Page 11 of Billionaire Retreat

Griff ignored him and stood up, offering a hand to help me up.

“Don’t leave on our account,” said the guy as he slung an arm around the girl next to him who giggled.

“Yeah, come on, Griffin. It’s a bachelor party. We’re supposed to stay out late, get drunk…”

Griffin didn’t even bother to respond. He just coldly regarded the guys until they shut up. Clearly, they were intimidated by Griff.

“Cool it, guys. That’s just my big brother for you. He defines his own form of fun.” The guy talking now was just as tall as Griff but had sandy blonde hair and a big smile. His eyes were playful as he extended his hand to mine. I shook it as he introduced himself.

“I’m Jackson. Griffin’s brother, by the way. We haven’t formally met. This is Tim, Gunner, Scott, and Spencer.”

I nodded in acknowledgment and smiled a little. The guys were staring at me and Griffin as if trying to figure out what we’d just been up to. The girls looked at me as if they were bored. Apparently, I wasn’t too interesting to them.

They were carrying champagne bottles. I guess they intended to continue the party on the beach. I didn’t feel like being part of that party…

“I’m going to call it a night. It was a pleasure meeting you all. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I glanced at Griffin who looked mildly annoyed. “I’ll walk you back to the building.”

“No,” I said, needing a little distance from him, feeling a little overwhelmed and uncomfortable by the apparent interest in us. “You enjoy the party. I’m going to call it a night.”

As I walked through the clearing, I looked over my shoulder and saw Jackson being egged on by his buddies. Griffin stood away from them all.

Everyone was stripping and Griffin looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but there.

I muffled a giggle and happily made my way to my room.

* * *

Even though I’d had an eventful evening, I was up early the next day. Too excited to sleep, I’d had some racy thoughts about Griffin that had made sleeping a little difficult.

I took a shower and found another set of clothes waiting for me in front of my door. It was another dress and it was white…. again. Maybe that sorority girl was right. I was starting to feel like some sort of virginal sacrifice.

This dress was pretty plain, white crochet and sheer, and that’s when I realized it was a beach cover-up. Underneath it was a plain white bikini bathing suit. Nothing too racy, so I slid it on.

I found my way to the dining room, which was already set for breakfast. None of the other guests had arrived yet, but that was fine by me. I enjoyed the sound of my own thoughts and I knew I didn’t have much in common with the other ladies who I found out were finance majors and seniors in college. I also figured now was as good a time as any to practice my Spanish as I chatted with the hostess.

Griffin took that moment to round the corner. He was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, but still found a way to make it look like the sexiest outfit a man could wear. I was starting to understand, it wasn’t the clothes, it was him. He could be wearing a tutu and a fur coat and I would probably still find him the sexiest man in the room. He surprised me by greeting me with a kiss on the forehead. And then he too started chatting with the workers, much more articulate in Spanish than I had been.

Something he said made them laugh and I found myself wishing I’d not dropped my college Spanish class in the middle of the semester.

“Want to join me on the balcony?” I asked him when he was done talking.

“Lead the way,” he said, helping himself to more pastries than I thought one person could handle.

When we settled outside I looked pointedly at his plate and said, “Are you seriously going to eat all that?”

“Yes…” he looked up at me and smiled. “Jealous?”

“Very.”

He chuckled and said, “I have a sweet tooth… always have.”

“Lucky for you, you must also have a high metabolism.”

He didn’t respond, but instead reached for his phone. “Can you keep a secret?” he asked.

Curious, I nodded. He scrolled through a series of pictures and pulled one up on his phone. It was of a chubby teenager, dressed up in golf clothes, holding a golf club smiling brightly at the camera.