Ensnared (The Accidental Billionaires Book 1) Read online

  “Honestly, yes,” Aiden said bluntly. “Some men want to feel like they can contribute something to a relationship with their superior skills. But you don’t want to date somebody like that. If they’re intimidated, they’re fucking insecure. You need somebody who doesn’t need to have their ego stroked constantly, not a primitive survivalist who gets annoyed because you know more than they do about hunting, trapping, foraging, and other survival stuff. You need somebody who admires your strengths instead of being intimidated by them.”

  I shuddered as I remembered Eli saying he admired me. He might be an arrogant prick, but he hadn’t seemed the least bit daunted.

  “I’m not very attractive, because I hate fussing with clothes and makeup,” I mused. “Brooke was always way better with people than me. I was the geek who wanted to get out into the woods and explore.”

  “There’s plenty of things to like about you,” Aiden grumbled. “And I’m not just saying that because you’re my sister. But some men are put off by women who are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.”

  “So I have to act helpless?” I asked, horrified at the thought.

  The idea of being some kind of shrinking violet was never going to feel good or right to me.

  “Hell, no,” Aiden answered as he reached for his water bottle and took a long slug. “You don’t need to be anyone except yourself. So tell me about Stone. Why are you afraid of him?”

  I grabbed my diet soda and drank some before I answered, “I’m not afraid of him. I just think he’s a jerk. I was trying to acquire a piece of property out near Lucifer’s Canyon, so I could make sure one of the wildlife corridors stays intact. I sent an offer and made an appointment. But he wasn’t willing to sell.”

  “So you’re mad because he didn’t want to sell you some acreage?”

  “No. I was pissed because he made me drive all the way to his offices, wait an hour until he’d see me, and then turned my offer down flat. He could have had somebody call me and let me know he didn’t want to sell. But he was curious about why I wanted to buy it. The jackass took up a ton of my time because he wanted to ask a question. Who does that?”

  “Damn billionaires think they run the world,” he said with a grin as he put on his sunglasses.

  I couldn’t help but smile back at him. My family handled our sudden wealth with as much humor as possible. It’s the only thing we’d ever had to lighten our decidedly heavy burdens when we were younger.

  “I don’t think I could ever do that to somebody, money or not,” I told him.

  “Do you want me to have a talk with him?” he asked. “If you’re sure you don’t want to speak to him, I can get him to leave you alone.”

  I was raised by my three older brothers, so I was accustomed to hearing all of them trying to protect me in some way or another.

  “No,” I answered, my voice sounding somewhat panicked. The last thing I wanted was one of my brothers threatening somebody like Eli Stone. We might all have money now, but Eli had a lot more friends in high places. “He’ll give up eventually. And I can handle myself.”

  “Are you sure that’s what you want?”

  “Of course. That’s why I haven’t answered him.”

  “He’s persistent,” Aiden observed. “And you must have made one hell of an impression if he’s still calling months after you met.”

  “I don’t think I did,” I explained. “Honestly, I don’t understand what he wants. I think it’s some kind of game for him.”

  “His message sounded pretty sincere. He didn’t sound like a stalker.”

  I had to admit that my brother was correct. Every time Eli left a message, he sounded as cool as a cucumber, and businesslike, almost like he wanted to schedule a meeting. If I didn’t recall every word he’d said to me the day we met, I’d have a very hard time believing he even saw me as a female.

  “Aiden, he could have almost any woman he wants. Why would he want me? Why would he even want to play a cat-and-mouse game? Do you think he’s twisted?”

  “Did it ever occur to you that he might just like you?”

  “No,” I admitted. “He’s Eli Stone.”

  “He sounded like a guy who was asking you out to dinner. And no man is too good for my sister. Not ever. You’re beautiful, intelligent, driven, and empathetic. What in the hell else could any guy want? You can’t blame the man for his persistence. I kind of like the fact that he knows that you’re worth the work.”

  I sighed as I leaned my head back against the lounger. My brothers always gave me an ego boost. In their eyes, Brooke and I would always be perfect. “Maybe he makes me uncomfortable because he actually seemed to find me attractive.”

  Brooke and I had always been careful about sharing too much with any of our brothers, because they had a tendency to insert themselves into any situation they judged as bad for their two sisters. But my relationship with Aiden had changed somewhat since Brooke had left California for good. I wasn’t sure if Aiden was realizing that we were all grown up now, or he was just mellowing out as he got older.

  We’d become a lot closer, and we talked about a lot of things I’d previously only shared with Brooke. Granted, there was no way I was discussing my sex life—or lack of it—with any of my brothers, but we did talk more about personal stuff.

  Not that he or any of my brothers didn’t think they always knew what was best for their little twin sisters, even though I’d already graduated with a doctorate, finished a fellowship, and was now on the job hunt for a position as a scientist. And Brooke was married and living across the country.

  I was pretty sure that some of their high-handedness would probably never change, no matter what Brooke and I did.

  But Aiden, Seth, and I had become much tighter since I didn’t see Brooke very often now.

