Page 27 of The Billionaire Who Hated Me (Until He Loved Me)

“I explained to you why I wanted to explore it.”

“And I listened to your explanation.But it just doesn’t make sense.And then you winked at me as I was leaving yesterday, and I gotta ask, what the hell was that about?”

“Well first, just let me say that it’s obvious you haven’t had your coffee yet.”

“How could I?I was sound asleep just moments ago.”

“Well, I apologize for that.And second, I winked at you because I noticed thatyounoticed how attractive Miss Backlund is, and don’t try to deny it.”

I don’t bother.“Sure, she’s drop-dead gorgeous, but knowing she wants to get her hands on our land is a real buzz kill.”

Dad chuckles.I head back into my bedroom to get dressed, putting him on speaker.

“You've always been my most serious boy, Callum.I know that one day, you will be the leader of this family—the most responsible, capable, and loyal leader we've ever had.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“But I’ve called to ask that you drive Miss Backlund to Sulfur Springs this morning.Can I count on you to do that?”

I roll my eyes as I grab a pair of jeans, a flannel shirt, and my hiking boots from the closet.“Yeah, I can do that.”

“That’s great.I appreciate it.Enjoy your day and keep me posted.”

“About?”

“Any offers she brings to the table.”

“Will do.Enjoy golfing.”

Dad hangs up, and I finish getting dressed, then head back to the kitchen.The girls have finished eating, so I pick up their bowls from the floor, then pour myself a big-ass mug of coffee.I’m taking my first sip when I hear the guest room door open.

A still-sleepy Victoria makes her way up the hallway and through the great room, yawning.She rakes the fingers of one hand through her hair.In her other hand swings an empty wine bottle.She must have grabbed it after our little chat by the hot tub.

Victoria reaches the kitchen and walks past me to place the empty bottle in the sink.I’m not sure I can handle the just-rolled-out-of-bed version of Victoria Backlund, especially since she’s wearing nothing but a thin pair of sleep pants and a tank top.If the T-shirt and jeans were too much for me, this outfit is going to kill me.

“I smell coffee,” she says, perching on a stool at the kitchen island.

I grab a second mug and pour her one, then hand it to her.She takes a sip and gives me a thumbs-up, not making eye contact.I think she’s hungover.I get the heavy cream and almond milk from the fridge and set them on the island, curious which, if either, she’ll choose.She grabs the almond milk and pours a hearty amount into her mug.

“Sleep well?”

She nods, her hair covering most of her face.When she yawns again and stretches her arms over her head, I try not to stare at her breasts and the hard nipples peeking through the tank top.Those are the nipples I was nibbling when the phone woke me up.

“What can I make you for breakfast?Eggs?Pancakes?”

“I don’t eat sugar,” she says, sipping her coffee.

Interesting.“I don’t either.”

She nods.

“Then how about I make you one of my infamous protein shakes?”

She lifts her head to stare at me.One of those dusky green eyes is half closed, and the other is glaring at me with suspicion.“What makes it infamous?Do you lace it with rat poison or something?”

I laugh as I add a double-batch worth of ingredients to the blender.I was wrong about her yesterday.She actuallydoeshave a sense of humor.It's just buried under the mountain of problem-solving bullshit she wears like a suit of armor.

After last night’s hot tub fiasco, I did a little research on Renaissance Empowered.Dad was right.It’s about the douchy-est company name I’ve ever heard.And just as I figured, they call themselves a “mergers and acquisitions” company, which is a fancy name for corporate vampires.Scum of the earth.