“I’ve tried everything. But no bank will give us a loan, not with the FBI looking at our every move.”
“You can’t shut down.”
“I know, princess,” he sighed. “But I don’t have a choice. I…” He turned away from her.
For moment, she saw something else in her father’s face. Shame? What else was he hiding? “Dad, is there something else?” There was. She could feel it in her bones.
“I can’t…”
“Yes, you can.” She got up from the chair and walked over to him, then placed her hands on his shoulders. “Dad, what else haven’t you told me?” A dozen scenarios ran through her brain. He was sick. Or dying. Or he was going to lose the house. Maybe he’d been kidnapped by aliens and replaced by one of them. What could be worse than losing their company that he couldn’t tell her?
“I…I’ve had an offer.”
“What offer?”
“To save the company.”
Relief zinged through her. “From who? What do they want?”
“Lennox Corporation. From Henry Lennox himself.”
Riva wrinkled her nose. Lennox was a large, family-owned corporation that was headquartered in Blackstone, not far from Verona Mills. Most of their profits came from mining the precious stone their town was named after. But most people around here knew them because the Lennoxes were a family of dragon shifters. “What does he want? A takeover? Merger?”
“Something like that,” Thomas said. “But I said no.”
“What? Dad, how could you say no? What were the terms of the deal?” She couldn’t believe her father would say no to Lennox, not if it could save their company and the jobs of their employees. “Dad, call him now—”
“No!” he bellowed, his face going red. “I will not. I will never speak to that…vile monster ever again.”
Riva stood there, her eyes going wide. Her father was a gentle and soft-spoken man, and never prone to outbursts. “Dad, please. What did he want in exchange?”
His lips trembled. “I never even considered it. Not for a moment.”
“What? Tell me, Dad.”
“He wanted you, Riva. In exchange for paying off our debt and using his influence.”
Shock was too mild a word. It was like a bolt of lightning shot through her. “M-m-me?”
“He wants…an heir. But for that, he needs someone to bear his children.” Thomas’ face was filled with rage again. “I thought he was here for a serious meeting. Then he told me…I threw his ass out of here! Told him you weren’t for sale!”
“Dad—”
“What? He’s a monster. Literally and figuratively! Why would I hand you over to him, knowing that you could die—”
“Dad!” she admonished. “You can’t believe the lies that SPHK and those other kooks have been spreading!” She had to admit she wasn’t political, but she did believe that shifters had the same rights as humans. And she didn’t believe any of those stupid rumors those anti-shifter groups spread to frighten people.
“Still, you’re not some piece of property to be bargained.”
Her shoulders sagged. The gravity of it was slowly sinking in and she had to brace herself on his desk. This was her fault.
Sure, she hadn’t made those bad deals or bribed those officials, but she was the one who’d started dating Daniel. He’d been a senior at her college and she’d been a freshman, and the attention was flattering. He was handsome, smart, ambitious, and out of her league. She wasn’t ugly or anything, but she’d always thought of herself as plain, with her unremarkable face, mousy brown hair, and a figure that could always stand to lose ten pounds or so. Suffice to say, Daniel had swept her off her feet with his attention.
She’d brought him home that Thanksgiving and introduced him to her father. Thomas had offered him a job as soon as he graduated, partly because he’d been dazzled by Daniel, but also because he was probably hoping he’d be joining the family too. And indeed, they’d talked about marriage and running Sinclair together someday and passing it on to their children. But now that dream was dead. Crumbled to the ground. And she had ruined her future and her father’s company.
“Dad…” she began. Would it be so bad? She could save Sinclair. Save the hundreds of employees and their families. All she had to do was say yes. “Dad, call him back.”
“Who?”
“Henry Lennox.”
“What? No, Riva, I won’t let you!”
“Dad!” She slammed her fists on his desk. “You can’t tell me what to do.”
“This is not your fault!”
