Taken By Storm. Cat Schield

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СКАЧАТЬ had been trying to find his softer side—without success—since he was old enough to date. Most of the time he wasn’t interested enough in them to want to explore past the surface. Sex was one thing. He believed in satisfying a woman in bed, leaving her breathless and sated before he slid back into his clothes and headed for the door. Lingering to snuggle and exchange confidences only led to attachments and took his focus away from work.

      Romance meant tapping into his emotions and he had no intention of going there. He’d been raised by a father who valued hard work above all else and cynically avoided showing any emotion beyond annoyance and contempt for his troublesome son. Shane’s mother had died when he was eight. He remembered crying at her funeral and how his father had shut him down, telling him to get over it. His mother wasn’t coming back and she wouldn’t be proud of him for being such a weakling.

      “In terms of romance,” he said, “you’ll find me a hard sell.”

      From the expression on her face, he saw his mistake. By declaring he was immune, he’d just thrown down a gauntlet.

      “What?” he demanded, anxiety and excitement blinking awake inside him.

      Her delightful smile took up the challenge. “This is going to be interesting.”

      * * *

      Following the bombshell of his father leaving Teresa shares of Christopher Corporation stock, Liam had traded several texts with Matt Richmond, but hadn’t yet gotten his best friend on the phone to spill all that had happened regarding his father’s will. Because of their similar fortunes and lifestyles, Matt had become someone Liam felt comfortable talking to about business as well as personal issues he might be having.

      Which was why Liam wished he had his friend around to talk to about his chaotic emotions where Teresa was concerned. Instead, Matt was unreachable after deciding to extend his quick trip to the Big Apple into a romantic getaway to a destination unknown. Liam didn’t want to envy Matt. The Richmond Enterprises CEO deserved to be happy. But Liam couldn’t stop comparing his own failed love life to Matt’s happy one and wishing he had better luck with women.

      Why had Linus given Teresa shares when he could’ve bequeathed an equally generous amount in cash or property? Hell, if his father had given her the winery and villa in Tuscany, the yacht moored in the Cayman Islands and the vacation house in Bali, Liam might’ve been furious, but he could’ve let those things go and wiped Teresa St. Claire from his mind.

      Instead, Linus had made it so that Teresa couldn’t divest herself of the shares without giving a year of her time to the company’s board. The ridiculous codicil put Liam in an untenable position of having to work side by side with a woman he didn’t trust.

      A woman he desired.

      Someone who made him second-guess his perceptions about what he’d believed all his life. Someone who made him question his mother’s stories about her failed marriage.

      He’d opened himself up to the idea that the connection he felt toward Teresa might have potential. So he’d arranged to spend a perfect evening with her on the yacht. Expensive champagne, a gourmet dinner. A heartfelt apology over how he’d been so suspicious of her. All so he could set the stage for a romantic invitation to stay with him during the Richmond retreat. At the same time, he wanted Teresa there while he read the will, knowing it would be emotional.

      He hadn’t taken the step lightly. The move would reveal that she was important to him. That he trusted her. All that went up in smoke after the shocking discovery of his father’s bequest. While Liam had been falling for her, she’d been lying to him. She’d played him for a fool, and it was long past time for Liam to accept that her innocent act was exactly that.

      He’d believed her when she’d claimed that her relationship with his father had been strictly professional, but Linus’s gift of twenty-five percent of his shares in Christopher Corporation told a different story.

      And demanded further investigation.

      His phone rang as he slid behind the wheel of his car. Liam sent his attention flickering toward the screen, where his mother’s face had appeared. Ever since his father’s death, Catherine Dupont—she’d returned to her maiden name after the divorce—had been avidly curious about her ex-husband’s will. She’d received a significant settlement at the time of their divorce, but as Christopher Corporation continued to flourish and grow, she’d resented that her financial situation remained stagnant while Linus grew wealthier by the day.

      “Why didn’t you tell me you’d heard from your father’s lawyer?” Catherine scolded him as soon as he’d greeted her.

      Liam wondered how she’d found out. He’d been dodging her for nearly a week, still processing the document’s shocking revelation, and wasn’t prepared to deal with his mother’s reaction when she heard what happened or to explain what his father had done.

      “I’ve been busy.” Liam wished he had a better excuse.

      “And?” Catherine demanded, not waiting for her son to respond before launching into her interrogation. “Did Linus leave you everything? Of course he did. I suppose he gave something to that secretary of his. She was too territorial for my taste, calling him at all hours with some excuse or another. I’m pretty sure she was in love with him. He was obviously flattered by all her attention. How much did he leave her?”

      His mother’s rapid-fire questions battered Liam, taking his irritation to new heights. He opened his mouth, determined to shut her down, only to realize that as weary as he’d grown of her suspicious and jaded view of the world, she’d been right to suspect something was going on between Linus and Teresa. This revelation took the edge off his temper toward his mother. Obviously she was right to assume the worst of people.

      Yet even as he accepted this, a familiar darkness settled over his mood.

      The time he’d spent with Teresa, making love to her, helping her when she freaked out about her brother. That had all been real. Hadn’t it? Liam blew out a breath. In the span of a few short minutes, his entire world had gone topsy-turvy. Or maybe it was more the case that his ship had righted itself. Maybe his growing feelings for Teresa had been the anomaly. There was no question he’d felt less like himself over the last few weeks than ever before.

      “Liam,” his mother said impatiently. “Are you still there? Did you hear what I asked? Did your father leave money to his secretary?”

      She never referred to Esther Smithers by her name.

      “I’m not sure,” he replied, barely remembering anything after the bombshell news that Teresa had received shares that should’ve been his.

      “What do you mean you’re not sure?” Her outrage came through loud and clear. “How can you not be sure? Didn’t you read the will?”

      “I didn’t get a chance to read through the entire thing,” he lied. He’d examined every word.

      “Why not?”

      “He left twenty-five percent of his shares in Christopher Corporation to Teresa St. Claire,” Liam blurted out. He gave his mother a heartbeat to absorb the information before continuing, “Any idea why he might’ve done that?”

      “To punish me, obviously.”

      Her answer was so ridiculous that Liam almost laughed. The only person damaged by Linus’s last-minute СКАЧАТЬ