WE HAVE UNFINISHED BUSINESS.COME TO PARIS FOR THE WEEKEND.I exhale heavily. We did the business, fair and square.Fucked it to hell and back, actually.So why does it still feel unfinished? I have this haunting feeling that it isn’t over. But then I know it is.Tristan Miles is lingering in my soul . . . and the bastard won’t leave.He was supposed to be my get-out-of-grief card, my comeback into society.What he was, was an intoxicating drug and an addiction that I don’t need.So now, instead of one man lingering, I have two.My beautiful husband, Wade, the one I planned a life with . . . the one whose wishes I’m honoring.And then there’s Tristan, the gorgeous soul-sucking bastard from New York . . . who has a fun, tender side underneath.But does he really?Does he have a tender side, or is that just who he pretends to be when he’s alone with a woman? Was that all a plot to get under my guard?It worked, if it was.The man I spent time with was beautiful.I drag my hand down my f
RichardIt was late when I finally pulled into the driveway, sighing with relief at being home. I used to love traveling for work, but now, I found I dreaded going. I hated leaving Katy and my girls.My flight had been delayed leaving Toronto, then again departing Calgary, and it had been a long day. I reminded myself to speak to our travel specialist who handled our bookings. I wanted direct flights—no more stops.I noticed although the house was dark, two lights shone in the night. The one over the front door for me and the muted glow coming from the nursery window. That meant Katy was awake with Heather, no doubt feeding her.I pushed open my car door and stretched. The streetlamp glinted off something white, catching my eye, and I glanced toward it with a frown. I jogged down the driveway, confused at the half-dozen campaign signs on my lawn. All the political parties were represented. With a curse, I yanked them all out of the grass and carried them to the garage, tossing them i
“I hope you weren’t hurt during the blast.”“A little scorched. I’m sure you can put out the fire.” She kissed me, her lips devouring mine, hungry and urgent. I gripped her hip and wound my other hand into her hair, kissing her back. The taste of my wife, the feel of her skin on mine, was like nothing else. I loved these moments with her—when it was simply us. Together.I eased back, gazing up at her. Her quiet beauty overwhelmed me at times. I stroked her soft skin, spreading my hands over her stomach.She bit her lip, for the first time not meeting my eyes as I ran small circles over the gentle curves of her. She stilled my actions, her fingers restless on top of mine.“Hey,” I called quietly. “Katy, baby, come back to me.”She lifted her eyes, and I shook my head, knowing exactly what she was thinking. I traced the light lines that bothered her so much along her hips and stomach. It wasn’t very often she was insecure with me anymore, and this was something I needed to address, once
“That would work.”“What would?”“Richard VanRyan. I’m not running for anything. I just wanted a damn sign. We could print them and put them everywhere.”I started to snicker at her silliness. “Maybe I will. I need to come up with a better slogan, though.”She giggled. “Richard VanRyan. Panty exploder.”I had to turn my head into the pillow to stop the loud peals of laughter. Only Katy could make me laugh this way. She was the first and the only one to be able to do so.“I don’t think that’s exactly PC.”“You have something better?”I thought about it, then grinned.“Sure. Richard VanRyan—I’m kind of a big deal.”It was her turn to be amused. “Whatever.” She rolled over, still laughing. “Such ego.”I wrapped my arm around her waist, dragging her back to my chest. I nibbled on her earlobe. “But I am, Katy.” I thrust my hips into her, letting her feel how big a deal I was.“Oh, go fuck yourself, VanRyan.”I snickered at her favorite expression. “I would rather fuck you.” I lifted her le
I chuckled. “So does Daddy.”He lifted one eyebrow in amusement and kissed me fast. “Yes, he does. I want to spend the weekend with my girls. I’ve missed you all too much.”I cupped his cheek. “A family weekend sounds perfect.”“Great. I looked at my calendar and next week is going to be crazy. Graham has me booked solid. You have a sitter for Thursday, right?”“Yes. The dinner?”He nodded, a grimace crossing his face. “Graham is certain we’re going to grab a few awards for the campaign for BAM. Otherwise, I’d skip it.”I studied him for a minute. “Why?” He usually enjoyed the dinners and spending the evening talking with his peers about marketing and strategies.“David will be there. From the rumors I’ve heard, things aren’t going well with his company. That will make him especially nasty. I don’t want him anywhere near you.”I stroked along his jawline, feeling the tension simply talking about David caused him. “He’s in the past, Richard. He can’t hurt us now.”He huffed out a long
The noise level was intense, the lights too bright, and the dinner, as usual, ho-hum. Looking at the two awards, however, sitting on the table and knowing it was my efforts that brought them to The Gavin Group was an incredible high. Graham had been lavish in his praise, accepting the awards and making sure the entire room knew who made them possible, even making me stand up and take a bow. Katy was so proud, she wept—silent drops of joy that told me how she was feeling. I kissed them away, then kissed her mouth.“Does this cinch the lucky part at the end?” I asked against the softness of her lips. I felt her wide smile.“Definitely.”“Win for me.”I waited in line at the bar, accepting congratulations. I ordered a round of drinks for the table and waited patiently for them to be ready, glad for a quiet moment to myself.“How does it feel?”I stiffened at the voice and turned my head slightly. David Anderson stood beside me. He looked older, the deep furrows on his forehead more pron
“Good for him.”There was a pause. Graham leaned back, now relaxed and confident. “We had a family meeting yesterday afternoon. We discussed Terence and the void that will be left with his departure. We’re going to change things up. Spread out his duties and make some adjustments. And we’re going to hire a new associate.”I was confused. Hiring a new associate wouldn’t really fill Terence’s spot. “Okay?”“We’d like it if you took him under your wing.”I was even more confused. “Sure, Graham, whatever you need.”“He’s a bit of a handful. Brad is Laura’s nephew—not long out of school. He interned with a place in Calgary but has decided to come back to BC. I know Laura and her sister have hoped he would end up here. Her sister lives an hour away, which means he’ll be close to her again. Frankly, I was never sure why he insisted on going elsewhere to work when he had the chance to be here, but he was always adamant on forging his own way.” He paused, rubbing his chin in amusement. “Lots o
Her eyes widened as she picked up the box and opened the lid. She lifted her gaze to mine then back to the box. “Richard…”She removed the diamond and sapphire bracelet from the box, the gems glinting in the light. “It’s lovely!”I reached across the table and fastened the clasp around her wrist.“The blue reminded me of your eyes, Katy. I love how they look at me—the way they see me.” I held her hand, staring at the glittering jewels. “I wanted to give you something to mark today.”She blinked at the tears forming in her eyes. “Thank you, my darling. I will treasure it always.”I leaned close and kissed the tender, thin skin of her wrist. “I’ll treasure you.”Her gaze was luminous as she regarded me. “Take me home, Richard. I need to be alone with you.”“I got a room here, and I told Mrs. Thomas we’d be really late. She said she’d sleep in the guestroom.” I winked. “I want you loud tonight.”“Take me upstairs.”I signaled for the check.We barely made it into the room. Katy was all