Page 11 of A Billion-Dollar Heir For Christmas
Tiago had left her to her tea, retreating to what one of the stewards called “the office suite,” to be distinguished from “the staterooms,” to handle some of his business. Leaving Lillie to scoff scones and tea and darling littlepetits foursand reflect upon the fact that she hadn’t objected when he’d suggested she not go back to Aberdeen at all.
“Not when there is so much to sort out between the two of us,” he had said in that way of his that made everything inside her feel light and shivery. Especially when he had looked at her bump, in a way she wanted to call almost...possessive. It had made her heart flip inside her chest. “Excuse me, I mean the three of us.”
The man was a menace.
But apparently she didn’t think he wastoo muchof a menace, because there she was. Lounging about on an achingly lovely leather couch on a plane she reckoned was nicer than some of those old medieval castles with all the dungeons and drafts. Having a bit of a high tea all on her own while she was being flown off to sunny Portugal at a moment’s notice,thank you very much.
She had texted Patricia, though she knew that was unlikely to make her boss happy.
It looks like this might take longer than expected. Not sure when I’ll be back, to be honest.
The reply had been surprising.
You take as long as you need. And don’t be afraid to hold his feet to the fire, either. Bloody men.
Lillie had wanted to send back something suitably rousing and woman powery in solidarity, but the truth of it was that no fires held to feet seemed to be necessary. She wasn’t sure what to make of it. Her stomach had been in knots all the way to his office, certain that he would be horrible to her. Or that his battalions of staff would bar her from even laying eyes on him.
She’d expected a fight, was the thing, and this didn’t seem like anything of the kind.
Though, somehow, she couldn’t quite let herself be lulled into any sort of sense of security. Not quite yet.
They landed in Portugal some while later, the sea in the distance as they flew in over rolling vineyards and stretches of green that looked like golf courses. Lillie felt she ought to ask questions about where they were going, but she was much too sated and drowsy from the lovely tea she’d consumed. Added to the fact that her pregnancy made her a whole lot sleepier than she’d ever been before.
Still, she followed Tiago out into a glorious bit of sunshine happily enough, pleased and yet, now, unsurprised to see yet another vehicle waiting for them. No scrabbling about looking for Tube stations or taxis for Tiago Villela. The SUV that waited near the airfield looked suitably rugged, given that they were out in a bit of countryside, and she wondered if they might be in for a spot of off-roading. Maybe there was something wrong with her that she found that exciting when, by rights, she should have been a bit more put off by this man who’d swept her off to a foreign country without blinking an eye.
Wasn’thelucky that she carried her passport as a matter of course when she got on a plane, on the off chance she might be seized with the urge—and blessed with the funds—to fly to the Maldives.
Lillie assured herself now that she waswell readyto get stern with him if necessary, should any of this suddenly seem less glamorous and more, well, anything else—
But instead she found herself gazing out the window beside her, the lovely, bright afternoon sunshine making her want to sigh with the pleasure of it. It was so dark and cold in Scotland this time of year. This past weekend had been the annual Christmas lights switch-on parade in Aberdeen. Lillie loved the holiday season. She loved the parade with Santas on scooters and all the choirs singing and the lights coming on, bright as you like, to make at least a small dent in the thick fall darkness.
Yet the lights over Union Street had nothing on the Portuguese sun.
Tiago sat beside her in the back of the SUV, looking up now and again from the mobile where he was typing rapidly—just in case she’d forgotten for even a moment that he was a very important and busy man. Not the pool boy at all. And so, not to be outdone, she pulled out her own mobile and fired off a few texts of her own—mostly to her housemates, reminding them that there were garbage bins to take out and rent money to start getting together for the first of December, and it felt better than she’d ever thought it would to remind them that she would not be taking responsibility for such things moving forward.
Might be a good idea to elect one of your lot to take over these duties, or see to that cleaning rota chart I suggested last summer.
She attached a smiley face, because that was how they liked to communicate unpleasant things to her, like the fact they wanted her out by Hogmanay so the new, age-appropriate housemate could move in by the time the new year had been adequately celebrated on the second of January.
And then she felt better still when the responses started coming in, most seemingdeeply shockedthat they could hold meetings to make her move out and then expect her to carry on playing the part of house mum all the same.
When she stuck her phone back in the pocket of her coat, she found Tiago studying her from across the car’s back seat that had, until that moment, seemed spacious indeed.
Now it felt...close. And much hotter than it should have been, with the cold air from the vents blowing on her suddenly too-warm face.
“You look pleased with yourself,” he observed, as if he’d been studying her, a notion that did not make her feel any cooler.
“Have you lived with a great many housemates? In shared accommodation?” They were following a long, narrow drive between high walls. There were olive trees hanging overhead, moss and vines creeping this way and that, and the walls’ ancient granite caught the sun. It looked magical. It looked as if they might drive straight on into Narnia, and if they did, Lillie would not have been at all surprised. “I’m guessing not.”
“When I was at university I lived in a house with some friends,” he said after a moment, as if he would have preferred not to share that. As if it was a deeply personal bit of information to tell her that he had once shared a home with anyone. Or maybe the personal part was that he’d once had friends and, presumably, still did. Like a regular man instead of aworld-famous billionairewho hadprivate jetsand the like. “I much preferred that to living in halls.”
“Then you know they can take a bit of managing.” She smiled, because dispensing with a role she’d outgrown long since feltso goodthat she was forced to wonder why on earth she’d taken this long to do it. Maybe this unexpected trip to the closest thing she’d ever seen to Narnia was, at last, the proper start to the new life she’d promised herself five months back. Maybe this was her chance to step straight in instead ofwafflingabout it and carrying on the same as ever. Because one way or another, everything was changing. What if this was her chance tochoosea few of those changes? Lillie made her smile a bit wider. “I’ve resigned as manager, effective immediately. And while they were happy enough to rid themselves of the pregnant woman making things awkward in the house, by existing apparently, they really didn’t think through the fact that now someone else will have to step in and see to the managing. Is it wrong that I’m enjoying it?”
It wasn’t that she’d forgotten his eyes, because she hadn’t forgotten a single thing about him. She doubted she could or ever would. The trouble with them was that they were not quite blue, not quite green. And that looking at them felt like falling from a great height, or possibly flying, and somehow bracing for it didn’t make it any better.
But she would be lying if she tried to tell herself she didn’t like that soaring sensation.
He gazed at her for a long moment, as if shocked she’d asked him to weigh in on her prosaic concerns. She wasn’t sure why she had, but she didn’t take it back. “I do not think it is ever wrong to allow others to marinate in the consequences of their actions,” he told her, as if measuring each word. Then he inclined his head. “Nor to enjoy it when they do, if only privately.”