Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92180 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92180 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
God, he’s sinful to behold, and I just stare.
“What are you doing?” he asks. Drake pushes off the door—no clue how long he’s been standing there—and moves to one of the big chairs across the desk from me.
“Working,” I reply.
He settles back, spreading his legs out before him, and laces his fingers over his stomach… right where a small patch of dark golden hair leads down into the waistband of his—
“What are you working on?”
I blink at him, and it occurs to me that usually when someone interrupts my work, especially when I’m in deep concentration, I get irritated. But looking at the gorgeous man sitting across from me, who just doled out two phenomenal orgasms not that long ago, I can’t find the will to be the least bit grumpy.
I hold up a thick document. “I’m looking at a proposal to buy an old paper mill that’s about to go under and repurpose it into a shipping distribution center.”
Drake’s eyebrows rise. “I’d like to say that’s hot, but it sounds kind of boring.”
Chuckling, I shrug. “It’s definitely not the adrenaline rush of hockey.”
He nods down at the desk, indicating the other folders. “Similarly boring stuff?”
“By your standards, I suppose. For me, it’s par for the course.”
“You’re a smarty,” he casually remarks. “You went to Columbia, right?”
I cock an eyebrow. “Have you been stalking me?”
He merely smirks and gestures to the work on the desktop. “You don’t have anyone to help you steer the ship?”
The question is odd but only because this is our first real conversation where he’s shown interest in me outside of the bedroom.
I lean back into the large leather chair that held my dad’s frame but is far too big for me. I kick my feet up on the desk, crossing them at the ankles. Drake’s eyes drift there briefly but then come back to my face.
“By help, if you mean dozens of high-level executives I can parcel out stuff to, of course. I have a lot of help. But all the major decisions have to run through me before I can even give advice on what we should do. That means I have to be fully versed in any business ventures. I do a lot of reading and research, coupled with a lot of talking to people to figure out which investments are good risks.”
“Sounds like a big load on your shoulders,” he muses.
Sadness wells within me, and I’m hesitant to admit it, but I do. “I miss my brother. While my dad left Norcross Holdings to me, Adam concentrated on the Titans. Even though we ran separate entities, he was still the best sounding board and shoulder to lean on. It’s hard not having that.”
Drake nods as if he understands what I mean, but I don’t pry too deep. “You have a sister, don’t you? I think you mentioned she was bringing your boys to Pittsburgh soon?”
Drake’s grin is blinding in its brilliance and love. “Kiera. My younger sister by two years. And yes, they’re coming this weekend. Six more days, and I cannot wait.”
I can’t help but smile as his joy is infectious. “What does she do?”
“She’s an oncology nurse, but she doesn’t do active patient care. Instead, she acts as a liaison between the doctors she works for and the patients, helping them find services they need. It could be something like psychological counseling or arranging transportation for treatment. Helping them navigate insurance… those types of things.”
“Helping to ease their journey,” I surmise.
“Yes, and she’s very good at it. Luckily, it’s a job she can do remotely, mostly phone work. The doctors she works for adore her, so they’re letting her shift her schedule a bit so she can be available for the boys after school and when I’m on road trips.”
“That’s really great. And I’m sure it will be a comfort for them to have family here rather than a nanny.”
Drake’s expression darkens slightly. “Especially since their mom has failed to provide any manner of reliable or consistent support for them.”
I proceed with caution, because now we’re talking about super personal stuff, and Drake and I have agreed there’s really nothing between us but sex.
And yet, I can’t help it. I’m curious, and he brought it up. “Do you mind me asking about your ex-wife? I imagine she’s got to be about your least favorite person in the world.”
Drake’s laugh is mirthless. “Right alongside the owner of the Buffalo Wolves who believed her lies, but yeah… she’s worthless. A strung-out drug addict who can’t bother to show up for visitation with her kids. The court gave me full custody, and she’s only allowed to have supervised visitation. If she shows up high or drunk, I don’t let her in the door. She hasn’t tried to see the boys in almost two months.”