Devlin Dynasty 2: Fall Fury (2 page)

Then he’d have to meet with the Storm family. He knew from conversations with Logan that he’d be working with their sister, Shannon, head of The Rising Storm’s Public Relations Department. He’d heard of her, knew what kind ofbusinesswoman she was. He’d even read articles about her PR style and what ago-getter she was.

They called her a tiger in a business suit. From the pictures he’d seen of her inmagazines, he wondered what else she growled over.

The last article he’d read was in the Louisiana Business Magazine. All about how

she single-handedly increased exposure for the Storm family holdings in New

Orleans.

He remembered the full-page picture of her in that article. She’d been dressed in apale blue suit, her dark hair pulled tightly away from her face. And what astriking face it was.

From the first moment he’d seen her picture, her image had remained burned inhis mind. Turquoise eyes sparkled with intelligence. A cool exterior masked anelemental warmth underneath. Her hair picked up the light of the camera,reminding him of a wolf’s coat. Was it long or short? It shined a luxurious sablein the glossy magazine picture. Would it be as soft to the touch?

His cock stirred, the all-too familiar ache settling between his legs, making himyearn for someone to rule beside him.

Too much time for business lately and not nearly enough time to play. He wasthirty years old, well past the age to find a life mate. That anxious, nervousfeeling seemed to permeate his being every full moon. He found himselfwandering far too often lately, that sense of searching, but not finding, nearlyoverpowering him, leaving him unfulfilled for the first time in his life.

He needed a woman. He might not like the idea, but there was no avoiding it. Andhe hadn’t been able to find one, not “the” one. When an alpha found his mate, hedamn well knew it. But out of all the women he’d been with, no one had givenhim that spark.

One woman had, and what sparked him had been nothing more than aphotograph. But why her instead of women he’d met in the flesh?

There were plenty of women in Boston, all shapes and sizes. Some like him,others completely human. He’d had a lot of them, too. Many would have killed tobecome his life mate.

The only thing he’d gotten from any of them had been a momentary relief fromthe lust that seemed to grow ever stronger inside him with each passing year. Once temporarily satiated, though, he always lost interest.

His kind required a strong alpha female. He’d yet to find one, despite the primalurge that called to him

He was tired of feeling empty, no matter how busy his days and nights. It wastime for a mate.

Time to meet Shannon Storm and see if she compelled him in person, as much asshe had on the page of a magazine.

That would happen soon enough, and if Max was anything, he was a patient man. Tonight he might want to prowl. A familiar restlessness settled over him, nodoubt due to two days traveling in this box on wheels. He needed to stretch outand go for a run, acquaint himself with the sounds and scents of New Orleans. And maybe, just maybe, find out if other packs currently controlled southeast Louisiana.

His agenda was full already. Time to prioritize. Job, pack search, and mate.

Although how he was supposed to transform when it was ninety-eight goddamndegrees in September, was beyond him. Yeah, Boston summers were hot, but thiswas nothing like what he was used to. The air outside just sucked the oxygen rightfrom his lungs.

New Orleans—one helluva place to take up residence.

* * * * *

Shannon Storm paced her office, her heels clicking on the smooth surface of thegleaming wood floors.

“Would you stop that? You’re making me dizzy.”

She halted mid-stride and turned to Melissa Cross, her soon-to-be sister-in-law.

Shrugging, she said, “Sorry, Lissa. I’m thinking.”

Melissa crossed her legs and tugged at her navy skirt. “So I see. Thinking aboutwhat?”

How could she explain that she couldn’t describe her feelings? They made nosense to her. Trying to tell someone else what rolled through her mind would beimpossible. She felt…restless. And excited. Like a child anticipating Christmas

morning and what awaited her. But as hard as she tried to pinpoint some event,

she had no clue what excited her.

