Ensnared (The Accidental Billionaires #1)(16)

“I really want that land, Eli,” I said in a hesitant voice, determined to change the subject. “I promise I’ll take care of it.”

I didn’t want to get into an argument again about him leaving me in his waiting room for an hour. I had a feeling he was sincere about what held him up, and if he really had to save jobs, it was well worth the wait I’d had to deal with while he did it.

But I had my opportunity to try to convince him to part with the backcountry property I wanted, and I was going to take my best shot.

As a pained expression passed over his face, I was almost sorry I’d started up the conversation again. “I can’t, Jade,” he answered sternly.

“Why?”

“It’s personal,” he grumbled. “And I still don’t entirely understand why you want it.”

I took a deep breath. “Like I said, it’s an important wildlife corridor. If the land gets developed someday, the wildlife could end up trapped, and they could start inbreeding because they don’t have access to a wider genetic pool. Tons of species use that passage to expand their territory, and the backcountry is important to me. I grew up exploring there. It’s what got me interested in ecology and wildlife in the first place.”

He was quiet for a minute before he asked, “Inbreeding? Like the mountain lions in Santa Monica?”

I was surprised he’d even paid attention to that, or knew about it. Most people outside the wildlife field weren’t aware of it. “That’s a very good example. Everything built up around the mountain lions, and they had no open corridors, so they were essentially trapped. Inbreeding can lead to congenital defects, and it threatens the entire population there. If there’s no genetic diversity, they’ll likely become extinct in that area.”

“I’ll protect it, Jade. I’ll never develop it,” he answered hoarsely. “But I can’t sell.”

He sounded so troubled that I dropped the subject. “Okay.”

I wanted to push him for the reasons why he’d refused to sell, but the desperate tone of his voice told me it was something highly personal.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, but it wasn’t an uneasy quiet.

Finally, I asked, “Is there anything else you’d like to learn before we head out tomorrow?”

“A lot of things, actually,” he said in an earnest tone. “I’d like to pick your brain some more. You’re as intelligent as you are beautiful.”

“I wish you’d stop saying things like that,” I blurted out.

“Why?”

“Because you’ve known far more attractive women, so it makes me uncomfortable. I’m okay with who I am, so I don’t need fake compliments.”

“How do you know that you aren’t the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen?”

I rolled my eyes, but he probably couldn’t see me since I was staring into the fire. “The A-list actress and the two supermodels you dated are pretty much a dead giveaway.”

“I’m not with them anymore. I’m with you,” he stated simply. “Did somebody do a number on you, Jade? Because it sounds to me like someone made you feel like you aren’t perfect, which you are, whether you see it or not.”

“I’ve always been a geek,” I shared. “In high school, I was the girl every guy avoided because I was a tomboy. But I didn’t really care all that much. I was happier just being outside alone.”

“What about college?”

I shrugged. “I was still a geek. I had one boyfriend, and he ended up leaving me without a word after I helped him through his master’s degree.”

“He was probably intimidated by you, and he’s a total idiot if he didn’t hang on to you. His loss; my gain.”

What my brother Aiden had said about insecure guys just yesterday popped into my head. “I’m not really intimidating.”

“You are,” he countered. “But I personally get turned on by a woman who can handle a knife better than I can.”

A laugh escaped my mouth. “You’re crazy.”

“At least I’m honest,” he said.

I stood up. “I think I’d better get to bed. Are you pitching a tent, or do you want a bunk?”

My conversation with Eli was getting dangerous. If I didn’t stop it now, I might start believing that he actually did see me as more attractive than the women he’d dated, and just the thought of that was ludicrous.

Eli rose and blocked my way to the cabin. “Hey,” he said in a low, fierce tone. “Don’t ever let anybody make you feel like you aren’t a woman worth fucking fighting for. Your ex was an idiot, but that’s about him, not you.”

I felt tears start to pool in my eyes, but I blinked them away. “It’s not just that,” I said quietly. “What guy wants a woman who would rather eat like a pig or spend the day outside instead of dressing up and going out to a club or something?”

Eli stepped forward and dropped a kiss on my forehead. “Me,” he said gruffly. “And I’ll take a bunk. It’s too damn cold to sleep outside.”

I nodded and led the way inside, trying to ignore that nearly unstoppable desire to throw myself into his arms and beg him to give me the mother of all orgasms.

For some insane reason, Eli Stone really did want me.