  “You are attractive,” Aiden said sternly. “And Brooke was not the pretty twin. I’ve heard you say that way too many times, and you need to get that thought out of your head. You two are twins, and even though you’re not identical, you look pretty similar. Your personalities are just different.”

  I couldn’t argue with my brother’s point. Brooke and I had always been incredibly close even though our interests were dissimilar. And we’d gone in different directions after high school because we were different.

  Brooke had gotten a degree in finance and had come back to Citrus Beach to work at one of the local banks.

  I’d gone on to do a fellowship when she was already finished with her degree in finance, determined to do what I could to preserve animal species that were endangered.

  My brothers had always claimed I was gifted. But I didn’t see it that way. College had just come easy for me, and science even more so. I’d finished my master’s degree by the time I was twenty-two, and my doctorate at twenty-four. My last two years had been spent doing a postdoc fellowship. I’d essentially spent my entire adult life studying and getting educated.

  I’d always known I wasn’t going to get rich as a conservationist. I’d spent a lot of volunteer hours at various conservation organizations, doing everything from analyzing animal fecal matter to hand-feeding babies.

  My twin had never shared my interest in ecology and wildlife, and we’d often gone our separate ways after high school.

  But nothing had ever broken the twin bond we had, and I was sure that nothing ever would, even though we were physically separated now.

  It was weird that I never really felt the distance when we’d gone to separate colleges, but it seemed profound now that I knew she was never going to come home again.

  I was happy that Brooke had found her soulmate, but I missed her, and her absence now seemed so . . . final. I guess I’d never considered the fact that she might end up living somewhere other than Citrus Beach.

  My twin had found the love of her life in Amesport, Maine.

  And I was still in Citrus Beach and completely jobless and dateless.

  Maybe that was why I felt so left behind.

&nbs
p; I had way too much time on my hands right now.

  Granted, after I’d gotten burned by a deadbeat in college, I’d been wary of almost any guy who had paid attention to me. Not that it happened often, except for the ones who just wanted to marry money.

  I wasn’t really alone. I had three older brothers who lived close to me now, and a younger brother who had finished medical school and was currently in his residency out of state, but it wasn’t quite the same as having Brooke here with me.

  I guess I’d always assumed that my twin and I would eventually be living in the same place once our education was done. It had been far more likely that I’d have to accept a job out of state or even out of the country.

  It had never occurred to me that Brooke would be the one to move away.

  “Maybe you should give Stone a chance,” Aiden said.

  “He’s too . . . intense. Plus, you know about all of the crazy things he does. He’s pretty high-profile for his ridiculous stunts.”

  Aiden shrugged. “He has a lot of hobbies. Hell, he’s been rich since the day he was born, so maybe he gets bored.”

  “He runs a huge international conglomerate,” I reminded my brother. “How in the world could he get bored?”

  “It’s not a crime to have fun, Jade,” Aiden said in a serious tone. “Maybe none of us are used to having downtime, but most people do. I know we all had to bust our asses when we were younger, and times were tough. But it doesn’t have to be that way anymore, baby girl.”

  I ignored the nickname my older brothers had always used for Brooke and me. Honestly, they had been referring to us by that name for so long, I’d probably miss it if they didn’t use it.

  “I feel guilty because I’m not off working somewhere right now,” I told him. “It’s weird knowing that no matter what I do, I’ll still be rich unless I do something completely idiotic. I’m not used to it. Are you?”

  “Nope. I’ll probably never get used to it. But I’m not complaining. I didn’t really want to be a commercial fisherman all my life. And now I don’t have to be. I like being my own boss a lot better, even though I have to put up with Seth’s ugly mug every damn day.”

  “He says the same thing,” I informed him.

  “He sucks,” Aiden said gruffly.

  Neither one of my brothers had to work together. But I honestly don’t think they’d know what to do without each other.

  “Maybe I should have taken one of the lower-level federal jobs I was offered when I graduated,” I said. “Maybe I’d feel more normal.”

  “Not happening. You’d probably end up out of state, and none of those positions were what you wanted.”

  “Maybe not. But it feels so strange to be doing nothing.”

  “You have your own charity. And you just got out of your fellowship,” he argued. “And you’re always busy teaching survival classes.”

  “My survival skills are a hobby, Aiden. I want a real career where I can be making a difference. I’m going to keep volunteering, because every bit of experience I can get is valuable. But I want a job in conservation, even if I have to start at the bottom.”

  “You haven’t really established yourself yet, Jade. Someday, you’ll be so busy that you’ll wish you could get a break. Don’t rush things. You don’t have to kill yourself anymore. Savor that for a while. Enjoy kicking back. It’s something we never had when we were younger.”

  “You should talk,” I told him soberly. “I don’t see you and Seth slowing down.”

  “He’s a slacker,” Aiden answered. “If I let him slow down, he’d never pick up speed again.”

  I laughed. Aiden and Seth were close in age, and they were almost always together. But they loved to get underneath each other’s skin. “How are things going?”

  Our brother Seth had been in construction before we’d inherited a fortune. He’d done long, backbreaking days to help keep us all fed, and studied every single facet of the building-and-real-estate business along the way. Now, he and Aiden were buying huge lots of land to do their own building projects. As far as I could tell, they were becoming pretty well known as quality builders in a relatively short period of time.