“Please, Dad,” she said, placing her hands over his. “I…I want to do this. Just call him and see if the offer still stands.” She shrugged. “You said he just wants a child?”
“An heir,” he replied. “He said you could live separate lives once you’ve given him what he wants.”
“How generous,” she said with a sardonic laugh. Was this really happening? How could she even consider it? Was she going to get artificially inseminated or did he want to do things…naturally? The thought sent a shudder through her.
Blackstone and other shifter towns attracted a lot of visitors, not just because people wanted to see shifters up close (indeed, many of them offered themselves as tourist attractions), but also because they were curious in other ways. Shifter groupies weren’t unknown, and there were even groups on social media sites that discussed the sexual prowess of shifters. She had to admit she’d been curious and had looked at those sites, but the way those women had talked frankly of sex and treating those shifters like they were pieces of meat just turned her off. Still, shifters had a reputation for a reason…
“Riva…you don’t have to do this. I know what you’re thinking…”
“No, Dad. I…I want to do this.” Not that she had any other opportunities. Daniel was definitely out of the picture. That lying, bastard scum. “I just…let’s talk to our lawyers first and see what they have to say. Then maybe we can figure things out.”
Chapter 3
Beautiful surroundings, mountains in the background, flowers dotting the aisle. A handsome little ring bearer and a cute flower girl in a puffy pink dress. White dress, roses in hand, tied up with silk ribbons. It was everything a girl could wish for. A dream wedding day.
But for Riva, it was a nightmare.
Each step she took made her feet feel like lead. Since the day she’d walked into her father’s office, it seemed every step got heavier as she drew closer to this point.
If only she could change the past.
If only she had never met Daniel Murphy and gone out with him.
If only she had never introduced him to her father.
If only he hadn’t been so eager to employ his possible future son-in-law.
Then she wouldn’t be in this mess.
Oh how she wished…
But if wishes were horses, then beggars would ride. Maybe she could ride off on one of those horses and get away from here.
She straightened her shoulders. No, that wouldn’t do. She was a woman of her word and she’d agreed to do this. She’d consulted with their lawyers, negotiated terms back and forth, and signed the papers. Two weeks later, here she was. About to meet her future husband for the first time. She wasn’t sure why she hadn’t wanted to meet him beforehand. Maybe because she didn’t want to get cold feet. Not that they were warm right now, but still…
“Are you sure about this?” Thomas asked right before they walked the aisle.
Not really, she wanted to say. But what could she do? Everyone was counting on her. “Yes,” she said weakly. The music began to play before she could say anything else, and soon she and her father were halfway down the aisle.
The wedding ceremony and reception were being held on the Lennox property in Blackstone. There were about fifty guests, mostly from the groom’s side. They’d invited a few employees from Sinclair, who were really more like family to Riva and Thomas. Virna, of course, and her husband Jim, who was one of the
ir foremen. Albert Johnson, the family lawyer (who had taken care of the contracts), and his wife Allie. Her father had no siblings, and when Riva’s mom had died, they just sort of lost touch with her side, so there was no one representing family.
She looked straight ahead as they walked, and tried to make out the figure of her future husband. There were two men at the end of the aisle, one dark-haired and the other blond. She had googled pictures of Henry Lennox, of course, and she knew he was the one with dark hair. He was handsome, she supposed, thinking of those grainy photos on the Internet. Maybe a little cold and haughty, but he was a dragon after all.
As they drew closer, she realized that those pictures on the Internet didn’t show how tall or large he was. He was a shifter, after all. He was probably two or three inches over six feet, with broad shoulders. His best man was much taller and burlier, but Riva barely looked at him. Her attention was fixed on Henry Lennox as he turned around.
She held her breath. Those pictures hadn’t done him justice, either. For one thing, they were probably a few years old. His face was much more mature and handsome now, the lines around his eyes adding character to his features. The dark hair was a bit overgrown, but only made him look more appealing. And those eyes. They were a gray so light, they were almost silver. For moment, his face registered shock, but then quickly returned to a cold mask.
