Buying His Bride (The Donovan Brothers Trilogy Book 1) (7 page)

“When I referred your name to Murdoch, it was because I knew you needed money. It sounded like John could throw some independent consulting your way.” He rubbed his neck in frustration. “I figured it would be good professional development for you, and I knew the firm wouldn’t mind because John had said it was not up McKinley’s usual alley. But I certainly didn’t intend for you to start dating Michael Donovan, of all people!”

“Brian, you’re making it sound like I’m doing something outrageous.” Sierra smiled, hoping she looked confident. She didn’t feel confident. “I appreciate your giving me the business lead. I do. It’s just that that side of things didn’t work out when the three of us sat down for our meeting.” She avoided his gaze by taking a sip of her latte from the coffee vendor in the courtyard. “Something else…did. That’s all.”

It was critical that Brian and everyone else see her and Michael as a couple rather than as a business proposition, but the water cooler news around the office about their date was bound to come as something of a shock nonetheless. San Francisco’s public relations world was a small one.

She and Michael had been spotted by one of McKinley’s junior partners while they were out on Friday. Of course, that had been part of the see-and-be-seen plan.

At the same time, Sierra wasn’t wild her colleagues were gossiping about her private life. Given her well-known reticence toward men, the gossip was more pronounced than it might have been otherwise.

Brian wasn’t placated. “Sierra, I’m almost old enough to be your father. Bruce and I both are.” He frowned at the thought and then revised. “Scratch that. We’re old enough to be your handsome, charming, older brothers.”

Sierra laughed, but Brian refused to be distracted. “If Bruce and I had kids, boys or girls, I wouldn’t want them to date Michael Donovan”

“Boys
or
girls?” Sierra stared at him. “Are you trying to say Michael is gay?”

“What? No, of course not! Haven’t you read the papers? He’s most definitely straight and goes through women like water. That’s my point. He’s not your type.”

“I don’t have a type, Brian. You know that.” Sierra cocked her head at him. “In fact, you’ve always said that was part of my problem: I keep my mind on business only. How many times have you tried to persuade me to date in the past? Now I finally am and you’re upset!”

“Honey, anyone else and I’d be thrilled, but Donovan’s the kind of guy who eats little girls like you for breakfast… You’re going from zero-to-sixty in five seconds flat. Why not start with someone a little more tame?”

“Dare I imagine you’re envious—a tall, handsome billionaire?” Sierra tried to inject a teasing note to jolly Brian out of his concern. Truth be told, it made her nervous. More nervous than she already was. She wasn’t too sure she could handle Michael Donovan, either, particularly after their make-out session in his car.

“Don’t get me wrong. You’re gorgeous and he’s lucky to be dating you. That’s not my point.”

Sierra shrugged. “As you and Bruce well know, pretty much most men are out of my realm of experience. By choice. What difference does that make? I’m a quick study, I promise.”

After their conversation, Sierra spoke with a client, finished drafting a report, and then glanced at the clock on her desk. The morning had passed quickly. “Crap!” She was late for her weekly lunch with Jen.

“So was it hot?” Jen asked. They ate at their usual open-air spot.

Sierra took a bite of her spinach salad. “I thought the weather was rather cool,” she prevaricated.

“Oh. My. God. It
was
hot. You two totally had sex! Look at you! I told you so!”

“We did not have sex!” Sierra clung to technicalities. Well, they hadn’t, exactly. True, Michael had given her an amazing orgasm, but they’d stayed out of bed. Furthermore, it wasn’t something she intended to let happen again.

“So clothes stayed on, just as planned?” Jen was incorrigible.

Sierra thought of the ripped nylons and flushed. “Um, more or less.”

“Less or more?”

Sierra shot a quelling glance at her friend. “I’m not saying anything else. Eat your lunch.”

Jen shook her head. “I’m not eating another bite until you give me a little dirt. You owe me that much. At least tell me whether Michael liked the outfit.” There was a gleam in her eye. “Although he’d have to be dead if he didn’t!”

No one could take their eyes off you when we walked in just now. You’re a beautiful woman.

“He liked it, okay? Now can we just finish our lunch in peace?”

