Nadia glanced at her watch again. “Yes. As I said, she had different priorities and a change of heart. I can’t blame the woman for wanting more from life. My father did an adequate job raising me, and now look where I am. I’m an artifacts dealer who specializes in rarities. No one knows as much as I do about the value of old pieces, and no one has my connections to match buyers with sellers. It’s not as if we have an auction house among the Breed. My father raised an independent woman, so I have little concern over men who flash their judgmental eyes at me. The only thing I lack is a good man.” She sighed thoughtfully and lifted her glass of wine. “I had hoped things would work out between Denver and me. He and I are similar in that we both—”
“Denver?” Prince blurted out. He belonged to the Weston pack and worked as a bartender, hardly worthy of a woman such as Nadia. “You would have mated with a low-ranking wolf?”
She licked a drop of wine from her lip and set the glass down again. “Do I look like a woman who is searching for a man to offer me the comforts of money?”
What exactly was she searching for?An obedient man? A plaything?Prince bristled at the idea because Nadia was descended from nobility—one of the purest Shifter bloodlines in Europe. He and Alex came from two of the oldest generations of powerful Shifters—their life spans would stretch twice as long as other wolves. Because of that rare purity, importance had always been placed on not diluting their family line by mating with an inferior Shifter. There were few purebloods, and they were still royalty even if others were oblivious. So finding out about Nadia’s existence had sent a sliver of hope that he might have found his perfect mate.
Finally.
“Have you taken up residency in your mind, or would you like to join the living?” she asked. “I have a meeting with a client in an hour.”
Prince rose to his feet, disheartened.
Nadia caught his look. “I’ll tell you what—why don’t you come to my place for dinner tonight? I don’t work in the evening, and that will give you plenty of time to tell me about how you know my father. We’ll havehours,” she said, uncrossing her legs. “Although I hope you don’t want to spendallthat time talking about him.”
He gently took her hand, noticing how delicate her fingers were. Her fingernails were a deep shade of violet, and he kissed the knuckles on her right hand, all while keeping his eyes on hers. She rose to her feet, and the sweet scent of her perfume swirled between them.
“I adore a gentleman. No later than seven, and bring a bottle of wine.”
He arched a brow. “That I can do. Would you prefer red or white?”
“Surprise me.”
CHAPTER2
Prince knocked on the apartment door for the second time, a bottle of wine in one hand and impatience in the other. A short, round woman with a fluffy white dog passed by him. She wobbled back and forth from what looked like a bad hip, pausing briefly to praise Mr. Teasley for sniffing Prince’s Italian leather shoes and showing what a good dog he was. After she went into her apartment, Prince bent down to wipe the stray dog hairs off his pant leg.
When the door swung open, he found himself at eye level with the most remarkable knees.
“That’s an interesting way to greet a woman,” Nadia said with a sultry chuckle. “I’d apologize for having you stand out in the hall so long, but I prefer to keep my men waiting. Come inside.”
She turned away and Prince stood erect, straightening his suit jacket and closing the door behind him.
“These are modest accommodations, Miss Kozlov. I thought you had money.”
Nadia was clipping on a pair of gold earrings while standing at the entranceway to her living room. “An intelligent woman doesn’t spend it all in one place. And never assume, Mister…”
“Prince.”
“You want me to call you Mr. Prince?”
“It’s the only name I have. Call me what you wish.”
Nadia put on her other earring, fastening the back. “As I was saying, Prince, I’ve purchased all the apartments on this floor as an investment. Well, except for the woman’s down the hall. I can’t seem to get her to sell, but since she doesn’t bother me, I can patiently wait her out. I have all the privacy I need with the convenience of living in the city near my clients. I’ve even renovated one of the apartments to allow my wolf to run.” Once she got herself together, she examined him closely. “You are a handsome man. Your features are very distinguished—something I don’t see very often unless I’m in Europe.”
If Prince were a man of humility, he might have blushed. But it was a compliment he’d received often from women. He was a Shifter in his prime—seven hundred years old, but he appeared to be in his late thirties. He still had many more years ahead of him, and hoped he would age as well as his father had. His long hair didn’t appeal to many women, so he pulled it back in a tight band for a distinguished look. It drew attention to his unique eye coloring. Prince was born with one brown and one sapphire-colored eye, and while most would have concealed such a defect with contacts or hidden it behind long hair, he had chosen not to. A man who hid his differences was a man who considered himself inferior.
“There is only one object in this room worth admiring,” he replied smoothly.
Her gaze dragged down to his hand and she smiled. “The expensive wine?”
They both jumped when a fist pounded against the door. Nadia glanced at her watch, and when a look of confusion crossed her face, Prince turned the wine bottle in his hand and held it like a weapon.
The pounding continued and a woman sang, “I know you’re in there!”
Nadia’s eyes not only rolled to the back of her head, but her eyelids fluttered. “Ofalltimes… This is not the place… Always doing this,” she murmured under her breath while she unlocked the door.
In a swift motion, Nadia swung the door open. A woman with leather pants, attitude, and black tresses in unkempt waves filled the doorway. She leaned on the doorjamb. “’Bout time you opened the door. I was starting to fossilize. Something smells good.”
