Ensnared (The Accidental Billionaires #1)(28)

Now, Eli was there early every morning with Charlie, tossing a ball with the exuberant canine before I ever hit the sand.

As promised, Eli had spent a few hours in the morning explaining how my portfolio was put together and teaching me about the investments.

I had a whole lot to learn, but I felt better at least knowing some of the basics. He challenged me, but he was never condescending.

I guess I have a thing for hot, tattooed, hard-bodied business geniuses.

The only way I’d been able to resist his innuendos and advances was by telling myself it was just lust.

But I was quickly recognizing that I actually had a gamut of emotions when I looked at Eli, and not all of them were carnal.

Not that I didn’t still think some of the things he did were over the top, but we rarely talked about his extreme hobbies. The more I got to know him, the more incongruent those actions seemed to me now.

Like he’d told me at the cabin, he seemed to be a more private type of guy, and I couldn’t seem to reconcile all the crazy things I’d seen him do on television with the man I was starting to get to know.

We’d enjoyed an entire day on the yacht on day one, including an incredible meal served by a world-renowned chef from the kitchen of the enormous vessel.

Eli had finally gotten his wish when we’d sat down to an amazing meal together. It was pretty much a toss-up who enjoyed the food more. He hadn’t been kidding when he’d said that he loved food, and we’d lingered a long time over that fantastic dinner.

Day two was a visit to Disneyland in a whole new way. Eli had bought out the entire park, and we rode every single ride as many times as we pleased. I’d enjoyed it because I’d only been to Disney once, and that happened solely because Noah, Seth, and Aiden had saved up the money all year, working extra shifts, to take us all as a Christmas gift. It had rained on that day, but I still remembered it as one of the best days of my younger life.

Days three and four had been a crazy trip to Las Vegas in Eli’s private jet. Since I’d never been to Sin City, Eli had given me a quick introduction into all the ridiculous, extravagant things that could be done there.

By the time we’d arrived home last night, I’d been half-drunk and ready to beg Eli to take me to bed.

Fortunately, I was sober enough to remember that Eli Stone was playing a game with me, and sleeping with him was not in the plan.

Now we were on day five, but I hadn’t yet discovered what Eli had planned.

Since we always went for an early-morning run on the beach with Charlie trailing behind us, it hadn’t taken my brothers long to discover that I was hanging out with one of the richest men in the world.

They’d shown up at my cottage this morning, right after Eli had arrived from next door, and insisted we all go out to breakfast at the best café in Citrus Beach. Eli had agreed wholeheartedly, but I was pretty sure he’d had no idea what he’d been getting himself into when he’d taken my brothers up on a breakfast offer.

Shockingly, even my brother Noah had pushed his way into the group. It was rare when my eldest sibling took time off to go out to eat.

I watched my brothers and Eli as they all huddled together at the table in the Weston Café, talking about investments, commercial real estate, the stock market, and all of the other topics my brothers seemed to have a burning desire to learn more about.

I smiled as Eli answered every question earnestly. He’d been extremely gracious and was treating my three older brothers like they were colleagues instead of the newbie billionaires they actually were.

“It’s so good to see you again, Jade,” a female said as she plopped into the only vacant seat across from me. “It’s been a while.”

I smiled cautiously at the woman who had been my best friend for most of my life, Skye Weston. She looked good but exhausted, which wasn’t unusual for Skye. She owned and managed the Weston Café, which didn’t give her very many hours for things like sleep, and she burned the candle at both ends much of the time.

We’d been really close up until we graduated from high school. I’d gone off to college, and Skye had started dating Aiden. Her relationship with my brother had ended quickly and abruptly, and Skye had hastily married another man and moved to San Diego. Unfortunately, her divorce didn’t happen without a lot of scandal, since her ex-husband had been convicted on several felony counts that had gotten him a life sentence.

Now, Skye was a single mom trying to deal with raising a daughter on her own.

I hadn’t seen her much after her marriage and her move to San Diego. But we’d gotten together a lot since she’d inherited the café from her deceased mother and moved back to Citrus Beach with her daughter, Maya.

Skye and I had almost immediately fallen back into a best-friend type of relationship like we’d never been apart.

Then, a few weeks ago, I’d offered to help her financially so she could spend more time with Maya. She’d refused any help, and had appeared to be offended that I’d even asked.

I hadn’t seen her since.

“I thought maybe you were mad at me,” I finally said.

“Because you wanted to help me?” she questioned. “I wasn’t angry, Jade. I was touched, but Maya and I have always gotten along okay. I thought maybe you were upset. I’ve called you three times and you’ve never called me back.”

Hurt flashed in Skye’s eyes, and I stopped to wonder whether her rejection had all been in my mind. Had I pushed away a good friend just because I’d felt awkward after offering her money?