Dedication

“We are all a little broken, it’s the inevitability of a life well-lived.” Nathan James. 

For my book lovers who want their book boyfriends to be a gentleman in the streets and a deviant in the sheets, I wrote Nathan James just for you. 

All my love, Sadie x

CONTENT WARNING

This is not a dark romance however it does have some emotionally charged themes which may be triggering for some readers. 

The final trigger is also a spoiler, so if you prefer to go in blind then please stop reading now. However, if you feel that you need to be forewarned then this book contains discussion regarding the sexual assault/ suicide of a character not directly connected to the MC’s. It also deals with pregnancy loss/ miscarriage.

Prologue

Nathan—Age 26, New Year’s Eve

My father pours six glasses of fifty-year-old Macallan and hands them out to my brothers and me. We stare out the window, watching the fireworks lighting up the night sky.

My youngest brother, Maddox, looks at his glass and swirls the amber liquid around the base like he doesn’t know what to do with it. He’s only sixteen, but I know for sure that’s not his first drink.

Mason shakes his head and sighs. “Does anyone else feel like it’s weird that it’s just us?”

I nod my agreement. This house is usually so full of people, laughter, raised voices, and music, especially on New Year’s Eve. But tonight there’s only pain and silence.

“We could put the TV on. Watch the ball drop,” my oldest brother, Elijah, suggests.

Drake shakes his head. “Nah. She used to hate that, remember? Was always convinced the time was off by a few seconds.”

Mason laughs. “Remember how she’d always insist on using Great-Grandad’s old Navy diving watch to determine when it was midnight instead?”

I frown. “Where the hell is that thing?”

Maddox reaches into the pocket of his jeans and produces the watch, his eyes wet with tears.

Mason knocks back his Scotch and jumps up from the sofa. “Jesus, it feels so weird without her here. Like this house has no fucking soul anymore. Let’s get the fuck out of here and go somewhere.”

Drake rolls his eyes. “Like where, jerkwad?”

“I dunno. A club or something. A place where there’s life.”

Maddox scowls. “And what about me, dickface?”

“Nobody is going anywhere,” our father barks. “So quit your whining and drink your Scotch.”

Mason sinks back down onto the sofa with a sigh. “Sorry, Pop.”

My father knocks back his drink and stands in front of the window, ensuring he’s in all our eyeline. He stares at the five of us. The James boys. Apple of our mother’s eye. Dalton James has always been a giant of a man, formidable in business and ruthless in his quest to become the man his own father told him he would never be. He made his first billion by the time he was thirty-five. A loving, if strict, father. A man to look up to.

But now his shoulders are slumped in defeat. His suit, once finely tailored to fit the contours of his muscular physique, hangs loose around his shoulders. No less the man I respect more than anyone on this earth, but still a shadow of his former self.

He sucks on his top lip, the way he does when he’s deep in thought or about to impart some of his legendary wisdom. “I have a piece of advice for all you boys. You live by this, and I promise that you’ll never know a day’s heartache in your life.”

Elijah stares up at him. “And what’s that, Dad?”

The five of us wait for him to impart this particular nugget of wisdom.

He clears his throat, his deep gray eyes full of grief. “Never fall in love.”

Chapter 1

Nathan

My father tosses the glossy magazine onto the table. “Another one, Nathan?” he says with a heavy sigh.

I glance at the spread pages and the paparazzi snap of me and some socialite leaving a nightclub at 3:00 a.m. two nights ago. “At least I don’t have my hand on this one’s ass.” A fact that she was particularly pissed about if I recall.

He shakes his head. “That is not the point, son. You’re thirty-eight years old. When the hell are you going to grow up and take some responsibility for your life?”

I roll my shoulders and clench my jaw. Along with my younger brother, Drake, I own the biggest law firm in the country. While I specialize in criminal law these days, together Drake and I have brokered deals that earned my father’s company hundreds of millions of dollars. I’ve always done all I can for my family. For my brothers. And he wants to preach to me about responsibility.

“You can talk, Dad. How many women have you fucked this past month?”

He scowls at me. “Your mother did not raise you to talk like that, Nathan. And I don’t care how many women you hook up with, but at least be discreet about it.”

I roll my eyes. “I don’t see what the problem is. I’m single. These women are all consenting adults.”

“The problem is, like it or not, you are this family’s legacy. How do you think your mother would feel knowing you were dragging our good name through the gossip magazines the way you do?”

Anger bristles beneath my skin. “Don’t use Mom against me.”

“I will when it’s goddamn true!” He bangs his fist on the table, his face turning a deep shade of red. I sink back in my chair and bite back the instinct to go toe to toe with him. He had a heart attack only four months ago, and he looks like his blood pressure is about to shoot through the roof.

Sucking on my top lip, I hold back all the things I want to say so I won’t piss him off any further. He glares at me, the vein in his temple throbbing. Then he leans back in his leather wingback chair with a sigh. “I understand you want to make your own way in this world. I said nothing when you went off and opened your own law firm instead of joining the family business. I kept my mouth closed when you recruited one of your younger brothers into the fold too.”

I bite my lip before we get into the age-old argument about me corrupting Drake.

“I have no idea why you’re so resistant to carrying on my name. Are you ashamed of who you are?”

I shake my head. “That’s fucking unfair, Dad. Just because I didn’t want to go into tech, you think I’m ashamed of my family?”

He nods to the magazine on the table between us. “Then why else do you flaunt my name like this? This is not how a James man behaves.”

“And how exactly should a James man behave, Dad? Like Elijah?”

He scowls at the mention of my older brother’s name. “He understands duty.”

“He’s married to a woman who treats him like shit, and he’s miserable as fucking sin.”

My father shakes his head. He can’t argue with that, so experience tells me he’s about to try a different tactic. “I don’t know how long I have left on this earth, son.”

Oh fuck, here we go. “Will you quit with that? You’re sixty-eight years old, not ninety. That’s why Elijah and Mason took over the company. So you can start taking better care of yourself. Do that and you’ll outlive all of us.”

