“Then maybe I should have stayed in Paris.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Cobra regretted asking the question the moment it came out of his mouth.
“It was time for me to come home.”
He was surprised she answered his question, instead of telling him where to go.
“For your information, Cobra, my grandfather is the one who asked that I return. In fact, he practically demanded it. I can only assume he felt it was time I begin learning everything I canabout the family business.” She looked him up and down. “I start working at the Sharpe Corporation on Monday.”
That was news to him. Although Richard had mentioned his granddaughter was coming home, Cobra had figured it would only be for a short visit and that she would be returning to Paris. Did that mean he would likely see her when he joined Richard for their Thursday night chess games? Or when Richard invited him to dinner? Damn, if that was the case, these next few months of celibacy might just kill him.
When they’d first met, Richard Sharpe had been a lonely man who reminded Cobra of his own grandfather, Kenneth Masters.
After divorcing wife number five, Kenneth had moved back into the community where wife number four–Cobra’s grandmother -lived. He’d purchased a home on the same street. Of his five wives, she had been the only one to give him children…or so Kenneth had thought.
They had discovered just last year that his first wife had also borne him a child—a son that Kenneth had died not knowing about. The one thing Cobra would forever appreciate was the way their grandfather had taken an active role in their lives, even while married to wife number five. He figured he and his family were likely part of the reason the marriage hadn’t lasted. The woman probably felt she couldn’t compete against an ex-wife, four sons, and a slew of grandchildren. Not every woman could tolerate a man spending so much time with the family she had assumed he had given up.
But then, that was the thing—he never let go. He had always remained a part of their lives, and Cobra could honestly say Kenneth had been the grandfather his generation of Masters had needed. When he’d grown older, Kenneth had once admitted to Cobra that one reason he’d spent so much time with them was that he feared growing old alone.
And they had made sure he hadn’t.
Cobra figured that he needed to keep Desiree talking so he wouldn’t be tempted to notice how good she felt in his arms and how her scent was getting to him. He was familiar with several feminine fragrances but couldn’t put a name to hers.
And focusing on her physical attributes was even worse. Her upper arms and shoulders, bared by the design of her gown, seemed to invite his touch. She appeared rather fit, and he wondered if, while living in Paris, she frequented the gym. And the low dip of her cleavage, exposing the top of her round breasts, made his mouth water.
“Anything else you want to know?”
His gaze reluctantly moved from her chest to her eyes, then shifted to her mouth, studying the sexy shape of it, wondering how good she would taste if he were to kiss her. So yes, there was more he wanted to know but dared not ask. At this point, his libido couldn’t take any more.
“What are you going to be doing at the corporation?” he decided to ask, thinking it was a safe enough topic.
“What’s wrong? You think I’ll do something that will make the Sharpe stock go down? I understand your concern. After all, you are my grandfather’s wealth and asset manager.”
“I’m not worried at all. Richard has an excellent executive team, and they have many safeguards in place. It would take a lot more than something you do to make Sharpe Industries’ stock collapse.”
“It’s good to know my financial future continues to be bright.”
She sounded like someone who came from money. So far, his instincts were on target. “So how long do you plan to be in New York?”
“Any reason you want to know?”
“Just asking.”
She nodded and then said, “For a while. I love New York. The one thing I regret is not getting to spend a lot of time here when I was young.”
He frowned. “Didn’t Richard get full custody of you when your parents were killed?”
“Yes, but I spent most of my time at a boarding school in California, and during the summers, I returned to Paris to visit my mother’s sister, Aunt Margot.”
He nodded. “But you did come home for holidays, right?”
“Yes, but do you know how many school holidays there are in a year, Cobra?”
Good question. He’d never had a reason to count. He and his brothers always looked forward to returning to Savannah whenever they got the chance. They still did. That was why, although they lived in various areas of the United States -Tez in LA, Colton in Boston, and he in New York -the triplets owned homes in Savannah, the most beautiful city in Georgia.
Knowing she was waiting for an answer, he said, “I never had a reason to count, actually.”
