water. “The truth is that I don’t have anything else to do, anywhere else to be. I’m a pathetic loser. There.” She slammed his glass of water down in front of him and scowled. “You happy?”

  “Thank you for the drink.” He smiled and waited until she sat down and took a chicken skewer before saying, “We have a lot in common, don’t we?”

  “We have absolutely nothing in common. You’re an entitled rich kid and I’m a worker bee.”

  Zander didn’t let that offend him. She lashed out when cornered. “We’re both trying to find our place in life and are basically alone. You have this place, and I have my training.”

  Trin set the skewer down on a napkin. Her dark eyes were conflicted. “I have Moriah.”

  “Yes, you do. You’re very lucky to have such a good friend, but what about friends outside of this place?”

  She bit her lip and then took a sip of water. Zander tried to give her some space by popping a large bite of curry in his mouth. It was spicy. He ate another bite and felt sweat breaking out on his forehead. “That curry is amazing,” he told her.

  Trin tried some curry. She immediately grabbed her water glass and downed a large swallow. “Too much for me. Yikes! I’m sweating.”

  “Me too.” Zander laughed. He ate a chicken skewer. They were okay, much better with the creamy peanut sauce. “So? Can I talk to my father about expanding your employee budget so you can hire the help you need?”

  “Do you know why he wanted you to come? If he’s going to sell?”

  “He won’t tell me much. Maybe he just wants me here so I can train for my races while I get to know you and Moriah.”

  Trin looked at him doubtfully.

  “You’re still dodging the subject,” he said. “How are we going to get you to take some time off?”

  “It won’t matter if my house, I mean, your house, gets sold.”

  “Let’s focus on what we can change,” he suggested.

  Her eyes flashed at him. “I’ll make you a deal.”

  “Okay.” He was suddenly wary.

  “I’ll look into hiring some more help and taking some breaks if you talk to your dad and make sure he isn’t going to sell or fire me.”

  He could talk to his dad again, though he wasn’t sure he’d get a straight answer. Thankfully that was the deal she wanted to make. He was afraid she was going to ask him to go to a psychiatrist to get over his guilt with his mom which was a crazy worry as they hadn’t even talked about his mom. Besides her thinking he was lazy for not working, she didn’t seem to be concerned with his deep-seated issues. Then he realized it was probably because she wasn’t thinking about some long-term relationship. He wasn’t sure what he was thinking, besides wanting to be around her every minute.

  * * *

  Trin didn’t know what was happening to her. She was falling for a pretty boy who didn’t know how to work. Okay, that wasn’t really fair. The past few days he’d worked alongside her and he was actually a quick learner and a hard worker. Obviously, the training he was doing was incredibly tough and he knew how to push himself physically, but why didn’t he engage in real life, real relationships? He was almost thirty years old and was basically freeloading off his father. At least, that’s what she had thought before, but now she knew that wasn’t exactly true. The businesses he’d created selling everything from supplements to clothing to the Ironman circuit were hugely successful. He couldn’t have created them without his father’s backing, but it was still great that he’d created something.

  The things she’s learned about him were changing her opinion drastically—he had a successful business, he wanted to help her, he’d committed himself in an effort to be better than an addict and alcoholic, and he was kind. All these things made him irresistible to her. And when he smiled at her or talked to her or touched her. My, oh, my. She didn’t care that his background differed vastly from hers and they both had commitment issues, she just wished he would kiss her.

  They combined the leftover Thai food and put it away in the fridge. “Thank you for dinner, that was delicious.”

  “Anytime. Do you always just eat here?”

  “Yeah.” She watched him warily as they walked back out into the dining room toward the front desk. “Don’t think I never get a break. I go run errands when Moriah’s here.”

  “Oh, that’s relaxing and fun.” He shook his head. “Errands for yourself or for the house?” He eyed her closely.

  “Um, both.” She didn’t really have many errands for herself. She did most of her shopping online. She loved this house, the work, and interacting with the people. The only thing she really missed was playing tennis, and you had to have a partner for that, not just free time.

  Mr. Gunnell was in the dining room, loading up on cookies. “Hey. Have you tried these snickerdoodles?”

  Zander nodded. “I ate one the first day I got here.”

  “You could probably use ten more. All muscle and bone. Women like a little something around the waist.” Mr. Gunnell winked.

  Trin hid a smile. Mr. Gunnell had more than a little around the waist and she thought Zander looked just about perfect.

  “So, you’re still here,” Mr. Gunnell continued. “Pretty odd for a single guy to want to hang out at a honeymooner’s spot.”

  Zander gestured to Trin. “I’m trying to recruit her to the honeymoon idea. Don’t ruin my game, man.”

  Trin looked at Zander, incredulous. He winked and she started laughing. He was teasing. Darn, disappointing, but still pretty funny.

  Mr. Gunnell swung to face Trin. “That so? You think you’re good enough for our Trin, Mr. Hunley?”

  Trin had almost forgotten about the assumed name. That was definitely for the best. If Mr. Gunnell knew who Zander was, he’d either try to force Trin on him or talk his ear off about business. The older gentleman owned a string of dry cleaners.

  “No, sir.” Zander’s gaze swept over her and she quivered from his warm look. “I would never kid myself that I’m good enough for her, but I keep hoping that she’ll look past my faults and give me a chance anyway.”

  Mr. Gunnell nodded thoughtfully and popped another half of a cookie into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed while Zander continued to stare at Trin with those irresistible blue eyes. She involuntarily stepped closer to him. She would give him a chance. Wh
at woman wouldn’t?

  Mr. Gunnell slapped Zander on the shoulder. “That’s all we can hope for, son. I tricked my wife into thinking I was rich. Most blessed day of my life when she said yes to me. You marry up and they make you into a better man than you could imagine.” He paused. “One important question, though, are you a billionaire?”

  “Oh, Mr. Gunnell, no.” Trin’s face burned with embarrassment. Not now.

  “Um.” Zander half-laughed. “Yeah, I am.” He glanced at Trin. “Does that help?”

  “For this girl, it might be important.” He grabbed a few more cookies, winked at Trin, and sauntered out of the dining room.

  “What was all that about?” Zander asked.

  “Oh, my.” Trin shook her head. “I made a dumb pact at girl’s camp, about a …” She blew out a long breath. “A billionaire thing and Mr. Gunnell found out about it.” Hopefully, that explanation would suffice. Darn her friend, Erin, tricking her into that pact. She rarely thought about it, except when Mr. Gunnell teased her.

  Zander studied her. “Since I am a billionaire, would you give me a chance?”

  Trin took another step closer. They were inches apart now. “A chance for what?”

  Zander cupped her cheek with his hand. She could smell his delicious cologne and her stomach was erupting with butterflies. “To get to know you, to be with you.”

  This was all moving really fast for Trin and she was still troubled by their differences in lifestyle. She could never leave her house and travel the Ironman circuit with him, but at this precise moment, she couldn’t say no to this incredibly handsome man if she’d wanted to. Her body had its own agenda. She ran her hands up his muscular arms to his shoulders and felt him tremble under her touch. He caught a breath and knowing that she affected him like this emboldened Trin. Standing on tiptoes, she pressed her body against his and softly kissed him. Zander froze. He simply stared at her, with his hand still on her cheek. He didn’t respond to the kiss or make a move to continue it.

  Trin fell back onto her heels, embarrassment washing over her. Zander blinked and exhaled roughly. The moment stretched between them. Trin didn’t know if she should apologize for the kiss, back away, or remove her hands from him. She stood there and stared at him.