He stares at me, his gray eyes softening. We don’t look alike; I got my coloring from my Spanish mother’s side, but she always said I was still the most like him. I don’t see it at all. “I don’t want to outlive you all. But I do want to leave behind a legacy that I can be proud of. I want the James name to live on for centuries. And you, son, are my best hope of that.”

Then you’re fucking screwed, Dad! That’s what I want to say, but I don’t. “You have five sons. Why is this suddenly on me?”

“Elijah is stuck in that marriage whether she makes him happy or not, and we know she can’t have children. And he’s too loyal a man to ever leave her.” He shakes his head. “Maddox lives with his head in the clouds, drifting from one city to another, refusing to commit to anything or anyone or do anything meaningful with his life.”

“It’s meaningful to him.” I feel the need to leap to my youngest brother’s defense. Like he hasn’t dealt with enough shit in his life. He’s earned the right to do whatever the hell he wants.

He snorts. “And then there’s Mason.” He throws his hands in the air. “There’s no hope of him ever having kids.”

“Well, that’s a crock of shit. Gay people can and do have kids, Dad,” I insist.

His brow furrows. “You know that’s not what I’m talking about, Nathan. Can you ever imagine Mason with kids? It’s just not in him.”

I sigh because I figure he’s right. “What about Drake? You haven’t given up on him too, have you?”

He shakes his head. “Drake is too committed to his job.”

It’s my turn to snort. “And you think I’m not?”

“Drake works twenty hours a day, seven days a week. You’re out every weekend, dating women and attending parties. Things come easily to you in a way they never have to your brothers, Nathan. You achieve the same results with half of the effort. You always have.”

My hackles rise. “You’re saying I don’t work hard?”

“I’m saying you’re incredibly gifted, son. Of all my children, you are the one who can have it all, and I refuse to let you squander the opportunity to carry on our family name. When I die and meet your mother on the other side, I need to be able to tell her that we have grandchildren. Can you not understand that?”

I blink at him, shocked. “So you want me to have a kid, is that it?”

“Two would be ideal.”

“An heir and a spare, huh?”

His lip curls in a sneer. “Don’t be vulgar.”

“And when does this happen, Dad? I just knock up the first woman I find? Is that it?”

He shakes his head, his cheeks growing red again. “Of course not. You’ll marry a suitable woman and then she will bear your children.”

“Oh.” I throw my hands into the air. “So now I’m getting married too?”

He glares at me, his jaw clenched tight. He’s entirely fucking serious. “This is the one thing I’m asking of you, Nathan. The only thing I will ever ask.”

I bark a humorless laugh. “Getting married and having a couple of kids is a pretty big ask, Dad.”

Sighing, he runs a hand through his thick gray hair. “I always knew it would be you. You’re not my firstborn, but you’re the child I most see myself in. You were born lucky, son. Just like I was. You can take any situation and make it work. It’s not like you’re ever going to fall in love, so what are you really giving up? A couple years of meaningless encounters?”

“What if I don’t want kids, Dad?”

He scrutinizes me with narrowed eyes. “Don’t you?”

I swallow hard. Damn him. I’ve always been honest about wanting a family of my own, and now it’s about to bite me in the ass. “Of course I do. One day.”

“Then make one day come soon. While I’m still here to enjoy my grandkids. What the hell are you waiting for?”

“To find someone who wants to have kids with me would be a good start.”

He gives me a triumphant smile. “Don’t worry. I have that covered.”

Chapter 2

Melanie

“Tea, Melanie?” my mother asks with a saccharine smile as she holds the bone-china teapot aloft.

“No thanks, Mom. I better be heading home soon. I have an early start tomorrow.”

Sunday afternoon tea at my mother’s house is a torturous weekly affair. My penance for being such a terrible daughter—at least in my mother’s eyes. She regards me with disdain. She hates my job, thinks it’s beneath me. Well, not necessarily beneath me as much as beneath her to have a daughter who works as a veterinary nurse.

Her lip curls with the faintest hint of a sneer. “Bryce has something to discuss with you before you leave.”

My heart rate kicks up a notch, and my eyes dart around the room. “Bryce is here?”

“He does live here, darling,” she replies with a sniff.

I grit my teeth. “I know. He’s not usually around is all.” And that’s exactly how I like it.

She gives the tiniest shake of her head, like she’s dusting off any suggestion that my older brother isn’t my favorite person in the world. He doesn’t even make the top twenty. “Well, he has some good news for you. He’s managed to perform a miracle.”

A miracle? Has he had his own head surgically removed from his ass? Pressing my lips together, I stifle a snicker. I glance at the clock on the mantel and groan inwardly. I have plans with Tyler at six. He’s going away tomorrow for eight weeks, and I want to spend every second I can with him before he leaves. But what my mother and Bryce want, they get.

I place my cup onto the intricately patterned saucer and drum my fingers on the table.

“Stop fidgeting, Melanie,” my mother admonishes me.

I roll my eyes and blow out a breath. Thirty years old and still being chastised like a teenager. “Is Bryce going to impart this wonderful news any time soon?”

“He’s a busy man. He’ll be down when he’s ready,” she huffs.

Yeah, busy playing online poker or jerking off to cam girls.

I stare at the clock, watching the minutes tick slowly and painfully by while my mother and I sit in silence, waiting for her precious firstborn. Fifteen minutes later, he finally decides to grace us with his presence, strutting into the room like he’s the king of the goddamn world. He’s not even king of his own bedroom. Spoiled mama’s boy.

He flicks his ash-blond hair out of his eyes and preens in the mirror before taking a seat at the table. I resist the urge to roll my eyes, not wanting to ignite his legendary short temper.

He puffs out his chest. “I’ve found a solution to our money problems, dear sister.”

Not my money problems, jackass. You were in charge of the trust fund. You misused it and left our family almost broke. But I bite my tongue and smile sweetly. It’s the only way to handle him and our mother. “That’s good to know. I’m happy for you.”

