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He was able to time it well by having a seat at the table with his part of the family.They were nice-looking people, and as soon as he sat down, he looked at his parents and winked.They didn’t look upset with him, but perhaps he might still be in trouble.Fowler introduced him to the others at the table, telling them that he’d been working up until a few minutes ago.

“I didn’t know you gentlemen had jobs.”Sheppard, as he was introduced to him by that name, said he was sorry.“I shouldn’t have said that.We were just talking about how much you’re worth on the way in here.Please don’t take offense.”

“I didn’t.And yes, we’re wealthy beyond anyone’s dreams, but we still work daily.I have a job of keeping the charities straight and how they’re using the money that we donate.Reading over contracts to that might cross our desks at some point.We don’t toss our money at anything without keeping an eye on it.”He asked if they’d have that much time invested in the warehouse.“Of course.It wouldn’t be mine to watch over, but Amy and Fowlers.But that doesn’t mean that we all won’t have a vested interest in it.I might be asked to go over the books at some point—if there is a problem.I’m not saying that there will be; I’m just saying that we all keep track of what we invest in.It’s a family project like everything else we do.”

“I like that idea.I might not have lost so much money when I first started investing had I taken as much care as your family does about investments.I didn’t lose my shirt, but enough that it stung a little when they went belly up after two years.”Edgar waited to speak until after his and Sheppard’s orders were taken.He asked him if he had anyone investing in his family.“I consider the warehouse an investment.Even though it’s ours, I can see the potential of doing it right the first time.However, I will tell you this, I’m nervous about this project of my daughters.It’s a great deal of money.”

“On that project, I’m a little more aware of things.I was asked to do the projected sales of the place over the next five years, then ten more down the road.You’re doing the right thing.It will increase your leverage of hitting all the markets with a thirty percent increase in sales you have now.And over the next ten years, you’re looking at about another sixty percent increase on top of the thirty you’ve already.The money that you’ve put into this deal will be back into your accounts by year seven.That’s one hell of an investment, and whoever started it should get a raise.”

“Thank you.You’ve no idea how much hearing that from someone else means to me.I’m not as young as I used to be, and making up for the losses of this investment would hurt badly at this point in my life.”He told him he was going to be in good hands.“So my daughter keeps telling me.She tells me all the time that she knows what she’s doing with this, and I want to believe her, but like I said, I’m not as young as I used to be.”

“You’re going to be just fine.She’ll do right by you because she can think outside the box.”He told him how his older son doesn’t think outside the lines at all.“Then he’ll fail.”

Sheppard laughed.“Are you always so honest about your speaking?”He told him that regarding money, he was forever serious.“Yes, I suppose you would need to be as wealthy as I’ve read that you are.We know that you’re not human, but exactly what are you?”

“Dragon.”He took his salad from the waitstaff and looked over at Sheppard when he seemed to be frozen in staring at him.Taking the salad, he nudged the man a little to get him going and then handed off the part of his meal that was in his hand.“Do you have a problem with us being dragons, sir?”

“Problem?No.I don’t…you’re dragons, all of you?”Edgar nodded and said that with the exception of the wives of his brothers, everyone at the table in his family were dragons.“I’ve never…what I mean is I never…a dragon?Are you larger than…please forgive me.I’m trying to imagine you changing into a great dragon.You’re large, aren’t you?”

“We are.”He let the man stare at him for a few seconds before he turned and looked at him.“Ican show you mine if you’d like.I mean, we’d have to go outside.I think that the people that own this place would be a little pissy if I shifted in their place of business.”

Sheppard let go of a small burst of laughter.Then, the longer he sat there, the more he laughed.Edgar wasn’t sure if he was thinking he was joking or not, but it was funny to see the man lose control of his mirth.Finally, he slapped him on the back and told him that he liked him.Edgar told him that he liked him as well.Tucking into his salad, he was going to make sure that he was able to show the elderly man his dragon if he didn’t do anything else.

The rest of the family was scattered throughout the dining area.He noticed that the daughter, he thought her name was Tabby, was sitting by the women in the family.Mom and Dad hadn’t been able to make the dinner, but he was sure that his mom would be having as much fun as the women all seemed to be.Earl, the oldest son of Sheppard and his wife Gina, seemed to be taking cues from his sister and enjoying talking to his brothers.

Tommy, the middle child, was a flirt.He didn’t much care for the way that he was treating the staff, treating them like they were only there to serve him, but since he wasn’t going to have much to do with this project, he kept his mouth shut.However, if he touched one of the staff again like she’d asked him not to, he was going to say something to his father.Men like Tommy gave the term wealthy a bad name.

