“But these parents, don’t they realize what’s happening with their kids?”
“A lot of them work for the Pine Pride Inn. They’re busy trying to keep the pride’s sole source of income growing.” Barrick frowned. “Am I going to be stuck with that, too?”
“If I have to deal with these kids, you’re going to have to handle the inn. There’s no way I can do both. Plus, I have another problem.”
Barrick raised his brows. “What? Why’d you leave the wedding so early?”
Ryan scowled at him. “Are you serious? You disappeared the moment you arrived. Did you even watch the ceremony?”
Barrick shrugged. “I was otherwise entertained by a lovely wedding guest.”
Yeah, so was he. “I found her.”
“Who?”
“My mate.”
Barrick groaned. “No, dude. Don’t say shit like that. We’re not in a position to be worrying about a female right now. We have too much to do.”
“And you think I don’t know? I know this. I know this better than anyone, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that I met my mate and she’s fucking gorgeous and I never want to be more than a foot away from her for the rest of my fucking life.” He growled. “That’s what this is doing to me. It’s making me crazy. My tiger wants to do nothing but reminisce on how her skin feels. How she smells. Fuck. She smells so good.” He slammed a fist on his desk. “I don’t need this shit.”
“Well, what the hell are you going to do? I mean, you can fight the tiger, but seriously, it’s gonna win at some point.” Barrick put his feet on the carpet and stood. “Who is she?”
“Her name is Parker Nolan. She’s heiress to Nolan Capital.”
Barrick whistled low. “Dude, she’s fucking loaded.” Then he shook his head. “There’s nothing you can do to impress her. Like nothing. I bet she’s seen it all.”
“I’m currently trying to fix a pride, not trying to impress a rich girl,” he sighed. “But if you must know, she isn’t like that. She’s a giver. She’s been living overseas, working as the face and head of her family’s non-profit.”
Barrick pressed keys on his phone. “Yo! Are you for real? She’s hot. Like look at those eyes,” he told Ryan. “Wow. That’s your mate?”
Ryan almost laughed at Barrick’s surprise. He’d been surprised the moment he saw Parker in her beautiful satiny gold dress, her curves filling it out perfectly and leaving nothing to the imagination.
Then there were her features. He could stare at her face non-stop. Her beautiful bright blue eyes caught his attention instantly. And she had sexy full lips he wanted to kiss forever.
“Yes, that’s her.”
“I’m looking at all these photos on the internet of her and there isn’t a single one that’s bad. Like she could go out in a bag and she’d still look hot.” Barrick swiped through his phone. “Oh, looks like you have some competition. There’s a news article talking about how she’s expected to get back with her ex now that she’s back in town.
“Not happening.”
“Even her hair’s pretty,” Barrick said with disgust. “Lucky asshole.”
Ryan snorted. “Did I not just say I don’t have time right now to deal with this?”
“You did.” Barrick cocked his head. “So does that mean you didn’t…you know?”
He rolled his eyes and scanned through his papers. “Why do you care?”
“You did. You’re so fucked, bro. For all that talk of not needing this right now, you already had sex with her, and you met her less than twenty-four hours ago.”
That was true, but he hadn’t been able to stay away from her. It was impossible when they were within feet of each other. And when he got his first taste of her, he knew he was fucked. Barrick was right.
“I think I have an idea,” Ryan said.
“For what, dealing with the youth of the pride or dealing with the mate business?”
“Both. If this works, I’ll get to spend time with Parker, and she’ll help me bring back respect for our elders.”
Chapter Six
That Monday, Parker sat at her desk, overlooking the street below with a cup of coffee. She’d definitely missed her home. Though she’d been able to manage living in everything from a tent to a shack, this place always reminded her of her grandfather, so it was special in her heart.
She glanced at her emails and frowned when she caught sight of one from a company she didn’t know. She clicked it open and read. It was a job proposal from Tristar Security. The owner wanted his employees to become aware of how those in third-world countries lived, especially in family units including their elders.
This could be the temporary job she needed. She’d spent enough time with tribes and families to know almost all there was to multi-generational living. She hadn’t done anything in the states in a while. Her phone rang while she replied to her email, agreeing to meet for a rundown of what the company needed to see if she could come up with something.
A quick look at the caller ID and she smiled. “Liam!”
“So you finally remember I exist, even though I was the one who had to call you,” said her good friend. “I can’t believe you’re here and I have yet to see you.”
Liam Tredd III had been her best friend in college. They’d never dated. It just wasn’t the type of friends they were. “I’m so sorry. I swear it wasn’t on purpose. I got back a few days ago and was completely caught up with wedding stuff for my cousin. But now I’m free. Want to have lunch?”
“Hell, yes. Let’s meet up at that Italian restaurant I love.”
She laughed and sat back in her chair. “You’re lucky I just got back from eating anything available and can totally go for Italian. Listen, I have to answer some emails for the foundation, but we can chat more at lunch.”
“Sure. One o’clock sound good to you?”
“Actually, that’s perfect. Gives me some time to work up an appetite since I’m eating a croissant with my coffee.”
“You and your croissants.”
“Hey! I have missed these things. I haven’t had one in forever,” she grumbled and took a bite. “See you later.”
With the call ended, she read through more emails for her family’s foundation. She was technically the president of the organization, but her father refused to give her the title. He just threw the whole thing at her and told her to deal with it. Not that she was angry about it. She’d found she enjoyed that type of work. But she had to make a decision.
She needed to have the power to make important judgments for the foundation. That meant she needed her father to either let her take the reins fully or find someone else to do her job. She was tired of having to run everything she wanted to do by him. And he always had an excuse for delaying new scholarships or grants that could help so many out there. It was frustrating.
She dialed her father’s office and waited.
“Good morning, Nolan Financial, Mr. Nolan’s office, this is Deidra, how may I help you?”