Billionaire Bad Boys of Romance 2(78)

Once again, I belted myself in, tightly. Within moments, I learned that Tevin drove a car much like he drove a plane. Fast, fearlessly, and skillfully. At least the vehicle didn’t leave the ground. And it was made for the kind of workout Tevin was giving it. It hugged the curved roads, engine rumbling like a caged animal. More and more I wondered, as I took in the sight of the car--which he claimed also belonged to the same friend who owned the plane--and the man driving it, who I was really on a date with. I’d met a few landscapers in my day. Even the ones who ran landscaping companies didn’t live this large, even if they had friends or cousins with money. No, this guy was definitely hiding something. How I wished I could get Marguerite on the phone. As I rode shotgun beside him, I checked my phone, hoping Sasha had dug up something about Tevin on the internet. She had texted me.

Her message contained one word--nothing.

She’d found absolutely nothing on Tevin Page? Not even a Facebook page?

I texted her back, telling her we were in Ludington, I was safe, and I would talk to her later.

Within minutes we were driving up a wooded, curving drive. It wasn’t a road. It was more of a private driveway. And it ended in the middle of a heavily wooded lot, in front of a gorgeous log and stone house.

Tevin cut off the car’s engine. “I hope you don’t mind, I prefer privacy. I thought we’d hang out here, have something to eat. If you’d rather go to a restaurant, we can do that.”

I could tell by the tone of his voice he had no intention of changing his plans. But I was okay with this. At least being out here in the middle of nowhere, my boss wasn’t going to find out I’d gone on a date with a client. “This is fine.”

“Good.” He lifted an index finger to indicate I should wait, pushed out of the car, then hurried around to my side and opened my door.

What a gentleman.

He set a hand on the base of my spine. “This way.” Leading me with gentle pressure, he escorted me up the arching steps slanting toward the house’s front entrance.

My skin tingled where he touched me. I tried, more than once, to ignore the sensation. But with every second that passed, my skin felt warmer, my nerves more sensitive.

As we stepped into the house, I hoped we would not be alone.

Inside the building, I found myself in a wide open living area with soaring ceilings. To my right a staircase led to the second level above. At the top of the staircase was a mezzanine, a hallway that hung over the far end of the living space. Directly in front of us was a wall of windows. And beyond, blue. Blue lake. Blue sky. And green. Trees and more trees.

“Wow, this place is gorgeous.”

“It belongs to my friend.” With that hand still resting on my back, he steered me toward the French doors. “I thought we would eat outside.”

“With that view, it would be a crime to sit inside.”

Out we went. Onto a back deck that offered million dollar views of a lake and rolling hills covered with towering trees. I noticed, as we approached, the table at one end had been set for two. There were covered plates waiting for us, as well as a bottle of wine and glasses. “This friend of yours, where is he?”

“Out of the country on business.” He held my chair, pushed it in as I sat then circled around to take his seat. A gentle gust of fragrant fresh air caressed my face as I watched him.

“It’s nice of him to let you use his plane. And car. And house.” I inhaled slowly, deeply. “It is gorgeous here. Even the air smells better.”

“It does.” He grabbed the wine and twisted it so the label was turned toward me. “Have you had a Penfolds wine?”

“No.”

“Penfolds is one of my favorite winemakers.”

“I’m sure it’ll be delicious. But should you be drinking if you’re going to be flying us back later?”

“I’ve taken care of that. No worries.” The cork pulled from the bottle with a crisp pop. “We’ll be driving back later. And I’ll only have one glass.”

“Okay.”

He motioned toward my glass, and I handed it to him. “You’ve really gone above and beyond for this date.”

“I wanted today to be special,” he said as he handed my glass back.

“It has been.”

“Good.” His eyes sparkled as his gaze met mine, and my heart jerked in my chest. He looked genuinely pleased. And insanely handsome. And I had to find out who he was, because more and more, I was beginning to believe this man was no landscaper. He lifted his glass. “Shall we have a toast?”

“Sure. We ‘shall’.” I lifted mine.

“How about to new beginnings?” he offered.