Billionaire Bachelors: Stone

He almost growled aloud to banish his unruly thoughts and Faith’s gray eyes flashed to his face with a wary look he thought was probably normally aimed at large predators.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

“No.” Then she shook her head. “That’s not true. Why are you doing this?”

He gazed calmly back at her. “Dinner, you mean?”

She nodded.

“I’m your guardian. It struck me today that I haven’t done a very good job of it, either, so I thought we’d spend a little more time together. You can tell me more about your plans.”

She nodded again, as if his explanation made sense.

The ride to the small, quiet Italian restaurant where he’d made reservations was a short one. As the maître d’ showed them to their table, Faith caught his eye. As the man walked away, she whispered, “If this isn’t a Mafia haven, I don’t know what is!”

He chuckled, surprised she’d picked up on it. He’d been coming here for years—the food was reputed to be some of the best Northern Italian cuisine in the city. But the waiters, the bartender, certainly the man who appeared to be the owner greeting guests, had an air of authority, underlaid with an indefinable air of menace. “It’s probably the safest place to be in Manhattan,” he said.

Over dinner, he asked her questions about her interest in computers.

“I had a knack for it,” she told him, “and I started helping out in the computer lab at school. It got so that the instructors were coming to me with questions about how to do things, and how to fix things they’d messed up. That led me into programming and eventually I set up the school’s Web site. And once I did that, other people began to ask me to design their sites. It occurred to me that I could make a living doing something I really enjoy, so I decided on a double major in computers and business.”

“You’re planning to open your own company when you get your degree?”

She nodded, and her eyes shone with enthusiasm. “Eventually. I think I’d like the challenge. But I’ll probably start at an established firm.” She paused and her gaze grew speculative. “You had to take over Lachlan after your father passed away, and you’ve clearly been successful at it. You can give me some pointers.”

He shrugged. Discussing business with Faith was hardly at the top of his list of things he wanted to do. “I’m sure you’ll have no trouble.”

Their dinners arrived and while they ate, he inquired about her mother’s health.

“She isn’t able to get around without using a motorized scooter now,” she said, her face sobering. “She’s sixty, and the disease has started to accelerate. Recently she’s been having a lot of trouble with her vision. Some days are better than others. But it’s only a matter of time before she needs live-in assistance or she has to go to some kind of assisted care facility. She wasn’t happy that I’m working, either, but we’re going to be facing some serious expenses one of these days.” He could hear the frustration in her voice.

“She’s only thinking of you,” he said. “She wants you to have the freedom and enjoy normal experiences for a young woman your age.”

Moments later, Faith excused herself from the table and made her way to the ladies’ room. As he watched her walk across the room, he was struck again by her elegance and poise. Every man in the room watched her and he caught himself frowning at a few of them in warning.

That was ridiculous. He wasn’t her keeper.

Well, in fact he supposed he was. But this wasn’t the Dark Ages and she didn’t need his permission to accept a suitor. Or a husband, for that matter.

He didn’t like that thought. Not at all. Faith was still very young, and she fairly screamed, “Innocent.” She could easily be taken advantage of now that she wasn’t in the somewhat protected environment of an all-girls’ college. She was still his ward, though in her mind, at least, it was a mere technicality. In his, it was altogether different. He was supposed to take care of her. And he’d never forgive himself if she came to harm, even if it was only getting her heart broken by some cad. It frustrated the hell out of him that he wasn’t going to be able to keep her safe.

Then the perfect solution to his frustration popped into his head. He could marry her!

Marry her? Was he insane? They were ten years apart in age, far more than that in experience. But, he decided, the kind of experience he was thinking of could play no part in a marriage with Faith. It would be strictly a platonic arrangement, he assured himself. Simply an arrangement that would help him achieve a goal and protect her at the same time. If she was married, Faith wouldn’t be a target for trouble. In another year or so she’d be more worldly, and the best part was that he would be able to keep her safe during that time.

He was going to have to marry to satisfy his mother’s conditions anyway. And if they married soon, as soon as possible, then he’d be only a year away from achieving the goal of which he’d dreamed for years. He would be able to merge Smythe Corp. and Lachlan Industries into one bigger and better entity.

Then he forgot about business as Faith appeared again. She walked toward him as if he’d called to her, and as she drew closer he could see her smiling at him. He smiled back, knowing that the other men in the place had to be envying him. Long and lean, she had a smooth, easy walk with a regal carriage that ensured instant attention when paired with that angelic face. He doubted she even realized it.

As she passed one of the waiters, the man flashed a white smile at her. She gave him a warm smile in return, and she had no idea that he’d turned to watch her back view as she continued on through the restaurant to their table.

And that was exactly why she needed his protection, Stone thought grimly. He stood as she arrived and walked around to settle her in her chair. She glanced up at him over her shoulder with the same sweet smile she’d just given the waiter, and he felt his gut clench in response. She was far too potent for her own good.

“So,” he said, picking up his water and taking a healthy gulp, “while you were gone I was doing some thinking, and I have a proposition for you.”

“A proposition?” Her eyes lit with interest. “Are we talking about a job here?”

“In a sense.” He hesitated, then plunged ahead. “Are you serious about paying me back?”

“Yes,” she said immediately.

God, he hadn’t been this nervous since the first day he’d stood in front of the assembled employees of his father’s company for the first time. “I could use your help with something,” he said slowly.

Faith’s gaze searched his expression, clearly looking for clues. “You need my help?”

He nodded. Then he took a deep breath and leaned forward. “I need a wife.”

She stared at him, apparently sure she hadn’t heard him correctly. He couldn’t blame her. As soon as the words were out, he’d decided he was crazy. “You need what?”

“A wife.” He could hear the embarrassment and impatience in his tone and he forced himself to take deep, slow breaths. Calming breaths.

She spread her hands in confusion and her smooth brow wrinkled in bewilderment. “But how can I help you with that? I doubt I know anyone who—”

“Faith.” His deep voice stopped her tumbling words. “I’d like you to be my wife.”

Her eyes widened. Her mouth formed a perfect O of surprise. She put a hand up and pointed to herself as if she needed confirmation that she hadn’t lost her mind, and her lips soundlessly formed the word, “Me?”

He nodded, feeling an unaccustomed heat rising into his face. “Yes. You.”

Two

Stone couldn’t have shocked her more if he’d asked her to stand and start stripping. Faith stared at him, convinced he’d lost his mind.

“Not,” he said hastily, “a real wife. Let me explain.” He took a deep breath. He was looking down at his drink instead of at her, and she was surprised to see a dull bronze flush rising in his cheeks. “My mother is beginning to think about retirement. She’s offered me her company, but before she’ll turn it over she wants me to be married.”

“Why would she do that?” She was completely baffled. What kind of mother would put her own child in a position like that?

“She thinks I need to settle down and give her some grandchildren.” He snorted. “Although I can’t imagine why. She’s not exactly the most maternal person in the world.”

She wondered if he heard the note of resentment and what else? Longing, perhaps, for something that hadn’t been, in his voice. “Forcing you into marriage seems a little…extreme,” she said carefully.

His face was grim. “My mother’s a control freak. This is just one more little trick she’s playing to try to arrange my life to suit herself.” He bared his teeth in what she felt sure he thought was a smile. “So this time I intend to outfox her.”

“What happens if you refuse to get married?”

He shrugged. “I guess she liquidates or sells. I didn’t ask.” He leaned forward, his eyes blazing a brilliant blue in the candlelight. “It would mean a lot to me, Faith. I want to keep Smythe Corp. a Lachlan holding.”

“Why?”