New York Billionaires Series

Summer laughs, the sound sweeping away some of my fears. But I know they’re only waiting in the wings for their cue. This show is one I can’t stop watching, no matter how much I might want to.

My weekend bag slides through my fingers and hits the hardwood floor with a soft thud. “Wow,” I breathe. “This place must have cost you a fortune!”

Anthony gives a snort, turning from me to the windows that line the far wall. They open up to a patio, and beyond it, the beach beckons. Ace pads forward and does a sweep of the room, his head low and nose to the ground.

“I’m sorry,” I say. “I know it’s not polite to comment on finances like that, but… wow. This house is stunning.”

“I don’t mind. To tell you the truth, it was expensive.”

“How are you not here all the time?” I run my hand over the marble kitchen counter, made with soft, rounded corners. Two giant cloud couches line the back of the room.

“Well, I have work in the city,” he says. I hear the sound of running water, a glass being filled. “So?” he finally says. “Do you like it?”

“Like it? Anthony, this house is gorgeous. Can I?”

“Go ahead.”

I open the doors to the patio. The midday sunlight is hot against my skin and a gust of wind tugs at my linen dress. “Oh my God.”

“It is nice,” he agrees, almost reluctantly.

I nudge his shoulder with mine. Well, I try to, but he’s so much taller than me that it’s his upper arm I get. “It’s gorgeous. The beach is so empty, too.”

“This part of Montauk is more secluded. People who don’t live here don’t generally come here.”

I glance through the trees to my right, but I can’t see the next property over. These oceanside villas are like entire ecosystems, existing on their own.

“You really like it here,” Anthony says. Bends down to put a hand on Ace’s flank, my dog leaning against his leg.

“Oh, yes. Who wouldn’t? Were you doubting I’d be anything but impressed?”

His lip curls into that small half-smile. “Look to the left.”

“No,” I say immediately. “You can’t have that too! It’s not allowed.”

“It was included in the purchase.”

The clean lines of an infinity pool are nestled against the side of the house. It’s the perfect size, complimenting the house rather than detracting from it. Emphasizing the ocean rather than competing with it.

“I don’t know where to swim first,” I breathe.

Anthony chuckles and heads back inside, like all this grandeur and beckoning glory is nothing at all. I suppose it’s not, when you’re used to it.

He picks up my weekend bag. “Your bedroom is down here,” he says. “I’m guessing you won’t mind an ocean view?”

“Okay, now you’re just being blasé to annoy me.”

The look he shoots me over his shoulder confirms it. “Is it working?”

“No, because while I’m here, I’m unannoyable. Nothing can take me down off this high.”

“A fancy house, huh? That’s all it takes to wow you.” But there’s genuine warmth in his voice, and as he pushes open the door to a bedroom, I forget my response entirely. It looks like a luxurious hotel room at an expensive resort. Beige wallpaper, a four-poster bed with fluffy white linens, and windows that overlook the deep blue ocean. It’s like I’ve gone on vacation.

Ace nudges my legs to get a peek, too, and I step aside to let him explore.

“You’re quiet,” Anthony says. “Good quiet?”

“Very good quiet,” I confirm. “Did you do the decorating yourself?”

“Very much not.”

“Did you buy it furnished?”

“Well, whoever you hired really knew their job.” A thought strikes me and I turn, his large form silhouetted in the doorframe. “Where’s your bedroom?”

Anthony nods to the right. “The next door down the hall.”

“Oh.” My skin feels flush beneath the thin fabric of my dress.

Anthony reaches for the collar of his shirt and gives it a tug. “Yeah. Well… make yourself at home, Summer.”

“Thank you again for letting me stay here.”Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

“Of course. The fridge should be stocked and the wi-fi password is out in the hall.”

“Perfect. I’m thinking of going swimming and walking Ace along the beach. Do you want to join?” I ask, lifting my bag up on the bed.

“I have work to do.”

“Always hard at work,” I say. I dig through my bag and before I let myself overthink it, I pull my bikini out. Toss it onto the bed.

Anthony tracks the movement. “Like I said, make yourself at home. I’ll be in the office down the hall if you need anything.”

But he’s gone before I’ve finished the sentence.

I’m sundrunk, sandy and happy when I return to the house later that day. Ace is skipping along my side like he, too, has left all of his troubles behind in the city. What a place this is!

The only downside, the only thorn beneath my skin, has been the idea of Anthony spending the day working indoors.

“Stay here,” I tell Ace. He sinks down onto his haunches and looks up at me like he knows what’s coming and he’s not pleased with it.

Reaching for the nozzle attached to the outdoor shower, I rinse him down, including paws and ears. He handles it with as much grace as he can and only whines softly once.

“There we go,” I say finally. “You’re salt water and sand free. But very, very wet.”

I make it two steps away before Ace takes care of the problem himself. He shakes it off like he’s dancing to a Taylor Swift song, water droplets flying every which way. I laugh at his poofed-up fur.

“You look like a marshmallow.”