His right eyelid twitches. “It’s not just about me. I’m doing this for all our futures. For you and Ashley too.”

The mention of our younger sister’s name makes annoyance prickle beneath my skin. He’s never done anything for her other than screw her over. She almost lost her place at the college of her dreams because of him.

“I don’t need money, Bryce. I’m happy at my job, and I love living with Tyler.”

He snorts. “You’re thirty years old, and you’re happy living with our eccentric cousin?”

“If by eccentric you mean incredibly successful, gregarious, and funny, then yes, very happy, thanks.” Bryce has always hated Tyler. He is faster, stronger, smarter, and better looking than my big brother, and that’s always pissed him off. I suspect his use of eccentric is code for gay, because in addition to his many other flaws, my brother is also a raging homophobe. Not to mention the irony of a thirty-five-year-old man who still lives with his mother calling me out for living with my best friend, who just happens to be my cousin. Tyler and I were born on the same day and have been almost inseparable since.

Bryce’s face twists in a sneer. “Well, this proposal is much more suited to a daughter of Luke and Miranda Edison.”

The way he says proposal has the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. “What exactly are you talking about? What does any of this have to do with me? I told you, I have no interest in the family money. Not that there’s any left.”

He raises his hand like he’s going to smack me across the face for that last remark, but he quickly remembers where he is. My mother and her housekeeper are watching, and hitting his sister in front of them might just tarnish his good-guy reputation. No, he prefers to wait until we’re alone for that. Not that I think my mother would even care.

“There’s nothing left because our father made such poor business decisions,” he spits.

Anger simmers inside me. That’s a dirty lie, and he knows it. But I clamp my lips shut. I’ve been conditioned since I was thirteen to never question Bryce Edison. Placing my hands on my lap, I dig my fingernails into my palms and try to suppress the rage that wants to erupt out of me.

Bryce straightens his tie. “But I am about to fix all of that.”

Well now I’m suspicious as hell. “How exactly?”

“I’ve arranged a match for you, little sister.”

I frown. “A match?”

“Yes. A husband.”

“A what now?” What the hell? My parents might have been rich once, and my mother comes from a long line of New York royalty, but we aren’t living in a Jane Austen novel here.

“I’ve secured you a husband. A billionaire no less.”

My god, he’s entirely serious. “I don’t want a husband.”

“Did you not hear me? He’s a billionaire, Melanie.”

“I don’t care if he’s the king of England, I’m not marrying him.”

He snarls. “You will do what is necessary to ensure this family’s future, you ungrateful little bitch.”

I open my mouth to reply, but no words come out. Instead, I blink at him in shock.

My mother turns to her housekeeper, who’s hovering in the doorway. “Margarite. Please leave us.”

Margarite dips her head like she’s addressing the Queen and ducks out of the room.

“Mom!” I plead. “He can’t be serious. I’m not marrying some crusty old billionaire.”

Bryce places his hand on my thigh beneath the table and squeezes so tightly I know he’ll leave bruises on my skin. I wince, which only makes him squeeze harder. My mother looks away, like she always has. He leans forward, baring his teeth. “You will marry whoever the hell I tell you to marry, Melanie. It’s your fault we’re in this mess. You are the one responsible for our father’s death. Or have you forgotten that?”

Tears blur my vision, and I shake my head. I hate him so much. His fingers dig in deeper, causing searing pain to lance up my thigh. “Now, are you going to keep your pretty mouth shut and listen to what I have to say?”

Tears run down my cheeks now, and I nod. “Yes.”

He releases his grip and relief floods through me.

“Fortunately for you, my little Melanie,” Bryce says, his tone resuming its usual creepy sing-song quality. My mother turns back to the table and watches our exchange. “Despite your history, I have managed to secure you quite the catch.”

I swat away the tears from my cheeks. “Who?”

“Nathan James,” he says with a smirk.

“Nathan James? The man who dates a different woman every week? The guy who works as a lawyer for the mob and is reported to have ice in his veins? You think he’s a catch?”

“He’s very handsome,” my mother says coolly.

I blink at her. “Yeah, so was Ted Bundy.”

“I had to do some persuading, but he’s agreed to take you as his wife, and all he asks in return is that you deliver two heirs.”

My throat squeezes shut. How can someone related to me be so cruel? “You know I might not be able to do that, Bryce. You know what happened in college.”

His blue eyes are ice-cold as he glares at me. “Exactly. We know you’re easy to knock up, little sister. And don’t worry. I have a plan to relieve him of some of his millions without you having to have his kids first.”

There are so many things wrong with what he just said that I don’t even know where to begin. “And what if I don’t agree to this? What if I don’t want to relieve this man of any of his money?”

Bryce bares his teeth once more, looking like a diseased animal. “Then our mother will lose her home, and our little sister will have to drop out of that fancy college she’s at and clean toilets for a living, won’t she?”

There’s nothing wrong with cleaning toilets, you entitled asshole.

“And it will all be your fault, Melanie. First you got our father murdered and then, when you finally have a chance to fix it and secure this family’s future, you refuse.” Bryce twists the knife deeper. “Surely you’re not selfish enough to do that, are you?”

I would never do anything to hurt my baby sister. Ashley and Tyler are my world, and she’s truly innocent in all of this. She still has two years left at Harvard, and tuition is expensive. I hate being backed into a corner, but he maneuvered me into one nonetheless. Like he always does.

“I’ll think about it.” I grab my purse and walk out of the room, and like I do every single time I come to this house, I wish my dad was still here. Because despite what Bryce would have people believe, he was a brilliant, kind man, and even if we were completely destitute, he never would have asked me to do this.

“We have a meeting with their lawyers on Thursday,” Bryce calls after me. “I expect you to be there.”

Chapter 3

Melanie

Tyler stares at me wide-eyed from across the kitchen island, a large pepperoni pizza between us. “He wants you to what?”

