“Come on.” Holding out his hand, Israel nodded his approval when she took it without hesitation. “Let’s make breakfast and talk.” When her eyes flickered to the master bath, he chuckled. “Do what you need to do, then join me. You’ll find button-down shirts in the closet. You can wear one of the white ones with one button closed. No panties. There is a new toothbrush in the top right drawer. Don’t stall. I will know.” He grabbed a pair of boxers on his way to the door, leaving her standing in the middle of the room, staring as he walked naked out of the room.
Israel wasn’t concerned about using the guest bathroom since it was kept well stocked with extra toiletries. Even though there were other suites available for visiting guests, his brothers and sisters often opted to stay with him if they were in town. He made a quick stop before moving to the kitchen, barely having enough time to get the coffee started before he noticed Bristol standing by the breakfast bar. It looked as if she’d tried to tame her hair, but the sexy waves reminded him of the expression ‘organized chaos.’ Her face was scrubbed clean, and her cheeks were pink with embarrassment from her lack of clothing. Gorgeous. Waving her to one of the bar stools, he turned back to the stove.
“I’m hungry, so I’ll make breakfast while you tell me about yourself.” She pulled her lower lip between her teeth, biting down hard enough, he hoped she wouldn’t break the skin. “Before you ask, yes, I re-read the investigative report my company did on you, but I want to know about the woman behind the diplomas. Let’s try this… What was it like, starting your own practice in a new city? How long did it take you to get patients, etc.?” He didn’t know how the process worked, so it was a legitimate inquiry.
With a quick nod, Bristol explained the process of getting her medical credentials transferred to Texas. He was impressed with the deal she’d negotiated with a couple of medical facilities, agreeing to refer patients to their facilities in return for the use of office space in their busier clinics.
“What made you build your own facility?” He’d never wanted the added hassle of owning the building. Operations and sales were Bronx’s areas of expertise, not Israel’s.
“Financial security. Medical centers are struggling, and I couldn’t risk getting sucked into the money drain. Building is insanely expensive, and the maintenance is a nightmare, but being able to control my overhead makes all the difference. I don’t have to worry about kissing the asses of shareholders or paying dividends, and I’m able to pass more of the profits on to my employees in the form of bonuses and other incentives.”
He was impressed with her business savvy and told her so.
“Thank you. When I graduated, one of my biggest worries was the business side of operating a medical practice. Charlotte told me I should talk to your brother, Bronx. She said he is an incredible businessman, but it seems to me, you are all remarkably successful.”
“You’re right about my siblings’ success. We’ve been damned lucky.” When she frowned, he laughed. “Why do I think my earlier ‘be honest with everyone, especially yourself’ speech is about to come back and bite me in the ass?”
“I understand humility… but calling everything you’ve done luck is pushing that boundary way past the point of believability.”
Israel didn’t try to hold back his laughter. She was right, and he didn’t mind being called out—unless they were in a scene. He watched her closely as she seemed to study him with matching intensity.
“I’m calling bullshit, Israel. As far as I can tell, all the Adler siblings are intelligent and driven. Some of you probably wanted to prove to the world you’d recovered after the heartbreaking loss you suffered, but let’s be honest… motivation coming from the outside rarely lasts. It’s the inner voice that challenges you to continue improving every day, that fuels lasting success, lighting the fires, driving you to get better and better at what you do. It’s the raging inferno in your soul that wakes you up in the middle of the night with an idea you can’t wait to implement because it’s the answer you were sure you’d never find. It’s the whisper in the wind pushing you forward, continually reminding you failure is temporary and faithfully encouraging you to try again.”
Israel was speechless. She’d described him so perfectly, it was like she’d read the words fate had written on his heart.
Fate never makes a mistake.
He wasn’t sure where the words came from, but he understood their truth. Bristol was perfect for him. He just had to convince her, fate’s timing was as flawless as its mating.
Chapter Six
Austin leaned against the nursery’s doorframe, watching Charlotte nurse their son. He’d never seen anything more beautiful in his entire life. She took his breath away. Long, auburn waves of silk spilled over her shoulders, trailing well past her elbows. Her hair had grown so much while she was pregnant, he’d teased her about turning into Rapunzel. She’d assured him if she turned into a children’s book character, it would be Mulan because there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for her family.
The reference hadn’t meant anything to Austin, but a quick internet search promptly cleared up his confusion. The comparison was especially meaningful since she’d been trying to help her family and friends when she took the job as his assistant. Hell, he’d finally hired two people to replace her, and together, they didn’t match her level of organization.
Charlotte offered to return to work, but Austin knew she wanted to stay home until Marshall started school. If she changed her mind, he would be thrilled to have her back in the office. Bending her over his desk and pushing himself balls deep into her slick heat would be the highlight of each workday. Looking down to see her rounded ass framed by a lace garter belt holding up silk stockings, his cock shuttling in and out, shining with her cream, would make work far more interesting. Who was he kidding? Adler Oil would sink like the Titanic because he’d never get anything done.
“I had to tune you out at garter belt. I was starting to feel flushed and needy… really needy.”
“Little Star, you just gave birth. I can’t imagine you feel up to what went through my mind.” She gave an inelegant snort and had the audacity to roll her eyes. “You’re running up a hell of a tab on swats, my love. That eye roll added a solid ten to the tally.” His palm ached to connect with her bare ass, but the punishment would have to wait until he’d fucked them both into a coma.
It wasn’t as if they hadn’t had sex during her pregnancy. Hell, she’d been in a hormone-fueled sexual frenzy for months, but for the last several weeks, action had been scarce because he worried, she was doing too much. Hell, she’d overseen a major remodeling project, creating a nanny suite in addition to the nursery. He’d come home from work one night to find her asleep in the middle of the nursery floor, surrounded by animals she’d meticulously cut from a wallpaper mural. When he’d asked her why she was sleeping on the floor, her bright green eyes filled with tears.
“I couldn’t get up. I’m a Weeble failure—I wobbled, but I couldn’t get up.”