Page 113 of Boyfriend of the Hour

Nathan squinted like he was physically pained by that question. “I double majored in business. And I still have to maintain a seat on the company’s board. It’s part of the…arrangement…I have with my family.”

“I see.” I considered. “Anything else I should know before I meet them?”

Slowly, however, the pain faded from Nathan’s face. And eventually was replaced with something closer to appreciation.

Which was odd.

But I’d take it.

“Yes,” he said finally. “I have two younger brothers.”

“Spencer and Carrick,” I said, remembering dinner.

He nodded. “That’s right. Spencer is the youngest, and like I said, he manages the breeding operations. Carrick works for thecompany, representing their interests to Congress and things like that. He and I are less than a year apart?—”

“Like me and Marie,” I jumped in. “Are you close?”

Nathan shook his head. “Generally, we don’t get along. Our relationship is fairly antagonistic.”

I nodded. “Yeah, Marie and I were like that too. But you know, things can change. Ever since she left for Paris, I actually miss her. A lot. Sometimes you need a person who will tell you exactly like it is, you know? She’s the only one in my family who does that for me. Good and bad.”

Nathan seemed to think about that for a moment. “Carrick is also very blunt.”

I grinned. “So are you. See, you already have that in common.”

For that, I received a wry smile. It was quickly becoming one of my favorites of his expressions. Nathan seemed to like it when I picked out personality traits of his that I suspected others didn’t see. Or else were too intimidated to name.

“My father’s greatest wish is for his eldest son—that’s me—to return to Virginia and resume his seat at the head of Huntwell,” Nathan said as he turned his attention back to the band, which was currently playing a very strange dancehall version of “Jolene” while the performers in the front attempted something like tango-meets-krumping.

I turned. “They want you to stop being a surgeon?”

I honestly couldn’t imagine it. In the short time I’d really known him, I could see that his job was the most important thing in his life. Everything revolved around his surgery schedule. The man was a machine about it.

Nathan nodded. “I double majored in finance and pre-med, so I suppose I technically have some business savvy. And my parents are convinced that living here hasn’t been good for me. They want me home, where they can force me to marry avapid debutante, procreate, and eventually take over my father’s position as CEO at Huntwell.”

Things were becoming clearer. “So that’s why you want to introduce me to them as your super serious girlfriend. You think that if you can show them you’re happy here, with a solid social life and all the things they say you can’t do without them, they won’t pressure you to come home and join the family business, yeah?”

Nathan almost seemed embarrassed. “I suppose that’s the majority of it.”

“Why not just tell them no?”

Nathan gave me a look. “Would you believe I’ve tried that?”

I didn’t answer. This time, it was my turn to deliver snarky expressions.

“My parents are very stubborn. And very…controlling.” He pushed his glasses up his nose. “I honestly think the only way they will believe I actually enjoy the life I’ve built on my own is to show them I’ve met their terms.”

“Well, are you?” I asked. “Happy?”

“I am…content with my life in New York,” he said after a moment. “It’s a life I chose for myself. That’s more than I can say about anything in Virginia.” And then his deep brown gaze fixed on me, and my heart thumped in response. “I’m happy here with you. Right now.”

We watched each other for a good long time while one strangely written song bled into another, and the rest of the room seemed to blur a bit.

The down tempo element in the music dropped a few beats in tempo as the band launched into a sensual cover of a Metallica song.

Honestly, it wasn’t bad.

Kind of pretty, actually.