He snapped his mouth shut and sighed. “Fine.”
“I’m going to take a nap,” I said, getting up. I didn’t want him to give him the chance to ask me anything else because I just knew he’d been about to ask me about my failed engagement. I practically saw the question in his eyes sometimes when we were alone.
“You can nap right here,” he suggested.
“That bed looks more comfortable.”
The look he gave me said he knew I was full of shit, that I just wanted to escape his curiosity, but he didn’t comment.
After dodging a personal and painful conversation with Lincoln, I dozed off for a bit. When I woke up hours later, we were in Belize. We then boarded a helicopter to get to the island he owned, miles away from the mainland. When we touched down on the helipad nestled between palm trees, I was left breathless by the beauty of the place.
We were surrounded by white sand and turquoise water. My head stayed on a swivel, taking everything in as we made our way to a villa. It was like something out of a dream. The two-story structure was made of white limestone, glass walls, andopen terraces. There were other smaller but equally posh villas lined up on either side of the main building.
“Lincoln, this place is unreal,” I gushed when we stepped inside.
He smiled, stopping beside me to look around. “Yeah. I love it here.”
Inside the villa was even more stunning. The open-concept space had tiled floors, crystal chandeliers, and white sofas. The scent of salt and sea drifting from outside added an atmosphere of peace.
Two men came in behind us, carrying luggage. They offered quick, friendly greetings and moved along. Lincoln had hired a full staff for his birthday bash. There was an event planner, bellhops, caterers, bartenders, housekeepers, you name it. I turned in a slow circle, eyes darting around, so I wouldn’t miss anything.
When Lincoln moved, I followed.
“I saw scaffolding and construction equipment from the helicopter,” I said.
“When I bought the place, I intended to turn it into a resort.”
“Oh.”
He grinned at me. “What, did you think I made billions from football alone?”
I shrugged. Logically, I knew he had to have his hand in other investments to make that much money.
“So when will this resort be in full swing?” I asked as we stopped outside a door.
“Actually, I’ve been having second thoughts about that. I mean, this place offers me so much solitude when I want to get away from it all. It almost seems a shame to make it open to so many people.”
I nodded. A private island to get away from the realities of life now and then sounded like a dream. “Yeah,” I murmured, examining the hallway. “I get it.”
He pushed the door open and went inside. I took one step and froze. My eyes went straight to the explosion of bags and boxes scattered on a king-sized bed, chairs, and the floor. It was like a boutique showroom.
“This is your room,” Lincoln announced, mentioning nothing about the dozens of shopping bags. The names of prestigious brands were scrawled on some of them.
“Okay…” I blinked. “What is all this?”
“Your stuff,” he replied casually.
“I don’t remember buying all this… stuff.” As if I could afford any of it. I glimpsed a Louboutin shoebox among the masses. I’d never even dreamed of spending that much money on one pair of shoes.
“I did.” He rubbed his neck sheepishly. “I may have gone overboard.”
“Overboard?” I scoffed. “This looks like a fashion week showroom! And I never asked you to buy anything.”
“I wanted to do something nice for you.”
I glanced at a Cartier jewellery box set on top of a gown bag. “Nice would be buying me a drink or two, not this. This is…” I swept the room again. “Too much.”
“You’re my girlfriend,” he said with a shrug. “I can buy you nice things.”
