Free Claiming Her Billion-Dollar Birthright by Maureen Child

Farther along this hall, you’ll find the kitchen, the great room and what was Don’s office. My office is down on the main floor, but I do most of my work at home.”
    â€œRight. You don’t live at the Manor. Where’s your place from here?”
    He steered her toward one of the high, arched windows lining the hallway and pointed. “See the red roof just past that tall pine?”
    She did. The building couldn’t be more than a five-minute walk from where she was standing. “Close.”
    â€œIt is. So if you ever need anything…”
    He was standing so near, she felt heat radiating from his body toward hers. He smelled so good, she wanted to breathe deeper and when she looked up into those chocolate-brown eyes, she had the strangest desire to lean in and… What was she thinking? Didn’t she have enough going on in her life at the moment?
    â€œThanks,” she said abruptly, taking a safe step back from him. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
    He watched her for a second or two and Erica wondered if he could tell what she’d been thinking. If he could see that she had been wondering what he would taste like. If his lips were as soft and warm as they appeared to be.
    But if he did know, then he was as determined as she to not draw attention to it. He scrubbed one hand across his face, then waved one arm out in front of him in silent invitation to continue on down the hall. He walked beside her and the heels of their shoes sounded out like gunshots in the stillness.
    When he finally stopped in front of a door and opened it, Erica stepped past him and stopped dead on the threshold.
    It was gorgeous, which shouldn’t have surprised her. Everything about Jarrod Ridge was breathtaking. But somehow, she hadn’t expected her room to be so…wonderful. After all, she was the stranger here and from what she could tell so far, her new brothers and sister had been no more thrilled to hear of her existence than she had been to hear about them. She’d half expected an ordinary hotel room, lovely, but generic. This, she told herself as she walked farther into the room, was anything but generic.
    The living room was done in various shades of blue. Pale blue walls, dark blue, overstuffed furniture, cobalt vases stuffed with flowers dripping heavy scent into the air and navy blue drapes at the arched windows. The wood floor was dotted with braided rugs in shades of blue and cream and even the fireplace was fronted by tiles that looked like delft.
    â€œWow,” she said and even that word was just so insignificant to the task.
    â€œGlad you like it,” he said, moving into the room behind her.
    â€œWhat’s not to like?” She did a slow turn, tryingto see everything at once. Then her gaze landed on Christian again. “To tell the truth, I wasn’t expecting anything like this.”
    He grinned briefly and something inside her twisted up tight in response. Really, the man had an almost magical smile. Good thing he didn’t use it often.
    â€œWhat were you expecting? A cell in a dungeon?”
    She smiled and shrugged. “No, not that bad, but nothing so…”
    â€œMelissa suggested you stay in this suite. She thought you’d like it and your brothers had no objection.”
    â€œNo objection.” Well, that was something, she supposed. “It was thoughtful of Melissa.”
    â€œYou’ll like her. She’s looking forward to meeting you.”
    â€œAnd my brothers?”
    He paused for a long moment before he said, “They’ll come around.”
    â€œJust one big happy family, huh?” Funny, her excitement-driven nerves had become anxiety-driven in the blink of an eye. It seemed there were plenty of hard feelings for everyone to get through before they could even begin to relate to each other.
    â€œYou have as much right to be here as they do,” he told her.
    â€œDo I?” Erica shook her