“Marry some random guy and have a couple of kids.” I throw my hands into the air. “Can you believe that?”

“Baby girl, I can believe anything of your brother. But damn!” He shakes his head and stuffs half a slice of pizza into his mouth.

“And I have no idea why this guy he set me up with would even want to marry me. He’s like New York’s most eligible bachelor. A confirmed playboy. And he’s a lawyer for the mob who, if rumors are to be believed, has ice rather than blood running through his veins.”

Tyler swallows and arches an eyebrow. “Is he hot?”

I toss my balled napkin at him. “That is not the point.”

Grinning, he slowly nods. “So he is hot.”

“His name is Nathan James. Google him and decide for yourself,” I say with a shrug.

Tyler takes his phone from his pocket and taps away at it. “Holy fuck, Goose. This guy is fucking gorgeous,” he announces only a few seconds later. “Have you seen that jawline? Wow! Come to Daddy.”

I walk around the island and peer at the picture of my alleged husband-to-be wearing a tuxedo. He isn’t smiling at the camera. In fact, he’s scowling at it, like he’s pissed about having his picture taken, but I have to agree with Tyler. He is hot. If you like grumpy, arrogant assholes—which I certainly do not.

Tyler stares at the image, practically drooling. “He looks like he could play Henry Cavill’s hotter brother in a movie about hotshot lawyers who play rugby in their free time.”

I roll my eyes and try not to laugh. “That is oddly specific.”

He blows out a breath. “I mean, I’ll marry the guy if you really don’t want to.”

I bump his shoulder with mine. “Pretty sure you’re not his type, Mav.”

He sighs dramatically and scrolls to another picture, then shouts, “Holy shit!”

“What?” I peer over his shoulder, but he clutches the screen to his chest and looks up at me.

“Did you know he has four brothers, and they’re all insanely hot?” He holds the phone out, and I examine the picture of Nathan standing with his brothers and father at some charity gala. “Even his dad is fuckable.”

“Ty!”

“What?” He shrugs. “He is. Those are some good genes, baby girl. If you’re gonna have a kid with someone, at least this guy pretty much guarantees beautiful babies.”

“All babies are beautiful,” I remind him.

His nose wrinkles. “Nuh-uh. Remember when Ashley was born? She looked like one of those troll dolls.”

“She did not!” I suppress a giggle. “She was adorable.”

“Yeah, she is now. But damn, she was an ugly baby.” He grins at me.

Glancing at his phone again, I take in every detail of the enigmatic Nathan James. “He is very handsome. So you see why I wonder what the hell he’s agreeing to marry me for? He must have some hideous secret.”

Tyler wraps an arm around my shoulders. “Are you shitting me? You are smart, kind, beautiful, and funny, and he’d be damn lucky to have you. You’re the whole deal, baby girl.” With his free hand, he scrolls through more pictures. “Not like these fake-ass models he’s always pictured with.”

“Yeah, not making me feel better, Ty.”

He kisses the top of my head. “You’re the best person I know, Melanie Edison, and don’t you ever fucking forget it.”

Chapter 4

Nathan

“Jesus fuck, Nathan.” My oldest brother, Elijah, shakes his head after I finish recounting what our father said to me earlier this morning. I left out the crap about me being the only one of us capable of having it all. What a load of shit.

I take a sip of my beer and signal the waitress for three more. “Yeah, you see what happens when you two fucks don’t turn up for Sunday brunch.”

“Sorry, bro,” Mason says sheepishly. “I had a hell of a date last night.”

I roll my eyes. “I thought you were dating the catalog model. Carter, was it?”

“Nah.” He shakes his head. “That kind of fizzled out. You know I like to keep my options open, and besides, he was way too clingy for me.”

“Yeah, way too pretty too,” Elijah adds. Mason and I stare at him with matching grins on our faces. “What?” Elijah blinks at us. “I can appreciate a man’s good looks. He just didn’t seem your usual type is all. You usually go for guys a little rougher round the edges.”

“Mmhmm, the rougher the better.” Mason licks his lips.

I roll my eyes, feigning my disgust, when I’m only jealous that my little brother isn’t jaded by the endless monotony of making the same small talk with a different person every week all in the hopes of a good fuck. And even that is losing its appeal.

“Shall we get back to my problem?” I remind them.

They mumble their agreement as the waitress delivers fresh beers.

“So he’s already got this wife picked out for you?” Mason asks.

“Yeah.” I nod, recalling how ridiculous the conversation was. “He even has a meeting set up with her family lawyers for Thursday.”

Elijah frowns. “Jesus fuck, Nathan!”

“Yeah, you already said that, asshole,” I say.

“I know, but I think it’s worth repeating.” He’s rarely this animated, and his reaction reassures me that our father’s proposition to me earlier today was as outrageous as it seemed.

I take a long swig of my beer. “So what the fuck do I do?”

“First, who is this chick?” Mason asks.

“Well, she’s a woman, and her name is Melanie Edison.”

Elijah’s eyebrows shoot up. “Luke Edison’s daughter?”

I nod. “The one and only.”

Mason grins. “She was two years below me in high school. My buddies all thought she was hot.”

She doesn’t have much of a social media presence, and the few pictures I did find online were from various animal rights and environmental charity functions. She appears to be impeccably turned out—brunette, curves in all the right places, a beautiful smile—but the photos gave the impression that she hated the camera. I sure know how that feels. There was no hint of a smile in the posed shots, but a couple of candids showed her laughing. Those were the ones that intrigued me most. “She’s still hot,” I tell them. “But that’s beside the point.”

Mason’s brow wrinkles like he’s deep in thought. “I heard she works as a vet’s assistant or something now.”

I nod. “Yeah, that matches what I found. She volunteers for a shelter too.”

Mason nods. “That rings true. She was always fundraising for the local animal shelter in high school.”

Elijah takes a swig of his beer and nods approvingly. “Seems like she’s a nice person, then. At least there’s that.”

