Bella Andre - Just To Be With You

Rain fell steadily outside the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Sullivan Investments skyscraper, just as it had for the past several days. Coffee shops seemed to outnumber all other retail outlets in the city two to one. And Ian Sullivans sister, Mia, had already texted him a half-dozen times to remind him that hed better not show up late to dinner at their parents house tonight because of a last-minute meeting.

And yet, despite all that, it was good to be back in Seattle.

Surprisingly good.

Ian had worked out of the London office for the past several years, and his European investments were thriving as a result. But now that Sullivan Investments was on the verge of making a massive investment in eAirBox, an innovative cloud-based digital storage company based in Seattle, it had made sense to finally head back home. Plus, two of his siblings would be getting married and starting families soon, and Ian had already missed too many pivotal moments in his siblings lives by being an ocean away.

In any case, Ian was glad that hed been able to keep it all in the family with the deal hed made today with Jake McCann on his very successful chain of McCanns Irish pubs. Jake was not only a genius at coming up with artisanal brews, he was also married to Sophie, one of Ians cousins from San Francisco. Though he knew he was breaking one of the tried and true rules of doing business, in Ians experience, working with family had always been not only enjoyable, but also extremely profitable.

Im glad we were able to make this deal work, Ian, Jake said through the video conference feed set up in one of Ians smaller conference rooms on the 15th floor.

Jakes T-shirt put his tattoos on full display, and though he was an incredibly intelligent guy with great business sense, it wasnt much of a stretch to look at him and guess that hed come from a pretty rough upbringing. Ian would never have imagined that his soft-spoken librarian cousin and Jake would work as a couple, especially considering the story that Jake had gotten Sophie pregnant during a one-night stand. But theyd turned out to be one hell of a good team, and Ian was happy for both of them.

Ive got a lot of respect for what youve done with your pubs, Jake. Everyone here is glad we can be a part of your expansion. When Ians head legal counsel excused himself from the meeting to take an urgent call, he took the meeting in a personal direction. How are Sophie and the twins doing? Smith and Jackie must be getting big.

Hold on a sec and Ill show you. Jake got up from the chair in his home office and returned a short while later with a kid squirming under each arm. Kids, say hi to your Uncle Ian.

Jake and Sophies twins were ridiculously cute as they waved and grinned at him. Jackie had crumbs all over her hands and face, and Smiths dark hair was standing on end as if hed just woken up from a heavy-duty nap.

Ian didnt have a clue how Jake managed to run his business so well and have time to take care of his wife and kids, too. Marriage was the only thing that Ian had ever failed at, so badly that hed come out of it one hundred percent certain that a wife would neverand should neverbe in his future again. Which meant kids were out of the picture, too. Fortunately, there were plenty of Sullivan babies to spoil rotten.

Ian had just said his own hellos to the twins when they wriggled out of Jakes grip and made a break for it. Ian heard Sophies laughter as she scooped them up just before she came in range of the cameras lens.

Hey, cuz. Sophie seemed utterly unperturbed by the fact that her kids were not just squirming like crazy now, but were also trying to pull each others hair. Id love to catch up more, but since it looks like Im going to have to break up a baby brawl in a minute, I wanted to let you know that Im supposed to tell you not to be late to your mom and dads house for dinner tonight. Or else.

Mia texted you, too?

Jake and Sophie just laughed as they split the kids between them and Smiths and Jackies wails began. Say hello to everyone for us.

After shutting down the video conference feed, Ian headed for his office down a long open hallway that looked over dozens of cubicles. At fifteen minutes past six on a Friday night, everyone had already left. Though hed been back at the Seattle headquarters for only a week and a half, Ian had seen for himself that everything in the office was running with perfect efficiency. Organization and order had always been crucial components of his success, along with a laser focus and an unwavering determination.

Only once had he made the mistake of letting himself be spontaneously thrown off course. But in the wake of his messy marriage and even messier divorce, hed been even more careful to make sure that the women he connected with were willing to play by the rules that would keep them all safe from future messes: no entanglements, no emotions. Just hours of pleasure when they were together, and nothing at all that lingered when they werent. And if anyone thought giving up love was something to grieve, thats because they didnt know how much relief there was in knowing he would never hurt a woman again by promising her something he would never be able to actually give.

At the threshold of his office, Ian shook all thoughts of love and romance aside before he stepped inside. Love had no place in the worldwide empire hed built, and he was glad for that fact, especially when he needed every ounce of his focus right now to do whatever it took to finally close the eAirBox deal.

Mentally drafting an email to his board regarding the new counter-offer he was planning to make on Monday morning, Ian was halfway to his desk when he realized he wasnt alone. His large leather chair was turned away from his desk so that the back was facing him...and the most stunning bare legs hed ever seen were crossed over the arm of it, the womans shiny red heels tapping out a fast rhythm in the air.

He couldnt immediately place the legs, but the scent was one hed come across only once before, at his cousin Marcuss wedding in Napa Valley a handful of months earlier. Equal parts vanilla and spice, the combination was at once innocent and so powerfully sensual that he was overwhelmed with the need to breathe her in just one more time, and then one more time again.

Tatiana Landon.

If she were anyone else, Ian would immediately have alerted her to his presence. But he needed to take a few moments to steel himself against the powerful way the beautiful actress affected him. And at the end of a long, hard week, he found it took him more than a few seconds not only to solidify his walls, but also to make absolutely sure that they would remain impenetrable.

Finally, he cleared his throat. But her feet didnt stop tapping out the beat and she didnt turn the chair around. Her evocative scent grew stronger when he moved closer, and he gritted his teeth against the potent impact it had on him as he reached for the top of his chair to turn her to face him.

Hed only just begun to spin the chair when she let out a little shriek and jumped halfway out before falling back into it. One hand was pressed over her mouth, the other over her chest, her legs tucked beneath her on the big leather seat as she stared up at him with big green eyes.

Before he could stop himself, Ian was drinking in the gorgeous expanse of skin on display from the way the skirt of her dress rode up her thighs. Her long hair was loose around her shoulders and her skin was flushed from the fright hed given her.

Was there another woman on the planet this beautiful?

By the time she pulled out her earbuds and slid her legs out from beneath her, she was laughing. You scared me.