Her confidence deflated like a balloon. Well, what was she expecting? For him to fall madly in love with her at first sight? Sure, she was no beauty, but she hadn’t expected such indifference. But this wasn’t a real marriage, after all. This was a business arrangement.
Hank thought of himself as a practical man. He was doing this to save his legacy, continue the family line, and maybe someday Lennox Corp could be restored to what it once was, thanks to the Sinclairs.
Thomas Sinclair was the perfect target. It was a big scandal, after all, one of their VPs getting caught bribing county officials. Turned out Daniel Murphy was doing deals with the mob and needed the approval of the county to get a big development pushed through. When the scandal broke, it crippled Sinclair Construction.
So it was easy enough to dangle a quick solution in front of Thomas Sinclair, which was why he’d been stunned when the old man threw him out of his office. But then, no decent man would sell his daughter to save his business.
Of course, he’d been surprised to get a call back days later from their lawyer, saying that Ms. Riva Sinclair had agreed to the arrangement. Not Thomas, but the daughter herself. He’d said he would get back to them, and took the time to research their background, their family, and their medical history. No major diseases or genetic problems, and all the women on her mother’s side didn’t seem to have any fertility problems. In fact, they were quite fertile; twins ran in the family, which he thought was a good sign. An heir and a spare in one go, wouldn’t that be fine?
And she was damn practical, insisting on a contract. He’d added the part about living separate lives (i.e. taking on other lovers) after an appropriate heir was born, as well as a generous alimony if she wanted a divorce in order to remarry, depending on how how many children they had. Yes, it was like the perfect present, all tied up in a neat bow. Sinclair’s debts would be gone, and their association with Lennox would probably make the nastiness of the federal investigation go away. In turn, Hank would have a dragon heir and their line would be continued.
But what he hadn’t expected was the woman herself.
The Ms. Sinclair he’d seen in her pictures wasn’t a beauty. He’d seen a photo or two of her on Thomas’ desk too. She wasn’t particularly attractive, leaning more toward the plain side, but nothing that he couldn’t live with. Indeed, that was probably one of the reasons he’d chosen her.
But now, one look at his bride sent something primal roaring in him. Who was this woman beside him now, reciting those vows? Sure, she kind of looked like the girl in those pictures. Maybe he should have found more recent pictures of her, because this woman seemed miles apart from the plain Jane girl he had seen in the photos on Thomas’ desk.
Thick, mahogany-colored hair flowed down past her shoulders, curling over delicate, pale shoulders. Her loose, off-the-shoulder white gown hinted at the curves underneath, and for some reason, he was glad she wasn’t showing off her body in front of all these people. Her creamy skin flushed pink when their eyes locked. And her eyes…light brown with green specks. So clear and wide it brought a shock to his system.
Mine.
He wanted to get that contract back and rip it to shreds in his claws and then maybe set fire to whatever remained and turn it into ashes. The thought of her with other lovers was making the dragon inside him roar with fury. Damn the contract. He decided then and there that no one would have her except him.
The ceremony seemed to go on and on, and he answered automatically, without thought to the words, as his luscious bride continued to distract him with her mere presence. Finally, the judge proclaimed them man and wife, and Hank hastily kissed his bride on the cheek. It was a quick brush, and it took all his strength not to claim her lips in front of all these people. There were some cheers and applause, and as soon as they were done, they were whisked to the reception area, which was really the next clearing in the woods.
Hank had wanted the wedding to take place in the mountains, right behind his home, and since Riva didn’t care one way or another (or so her lawyer had told him), he’d asked Laura, James’ wife, to take care of all the arrangements.