“Oh wow, you have it bad, don’t you? I’ve never seen you like this!”

Sierra gave up on her salad. “Seen me like what? And I do not have it bad! Yes, Michael’s an attractive man, and okay, we, um, enjoyed each other’s company.”

That much was true, at least.

She battled an inclination to play down the date.

“This is fabulous! I’m so glad for you!”

“Jen, it was nothing but a first date!” Even if she did have to create the impression that she and Michael were interested in each other, she felt a knee-jerk need to dial back the pace at which her friend was leaping to those very conclusions.

For her own peace of mind, if nothing else.

Jen leaned forward. “So what does Brian think of all this?”

Sierra shrugged. “He’s not thrilled.”

Doubts assailed her. Had she embarked on a desperate mission to save her and her mother’s home and business in a way that was guaranteed to backfire? How had what was supposed to have been a simple business interview for some extra money turned into this baroque arrangement and the need to convince those around them that she and Michael were falling in love?

Her desperation, that’s how. And she was desperate enough to make it work.

Jen watched Sierra’s face. “Grace liked him, though, didn’t she?”

Sierra nodded.

“So what’s the problem?” Jen asked. “I like him, your mom likes him, and judging from all your blushing, you seem to like him. Brian will come around once he sees Michael treats you well.”

Sierra bit her lip, wishing she could tell her the true circumstances of her relationship. If ever she needed to confide in someone it was now. But she couldn’t. “Nothing, I guess,” she replied with determined brightness. “I suppose I’m just nervous about meeting Michael’s family this coming Friday. You know, his father and two brothers.”

“Whoa!” Jen exclaimed. “That’s quick”

“Right?” Sierra matched her friend’s tone. “Cocktails at his father’s home in Sea Cliff, with a few family friends.”

“Wonderful! Another opportunity to dress you up!”

The enthusiasm on her friend’s face made Sierra laugh despite herself. “Well, I’ll need all the help I can get, I guess, so yes.” She glanced at her watch. “Yikes, it’s late. I’d better get back to the office. Let’s talk later this week, and set it up, okay? I’m going to need all my courage to walk into a den of illustrious Donovans.”

Chapter Five

The cocktail party was in full swing when Sierra arrived at the Donovan home. Michael insisted on sending a car to her office because Sierra had put in a long day. As she was helped out of it by the driver and greeted at the door by the family housekeeper, she couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed by her surroundings.

It was amazing what a great distance in social class and wealth only a few geographical miles could represent in San Francisco. While the real estate prices in her area of town had skyrocketed in the past couple of decades, it had originally been a middle-class neighborhood. Sea Cliff, on the other hand, had been a site of luxury homes since its earliest days.

As Sierra entered the large foyer, Michael emerged from a room beyond it where the party was already in full swing. Her heart pounded. He looked incredibly attractive in dark trousers and black cashmere turtleneck.

They hadn’t seen each other since their date, but Michael had called nightly to speak with her about her day. Sierra half-suspected it was to make sure she didn’t rethink the advisability of the contract.

She would make good on her word.

During one of the calls, Michael talked her through their strategy for the cocktail evening. “Remember, this is a party to confirm publicly the rumors that have been circulating since we went out last week. We need to move quickly, and people need to understand that our relationship is serious.”

He’d been all business on the phone, and never referred to what happened between them in the car. Sierra was relieved.

She couldn’t afford to let wine go to her head again. A business deal was on the line as well as her financial and emotional independence. Mixing business with pleasure never worked, and people got hurt. She’d learned that in college, to her cost, and she wouldn’t let it happen again.

Sierra handed the vintage faux leopard swing jacket Jen lent her from her boutique to the housekeeper and gulped despite her resolution. While it was all an act for the benefit of others, Michael’s expression was everything a model lover’s should be.

Appreciative.

Desiring.

Scorching.

“Good evening, Sierra,” he said, for the housekeeper’s benefit and then, as the woman turned away to hang Sierra’s wrap, he whispered in her ear, “You look beautiful.”

Sierra sighed. “I’ve told you, you don’t need to say things like that. I’ll act my part whether or not you compliment me.” She strived for a casual tone. “And you can thank Jen once again. She masterminded my outfit.”