  “Good,” he replied. “We’re looking at some bigger projects now. We were hesitant to get in too deep until we got more experience under our belts. But things are hopping lately. For now, I think we’re happy to be working toward becoming a housing giant. After that, we’ll see.”

  I was so relieved to see my brothers content. The older three had worked so hard to help get me, Brooke, and Owen through college. They deserved every good thing that was happening for them right now.

  “I’m glad,” I told him quietly.

  “Hey, are you up for pizza and a late-night movie? I don’t feel like cooking.”

  “You never cook anyway,” I reminded him. More often than not, he and Seth ended up at my house looking for food. I swore neither one of them ever went to the grocery store. “And I’d love to, but I can’t. I have an overnight basic survival trip tomorrow. I have to be up really early.”

  Primitive survival was something I’d been passionate about for years, and I taught classes to share my knowledge. My overnights started early.

  “Your loss,” Aiden said. “I was going to offer to pay.”

  I laughed, just like my brother intended. “That sucks,” I answered. “I really hate to miss free pizza.”

  Really, none of us knew quite how to act now that we had cash in our pockets. We could afford to eat anywhere we wanted to eat and we’d never miss the money.

  “The being a billionaire thing is still weird, right?” I questioned him. “I still wake up every morning and open my eyes wondering if all of this was some kind of strange dream.”

  “And then you get out of bed and realize that you’re in a beach house that’s totally paid for.” Aiden grinned as he stood up. “Weird in only the best of ways,” he added as he grabbed his water. “Maybe I’ll go and see what Noah and Seth are up to, since you’re refusing my generous offer to buy you dinner. But I’m sure Noah won’t go for taking any time off. He’s working too damn much.”

  “Try to drag him away from his computer,” I requested.

  My eldest brother did work way too much. He always had. He’d been responsible for all of his younger siblings, so I didn’t remember a time when Noah hadn’t busted his butt to see us fed and healthy.

  “I’ll kick his ass,” Aiden said with a nod as he opened the pool gate and let himself out.

  I watched as my brother headed down the beach, obviously on his way to Noah’s house, judging by the direction he’d gone.

  I sighed when Aiden was out of sight, wondering if it was just me who couldn’t manage to enjoy the money I’d inherited.

  As of now, I seemed to be the only one still struggling with the fact that all of us had suddenly become very unlikely billionaires, and I just wasn’t sure how to leave my old life behind.

  CHAPTER 2

  JADE

  The next morning, I was still pondering how a family as poor as mine had suddenly come into massive amounts of money.

  After getting up before sunrise, I’d thrown the things I’d need in a backpack and hit the road for the forty-minute drive into the backcountry.

  My family story was convoluted, but also pretty simple. All of my full siblings and I shared a father with the powerful and super-rich Sinclair family from the East Coast. But we’d never known that until very recently.

  I slowed down as I turned off the main highway.

  I pulled onto the rough road to the small cabin on the property. There were enough bunk beds in the rustic structure for everybody, but students had the option of pitching tents or building their own shelters if they chose.

  After I parked my Jeep, I unloaded some supplies and checked out the cabin. Although I encouraged foraging and trapping, I always made sure to have enough basic food so students didn’t starve.

  I sat on the wooden steps and took a deep breath, relaxing
to the sounds of the birds and the feel of a light breeze that caressed my skin.

  I opened the book I’d brought along, the latest from my favorite erotic romance writer. The reading material was one of my secret pleasures, maybe because I’d never been overwhelmed by lust for any man, but I loved to read about the possibility.

  I was mostly a realist, but I loved the fantasy of some hot guy sweeping me off my feet.

  Other than a boyfriend in college who had used me to help him get his degree and then disappeared after graduation without a word, I’d never been in a sexual relationship.

  Honestly, my ex hadn’t exactly rocked my world. But I liked to think that love and lust existed.

  Brooke had always accused me of being a closet romantic. And maybe she was right. As a scientist, believing in soulmates, love, and unbridled lust didn’t make much sense. But I couldn’t stop myself from wanting to believe it was real anyway.

  It had happened for my twin, and Brooke deserved the love she had with Liam. Her capacity to care about other people was endless.

  A sigh escaped from my mouth as I started reading the scene I’d left off on the last time I’d picked up the book.

  It was hot.

  It was sensual.

  And even though the male hero was an obnoxious alpha sometimes, I adored the way he wanted to give his woman everything and protect her from anything bad in the world, and how incredibly devoted he was to the woman he loved.

  I paused after completing the scene, wondering if any male on Earth was really that involved in a female’s pleasure. I knew the one guy in my life hadn’t been. In fact, he got the deed over with as quickly as possible, which meant the moment he’d had his orgasm.

  Doubtful most guys care if the female climaxes.

  But the fantasy was something I didn’t really want to give up.

  So what if I could take care of myself?

  There was some tiny place inside me that wanted a man who cared about . . . me.

  “Hello, Jade,” a smooth baritone said from above me, the deep voice startling me so much I instinctively slammed the book closed.