He had to admit, his cousin’s mate had outdone herself, despite the small budget they had to work with. The area where they had the ceremony was beautiful, and Laura had used swathes of cloth and wildflowers to decorate the aisle. The reception was even more enchanting—fairy lights, white paper lanterns, and upside-down paper umbrellas hung across the trees, creating a canopy; the plain wooden tables they usually used for picnics were covered in white linen and burlap and decorated with candles and more wildflowers. It was a fairy-tale wonderland, and he heard an audible gasp from Riva as soon as they entered.
He looked down at her, those hazel eyes wide and her mouth open. She obviously liked what she saw.
“It’s beautiful,” she said.
Was she surprised? Did she think she was going to get married in a cave? It almost annoyed him to think that. “You’ll have to thank Laura,” he said nodding to the gorgeous and curvy blonde talking to one of the waiters. Her nose wrinkled and for a moment, he saw distaste on her face. “She’s my cousin’s wife,” he added. For some reason, he was pleased that she seemed jealous, but didn’t want to cause her any distress.
“Oh. I’ll have to thank her, then.”
“I’m sure she’ll appreciate it, Ms. Sinclair.”
“I suppose you should call me Riva, since I’m your wife and all.”
“Right. And you can call me Hank.”
They stood in the entryway, where they began to greet guests. There were many important people there, from business associates to the mayor himself. Hank frowned, realizing he didn’t know most of the people who were attending his own wedding.
“Hank, congratulations,” said a familiar, sickly-sweet voice.
He winced. Melissa. His sister-in-law. Of course he couldn’t not invite her. They still lived under the same roof, after all, even after his brother’s death and the awkwardness that came after. What was he supposed to do? Toss a widow out on the street?
“Thank you, Melissa,” he replied, accepting her hug, which lasted a little too long.
“I’m Melissa,” she said, turning to Riva and offering her hand. “Your sister-in-law.”
Riva accepted the other woman’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Melissa.”
“Melissa is—was—my brother’s wife,” Hank added.
“I’m sure we’ll get to know each other quite well,” Melissa said, the smile on her face not quite reaching her eyes. “After all, we’ll be living together as one happy family.”
“Excuse me?” Riva’s brow
shot up. “What do you mean—”
“We have more guests waiting to get in,” Hank said, ignoring Riva’s shocked expression.
“I’ll see you later then, Hank,” Melissa said, then nodded at Riva. “You too.”
He cursed inwardly, wishing he had spoken with Riva before the wedding. There just hadn’t been enough time. He was too busy running the company and doing all the work that was entailed with being the last Blackstone Dragon. They were going to miss the quota this week again. At least that was the excuse he’d given James when he asked why Hank wasn’t going to meet his bride-to-be before the ceremony. After all, he had used the remaining cash on their balance sheet to buy off Sinclair’s debts. Someone had to keep working to keep their employees paid and the lights on.
They continued greeting the guests, and Hank formally introduced Riva to James, Laura and their son, Benjamin. Riva’s eyes lit up as she bent down to say thank you the three-year-old boy for being such a good ring bearer and he felt a pang in his heart. He imagined her doing that with other children, maybe one with her hazel eyes and mahogany hair.
God, what was happening to him? He was never sentimental. That was Harrison’s thing. Boisterous, loud, and always with his heart on his sleeve. Hank was serious, focused, and some would even say cold. But something about this woman…
“We’re done,” Riva said, her voice chilly. “We should get to our table so they can serve dinner. I’m sure everyone’s hungry.” She didn’t even wait for him, but turned and walked away.
From across the room, Laura and James shot him concerned looks. Damn. He should have explained the whole Melissa situation. He had a feeling that one would be biting him in the ass.
Chapter 4
Riva fanned herself, feeling overwhelmed and overheated. It was her wedding day, and probably the worst day in her life. As she sat at one of the long tables that had been set up in the clearing, under the fairy lights and umbrellas, she thought that any other woman would have been grateful. But she couldn’t help but feel miserable. She just hoped it wasn’t too obvious on her face.
The Last Blackstone Dragon Page 2
