Page 39 of Two Hearts' Subterfuge

She laughed. Although she felt exactly the same way, she wouldn’t admit it to him quite yet since everything was happening so fast. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

* * *

If anyone would have told him a week ago that he’d have Aylin in his arms and they’d be dancing a slow dance at the Crystal Rock Tap, Ben would have called that person crazy.

Although Ben was tall, so was Aylin, and she fit perfectly in his arms. She was a much better dancer than he was, but she didn’t seem to mind.

“Did you have to serve overseas?” She asked softly.

“I did,” he admitted gruffly. “Things are rough over there. I assisted with the retreat from Afghanistan, and then I did some search and rescue work in Iraq. Complicated stuff behind the scenes that I’m not supposed to talk about. There are times I suffer from PTSD, although I never had it as rough as some of the other guys I served with did.”

“I understand,” she answered softly. “Dad made me talk to a shrink after that kidnapping happened. I kept having nightmares.” She heaved a sigh. “I thought about you, you know. Lara and I have remained friends, but we had to be discreet. I’ve designed most of her clothes. Eve’s too.”

“You have?” Ben shook his head dazedly. “I guess I might have known if I’d have been around more. But it was difficult to get leave. That’s why I kind of changed career courses. I’ve never not wanted to run the Inn.”

“I think I read something about that, as well as an article about your well-kept secret.”

“What secret?” Ben asked, looking guarded. He had a feeling that he knew exactly what article she was talking about. It had been written without his permission after a spread had been done about the Dragonfly Pointe Inn, featuring his parents.

“Some kind of speculation about you being a billionaire.”

He grunted.

“I can tell by the way your body reacted that what I’ve said has made you uncomfortable.” Pulling back, she winked at him. “If it makes you feel any better, between the family money I’m supposed to inherit along with the highly successful career that I’ve had, I guess that you could call me a secret billionaire too.”

Ben snorted. “It’s my dad who’s the billionaire.”

“Mine too,” she replied giving him a toothy smile. “But I’m a great designer, and I’m also a successful businesswoman who makes good investments so I might even make more money than you.”

“So, why me?” There was that strange sense of insecurity he’d been feeling again. Maybe he was a little more like his sister than he realized.

She punched him gently in the arm, whispering in his ear, “Because my heart keeps doing somersaults every time I see you.”

His eyes met hers. Yes, she really meant it.

“Let’s get out of here,” he muttered hoarsely.

“Okay,” she agreed.

* * *

“It’s a beautiful house, Ben,” she murmured, highly impressed. “It’s the kind of house that I’ve always dreamed of having. The house Dad built for Mom is more like a mausoleum—although Emilie and Desiree did a great job of fixing up their wing of the house. This place has enough of the original elements like the woodwork and original stone fireplace to help maintain the character of the original structure, but everything is updated, so that there’s a lot less chance of repair issues coming up.”

“I’ve got the floor plans if you’d like to take them along when we choose some furniture.”

“I’d love to have the measurements. Then I could plug them into my design program.”

“Design program?”

“That’s how I configured the design of the shop,” she admitted. “Later, if I really think I need a professional to redesign the boutique, I’ll know what works and what doesn’t.”

“So, a program allows you to plug in assorted furniture to see if it fits.”

“Yes, or it can help you figure out a design plan for seating and electronics.”

They continued walking through the house, and suddenly, Aylin started laughing. “What were you going to do with all this space once you moved in?”

He grimaced. “Actually, I wasn’t really sure. But since each area can be heated independently, I won’t have to run the furnace on full blast through the entire house during the winter months.”

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