Ensnared (The Accidental Billionaires #1)(9)

“You haven’t really established yourself yet, Jade. Someday, you’ll be so busy that you’ll wish you could get a break. Don’t rush things. You don’t have to kill yourself anymore. Savor that for a while. Enjoy kicking back. It’s something we never had when we were younger.”

“You should talk,” I told him soberly. “I don’t see you and Seth slowing down.”

“He’s a slacker,” Aiden answered. “If I let him slow down, he’d never pick up speed again.”

I laughed. Aiden and Seth were close in age, and they were almost always together. But they loved to get underneath each other’s skin. “How are things going?”

Our brother Seth had been in construction before we’d inherited a fortune. He’d done long, backbreaking days to help keep us all fed, and studied every single facet of the building-and-real-estate business along the way. Now, he and Aiden were buying huge lots of land to do their own building projects. As far as I could tell, they were becoming pretty well known as quality builders in a relatively short period of time.

“Good,” he replied. “We’re looking at some bigger projects now. We were hesitant to get in too deep until we got more experience under our belts. But things are hopping lately. For now, I think we’re happy to be working toward becoming a housing giant. After that, we’ll see.”

I was so relieved to see my brothers content. The older three had worked so hard to help get me, Brooke, and Owen through college. They deserved every good thing that was happening for them right now.

“I’m glad,” I told him quietly.

“Hey, are you up for pizza and a late-night movie? I don’t feel like cooking.”

“You never cook anyway,” I reminded him. More often than not, he and Seth ended up at my house looking for food. I swore neither one of them ever went to the grocery store. “And I’d love to, but I can’t. I have an overnight basic survival trip tomorrow. I have to be up really early.”

Primitive survival was something I’d been passionate about for years, and I taught classes to share my knowledge. My overnights started early.

“Your loss,” Aiden said. “I was going to offer to pay.”

I laughed, just like my brother intended. “That sucks,” I answered. “I really hate to miss free pizza.”

Really, none of us knew quite how to act now that we had cash in our pockets. We could afford to eat anywhere we wanted to eat and we’d never miss the money.

“The being a billionaire thing is still weird, right?” I questioned him. “I still wake up every morning and open my eyes wondering if all of this was some kind of strange dream.”

“And then you get out of bed and realize that you’re in a beach house that’s totally paid for.” Aiden grinned as he stood up. “Weird in only the best of ways,” he added as he grabbed his water. “Maybe I’ll go and see what Noah and Seth are up to, since you’re refusing my generous offer to buy you dinner. But I’m sure Noah won’t go for taking any time off. He’s working too damn much.”

“Try to drag him away from his computer,” I requested.

My eldest brother did work way too much. He always had. He’d been responsible for all of his younger siblings, so I didn’t remember a time when Noah hadn’t busted his butt to see us fed and healthy.

“I’ll kick his ass,” Aiden said with a nod as he opened the pool gate and let himself out.

I watched as my brother headed down the beach, obviously on his way to Noah’s house, judging by the direction he’d gone.

I sighed when Aiden was out of sight, wondering if it was just me who couldn’t manage to enjoy the money I’d inherited.

As of now, I seemed to be the only one still struggling with the fact that all of us had suddenly become very unlikely billionaires, and I just wasn’t sure how to leave my old life behind.





CHAPTER 2

JADE



The next morning, I was still pondering how a family as poor as mine had suddenly come into massive amounts of money.

After getting up before sunrise, I’d thrown the things I’d need in a backpack and hit the road for the forty-minute drive into the backcountry.

My family story was convoluted, but also pretty simple. All of my full siblings and I shared a father with the powerful and super-rich Sinclair family from the East Coast. But we’d never known that until very recently.

I slowed down as I turned off the main highway.

I pulled onto the rough road to the small cabin on the property. There were enough bunk beds in the rustic structure for everybody, but students had the option of pitching tents or building their own shelters if they chose.

After I parked my Jeep, I unloaded some supplies and checked out the cabin. Although I encouraged foraging and trapping, I always made sure to have enough basic food so students didn’t starve.

I sat on the wooden steps and took a deep breath, relaxing to the sounds of the birds and the feel of a light breeze that caressed my skin.

I opened the book I’d brought along, the latest from my favorite erotic romance writer. The reading material was one of my secret pleasures, maybe because I’d never been overwhelmed by lust for any man, but I loved to read about the possibility.

I was mostly a realist, but I loved the fantasy of some hot guy sweeping me off my feet.