My Father's Boss (The Family Affairs)

“Husband?” he echoed softly, his eyes burning into mine.

My cheeks heated as I explained, “I mean…obviously, I’m not married yet. But yeah, I expect I will be some day.” And in my dreams, it was to Beau. Not that I thought they’d ever come true.

4

Beau

Watching Isabella eat was an exercise in torture, but considering the amount of reading I’d given her, I knew she’d try to work through lunch. I hadn’t expected her to finish the reading, only to get through as much as possible. But I’d learned that she was a bit of a perfectionist and liked to finish every task she was given and do it well.

Isabella had only worked with me for three days, and already I was reaching my breaking point. There were so many times when I’d almost said fuck it and kissed her senseless. Then she showed up looking like every high school boy’s naughty librarian fantasy. The skirt was almost indecently tight—in my opinion—and she’d left her blouse open just enough for me to glimpse her generous cleavage. I hadn’t gotten much work done between fantasizing and trying to come up with a way to get her different clothes.

I was still working on that during lunch and had been making idle chitchat. Not that I wasn’t absorbing her answers, so when she’d mentioned a husband, she gained one hundred percent of my focus.

She was so young that I’d expected there were things she’d want to do before settling down to have a family. I wasn’t going to wait to bind her to me as my wife, but I’d been willing to compromise on when to start having kids.

But if my bombshell’s dream was to get married and stay home with her kids, I would make that happen. Soon. Very soon.

“Someday?” I rasped. Making sure we were on the same page.

Her cheeks turned pink, and she glanced down at her sandwich. “I don’t want to wait. When I meet the right guy—um, man.”

I nearly spread her out on that table and fucked her right then and there. My dick was pulsing with need and leaking come at the thought of filling her young womb and seeing her belly round and swollen with my kid.

Fucking hell. I glanced at my watch and suppressed a groan. We had that client meeting in thirty minutes, and I needed more time than that to break in her virgin pussy so I could get my giant cock all the way in and knock her up. I needed to get control over myself.

“Once your man sees you, he won’t want to wait, either,” I told her, staring intensely into her eyes.

Her brow furrowed for a moment, then her expression lightened with hope, sending a calm over me. “Then why would he?”

“Good fucking question,” I muttered as I grabbed my sandwich and changed the subject. We needed to have this conversation when I could finish it buried inside her.

“Do you want to live in the city, or would you prefer a house out in the suburbs?”

Isabella looked a little disappointed for a moment, but something in my burning gaze must have reassured her because she smiled shyly and picked up her sandwich as well.

“Actually, I always pictured a big house on a lot of land. Room for lots of kids and for them to run and play to their heart’s content. Maybe even have a few animals.”

I grinned into my food as I took another bite. Could this woman be any more fucking perfect? I just so happened to have a ranch about an hour outside the city limits. It had a sprawling, two-story, log cabin-type house on twenty acres. It was also the home of several beautiful horses, a few ponies, and a plethora of baby animals, including sheep, goats, baby cows, mini horses, hedgehogs, and a brand-new litter of bunnies.

We hadn’t had that many animals when I was a kid spending my winters there, but it had grown over the years. The same couple who managed it when I was young still ran it. I wished I could spend more time there, but I was just too busy. So when Annie and Hank approached me with the idea of using it as a therapy ranch for kids with disabilities, especially autistic children, I’d immediately given them permission.

However, considering Isabella’s answer to my question, I’d be spending most of my time there in the future. And I knew she would love working with Annie on the project.

As soon as I met my bombshell, I’d begun wondering about my future with my firm. I wouldn’t abandon my business or my career—unless Isabella asked me to—but I started coming up with a strategy to pull back.

My first idea would depend on how Isabella’s dad took it when he found out about our relationship. If he could come to terms with it, I hoped he’d step in as managing partner.

A knock on my door drew me out of my thoughts, and I frowned as I called to the man interrupting my time with my woman to come in.

Jeremiah, a talented junior partner—who was happily married with two kids—walked into the room. Isabella stood and began gathering trash, but I barked, “Sit!” when I realized Jerry could see her outfit. It didn’t matter that he was clearly head over heels for his wife and kids. I couldn’t imagine anyone seeing Isabella like that and not picturing ripping those clothes off and taking her bent over the desk.

They both looked at me in shock, and Isabella sank slowly back into her seat. I probably should have backpedaled my attitude, but I was already on the edge of my control.

“What do you need?” I growled at the lawyer.

“Derek Hilliard is here. Ellis was called to court unexpectedly and sent me to help instead.”

I waved him off. “Not necessary. I can handle Derek.”