Mason sucks air through his teeth. “I’m sure I recall something about her dropping out of college to do a few months in rehab. Not that it makes her a not-nice person, and that could have just been a rumor.”

I nod my agreement. “Yeah, she took a year off, and all the reports I found alluded to rehab.” I spent four hours after I left my dad’s house researching all there is to know about her. She has a college degree from Ohio State, has an unhealthy obsession with jelly donuts, lives in the meatpacking district with her cousin, Tyler, and has a twenty-year-old sister who’s currently studying at Harvard. Melanie Edison is an interesting woman. Not half as interesting as her brother though.

Elijah’s brow furrows. “So Dad wants grandkids. A legacy. But what does Melanie Edison get from this?”

“Um. She marries a handsome billionaire, fuck-knuckle,” Mason retorts.

Elijah shakes his head. “She works as a vet’s assistant.”

“Veterinary nurse,” I correct him.

“Okay, but I dunno.” He shrugs. “Doesn’t seem like the kind of job a gold digger would have. And what’s Dad thinking? I could see why he might set you up with some heiress or socialite, but a veterinary nurse?”

I sigh. “Technically she is an heiress, there’s just fuck all left of Edison Holdings to inherit, and the old man was fond of her father. Seems he bumped into her mother and brother at some event, and they got to talking. Turns out their company’s failing and they’re looking for some investors.”

Elijah groans. “He’s not investing in their company, is he?”

I shake my head. “He made it clear that’s firmly off the table. But a marriage into the James family lends their failing business credibility, and it offers a level of assurance—accurate or not—to potential investors.”

“So that’s what her family gets out of it, but what about her?” Elijah asks.

I shrug. All my research led me to the same conclusion Elijah just made. She lives a modest life and hasn’t taken any share of the profits from Edison Holdings for the past eleven years, so I can’t imagine she’s suddenly decided to marry for money. “I dunno, buddy. Maybe she wants kids and is fed up with the dating pool. Or maybe she wants to give up work and be a stay-at-home wife.”

Mason peels the label from his beer bottle and stares at me. “So you’re considering this thing?”

I draw a breath through my nose. There’s no denying that the relentless dating is wearing thin, and even the inevitable sex at the end of those dates is no longer enough to get the blood pumping in my veins the way it used to. I think about my mom and what a wonderful grandma she would’ve been, and how my dad is desperate to know he has someone to pass his company down to after his sons. I’m not getting any younger. I feel like I’ve dated almost every unmarried woman in the tri-state area, and not one of them has held my attention long enough to get past a fourth date. What the fuck do I have to lose? “Enough to go to this meeting on Thursday and check out Melanie Edison and her motivations in person, yeah.”

Mason snorts a laugh, but Elijah pats me on the back.

I take another swig of my beer and wonder why I didn’t order something stronger. “I’m gonna have Drake come with me.”

“Probably a good idea,” Elijah says. “Contracts are his forte.”

I’m inviting him because he’s as good at reading people as I am, and maybe for a little moral support. I arch an eyebrow at Elijah. “You’re saying they’re not mine?”

“You thrive in the courtroom, Nathan. You always have. Center stage is where you and Mase are at your most comfortable. Contracts are a backroom job for guys who love details, like Drake and me.”

Mason nods his agreement. “Hey, speaking of brothers, has anyone spoken to Maddox this week?”

An unexpected wave of sadness hits me in my chest, and I clear my throat. “I spoke to him a few days ago, why?”

“Just checking. He said he was headed to Florence last I spoke with him, but that was over a week ago. He didn’t answer my call this morning. You think he’s okay?”

I nod. Maddox is known to go off-grid for days or even weeks at a time when the mood strikes him. “Yeah, he said he was good. But he changed his mind about Florence and he’s in Berlin now instead.”

Elijah whistles. “That kid sure gets around. Lucky bastard.”

“Yeah,” I mumble, even though we all know there is nothing at all lucky about our youngest brother.

Chapter 5

Melanie

“Bye, Cass. See you tomorrow.” My colleague and I part ways and I head for the subway. My feet ache, protesting every step I take, and I contemplate getting a cab but they’re so expensive. Tyler does me a solid letting me live in his gorgeous apartment for barely any rent, so I’m able to afford the occasional luxury, but I decide against it and keep walking. The sight of the familiar car up ahead makes me groan. I wish I could turn and walk—no, run the other way, but he’s already jogging toward me.

“What do you want, Bryce?”

He pulls a fake sad face. “I wanted to apologize for how I acted the other day, sis. I was stressed and …” He flicks his hair out of his eyes. “I’m really worried. About Mom. About Ash.”

Then stop gambling and making terrible business decisions, Bryce! That is exactly what I should say, but seventeen years of conditioning are hard to break. Bryce is a bully and a coward, and he will never change.

“Let me give you a ride home.” He smiles with all the charm of a cobra.

“It’s fine. I can take the subway.”

His demeanor changes in an instant, and the smile turns to a snarl. “Don’t make a scene, Melanie, and get in the fucking car.”

With a roll of my eyes, I do as he asks. It’s easier than arguing with him. He always gets what he wants anyway, and he has ever since we were kids. I shrug off my jacket and sink back into the passenger seat of Bryce’s BMW. At least his fancy car is comfortable.

He’s been driving for a few minutes when he brings up the real reason he showed up. “Did you give any more thought to my proposal?”

That word sends a shiver down my spine. He makes it sound so creepy. “To marry Nathan James and have his babies?” I snap.

He sighs and shoots me a sympathetic look, which I can only assume is fake because he has the emotional intelligence of pond scum. “Look, I know I might not have sold it very well, but this doesn’t have to be a long-term thing. If we play our cards right, you can be divorced within a year. Two at most.”

“And how will that help the business, Bryce? Nathan James is a hotshot lawyer. So is his brother. Even if he weren’t, his family has a team of lawyers. You think they aren’t going to have a cast-iron prenup?”

“Course they will.” He snorts. “But we’ll insist on a morality clause to protect our family’s good name.”

