“Now you get it,” she said, her voice relieved and also sad. “That’s why I can’t waste any more time with this fling. I’ve got to continue my search for the real thing.”
Ouch. But he couldn’t blame her. “You’re looking for your mate?” he asked, trying like hell to ignore the way his chest hurt at the thought of her with another man.
She took a deep breath and slowly nodded. “Yes. Ultimately, that is part of my destiny.”
Bitterness soured his stomach. That this woman, this amazing, beautiful, talented woman should fixate on nothing more than finding her mate, made him want to punch a hole in the wall. He wouldn’t, of course, because who was he to deride anyone’s heartfelt desire?
“Let me help you,” he offered, wondering if he’d lost his mind. “I might be able to introduce you to someone. Let me see your list.”
After the briefest hesitation, unsmiling, she handed it over.
Once he got past the fact that there were bullet points, he began to read. As he did, he concluded that she didn’t want a mate, she wanted a fictional man who, if he’d ever existed on this Earth, would have been a saint.
He started over at the beginning, just to make sure.
At first the list wasn’t bad. Good sense of humor, tall, handsome, physically active, loves animals and small children.
All of those generalizations made sense.
Helps out with the household chores, including taking care of our children.
Most women expected that these days. He continued to read.
Donates time and money to charity.
Has empathy with others, no matter what race or religion or sexual orientation.
Puts others before himself.
All very noble qualities. And then her list got...strange.
Understands my needs without my vocalizing them.
Is able to accurately read my moods.
So, what? She wanted a man who was clairvoyant?
Several items below had been crossed out. Who knew, maybe her father had talked sense into her, or she’d realized she was asking for a man who didn’t exist.
He eyed her, aching with the power of her beauty.
“I can do this,” he heard himself say, inwardly wincing. “I can help you.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes. You want to find a mate? Fine. I can work from this list. I have friends, contacts, business associates. Surely you can find someone to your liking among them.”
Looking down, she covered her eyes with her hand. He thought, honestly believed, she’d refuse. But then she lifted her chin and looked him right in the eye. “I’d appreciate your help.” The resignation in her quiet voice nearly broke him.
“Great.” Best to get busy, keep busy, so she wouldn’t see how much her quick capitulation had hurt him. But, then again, what had he expected her to do? Tell him she didn’t need anyone else, that he was the only man she wanted?
Of course not. He wouldn’t have believed her anyway. Women never expected more than a good time from him and he was always happy to meet their expectations.
Now, he’d do his damnedest to meet Maria’s. His dreams and hers weren’t the same anyway.
“This list,” he pushed, handing it back to her, relentless in his helpfulness. When she accepted it, he clenched his teeth and forced a smile. “Can you get me a copy of it? I’ll need to keep one with me for reference. I might be traveling back to Austin for business,” he lied. “While I’m there, I’ll see if I can find anyone suitable and bring them back to Galveston for you to meet.”
Again the broodmare comparison came to mind. Wisely, he kept that to himself.
“Of course.” Back stiff, she turned and left the room. “I just need to print off another copy and I’ll be right back.”
* * *
Marching down the hall to her room, Maria tried with every step to convince herself that this new development was actually a good thing. More than that—great, in fact. Ryan had a large social circle and knew a ton of people from every walk of life. Surely among them she could find a man she could love and who would love her in return.
If Ryan didn’t find it awkward, then how could she? After all, they’d only had a fling, nothing more.
Having Ryan assist in her search for a mate made perfect sense, didn’t it? Both of them had made it clear that they could never be more than friends, albeit intimate ones.
Still, she couldn’t help but wish, for one fleeting second, that he’d have been willing to fight for her. That he might have found the thought of her with another man completely unpalatable.
Ah, well. It wasn’t meant to be. She wondered if he planned to remain in Austin, if this asking for her list might be nothing more than a ruse. She considered calling him on it, and then decided she shouldn’t really care.
Double-checking her list for the third time, she turned on her computer and waited for it to boot up. Soon, she’d be back on track. She was all ready to do what she needed to do. The last thing she needed to focus on was a too-enticing, sexy man who could never be anything more than a casual fling.
After printing out a second copy, she folded it in half and sighed.
This time, she’d make a better plan. No more bars or dance clubs. She’d sign up to do CrossFit three times a week and a writing workshop once a week, and she might volunteer to help out at the animal shelter on Fridays. She thought any of these things would be fine ways to meet her potential baby daddy. As an added bonus, she’d get in shape, exercise her creativity and help animals.
If the thought of all this made her teeth clench and her throat clog, so be it. She couldn’t keep sitting around and expecting the perfect man to come to her. And even if he already had, it wasn’t meant to be.
Before she lost her nerve, she marched back down the hall and handed the copy of her list to Ryan.
“Thank you.” Accepting the folded paper from her, he raised one brow. “I have to admit, I’m curious about one thing. May I ask why you have bullet points?”
“Sure.” She shrugged. “I like to be organized. This is too important to leave to chance.”
“Why?” Gaze intense, he leaned forward. “Why is it so essential for you to find the perfect man? Surely there are any number of men who’d be willing to father a child with you.”
