Billionaire by Design (A BWWM Romance) by Tiana Cole, BWWM United Page B

Christ,” Jenna muttered while taking in the elegance surrounding her. The entire property radiated wealth. She always wondered who lived in these lavish foothill homes at the base of Mt. Lemmon, Tucson’s landmark mountain, and now she knew.
    “I know, it’s kind of a fixer-upper,” Zane joked, breaking the silence that had fallen at the sight of his posh dwelling.
    Hand in hand, he led her inside where Jenna found the interior every bit as breathtaking as the exterior. The foyer was lined with marble pedestals, each one topped with a some exquisite sculpture of unthinkable worth. A huge, original oil painting in the same vein as the famous depiction of George Washington crossing the Delaware hung from the wall just to her right, and she stood admiring its authentic brush strokes in awe.
    “You’ll see a lot of artwork like this throughout the house,” Zane commented as he stood next to her. “My father was a Revolutionary War junkie. He actually left this piece for my brother, but when he died, it made its way to me.”
    “This place…” Jenna stammered, “this place is beautiful.”
    “You realize this is just the entrance, right?” Zane joked, prompting a playful slap to his chest from Jenna.
    He guided her through the enormous home and into the spacious kitchen, giving her a brief history of the estate along the way while she listened in fascination. He’d had the house custom-built four years earlier in celebration of securing his one hundredth client, and he’d spared no expense. In her wildest dreams, she’d never envisioned stepping foot in such a luxurious setting. She was out of her element, yet she felt right at home with Zane by her side. He spoke to her in his deep, soothing voice as he began preparing dinner.
    “I hope you like chicken, but if you don’t, I’ll whip us up something else,” he said as he searched the cabinets for his cookware, looking totally lost in the process.
    “I’m getting the feeling you don’t cook too often,” Jenna commented while watching him bumble around quite clumsily.
    “You could say that,” he replied as he cracked an egg with a focused determination on his face, his tongue peeking out as he concentrated with all his effort. “Three more to go. I got this,” he said as he caught Jenna watching him adoringly.
    “This has to be one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen,” she chuckled while placing a hand over her mouth to hide her smile. “Have you ever done this before?”
    “Nope!” he exclaimed proudly. “Thank God for Google,” he quipped, causing Jenna’s chuckle to turn into a fit of laughter.
    “You’re in such amazing shape though,” she said while admiring the strong arms stretching the sleeves of his polo shirt. “What do you eat, boy?” she asked with her voice rising an octave.
    “If it weren’t for protein shakes, canned and frozen food… I think I’d starve to death,” he said humorously. “If my microwave ever broke, I’d probably kill myself,” he added, evoking another burst of laughter from Jenna.
    “You’re ridiculous,” she grinned while watching him fumble with a whisk and attempt to beat the four eggs he‘d successfully cracked. “You know I can help you, right?” she offered, but he held up a hand to ward off her advances.
    “No, no, no,” he insisted as he began draping the thinly-cut chicken breasts into a bowl of flour. “This is your night. I want you to just relax while I do all the work.”
    “Yes, sir,” she replied with a mock salute. As he continued preparing the meal, he divulged even more details of his personal life.
    “Being a military guy, my dad was fairly disciplined and tried to keep himself healthy. He’d start off every morning with one hundred push-ups. I followed his lead and started doing them as well when I was around fourteen. Joined a gym when I was seventeen. He paid for the membership thinking I was strengthening up to join the Marines.”
    “That explains those