Page 11 of The Billionaire's Kiss
Chapter Five
Warner
What was I thinking, bringing up marriage? Better get away from the subject before I scare her away.
“Well, since you’ve told me so much about yourself, I guess it’s my turn now.” I winked at her, hoping it would clear her mind of the marriage talk. “I grew up in Houston, another big city in Texas several hours from here. My four brothers and I moved to Austin to build this resort. It’s been quite the transition.” We’d made many transitions in the last couple of years. Not only had we moved, taken on major responsibilities within the resort, but we all become billionaires in the process. “But it’s been worth it.”
“What did you do before you became a resort mogul?” She sipped her drink, then put it on the bar, giving me all her attention.
“I worked in the hospitality industry, managing a hotel in Houston. That’s where I started learning the ropes. My brothers all worked within the same industry, so we each bring something to the table. Some of our cousins came into money—and I mean a lot of money. And we asked them for a loan to build this grand dream we’d come up with.”
“Wow.” She shook her head. “You all must be such hard workers. I have to admit that I was thinking you probably came from money, and that’s how you built this place.”
“We did not come from money. Our cousins didn’t come from money either. Their grandfather was the breadwinner, and they were his sole heirs. Having got lucky, they wanted to share the wealth with some of their other relatives while helping them get started in businesses. They were looking for good investment ideas, not just handouts. We were their first endeavor, and now that we’ve done so well, they’re helping other family members make their dreams come true too. So while we didn’t come from money, we definitely had a lot of help—I don’t think a bank loan would’ve helped us out the way our cousins have.”
“They sound like super nice people.”
“They are. But they’re not just handing out money willy-nilly. They have to believe in the person or people and the product or idea. But yeah, they are good guys.” We wouldn’t be where we were without the Gentry brothers.
“I think it’s amazing that you and your brothers all got into the same sort of work. That you could all agree on how to make this place a success in such a short time is wonderful too—not all siblings have that kind of relationship.” She wrinkled her nose a bit as she seemed a little embarrassed. “I feel kind of simple compared to you. I’ve never dreamed of owning any type of business.”
“You’re anything but simple. And owning a business isn’t for everyone. It’s tons of work, and sometimes comes with plenty of headaches.” I’d never had so much responsibility in my life. “My responsibility here is to bring in clients from around the world. I had to come up with marketing ideas that could reach the masses in a bunch of different countries. It took hours and hours of research to find out how to market something like this globally. I can’t tell you how little sleep I’ve gotten these past three years.”
“Sounds like you could use a vacation yourself, Warner.” Her green eyes sparkled as she arched her brows. “Could there be a trip to Ireland in your future?”
“I hear Kenmare is a pretty great place.” The idea wasn’t half bad. Not that I knew when I could take time off.
“That it is. If you did come for a visit, I would love to be your guide.”
“You’re making me think about it, I can tell you that.” She was making me think about a lot of things. Some that I hadn’t thought about in what seemed like a million years.
“You could come and stay at the lodge where I work. It’s an amazing place. Nothing like your resort, but great just the same.”
“I would love to see it.” I meant that, too. “I’ll have to try and carve out time in my schedule.”
“Is it that tight?” Her lips pulled into the slightest frown.
“I’m afraid it is. The business is still young, so I haven’t had more than a day or two off since we began this whole thing. I’m due for some time off—overdue, really. But we don’t have anyone right now who can take my place.” I did have my assistant, Jezzy. But she’d need more training before I could leave for an extended amount of time. “You’ve made me think about the lack of free time I have. I need to do something about that.” Until she came along, I had no need or desire for time off.
“If your job is bringing in clients from around the world, couldn’t you go to other countries to pull in those clients? That would give you a good reason to visit Kenmare.” She seemed set on figuring out how to get me to travel to her corner of the world.
And I liked that about her. “For people who’ve just met, we sure are looking for ways to spend more time together, aren’t we?”
Pink stained her round cheeks. “Let’s change the subject, shall we?”
“Nonsense,” I joked. “I can’t get away for a very long time anyway. It’s just an impossibility at this point.” Drumming my fingers on the bar, I realized that the fact that I was stuck somewhere—anywhere—bothered me.
Baldwyn traveled around the country for his job. Why couldn’t I do the same?
For someone who had such a big issue with commitment to women, it seemed I’d become committed to the resort. So much so that it held me prisoner. Or I held myself prisoner to it.
The resort wasn’t holding me, I was holding onto it in some crazy way. I was holding onto my job as if I might lose it, which was impossible, so long as I was an owner.
I need to see a psychiatrist about this fear of loss issue I’ve got.
“Very well,” she said as she picked up her drink. I watched as she lifted the glass to her lips, licking them before touching the glass.
Only when the glass moved up to cover her mouth did I realize how I was staring at her mouth. At that moment, I wanted to kiss those lips more than I wanted anything else. I wanted to taste the drink on them, roll my tongue along hers, and taste every last drop.
