She was lucky he hadn’t called her out right in the middle of the ballroom and told her just what he thought of the comment she’d made. The only thing that had held him in check was the warning looks he’d gotten from his godbrothers to behave himself. He reminded himself that Kara Goshay meant nothing to him anymore. No matter what she thought, she was the last woman who could tempt his control while he was alone with her.
“I don’t plan on going any farther, so say whatever you have to say right here, Kara.”
She stopped walking, turned around and met his gaze. He thought the same thing tonight he’d thought the first time he’d met her almost five years ago. Kara had the most striking eyes of any woman he’d ever seen. They were a silvery gray and were perfect for her almond-colored complexion. That hadn’t been her only asset to grab his attention the night they’d met. She was a bona fide female from top to bottom. Even now he couldn’t keep his gaze from trailing from the soles of her stilettos, up her shapely legs, past a small waist and perfect breasts before pausing briefly to take in the mass of medium brown curls around her shoulders. Topping everything off was a very beautiful face.
And then there was the gown she wearing. The peach mermaid style made her resemble a goddess. He couldn’t help noticing when she’d been walking ahead of him how it hugged every curve and flared around her legs at the bottom, giving her a graceful yet sensual appeal. It was as if the gown had been made just for her.
He drew in an angry breath. How was it possible that after all she’d done to him...to them...he could still find her extremely attractive and so desirable? At the moment, he refused to acknowledge that even with all the animosity he felt toward her, the air around them crackled with sexual tension and awareness.
Narrowing his gaze, he said, “You’ve got one minute.”
He watched as she breathed in deeply, which made her breasts appear to press even more against the evening gown she was wearing. How he’d loved her breasts— He cut off the memory, frowning as he wondered why he was thinking about that now.
“All right,” she said softly, breaking into his thoughts. “I wanted to speak with you privately, Virgil, to apologize. I found out a few days ago that Marti lied to me about you.”
If she thought her apology exonerated her for not trusting him, then she was wrong. “It took you four years to find out just what a liar your sister is? Honestly, I could care less what you now know, Kara.”
“Will you accept my apology?”
“No.”
“No?” She actually sounded surprised.
“No. Why should I? I tried to convince you of my innocence and you refused to believe me. Instead you chose to believe your sister’s lies. So now you’ve found out the truth and expect me to forgive you for throwing away all we had? No.”
“I had no idea Marti would deliberately lie about you.”
“You should have trusted me enough to believe I would not have betrayed you. Without trust, love is nothing and you proved what we shared was nothing.”
He then glanced at his watch. “Now if you will excuse me, your minute is up.”
Without giving her a chance to say anything else, he turned and headed down the hallway that led back to the ballroom.
Six months later
“How was the wedding?”
Virgil glanced up when his father walked into his office. For a minute he had forgotten his old man had arrived in town that morning. While growing up Matthew Bougard had been his idol and he still was. Although it seemed that lately, as they both got older, father and son didn’t always agree on things. He couldn’t help wondering what had brought his father back to Charlotte that morning. All the text message he’d received last night had said was to expect him around ten. And like clockwork, he was here.
“The wedding was nice, although it’s hard to believe another Steele got married. Tyson surprised all of us.”
Matthew chuckled as he took the chair across from Virgil’s desk. “I can imagine. But did you honestly think those Steeles would be die-hard bachelors forever? Take a look at your own godbrothers.” The Steele family were good friends of theirs.
Virgil frowned. “I’d rather not.” Doing so would make him recall how he and his five godbrothers had formed the Guarded Hearts Club almost four years ago, right after his breakup with Kara Goshay. At the time all six godbrothers had been going through their own personal hell with women and made a pledge to remain single forever. Now four had defected. He and Zion were the only unmarried members left and they were determined to keep the club going, no matter what.
“Well, I am proud of my four godsons and their decisions to settle down and marry. Look at your mom and me, Virgil. We’ve been happily married close to forty years now.”
Virgil hoped his father wasn’t about to start his never-ending sermon about love, happiness and the pursuit of marriage. He’d heard it enough over the years; hearing it again wouldn’t change a thing. Yes, he knew his parents had a long and happy marriage. He knew his father considered his mother his queen and she considered Matthew her king. He even knew—although he’d rather not think about it—that they still had a very active sex life. He’d discovered that upon arriving in the Keys unexpectedly last summer to join them on their vacation. It was supposed to be a surprise for them but ended up being a shocker for him when he’d walked in on his parents making out like teens.
Matthew and Rhona had met while attending college in Atlanta. His father had graduated from Morehouse and his mother from Clark Atlanta University. Instead of returning to Houston, where he’d been born and raised, Matthew asked Rhona to marry him and they settled in her hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Just in case a sermon was on his father’s agenda, Virgil quickly asked, “So, Dad, what brings you back to Charlotte?”
His father was still CEO of Bougard Enterprises, though he rarely came into the office anymore, leaving Virgil, as second in command, to make most of the day-to-day decisions. His parents were often busy traveling, and just last year they’d bought a home in Houston with the intention of spending more time there.
But Matthew Bougard was well aware of every aspect of BE’s business. He was sharp and highly intelligent, which was how he’d taken a small financial company he’d founded right out of college and made it into one of the largest hedge fund corporations in the country. And thanks to a few recent deals, they could now even boast of going global.
His father remained quiet for a moment and then said, “I’m thinking about retiring, Virgil.”
Virgil sat up straight in his chair. “You really mean it this time?”
Matthew chuckled. “Yes. Leigh informed us on Friday that she and Chad are expecting a baby,” his father said, beaming heartily. “That means your mom and I will be grandparents.”
Virgil couldn’t help but smile. He knew how much being grandparents meant to them. His younger sister had married her childhood sweetheart a few years ago after they both finished medical school. Last year Leigh and Chad had opened a medical complex in Houston and were doing just great.
“I