It was fall. Her season. Yet summer lingered on, as if trying to keep her at bay. Though she tried not to buy into the magic that was a part of her, she also waspragmatic enough to acknowledge it existed. The season of fall was when she wasmost comfortable with her power, almost as if it were an annual unleashing of allthe pent-up anxieties she controlled throughout the year.

But this year there was a delay in fall, and the humid stickiness just added to herirritation. That had to be the reason she felt the way she did. What else could therebe?

Work was normal, the hotel/casino project moving along, and the PR plan inplace. She was going to meet Max Devlin, the hotshot PR guy Melissa hadrecommended, and he was going to work on the plan with her.

“You’re pissy about Max coming to help out, aren’t you?” Melissa asked.

Funny how Lissa could nearly read her mind after only knowing her a fewmonths. “I’m not pissy. I’m irritated. I can run public relations just fine on myown. I don’t need some Yankee coming down here and trying to tell me how todo my job.”

Lissa coughed and covered her mouth, but Shannon caught the smile she tried tohide. Feigning a serious expression, Lissa said, “I’m sure he won’t do that. Granted, he’s a shark in business, but I think you’ll be impressed once you meethim.”

She didn’t want to meet him. She didn’t want to have to deal with anyinterference on this project. “I’ll deal with him because Logan consulted himwithout my approval and invited him down here. Otherwise, I’d kick his ass allthe way back to Boston.”

“I’d sell tickets to that event.”

She offered a mock glare. “Smartass. And I used to think you were so nice.”

“Oh, you love me and you know it.”

Shannon smiled, pushing her annoyance to the back of her mind. “Yes, I do. Youand Aidan haven’t even gotten married yet and you’re already my sister. By theway, where is your fiancé?”

“Meeting with Logan and going over some budget numbers for the marketing and

PR plan.”

Shannon scrunched her nose. “Ugh. I’m glad I’m not in on that meeting. I canonly imagine how Mister-icy-calm-Logan will try to cram his budget numbersunder Mister-hot-and-frenzied-Aidan. Although it would be fun to be a fly on thewall.”

The sounds of male voices raised in anger sailed down the hallway of the Stormcorporate offices. “I don’t think we need to be a fly on the wall. They’re bothcoming through loud and clear,” Lissa offered, a sly smile gracing her face.

Shannon laughed. Her brothers were all voice, all talk, but deep down they had anabiding love and respect for each other that no one could tear down.

Lissa stood and looked at her watch. “I need to go. Are we still meeting Maxwhen he gets in?”

“Yes. We’re meeting in the conference room about six.”

“Okay, that leaves me an hour or so, then. I expect the explosion between Aidan and Logan will be over soon. I should go back to my office and prepare myself for Aidan’s arrival, followed by his venting tirade about how unreasonable Logan is.”

“You poor baby. But you’re the one who fell in love with the idiot. Now you have

to deal with him.”

With a wink, Melissa opened the door and said, “I love dealing with him. Besides,how can I resist a man who makes my body thunder, my orgasms strike likelightning and brings on rain in our bedroom?”

“TMI, sister,” Shannon replied with a wink. Melissa laughed and closed the door behind her, leaving Shannon with the wild array of thoughts racing through her mind.

During that hour before she had to meet Max Devlin, she planned her strategy onhow to gain the upper hand with him right away. He may be the wizard of thenortheast in public relations, but she was no slouch herself. And he was in
 
her

t
erritory now. He’d learn very quickly that he’d be taking a supporting role in their PR launch. If he had suggestions, she might listen. Might. Then again, she might not. After all, it hadn’t been her idea to bring him down here. And while she might have promised Logan she’d work with Devlin, she didn’t promise that she’d work with him as an equal partner.

He’d soon discover who was the alpha dog in this relationship. Besides, she’dhave her family standing with her, so she had nothing to worry about.

Confident, she stepped out of her office and headed to the conference room, intenton arriving early and grabbing a prominent place at the table. After all,appearances were everything, as was preparation.

