Page 28 of Cole's Command

“Good afternoon.” Pausing in front of her, he offered her an easy smile. “Thanks for seeing me. I know I’m a little early.”

“No problem. Please sit down.” She gestured to the chair on the opposite side of her desk, watching his long legs effortlessly close the distance between them. Even though he was flagrantly too young for her, he really was an attractive man. With his high cheekbones and disheveled haircut, Cole was classically handsome, but he also carried a quiet air of authority that was unique for a man of his age.

“I hope you got home safely last night.” A small smirk lit up his features as he settled in the leather seat and met her gaze.

“I did, thank you.”

Eden squirmed at his knowing gaze, unsure how to manage the odd visceral atmosphere that seemed to be developing. She’d never had this issue with a client before, never encountered any of them outside the four walls of her office, and she’d definitely never considered what it would be like to go to bed with any of them. She had to play the next few moments with exceptional care if she wanted to maintain her professionalism.

“How are you today?” How was your late-night walk?

She didn’t ask the final question though it strayed through her mind. She had to steer the chat back to the reasons he was there, but had to admit she was intrigued to know why he had been out walking into the middle of nowhere.

“Not bad.” He shrugged slightly. “A little tired, perhaps.”

“Thanks to your late-night walk?”

Cole appeared to have offered her the perfect entry into the conversation, and even though her rational mind protested about her integrity and know-how, she couldn’t help but take his bait.

“Exactly.” His smile widened. “I really should know better.”

“Do you often move ahead even when you know you shouldn’t?” Like me.

Her toes curled in her expensive shoes at her accurate self-analysis. Sure, she was doing her best to guide them back into safe territory, but that didn’t negate the fact that she’d still asked him about the walk. She should have just disregarded the fact she’d come upon him last night. It shouldn’t be relevant to their appointment today.

“I suppose.” He paused, considering his answer. “Although I do credit myself with usually doing the right thing.”

Ah, yes—the right thing—Eden remembered that. She’d excelled at that once, and it certainly wasn’t mentally undressing the paying client sitting opposite her, which was what she was doing as he spoke.

“Which of those traits was modeled most by your father, do you think?” she probed, frantic to keep them on track.

“My dad was always about doing the right thing.” He snorted, leaning back in his seat as he presumably recalled his father. “But the thing was, that always meant his version of what was right.”

“I suppose that’s true of all of us,” she offered. “We each have our own perspective.”

“That’s true.” His expression softened. “I was only thinking that it was my dad’s perspective that led to some of the fractures in my family.”

“Shall we talk more about that?” she pressed, sensing that this matter was significant to Cole. “Is there a particular fracture that springs to mind?”

“Definitely.” His gaze, which had been roaming the scene behind her, shot back to meet her eyes, the intensity of his stare taking her by surprise.

“Go on,” she encouraged, reaching for her drink. Gripping her glass, she willed herself to stop gazing into those mesmerizing orbs and remember her job.

“The one I had in mind was the contract that my father had drawn up for my brothers and I.”

“Contract?” Her brow rose as she lifted the glass to her lips. She hadn’t been expecting that answer. Legal frameworks weren’t usual in families, although she supposed the Vaughns were not a normal family. One brief Google search confirmed that the vast wealth Cole’s father had created was legendary, as was the business empire he’d built. “What kind of contract?”

“The kind that demands his sons agree to marry in order to get their hands on their share of his vast fortune.”

“I...” She was momentarily stuck for words as she processed what Cole was telling her. “I’ve never heard of that before.”

“Well, quite.” He shook his head with quiet disdain. “We all felt the same way.”

“Why do you think marriage was so important to your father?” she inquired. “Did he and your mother have an especially strong relationship?”

“By all accounts,” he answered. “Although to be honest, I was too young to recall much about it.”

“So, you were only a child when your mother died?” She frowned at the thought, trying to imagine how difficult it must have been for Cole to have been without both parents.