Michael straightened. “Jen is becoming one of my favorite people.” His tone went from sizzling to friendly to match her own, but his gaze was still warm.

This time Jen had kitted her out in a retro tailored black pencil skirt with high waistline that emphasized the length of her long, slim legs and hit them mid-calf. It was paired with a tight-fitting long-sleeved gray sweater with the same strand of pearls she had worn a week earlier. Sierra was covered from neck to calf and wrist.

Why, then, did the expression in Michael’s eyes make her feel half-naked? Maybe he was one of those men who couldn’t turn off the charm or the libido. God knows there were enough of them around.

Except he’d shown her last week that he had depth and intelligence as well. As a package deal, he was a lethal combination.

She always avoided lethal combinations at all costs.

“What?” Sierra smoothed her hair coiled in an elegant chignon at the base of her neck from which a few auburn strands escaped. “Aren’t I properly dressed for the occasion?”

“Oh, you’re very proper.” Michael took her arm. “The sweater, the skirt, the dark stockings, the black heels.” Then, as he opened the door to the party, he added, “All I can think about right now is stripping everything off of you and getting you to wrap those long, long legs around my waist.”

With that, he ushered her into a room full of family and guests.

****

When he came into the foyer and saw Sierra, a wave of desire slammed into Michael’s gut. If she’d looked sexy the night they went to Bijou, she looked twice as alluring tonight in her elegant garb.

Damn Jen, who probably knew exactly what she was doing when she chose those clothes. Sierra’s figure was impeccable, and the fabrics, while covering her, revealed every last tantalizing curve of leg, thigh, waist, and breast. She’d reddened just now when he whispered his fantasy into her ear. He loved making her blush. He’d lay money on a bet that every red-blooded man in the room was having the same thoughts.

Michael was a little surprised by how possessive he felt as he steered Sierra through the sitting room full of guests toward his father. His remarks in the foyer had been designed to remind her they were acting the parts of impassioned lovers.

Or so he told himself.

But the truth was, they were also a statement of fact. He wanted her. He’d wanted her in his office. He’d wanted her the night they went out. And he wanted her now. He could deal with desire, though. It was one of the reasons he hired Sierra, after all. Hell, the more others could witness the chemistry between them, the more convinced they’d be that their relationship was the real deal.

Michael frowned. Granted, he and Sierra were bound together by a business arrangement, not a personal one, but it only stood to reason that he would protect what was his, either way.

And for all intents and purposes, according to the contract, Sierra was his for the duration.

He tightened his arm on her elbow, glared at an old friend of the family who stared at her, and approached his father who stood with his brothers near a giant fireplace.

“Sierra, this is Connor Donovan, my father. Father, this is Sierra Callahan.”

Sierra extended her hand to the older man. “I’m pleased to meet you, sir.”

At several inches over six feet, the indomitable Connor towered over all men but his three sons. Despite his recent stroke, he was an impressive figure. “Sierra, is it? Happy to meet you. Michael rarely introduces me to his female companions.”

Michael groaned and cursed the older man’s frankness. Connor’s stroke hadn’t diminished it one whit.

Sierra laughed. “I can imagine. I’m honored he has tonight.”

Without missing a beat and with a charisma similar to his oldest son’s, Connor inclined his head. “The pleasure is all mine, Miss Callahan.”

Trust his father to turn on the charm. That was a good sign. Connor was feeling better tonight than he had in the past weeks and his speech was scarcely slurred at all. He liked Sierra.

Hurdle one down.

Michael turned Sierra toward his brothers. “Sierra, this is Rafe. And this is Gabe. Don’t trust them farther than you can throw them.”

Sierra greeted them. As co-authors of the idea of his contract with Sierra, they sized her up. She smiled, shaking each man’s hand in turn. “I see height runs in the Donovan family. All three of you have a family resemblance to your father, who must be very proud of you.”

Rafe smiled. “Gabe and I are fraternal twins and had a different mother than Michael. But yes, Father’s genes won out in the height department.”

“I’m happy to meet you,” replied Gabe. “It’s rare to run into a woman who’s willing to take on our big brother on equal terms.”