My brow pinches in a frown. “A what?”

“A morality clause. It basically means that if he does anything to tarnish your good name, then you can walk away with a pile of cash.”

“What the hell could he do to tarnish my name?” I snap, reminded of the rumors he and my mother spread about me when I took a break from college. At the time I was too brokenhearted to see how ridiculous their scheme was or how fucked up it was that they thought the rumors were more palatable than the truth.

“It’s mostly used for cheating spouses,” he says, giving a dismissive wave of his hand.

“But he might not cheat, especially if he has one of those clauses in the prenup. He’s not stupid,” I insist. I guess I don’t like the idea of my husband cheating, even if the marriage is fake.

He gently squeezes my thigh. “Then, my dear sister, we make him cheat.”

I blink at him. “Make him cheat?”

“Melanie, darling, no offense but you aren’t his usual caliber of woman,” he says with a cruel sneer, and in my mind’s eye I see myself punching him in the mouth. “All we have to do is present him with a beautiful woman he can’t resist, and I’m sure he’ll take the bait.”

I press my lips together, offended on so many levels that I can’t think straight. “Like a honey trap?”

“Exactly.”

“No, Bryce. If I agree to marry this guy, I am not going to encourage him to cheat on me. Why the hell would I even do that? It’s crazy.”

“He’s going to cheat anyway, Mel. But this guarantees us evidence of his crime.”

I fold my arms across my chest. “How can you be so sure?”

He glares at me. “Because he’s Nathan James. Do you have any idea the type of man he is? He dates a different beautiful woman every week. Supermodels. Actresses. Whores. He’s also a lawyer for the Irish Mob and the Cosa Nostra, and fuck knows who else. He is not a good man. And so what if we take some of his millions? It’s pocket change to a man like him.”

Turning away from him, I stare out the window. One minute Bryce is telling me what a catch he found for me in Nathan James, and the next what a terrible man he is. I don’t know which is true, but I do know that Bryce doesn’t really care. He’d marry me off to Lucifer himself if he thought he could make a quick buck out of it.

“You know this is the right thing to do, Melly,” he says, his tone much softer now. The use of his childhood pet name for me makes bile burn in my throat. “For Mom and for Ashley.”

For Ashley, yes. Not for Mom. And definitely not for Bryce. But my little sister’s fate is unfortunately tied to theirs, and until she can stand on her own two feet, it’s up to me to take care of her. Because there’s nobody else to do it.

“Will you at least come to the meeting tomorrow?” he asks, his tone dripping with nauseating sweetness.

I wipe a stray tear from the corner of my eye.

“Melly?”

“Yes! I’ll go to the damn meeting.”

Chapter 6

Nathan

I stare out the window at the retreating back of my date, looking at the same ass that captivated me two weeks ago when I first met her at the gym. So why is it doing nothing for me now? The doorman of her building nods in greeting and opens the opaque glass door for her. Before she steps inside, she spins on her heel, a scowl twisting her pretty features as she flips me the bird.

I snort a harsh laugh, impressed by her fire if nothing else. Her contempt is no less than I deserve after the terrible end to our already disastrous date. I wince at the memory of her on her knees, her lips wrapped around my shaft as she sucked me off. Or at least she tried to before I stopped her mid-act. Not that she wasn’t eager or exceptionally talented in the art of giving head, but when she fluttered her eyelashes at me, her dark brown eyes wet with tears, it should have made my cock twitch and brought me closer to the edge. Instead there was nothing. And when I pulled her head back and told her to stop, the look of pure shock on her face made me wonder if it was the first time she’d ever been rejected in her life.

The fact that I wasn’t able to get close to finishing was no surprise to me though. My last few dates have ended in a similar unsatisfactory way.

“Home, sir?” My driver’s familiar voice pulls me out of my thoughts.

After checking to make sure my date is safely inside her building, I lower the partition until I’m staring at the back of Teddy’s head. “Yeah, home.”

* * *

My younger brother paces the length of my office, his hands stuffed into his pockets and a frown furrowing his brow as he digests the information I’ve just given him about Melanie Edison and her family.

“Thanks for flying in to do this, Drake.”

He stops in front of my desk. “Anytime. You know that.”

I roll my neck and flex my shoulders, but it does little to ease the pent-up tension in my muscles.

Drake tilts his head and watches me with curiosity. “So, how serious are you about this meeting today? Is this just to appease Dad or are you actually considering this proposal of his?”

Taking a seat behind my desk, I run my tongue over my bottom lip and consider my answer. “I’m actually considering marrying this woman and having a couple of kids. Is that insane?”

He rubs a hand over his jaw and presses his lips together before he sits opposite me. “I wouldn’t say it’s insane, but as to whether it’s right for you … I guess it depends on your reasons. Are you only doing this because Dad asked you to, or is there something in it for you? Something you actually want.”

I recall my date last night and how bored I was listening to and rehashing the same old stilted conversation. And how the inevitable hookup that usually follows was as unappealing as the plain salad my date ordered for dinner at the finest steak house in Manhattan. “You know, even a couple of months ago, I would’ve said there was nothing in it for me, but lately …” I glance at the painting on my office wall, a constant reminder of all the perfect summers we had as kids. Our dad teaching us to swim, and our mom cheating at volleyball and loudly proclaiming her innocence when anyone called her on it.

“And now?” Drake prompts me.

I run my tongue over my teeth. And now what? “I don’t know, Drake, but I do know that the endless stream of women doesn’t do it for me anymore. Meaningless hookups feel empty and …” I shake my head, unable to explain it, even to myself.

“So you’re looking for more? A relationship? That’s understandable, but that doesn’t mean you have to marry some random woman Dad picked out for you.”

“But I don’t want the whole falling in love bullshit that goes with a relationship, Drake. That’s not for me, and it never will be. So maybe this is the way. If Melanie Edison and I are compatible enough, why not try it the old man’s way? Because the idea of another year or more in the dating pool trying to find someone to marry and have kids with, not to mention managing all the expectations about not falling in love, exhausts me just thinking about it.”

