Before he could ask anything else, she took a sip of wine.“This is good,” she said approvingly before taking a second, longer drink.“So, why didn’t you bring a date?That would have helped.”
He regarded her.“To this command performance?”
She shrugged.“I know what you mean.”
Since all of the family members had arrived Friday and planned to stay until Sunday, he’d nixed the idea of bringing a woman he barely knew to meet the family, endure endless questions and share his space.
There was little room in his life for a relationship, and he was fine with that.He adored the subs at Deviation, the city’s intriguing new BDSM club.An occasional visit satisfied his primal needs.And after a few hours, he went home, even more focused on business.Scenes didn’t just soothe his savageness, they energized him.
Glass in hand, he walked over to where his half-brother Cade stood talking to his mother, Stormy.
Although Nathan was a little surprised she’d accepted the invitation, he was pleased to see her.To his knowledge, it was the first Donovan event she’d ever attended.
“Stormy.”He shook her hand.
“Nathan.Always a pleasure.”
The woman was tall, willowy and dressed exactly the way he’d expected.Convention be damned.Her slim-cut jeans were tucked inside boots she’d likely hand-tooled herself.Her white T-shirt was form-fitting, and she wore a brown leather vest over it.She had a quick smile, a firm grip and a direct gaze.He could see why his father, Jeffrey, had fallen in love with her, even though he had been expected to marry Nathan’s mother.
The Running Wind Ranch wouldn’t have been what it was without Stormy’s guidance.And Cade, the oldest Donovan brother, did a damn fine job of running the ranch.It had been Stormy who’d fought for her illegitimate son’s inheritance and who’d instilled a love of the land in his soul.Though Nathan had little interest in that part of the business, Cade’s intelligence and hard work had made it a financial success.And that, Nathan appreciated.
“Well, look who’s here,” Cade interrupted with a long, slow whistle.
Nathan glanced over his shoulder and saw Julien Bonds just inside the French doors.“I didn’t know he was expected.”A group of people moved in around him, blocking him from general view and the always-prying eye of cell phone cameras.
“Connor insisted on sending Bonds an invite,” Cade replied.“No one really thought he’d show, but Sofia reserved a guest house for him, just in case.I imagine he took a helicopter from Houston.”He shrugged.“I still want to see his prissy ass on a horse.”
“I’ll give him lessons,” Stormy volunteered.
She’d spent years wrangling and was an accomplished horsewoman.If Nathan remembered correctly, she’d been the one who had taught his father to ride.That was probably the summer they’d fallen in love.“I want to ask him about a few of the watch’s features,” Nathan said.
“Watch?You have a Bonds watch?”Cade demanded.
Nathan flashed his wrist.
“Fuck,” Cade said.“How the hell did you rate?”
“I indicated an interest in investing.He turned me down.Says he won’t go public and let some board of directors interfere with his creative ideas.”The man was on track to having one of the largest privately held firms on the planet.“As a consolation prize, he sent it to me for beta testing.”
“And?”
“It’s astounding.But…”
“But?”
“Quirky.”
Cade frowned.
“Plays theme music when it’s turned on.And the hologram—”
“It has a hologram?”
“Of Bonds himself.Greets you personally and suggests ways for you to improve your life.”The ego was astounding.Last week, Bonds had recommended Nathan go to bed slightly earlier and sleep longer, saying his life expectancy would increase if he enjoyed more REM sleep.Bonds had added that Nathan would be twice as effective if he slept twenty percent longer, which was a good investment of his time, according to the genius.
After that, Nathan had taken the fucking thing off almost every night when he got home from the office.Problem was, it was so useful that he missed it.“Who’s that with him?”
“Meredith Wolsey.”Cade took a drink of beer.“Heard he brought her to Connor’s reception.”