Just as the dinners were coming into the room, he’d had enough.Turning to his father, he told Sheppard that the young man was getting too personal with the staff.Something occurred to him as Sheppard stood up to talk to his son, and he had a look on his face that told him this wasn’t a one-time offense.Then Tommy whelped like he was in pain.

“Behave.”Tabby hissed the word to her brother and had a hold on his ear that might have been comical if not for the fact that she was making him listen to her.“Behave yourself, Thomas Reader, or you can go home right now.These people are our guests.You know for a fact that I won’t put up with your shenanigans.Leave the staff alone or go home.That’s your only two opinions.”

“I was just having a bit of fun with them.”She twisted his ear, and that had him complaining again.“All right.I’ll behave myself.Christ, when is it against the law to have some fun?”

“It’s against the law when you harass someone who is working for you, and since she’s bringing you your dinner, she’s officially working for you.”Tabby sat back down and turned to look at her mother.“He’s going to be lucky some waitstaff isn’t going to be spitting in his dinner at the rate he’s going.”

He might well have handled it differently, but he was glad that it was taken care of.Tommy had been patting their asses and making lude comments since he’d sat down.When his father looked in his direction, Tommy shrugged, and Sheppard whispered for him to behave himself, too.It seemed that the entire family knew what they were dealing with in the younger son.

After empty plates were taken away, that opened the discussion to the warehouse.They usually never spoke about business at the table, and today, other than him telling Sheppard he was in good hands, it wasn’t discussed.But almost as soon as the last dirty plate was taken away, Tabby stood up and handed out file folders to everyone at the table.

“I wanted everyone to know where the progress is on the warehouse.”She handed her dad one, and then him and their fingers brushed.That was all it took for him to know what she was to him.And Christ, oh mighty, she was his mate.

The rest of the conversation was a blur for him.All his mind could center on was that she was right here in the room with him, and he couldn’t talk to her.As she went on about how the warehouse was coming along nicely, a week ahead of the planned finish date, he realized that he didn’t have a house nor even a stick of furniture to put in one.Just as he was started to hyperventilate, he looked at his brother when he said his name.

“Are you all right?You’ve gone pale, and your breathing is labored.”He nodded, then shook his head.“What the hell is wrong with you?You’re looking like you’ve lost your marbles.”

He looked at the table and then back at Melbourne.“She’s my mate.I think she’s my mateanyway.”Melbourne asked him how did he know.“I don’t know.That’s why I said I think she is.But I have this overwhelming need to protect her from her family.Not to mention, I need to touch her.Is that her being my mate?”

“I don’t know.I don’t have one, you nutball.But you look like you’re freaking out.Stop it.”He thought that was a good idea but couldn’t think beyond wanting to touch her.“Fowler is going to kill you if you embarrass him like you’re doing.Just breathe before I have to slap the piss out of you to make you not pass out.In and out, you idiot.”

He thought that he was breathing all right until Melbourne pinched his thigh under the table.The sharp intake of breath made him realize that not only was he not breathing right, but he seemed to be gasping for air; he was deprived of breath.Coughing to cover up what was really going on, Fowler asked him what the hell he was doing.

“I don’t know.I think Tabby is my mate.When she touched me just now, I had this overwhelming need to touch her more.Not to mention protecting her from her dumbass brother.Don’t be pissy with me.I’m doing the best that I can right now.I feel like I’m messing up, and I don’t have any idea why.Is that right?”

Fowler didn’t say anything for several minutes, and he had a feeling that he was talking to Amy.Or their parents.Whatever he was doing, it wasn’t helping him from being freaked the fuck out.When he finally did speak, it was as if he’d taken some kind of chill pill and was talking to him in a nice, calming voice.

“She’s your mate.Congratulations.Just keep breathing in and out, and you’ll be fine.We can talk after this meeting.All right?”He thanked him.“You’re going to be all right, Edgar.Just try and remain calm so you don’t freak out your mate.She’s already eyeing you like you have four heads.”He looked at her just in time to see her glaring at him.“Just smile…no, don’t smile.You don’t do fake smiles well, and she might well think you’re leering at her.Just, I don’t know, just sit there and behave for a half hour or so, and you’ll be able to talk to her.Calmly, Edgar.Don’t freak out on her, or you’ll be worse off than I was when I first found Amy.”

“I don’t want that at all.You really were a major fuck up.”Fowler thanked him, and it sounded so sarcastic that it did make him feel better.“All right, I’m better now.Thanks.”