Drake rolls his eyes. “Your entire love life exhausts me. I don’t know how you do it.”

I shrug. “Yeah, well, maybe I won’t be doing it for much longer.”

He barks out a laugh. “Okay, so you do this instead. What exactly is the plan here? You meet this woman and if you don’t hate her on sight, you’re going to go through with this?”

I narrow my eyes at him. “You say that like you think I’m not going to be able to read her. I’ll know if we’re compatible or not after five minutes, and you know it.”

“I’m not doubting your people-reading skills, bro. But this is your life, not a case. You’re going to tie yourself to this woman for life if you have kids together.”

“I know, Drake. But this kind of arrangement …” I blow out a breath as the realization hits me. “It makes sense for someone like me. I have absolutely no desire to do the whole love and romance thing, but I do want kids, and I want to have them with a woman I can trust and respect. And I’m sure I can work out whether Melanie is worthy of both those things by the end of the afternoon. So yeah, maybe a marriage that’s also a good business arrangement is right for me.”

Drake folds his arms and gives me a single nod of his head.

“So you’re with me on this?”

“Always, brother.”

The door to my office opens, and my secretary pops her head inside. “Your guests are here, sir. They’re seated in the boardroom as requested.”

I nod my acknowledgment, and she disappears from view.

Drake arches an eyebrow at me. “Time to meet the potential in-laws.”

I stand and fasten my suit jacket. “Let’s do this.”

Drake stops outside the door to the boardroom with me behind him, his fingers grasping the handle. He flashes me a smirk over his shoulder. “You nervous?”

I scowl at him. Has he forgotten who he’s talking to? “No, of course I’m not fucking nervous.”

He chuckles. “Just checking.”

We step into the room and are immediately greeted by a man I recognize as Bryce Edison from the pictures I found online. He sweeps his blond hair out of his eyes before extending a hand. Drake shakes it while I look past him at the man I assume is their family lawyer, until my eyes lock on the only person in this room I have any interest in talking to besides Drake.

She stands facing the window, her back to the room, and is wearing a white blouse tucked into a black pencil skirt that perfectly showcases her hourglass figure against the backdrop of the city skyline.

“Miss Edison,” I say, and she spins around, her eyes flickering to Drake and her brother before finding mine.

She takes a few steps toward me, her hips swaying slightly with each one. “Mr. James.” Her voice is calm and clear, but I don’t miss the way her left hand curls into a tight fist at her side or the soft pink flush at the base of her neck. She offers me a soft smile, and that’s when I notice the striking green of her irises. She’s much more beautiful in person than in the pictures I saw of her.

I take a step toward her, and now we’re only a foot apart. Her breath hitches, drawing my gaze to her neck. The slender curve of her throat thickens as she swallows, and her body’s reaction to my close proximity has my pulse spiking.

“Melanie, come sit,” her brother orders, his nasally tone severing the connection between us. I’m immediately tempted to tell him to shut the fuck up and then, more importantly, to ask him who the hell he thinks he’s talking to, ordering her to sit like a dog. Until I remember that she’s not mine.

Not yet.

Chapter 7

Melanie

There are so many voices talking at once, all of them speaking legal jargon that I barely understand, and my head is starting to spin. Bryce and our family lawyer talk the loudest, demanding to be heard.

I rub my temples and screw my eyes closed. When I open them again, Nathan’s dark stare greets me from across the expanse of the boardroom table. “Give us the room,” he says, and his low, commanding tone makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

I hear Bryce snort, but I’m unable to tear my gaze from the man directly in front of me. “I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Bryce says, not bothering to hide the disdain in his tone. I’m not sure if it’s for me or Nathan James—probably both.

Nathan still doesn’t look at my brother when he calmly repeats himself. “Give us the room.”

In my peripheral vision, I see his brother gathering his papers from the table and pat Nathan on the back. “Let’s give them a few moments alone,” Drake says, his tone as commanding as Nathan’s.

With a grunt, Bryce pushes back his chair and stomps out of the room behind Drake and our lawyer, leaving Nathan and me alone. The room is silent, and the tension grows thicker with each passing second. Nathan leans forward and rests his clasped hands on the table. With narrowed eyes, he searches my face, and the heat of his gaze makes my heart rate spike and my insides flutter.

In such close proximity, there’s no mistaking his dominant presence. Also no mistaking that he’s far too handsome to need to find a bride this way. Something must be wrong with him. What if he’s actually gay and all those women he’s been photographed with were an elaborate smokescreen? Maybe I’m supposed to be his beard. That would certainly explain a hell of a lot.

I press my lips together and maintain eye contact even as my legs tremble.

“Why are you doing this, Miss Edison?” he finally asks, his voice thick and dark like rich melted chocolate.

“Because it’s good for our families,” I say, repeating my well-rehearsed mantra. The one I’ve been telling myself every moment since I first entertained the notion of marrying this man to secure my family’s future.

He gives a subtle shake of his head. “No. That’s why your family asked you to do this. But what exactly do you get out of it?”

I blink at him, entirely unprepared for his question. This was supposed to be a contract discussion between lawyers, not an examination of why I’m agreeing to this archaic proposal. “How about you tell me what’s in this for you?” I challenge.

“The respectability of a wife from a good family. An heir or two,” he replies, deadpan.

“I’m pretty sure you could get any woman you want, Mr. James, so why not find someone the old-fashioned way? And marry for … you know, love?”

That earns me a sarcastic snort, and I frown. “You don’t believe in marrying for love?”

“Do you, Miss Edison? Because if you have any romantic notions about marrying for love, perhaps this arrangement isn’t for you, after all.”

I clear my throat. Damn smartass. I can see why he’s such a good lawyer. “Just because I believe that people can marry for love doesn’t mean that’s what I want.”

