Page 13 of Only for the Season

I cross my arms over my chest and he drops his hand.

“I don’t tell people my name.”

I roll my eyes so hard I nearly fall over backwards. “Because you’re a big shot billionaire. Get over yourself.”

“As if dollar signs didn’t appear in your eyes the second you realized who I am.”

“Wow. We can add asshole to big shot.”

If he thinks I care about his money, he is highly mistaken. Having money is a dealbreaker. Too bad. I wouldn’t have minded a tumble in the sheets with this man. But I know better than to get involved with someone with money.

Chapter 5

“There’s no such thing as peace. Not even in a billionaire’s sauna.” ~ Jeremy

Jeremy

Iroll over in bed and check the time. Two a.m. and I’m wide awake. I blame the mountain of food I ate. And the pies. Oh, the pies.

Parker is a baking genius. The Rumrunner’s Pecan Pie was dosed with dark spiced rum and brown sugar. I could have eaten the whole pie. Unfortunately, I had to fight off Eli’s brothers to even get a slice. Eli wasn’t kidding when he said his brothers are shit stirrers.

I don’t understand why a woman with Parker’s talents would waste them all on Smuggler’s Hideaway. She could be running a bakery in New York City or a patisserie in Paris. And she seriously chooses this Podunk island?

I’m not getting back to sleep. I might as well get some work done.

I get comfortable in the sitting area in the corner of the room with my computer on my lap. I’d love a coffee, but I’m not disturbing the family by creeping downstairs to the kitchen.

“Wah!”

I nearly drop my laptop on the floor at the sound of Stephanie’s crying. I wait until my pulse goes back to normal before returning my attention to my screen.

“Wah! Wah! Wah!”

I don’t know if Stephanie is pissed or hungry or tired, but she’s not quiet. I throw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before making my way downstairs. The second floor has all the bedrooms, while the first floor contains the living room, kitchen, and dining room. Surely, it’ll be quiet down here.

I settle at the table in the dining room. It smells of lemon in here. I don’t know how Paisley managed to clean up this room, considering the mess Eli’s family made. I have never seen grown men get into a food fight before and I don’t want to again.

Someone runs down the stairs before flinging open the kitchen door. I listen to drawers bang open and closed for a few minutes before I realize the dining room is not the refuge I was hoping it would be.

There’s only one option left. I sneak down the stairs to the basement.

My penthouse in California is pretty impressive but this basement is in another world. There’s a swimming pool, sauna, spa, and gym with more equipment than I’ve seen in some commercial fitness clubs.

“Wah!”

I groan. How is it possible to still hear the baby’s cries in the basement? Stephanie has some serious lungs on her. Maybe she’ll grow up to be an opera singer.

There’s only one thing to do. I flip the lights on in the sauna before settling myself on the wooden bench. With the door closed, it’s dead quiet. No babies crying. No doors slamming. Nothing.

It’s bliss. I get to work.

Time ceases to exist as I work on the code for the app. The door opens some time later, but I ignore it.

Eli clears his throat.

“Just a minute,” I mutter as I try to figure out this coding problem.

The laptop is snatched from my hands. “Hey! What are you doing?”