“It just is.” There were some things she couldn’t vocalize. This was one of them.
“Okay. I’m sure I can help,” he offered, sounding pleased. “Let me take this with me. I’m sure someone I know will fit the bill.”
Though she nodded, she felt queasy. It stung that she meant so little to him he was willing to help her find another man.
Ryan paused near her front door, as if waiting for her to say or do something. She supposed he hoped she’d offer him shelter and a continuation of the friends-with-benefits relationship he clearly found so enjoyable.
“Take care,” she said, to help send him on his way. “And have a safe trip back to Austin.”
He nodded and opened the door. She stood staring after him as he got into his Jeep, started the engine and drove away. She’d once considered asking him why someone with his money chose to drive a Jeep, but then he probably had thirty different cars parked in a huge garage somewhere.
And now America’s Most Eligible Billionaire claimed he’d help her find a mate.
The dragon inside her stirred, showing that her tension had made her beast restless. She needed to stop thinking about Ryan’s offer to help and focus more on her own plan of action.
Yet she couldn’t. Now that Ryan had left, she felt an empty, aching void. She wondered how she’d feel, having a man with whom she’d shared so much introduce her to one of his friends.
The ick factor seemed undeniable. Still, even as unpalatable as she found the idea, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. What better way to get over her infatuation with him than to allow him to help her find a husband?
Her phone rang as she closed and locked her front door. Her father.
Maybe he had good news. She hoped he might be calling to tell her Polacek had been captured.
Instead, it was pretty much the opposite.
“Are you all right?” he asked, sounding frantic. “Polacek has captured Tracey Beauchamp.” Tracey was one of the other female Drakkor. Maria had never met Tracey or Stephanie or Tammy, though she—like every other Drakkor—knew their names.
Maria’s heart sank. “How?”
“We’re not sure. She disappeared. According to her father, she’d just met someone promising and was hopeful he would work out. Her friends reported her missing this morning when she didn’t come home after a date with her new man.”
Logic before panic. “How do you know it’s Polacek?” she asked. “Any number of things might have happened.”
“True. Except Polacek made a video and emailed it to the Council. I won’t repeat to you what he said, but it’s awful.”
“I need you to contact the Council,” Maria said. “Tell them they need to get the others to the Eyrie, one at a time and have Micah, Brandon and Roger teach them how to use their magic. Start with Stephanie and when she’s done, send Tammy.”
“Tammy’s in seclusion getting ready for her baby.”
Tammy had been the first and only one to get pregnant. Her surprise pregnancy had told the Drakkor they’d been wrong all along about the females being sterile. Tammy had spent hours being interviewed, and the scientists had realized how necessary love was to the equation.
“I don’t care what she’s doing,” Maria told him. “If she can’t travel, send a teacher to her. I wouldn’t put it past Polacek to decide to take her out along with her unborn child. The way he thinks, he might figure it’s better to take out our entire race if he can’t be part of continuing it.”
Her father cursed. “You’re probably right. I’ll reach out to them immediately. But before I go, are you safe?”
“I believe so. There were a few rough spots, but I learned my lessons well. I’m confident my magic is strong enough to defeat him.” Though she felt a tiny niggle of doubt, she ignored it. The one part of the equation no one knew was exactly how powerful Polacek’s magic had become. She hoped she never had to find out.
Chapter 10
Ryan drove to the seawall and parked. He sat in his Jeep, watching the beach and the waves, along with the hordes of tourists. Stunned, he took Maria’s list from his pocket and slowly unfolded it. He couldn’t believe he’d offered to help Maria find a new boyfriend. Worse, he couldn’t believe she’d accepted.
Once again, he read over the list. He didn’t understand why no one had told her how unrealistic some of the items were. Setting her up for failure made no sense. But she’d be doomed to disappointment if she expected any man—other than maybe a magical Drakkor—to be so in tune with her he could read her mind.
He thought of some of the stories he’d heard about true mates. Some said that once they’d mated they could intuitively get what the other was thinking. But he doubted this happened the instant they met. Heck, he seriously doubted it happened at all.
Disheartened, and wondering why he felt so gloomy, he pulled out from the parking lot and headed home to Austin.
Once he’d left the island, he phoned Timothy. “Any progress in dealing with the house fire?”
“Omigod, no.” Timothy’s voice went high, a sure sign his nerves were frazzled. “In fact, the longer you stay away, the more those people seem to think you had something to do with the fire. I pointed out to them that you could buy a hundred beach houses without batting an eye, but they didn’t seem to care. I think they’re trying to get a court order or something to make you appear. Why won’t you? Where are you?”
“I’m on my way to Austin.” Ryan spoke in a calm and level tone, the way he always did when Timothy freaked out. “I’ve got a few things I need to take care of at home. Plus I want to stop in at the office tomorrow. So if you have any paperwork needing my attention, have it ready.”
“Will do. But, Ryan, why won’t you deal with the house thing? It’s gotten out of control. One visit from you would put an end to it. Those investigators keep blowing up our phone lines with their incessant calling.”
Ryan sighed. “To be honest, I’d managed to forget about that fire.”