“So what do you want, Melanie?” That’s the first time he’s called me by my first name, and the sound of it on his lips makes heat bloom across my chest.

“I want my family to continue to prosper and for my father’s legacy to go on. I want my children to have a good life.”

He leans back in his chair, eyes narrowed as he runs a hand over his square jaw. “But what about you?”

I swallow hard. What the hell does it matter what I want? He goes on staring at me, waiting for a reply to the question that I don’t have an answer for. Because it’s never about me, only about what’s best for the family. I shake my head, unexpected tears burning behind my eyes.

“It’s not a difficult question,” he says, his tone clipped now like I’m annoying him.

I feel hot. My pulse races. I want to get out of this room.

“Melanie.” His tone is authoritative and commanding.

“I just want some peace, Nathan. I want to go to work and do the job that I love, then come home and not have to worry about my little sister’s college tuition or whether my mother is going to lose our family home because my brother is an idiot.” The words pour out of me, and my cheeks heat with shame at my outburst. I probably screwed everything up. I press my palm against my flushed face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean … My brother is a very good businessman.”

“Do you think I’d enter into this arrangement without doing my homework on your brother? I’m well aware he’s a weekend in Vegas away from losing what little is left of your family fortune.” He drums his fingers on the table. “And I appreciate your honesty.”

I blink at him. He knows we have barely any money left, but he’s still considering marrying me? Why?

“Is that enough for you to do this? Sign the rest of your life—or at the very least the next ten to twenty years of it—away just to keep your family happy?”

“I’ve spent the last seventeen years trying to keep my family happy, Mr. James, it’s what I do.”

He tilts his head, his eyes softening as they rake over my body. Then he sits forward again. “I need you to know that you still have a choice, Melanie. While I don’t care about marrying for love, we will be sharing a life together. It would be much more tolerable if we could at least be friendly. If you resent me for this, we’re both going to be pretty miserable, and I don’t want my children growing up in a toxic household with parents who can barely stand the sight of each other.”

Relief washes over me in a comforting wave. The fact that he’s thought things through to that extent certainly makes me feel a whole lot better about this bizarre situation. “I don’t want that either.”

He nods like he approves. “Well, this is your opportunity to back out. If you don’t want this, tell me now. You can walk out of here and never have to see me again. I’ll tell Bryce that it was my decision.”

I scoff. “He won’t believe you.”

He arches one eyebrow. “I can be very persuasive, Miss Edison.”

I’m sure I see the corner of his mouth curling into the faintest hint of a grin, and I bite my lip to stop myself from grinning back. Whatever the rumors say about him, and despite what my brother says about the kind of man he is, Nathan James is a decent man in all the ways that count. And that’s a whole lot better than I could have hoped for. “I want to do this.”

He gives me another curt nod, the softness in his features already disappearing to be replaced by his effortlessly cool facade. “Good.”

“But …” I wince when he frowns. “I won’t give up my job. Even when we have kids, I’d like to work part-time when they’re old enough. I figure you might want some trophy wife who spends her days doing nothing but look good for you, but I love my job. I think I’d go insane without it.”

“You work as a veterinary nurse, right?”

“Yeah.” I look down, avoiding his gaze. It’s probably not the sort of job a successful billionaire wants his wife to have. At least that’s what my mother would have me believe.

“I don’t want a trophy wife, Melanie.”

He doesn’t? My heart skips a beat, and I look up at him, meeting his intense gaze once more.

“Just someone who’s honest with me and will be a good mother to my children. Can you do that?”

“Yes.” The answer falls easily from my lips. “Although I’d prefer we wait a while to start trying for a baby. Not a long time, but maybe six months? I assume we’ll have to live together, and this is all moving so quickly already. I’d like to get to know you a little better before we …” My cheeks burn at the thought of having sex with this demigod. “Add a kid into the mix.”

He sucks on his top lip like he’s mulling it over. “I suppose a waiting period would also stop any potential rumors about us marrying so quickly because you’re pregnant. So you can have your six months, and of course you can keep your job.”

I nod my appreciation.

“Then it’s agreed. We’ll work out the finer details of the contract over dinner this evening.”

My brow creases in a frown. “Dinner?”

He rolls his eyes. “Dinner. That meal people eat in the evenings.”

“Can’t we just do it here?”

He stands and fastens his suit jacket. “We could, but I’d rather not. And we need to have a handful of public appearances before we announce our engagement. I’ll ensure there are photographers waiting outside the restaurant to capture our date.”

I swallow the knot of anxiety that instantly balls in my throat. “Oh. I didn’t … I don’t want this to be some kind of media circus, Nathan.”

He licks his bottom lip. “Neither do I. But people will speculate about our engagement, and for appearance’s sake, this needs to look like a real relationship. A few public dates are all that should be necessary. Then we can marry in private and announce our wedded bliss after the event.”

“I guess you have it all worked out.”

He leans forward and splays his huge hands on the boardroom table. “I don’t believe in leaving anything to chance, Melanie.” He stands straight again and nods. “I’ll pick you up at eight. We’re going to Leonardi’s, so wear something appropriate.”

I bite back the retort on the tip of my tongue. Appropriate. I’m well aware that it’s the most exclusive restaurant in Manhattan. Does he think I’m going to rock up in jeans and a T-shirt or a minidress that will show off my ass cheeks? I’ll show him appropriate. “Of course,” I say softly, offering him a demure smile.

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About the author

Sadie Kincaid is an Amazon No. 1 bestselling spicy romance author. She lives in the UK with her husband, sons and her very cute, dog.

Sadie writes feisty heroines and morally grey, swoon-worthy alphas with filthy mouths, who would burn the world down for the ladies they love.

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Copyright

Copyright © 2024 by Sadie Kincaid

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

The moral right of the author has been asserted

Cover Design:  Red House Press Ltd

Photographer: Ren Saliba 

Editing: Baker Street Revisions

Formatting: Red House Press Ltd

All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain are fictitious and any resemblance to any real person, living or dead is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.