"Five. Evan, Will, Daniel, Matt, and me. Daniel's parents, Susan and Bob, raised us, right along with Daniel and his little sister, from the time we were all about twelve or thirteen years old."
"They must be very generous."
"They are," he answered with undisguised fondness. "Susan, Bob, and the Mavericks made me the man I am today. I owe them everything."
There was nothing cocky about him now. The way he shared credit for his success was both humble and sweet. Even a billionaire, with all his money, needed a friend to unload with. Whereas Charlie's only true confidante was her mom...and for the most part Charlie tried to shield her mother from the problems in the outside world. Francine Ballard had enough of her own problems to deal with.
"We'd do anything for each other. We're all godfathers to Matt's kid." He smiled as he thought of the child, his beautiful face transforming yet again. "Noah's a great little boy."
By that look, she knew with perfect certainty that Sebastian was also a great godfather. She wanted to ask about his parents, since he hadn't mentioned them, but before she could Sebastian said, "We're almost there. What would you like to know about the building before we arrive?"
Wait...they were almost there? It felt as though five minutes had passed in the limo, not thirty. That's what being the focus of Sebastian Montgomery's attention did--made the outside world do a fadeout so that there was only him, his maleness, the deep timbre of his voice.
"Everything," she replied. "Tell me everything."
They both heard the sensual undertone beneath her question at the same moment. She'd always been curious, always been drawn to power. It was why she loved creating and delving deep into magnificent creatures like lions and dragons. But she'd never been drawn to anyone as much as she was to Sebastian. From the first moment, she'd been powerfully aware of him and had wanted to know, wanted to experience everything with
him.
But for now, they each pretended it was all about his building as he said, "It's an existing structure that I had gutted. There are all the necessities--a helicopter pad on the roof, a fully equipped gym and swimming pool on the tenth floor, and my production studio on the thirtieth."
She almost laughed out loud at his definition of necessities. A helicopter pad had never quite made it on to her list.
"We've constructed a central lobby with escalators up to a mezzanine that overlooks the fountain. People will need to walk all the way around it to reach the elevators in the back. Everyone will see what you create from all possible angles."
She was well aware that this was a big project he had hired her to do. Despite how easily he'd written her the check, she sensed that he wasn't the kind of person who threw money away. Yet it wasn't until this moment that she truly felt the awesome pressure that came with such a commission.
"I probably shouldn't tell you how terrified I'm feeling, should I?"
He reached out and put a hand over hers. The touch sizzled through her, instantly shifting terror to something hot and hungry instead.
"You should always tell me what you're feeling. Always. And you should also know that I have full faith and confidence that you can do the space justice. That's why I chose you."
The weight of his words--and his gaze--settled over her. It wasn't that she doubted her abilities. She thought her creations were pretty cool. But this was a whole different level. One where plenty of other people would be seeing her art...and judging the way she took the crazy jumble of her vision and made all the pieces a reality.
"Expect the unexpected," she reminded herself, saying what had become her mantra so many years ago almost under her breath.
"I always do," he agreed with a smile. "And then I make sure I'm prepared to deal with whatever comes. Especially when the unexpected is more beautiful, intelligent, and captivating than I ever could have dreamed."
Charlie's head, her body, her heart were all still spinning as they pulled up to the curb. Sebastian opened the door and drew her out of the car, their hands linked. And as they stood on the sidewalk, closer now even than they'd been in the limo, the heat arcing between them was electric.
Explosive.
So explosive that she had to pull her hand away just to keep a little sanity. And remind herself that the commission needed to come first. Before all the hot sex she was dying to have with him.
She forced her gaze away from his to take in the immense skyscraper rising above them--and that was when her breath left her lungs for the second time that morning.
Windows reflected the surrounding buildings and the San Francisco Bay. High on the glass facade a monumental sign proclaimed to the world in huge blue letters that the building belonged to MMI. To Sebastian Montgomery, who was Montgomery Media International. A wooden construction barricade walled off the front while a covered walkway led to the entrance.
Inside lurked a completely different world. Traffic noise was hushed. At least three stories high, the lobby ceiling was made entirely of glass that grew up out of the floor at the front and curled over, allowing a wide strip of sunlight to pour down from between the surrounding buildings. Above them, the curved balustrade of the mezzanine provided an overlook. The floor appeared to be polished marble in varying shades of gray and black swirled through with cream. A broad belt of sunshine crept across the marble toward the huge circular fountain filling the lobby center. Charlie put a hand to her mouth, mesmerized as beams of light slid up the sides, and the fountain's tiles seemed to glow with iridescent color--blues, greens, and reds, like a hummingbird in sunlight.
"It's magnificent," she whispered to Sebastian, wondering how on earth she could do it justice.
"I agree," he said in the same hushed tone, but his gaze was on her, not the fountain. "Totally magnificent."
CHAPTER FOUR
Magnificent. It was more than just a word to Sebastian, encompassing not only Charlie's beauty but also the wonder with which she took in everything around her.