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Lonely was more like it. I’d made my fortune and built my castle, and then exiled myself in it.
If Aiden wanted the truth, he would have it. I wanted to trust again, though I had no reason to trust a single soul in my life. But what I was most sure of was I didn’t want to be alone anymore.
§§
“Wake up, naughty girl,” Aiden said softly. A brief whiff of coffee had my eyes opening. Aiden sat on the bed next to me, a steaming cup in his hand. “Surfs up,” he chuckled.
“I’m horrible on the board, bra,” I said, quickly burying my head under his pillow.
He laughed loudly as he set the coffee on the nightstand beside me. He pulled the pillow away from me, and I peeked up at him. “Seriously, Aiden, this is the most comfortable bed in creation. Can we just hang out here?”
“I’ll make you a deal,” he said, lifting me to a sitting position. “You come with me for a few hours this morning, and we will do whatever you want today.”
I nodded with a smile. Aiden was already dressed in board shorts, his hair styled to spiky perfection and sunglasses tucked into his t-shirt collar.
“I have nothing to wear unless you want me to surf in this.” I pulled the waist on his sweats to show him how much wiggle room I had.
“I have a wet suit. The water is still a little cold,” he said carefully.
“And you just so happen to have one in my size?”
“I got it off of what’s left of your outfit. The shop opened at 4 A.M. I’ve already eaten breakfast, too.”
I grinned. “I would applaud you, but honestly, it’s a fool’s errand. I seriously have no skills.”
“We’ll see. The suit’s in the bathroom. Hurry up!”
§§
“Son of a bitch!” Aiden roared behind me, “You little liar!” I’d stolen another wave and rode it out. I laughed and lost my balance, diving into the surf. Aiden paddled toward me, cursing.
“You have no manners,” he said, sounding agitated. It was the fifth wave I’d taken from him in the last half hour.
“Oh, I have no doubt I lack etiquette seeing as it’s six in the morning! Besides, a baby could surf these!”
I straddled my board as he paddled toward me. He was grinning as he waded through the water. He sat up on his board and tilted his head. He looked gorgeous in a wetsuit, his hair scattered around him, his eyes bright and his lashes thick and wet.
“Now is the time to come clean. What other hidden talents do you have?” He smirked, and I splashed at him.
Now or never, Nina.
“I made two hundred million dollars off of a body care program I created.” I looked up just as his face went completely blank. I decided to just throw it out there; the worst was over.
“I was sitting at home one day watching that old movie Cocktail. You know the one?” He nodded, still absorbing my admission.
“Well, I got to that part where he explains about the need for the little drink umbrella, and how the man who made it was a millionaire. And it got my wheels turning. You know, create a need, or at least something that people may think they need. I Googled the most lucrative businesses, pharmacy companies, and—”
“Fitness, a multi-billion dollar industry,” he finished, urging me to go on.
“I majored in nutrition in college and thought I would try to put it to use. At first, I was just doing it for fun. I was a bit of a hobby enthusiast, you know, just passing the time, and then it hit me. When I told you I catered to the wealthy, it wasn’t a complete lie. I researched the habits of the wealthy and learned that at least seventy percent of them exercise. So I narrowed it down even further and decided to design the program for wealthy women. It took me eighteen months to develop. One amazing meeting with the right woman and a few modifications later, and we introduced it to the general public. She convinced me that working class women would spend just as much on their vanity. She was right. Within a year, I was a millionaire.”
“That’s incredible,” he said, running his fingers through the water.
“No, Aiden, it’s not,” I said with a sigh. “I haven’t been the same woman since. This wave is yours,” I said, nodding toward the rapidly rolling water.
“It can wait,” he said, waiting for me to finish. Instead, I took the wave again as he cursed me.
“Well, I am obviously not going to get any surfing done today!” he screamed as I made my way to shore. I gave him a smug smile as I lay on the sand, teeth chattering. A few minutes later, Aiden joined me. We lay staring at each other, our fingers playfully dancing.
