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Authors: Nalini Singh
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moved over the sunshine of her face. “You’re not exactly open. After all this time, I barely know you. I feel like you’re only willing to share the easy parts of yourself. The rest, you keep locked up tight.”
He rested his forehead against hers, rocked by how well she understood him. “I’ll fight for you, Vicki. So, fight for me.” It was an invitation with terrifying implications. What if she discovered the shame he’d spent a lifetime trying to erase?
Caleb’s mood of tentative hope didn’t last. An hour after he walked into the office, all hell broke loose with the Donner deal.
Callaghan & Associates was representing the Donner family in the sale of their multi-million-dollar shipping concern to Bentley Corporation. The deal was almost done, the financial negotiations finalized, the legal paperwork drafted. The contract was to be signed today.
“Kent, I don’t think I heard you right.” Caleb stared at his most competent associate. “I thought you said Abe Donner changed his mind.” Abe was the patriarch of the clan, the one who’d founded their business empire. He was eighty-six and the best tactician Caleb had ever seen, but unfortunately, he had an emotional attachment to the shipping part of the family’s interests.
Kent winced. “He just sent through a fax. Here.” He shoved the fax at Caleb as if getting rid of a bomb.
Caleb read the three-line letter and dropped his head in his hands. He didn’t need this right now. He wished Abe Donner to perdition and back and then started thinking about the next steps.
As attorneys for the family, they would, of course, do as the Donners wanted. The problem was, the Donners were split—Abe on one side and the rest of the family on the other. Abe controlled fifty percent of the shares, so without him, Bentley wasn’t interested.
“If they don’t sign today, Bentley will back out. There’s a good chance they’ll start negotiations to buy Snow-Hinkerman Lines instead of Donner,” Kent said, as if Caleb didn’t know.
“And if Bentley backs out, Donner Shipping is going to go down,” Caleb muttered. “It’s already leeching money from all their other businesses.”
“What do we do now?” Kent’s face said he knew the answer but didn’t want to be the one to say it.
“We advise the family.”
Their hastily drafted fax to the other shareholders was like throwing a grenade into a busy street. The shrapnel went every which way and Caleb spent his day trying to referee between the two camps while keeping an already edgy Bentley from throwing in the towel.
Finally, at around one in the morning, Abe conceded defeat to his children and grandchildren and signed on the dotted line. Caleb knew it had been the only viable option given the state of the shipping operations, but he felt for the old man. He’d hate it if someone tried to take Callaghan & Associates from him.
Tired and hungry after having missed both lunch and dinner, his mind on the files he’d have to catch up on tomorrow, he parked the car in the driveway of the villa, then started to walk up the path. He hadn’t gone more than a few feet when the front door opened to reveal Vicki. Dressed in one of his old rugby jerseys, she looked good enough to eat, but he wasn’t happy to see her there. “What are you doing up?”
Vicki couldn’t miss the lines of tiredness on his face and tried to tell herself to be patient. “Waiting for you.” She closed the door behind him and headed to the bedroom, excruciatingly aware of his presence at her back.
“You’re pregnant. You need your sleep.” He began to undress the second they reached the room.
Getting into bed, she let him get rid of his shoes, belt, jacket and tie before she spoke again. “You’re doing it all over again.” Her eye fell on the book on the bedside table, the book she’d planned to share with him tonight.
“What?” He shoved his hand through his hair, clearly distracted.
In the past, she’d
He rested his forehead against hers, rocked by how well she understood him. “I’ll fight for you, Vicki. So, fight for me.” It was an invitation with terrifying implications. What if she discovered the shame he’d spent a lifetime trying to erase?
Caleb’s mood of tentative hope didn’t last. An hour after he walked into the office, all hell broke loose with the Donner deal.
Callaghan & Associates was representing the Donner family in the sale of their multi-million-dollar shipping concern to Bentley Corporation. The deal was almost done, the financial negotiations finalized, the legal paperwork drafted. The contract was to be signed today.
“Kent, I don’t think I heard you right.” Caleb stared at his most competent associate. “I thought you said Abe Donner changed his mind.” Abe was the patriarch of the clan, the one who’d founded their business empire. He was eighty-six and the best tactician Caleb had ever seen, but unfortunately, he had an emotional attachment to the shipping part of the family’s interests.
Kent winced. “He just sent through a fax. Here.” He shoved the fax at Caleb as if getting rid of a bomb.
Caleb read the three-line letter and dropped his head in his hands. He didn’t need this right now. He wished Abe Donner to perdition and back and then started thinking about the next steps.
As attorneys for the family, they would, of course, do as the Donners wanted. The problem was, the Donners were split—Abe on one side and the rest of the family on the other. Abe controlled fifty percent of the shares, so without him, Bentley wasn’t interested.
“If they don’t sign today, Bentley will back out. There’s a good chance they’ll start negotiations to buy Snow-Hinkerman Lines instead of Donner,” Kent said, as if Caleb didn’t know.
“And if Bentley backs out, Donner Shipping is going to go down,” Caleb muttered. “It’s already leeching money from all their other businesses.”
“What do we do now?” Kent’s face said he knew the answer but didn’t want to be the one to say it.
“We advise the family.”
Their hastily drafted fax to the other shareholders was like throwing a grenade into a busy street. The shrapnel went every which way and Caleb spent his day trying to referee between the two camps while keeping an already edgy Bentley from throwing in the towel.
Finally, at around one in the morning, Abe conceded defeat to his children and grandchildren and signed on the dotted line. Caleb knew it had been the only viable option given the state of the shipping operations, but he felt for the old man. He’d hate it if someone tried to take Callaghan & Associates from him.
Tired and hungry after having missed both lunch and dinner, his mind on the files he’d have to catch up on tomorrow, he parked the car in the driveway of the villa, then started to walk up the path. He hadn’t gone more than a few feet when the front door opened to reveal Vicki. Dressed in one of his old rugby jerseys, she looked good enough to eat, but he wasn’t happy to see her there. “What are you doing up?”
Vicki couldn’t miss the lines of tiredness on his face and tried to tell herself to be patient. “Waiting for you.” She closed the door behind him and headed to the bedroom, excruciatingly aware of his presence at her back.
“You’re pregnant. You need your sleep.” He began to undress the second they reached the room.
Getting into bed, she let him get rid of his shoes, belt, jacket and tie before she spoke again. “You’re doing it all over again.” Her eye fell on the book on the bedside table, the book she’d planned to share with him tonight.
“What?” He shoved his hand through his hair, clearly distracted.
In the past, she’d