She swung through the oak double doors and stopped short.

The room wasn’t empty. A man was in there, his back to her as he gazed out thetall windows behind the table. His dark suit had to have cost a fortune, and musthave been custom-made, considering the way it hugged his body. His jet-blackhair waved over the white starched collar of his shirt. A bit too long for what wasconsidered professional, but damn if it wasn’t sexy as hell as it curled in tinywisps against his tanned neck.

He turned to her and something within her sparked an immediate recognition, asif her body knew him. Ridiculous, since they’d never met, but the chemicalreaction was overpowering. She grabbed for the back of the nearest chair, her legssuddenly trembling. For some reason, her limbs wouldn’t move.

She’d never had this kind of a response to a man before. Never.

Without speaking, he approached her. He didn’t smile either, just walked towardher slowly, in a stealthy, sexy way that had her thinking things she shouldn’t.

Thoughts like primal. Animal. Lust. Passion. Sex. Hot, sweaty, incredible sex.

His eyes were breathtaking, a combination of green and gold that melted togetherlike an artist’s palette. Lashes as dark as his hair swept up along his brows. Hisnose was narrow, his jaw square, his lips delectably full—the guy looked more

like one of today’s hot movie stars than just a regular man. That sensual mouth of his curved into a lethal smile, and she forced herself to meet his eyes, all the while curious as to why she had suddenly forgotten rudimentary biological functions— like breathing.

“Shannon Storm,” he said, his voice as seductive as his appearance. “I’m Max

Devlin.”

He extended his hand, but for an instant she was afraid to make bodily contactwith him, unsure if she could withhold her magical reaction to the maelstromstirring inside her. As it was, she felt unsteady, her entire world shaken. And allshe’d done was look at him.

The professional in her wouldn’t stand for any of this teenage girl drooling over aman. She held out her hand, tucked the magic deep inside her and directed herthoughts away from sex and onto business. “Max. Welcome to The Rising Storm.”

When he took her hand, her toes curled right inside her shoes. She sucked in herlower lip and fought the panic assailing her. Heat shot through every limb, everyorgan, settling somewhere between her legs. She moistened instantly, her nippleshardening and pressing against her thin, lacy bra.

Max’s hand stilled. He closed his eyes for the briefest of seconds, then inhaledsharply. When he opened his eyes, he graced her with a smile so predatory itcaused her pulse to leap.

No. She did
 
not
 
have physical reactions like this. She was losing control. Whenshe tried to pull her hand away, he held on, as if he sensed her reluctance.

Unfortunately, his heated grip on her only served to bring forth the response shefeared most. Irritation grew within her, mixed with an inexplicable lust thatpermeated every part of her body. Railing against the loss of control, she let loosea little of the magic boiling inside her. The heavy doors blew open as a fiercewind blew through the conference room, whipping tendrils of her hair from itstight chignon and nearly propelling her against his chest.

Fighting to control the magic, she gripped his hand and squeezed with all hermight, hoping her power would zap him with a shot of electricity that wouldshoot him straight across the room. No man had ever been able to stand up to the

ferocity of the elements once she unleashed them.

They stood surrounded by what could easily be classified as hurricane forcewinds, and yet Max wasn’t even struggling for balance. His eyes had darkened,the green nearly obliterated by the golden hue that seemed to glow. His grip heldfirm to her, almost as if he had accepted her unspoken challenge to back off anddecided that he wasn’t going to budge.

Why wasn’t he shocked? Why wasn’t he running for his life? For God’s sake,wind like this didn’t occur within an office complex. He was supposed to beafraid, or at least show some concern about what the hell was going on.

Instead, he held onto her as if they had engaged in a battle of wills, and he wasdetermined to come out the victor.

Over her dead body.

It would be inappropriate to present arcing lightning in the Storm corporateoffices, but she sure felt like blowing out the floor-to-ceiling windows in theconference room right now. How dare he provoke her this way?!