“Forget? How could you forget? Your vacation house was torched.”
“I’ve had a lot on my mind. Look, I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?” Ryan ended the call before Timothy could protest. And then, because his assistant was absolutely right, he took the first exit, turned around and headed back to Galveston to deal with the fire. Some things did need to be handled, and once he got this taken care of his insurance could take over and see about getting his house repaired or replaced.
Plus, he hoped if he kept himself busy, he could stop thinking about the beautiful and desirable Maria Miranda.
* * *
Maria kept busy the next several days, blessedly so. Her heart wouldn’t stop aching, which made her feel foolish, so she embraced the distraction to keep her mind off Ryan. Summers were the busiest time of the year at the wedding chapel and they were booked solid every single day. Her father kept her apprised of what the Council and the Pack were doing to try and locate Polacek and Tracey. So far, they’d had little success.
They had, however, followed Maria’s advice and sent Stephanie to the Eyrie to train in using her magic. Maria could only hope that Micah, Brandon and Roger didn’t give Stephanie as much of a hard time as they had her.
Four nights into Ryan’s absence, Maria got home exhausted, her stomach grumbling from hunger. She made a quick sandwich and turned on the television, needing a few minutes of mindless entertainment so she could begin to relax.
Aimlessly clicking through television shows, Maria stopped when Ryan’s handsome face flashed up on her screen.
“Everyone loves Ryan Howard,” the female announcer said. “Now, we here at Additional TV are going to find out what makes America’s Most Eligible Billionaire Bachelor tick.”
Maria froze. Her heart flip-flopped in her chest. How was it she couldn’t escape this man, even when he was out of town? She wondered when this interview had been filmed. No doubt long before she’d ever met him.
Ignoring her misgivings, Maria set the remote on the coffee table and watched.
Clearly, the host, Tiffani Martin, found Ryan attractive. But then again, Maria thought as she chowed down on her sandwich, who wouldn’t? Still, the way the woman leaned in and constantly found ways to touch Ryan, began to annoy her.
“I know all our female viewers are wondering if you can describe your perfect woman,” Tiffani asked, batting her false eyelashes at him.
Despite everything, Maria found herself holding her breath as she waited to hear what he would say.
“I’m not sure I actually have a perfect woman.” Looking directly at the camera, Ryan smiled that confident and sexy smile that Maria knew so well. “I love women too much to be able to answer that question. They’re all flawless, in my opinion.”
“Nicely done,” Tiffani’s smile never faltered. “But surely you have a type that you’re attracted to. Can you at least give us a hint of what that might be?”
Clearly, she wanted Ryan to tell her she was his type. Maria shook her head. No wonder Ryan never wanted to settle down. Why should he, when beautiful women fell all over themselves to get close to him?
“What I like in a woman is self-confidence,” Ryan finally answered. “A woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it.”
Stunned, Maria dropped the rest of her sandwich back in the plate. She’d thought he’d say something shallow, something about curves or eyes, or the willingness to do whatever he wanted.
“Interesting,” Tiffani purred, clearly aware she oozed self-confidence. “Anything else you’d like to add?”
Still smiling, Ryan shook his head. His dark hair gleamed in the studio lights. Once again, Maria’s chest ached. She’d never known a man could be so dang
erously beautiful.
“Well then, why don’t you tell us a little bit about how you became a billionaire? Considering your past, that must have been quite a climb.”
His past? Maria realized that, in all the time she’d known Ryan, he’d talked very little about himself.
His expression changed, just slightly. Not enough for the talk show host to notice, but Maria did. Clearly, he still wasn’t a fan of tooting his own horn.
His tone clipped, he recited the history of how he’d started his own company, rushing along through dry facts and places and dates with the bored air of a man who has repeated himself far too many times before.
“But I’m sure your viewers know all that,” he finished, relaxing somewhat as he made a show of glancing at his watch. “Unless you have more questions, I think our time is just about over.”
“Not yet.” When Tiffani smiled at the camera as if inviting viewers in to a private joke, her expression reminded Maria of a shark. “What about toys? I think our viewers would be interested to know what a billionaire drives. I assume you have several cars, a yacht, and what else?”
Ryan’s smile had completely vanished now. “The answer to that question can easily be looked up on the internet. Yes, I have a couple of boats, and numerous cars and a private jet. I also have a few houses here and there.” Again he checked his watch. “Now if you don’t have anything interesting to ask, I need to be going.”
Appearing completely unfazed by Ryan’s lack of enthusiasm, Tiffani leaned forward and put her hand on his leg, her long scarlet nails vivid against his black pants. “I have more,” she said softly, her expression serious for the first time since the interview started. “Talk about your past. Before you were rich. I understand you lived in your car for a while?”
Expression remote, he gave the slightest of nods. “I did. That was a long time ago.”
“Not that long,” she put in, her smooth tone at odds with the flat look in his eyes. “Not even ten years. I believe you were in college?”
“I left college. I wanted to start my own company. My father refused to help me and wouldn’t let me come home. Nor would he contribute financially if I left school. I quit anyway.”
Billionaire Wolf (The Pack 17) (Nocturne) Page 13
