My lips still tingled from Nolan’s incredibly gentle kiss.

I was dizzy with emotion and my heart was unable to stop from pounding against my ribs.

Going into tonight, I didn’t have any expectations. I thought that if we both had fun, then maybe he would try to kiss me when it was all over. But having him make his move in the beginning caught me completely by surprise.

A mixture of nerves and excitement kept me close to this amazing man. He made me feel comfortable, like I could trust him with my deepest secrets, and because of that I couldn’t stop from wondering how he could be single.

Glancing to my shoulder, I watched Nolan’s big hand move up and down my arm. Smoothing out the prickles that he inflicted, I was getting drunk on his manly scent. Nolan was the epitome of sex appeal and there was no denying how easily he managed to heat me up.

My head spun as I couldn’t believe that he had already gotten me to kiss him. It wasn’t like me to act as quickly as I did. That was a Sienna type move. Not something I was known for. Not that I thought it was wrong or anything, because I truly didn’t. There were no feelings of shame afterward and I wanted him do it again.

God, did I want him to kiss me again.

Glancing down to my hand resting on his thick muscular thigh, he felt right—this felt right. I couldn’t explain it other than I could feel it in my gut. Never had I experienced something as magical as what I was feeling tonight. It was exciting and effortless and completely unexpected. All positive signs for wanting me to believe that coming to the mountains wasn’t a mistake, but rather something that was meant to be.

Sitting tucked under his arm, I couldn’t stop from thinking how fast this had turned into a date. “Wow.” I gaped at the mansion. “This place is incredible.”

Nolan glanced at me, grinning. “Just wait until you see the inside.”

I held his eyes with mine for a minute before turning back out the window. We meandered up the long driveway before parking beneath the expansive awning. The architecture was an amazing assortment of wood logging, masonry, and windows. Several valets were busy moving vehicles as another stray attendant was keeping the traffic from congesting at the top as the many guests arrived.

“Tonight,” Nolan’s hand stopped on my shoulder and squeezed, “I’m expecting a packed house and I’ve invited members of the local media, too.”

Twisting the bangles on my wrist, suddenly I felt extremely insecure. “I thought the event might be big, but I didn’t realize it was news-worthy.”

Nolan laughed. “Doesn’t take much in a town like this.”

“No, I suppose it wouldn’t,” I said. But the truth was, I wasn’t sure I knew what I had gotten myself into when I agreed to attend tonight’s gala with a man I barely knew.

“I’ll be busy working the room, but I’m happy to have you by my side throughout the chaos if that would make you feel better.” He dropped his chin and leaned closer.

Feeling my pulse tick up higher, I couldn’t help but appreciate how insightful and compassionate this man was. It was such a relief from the assholes I had to deal with at work. But with Nolan, there was also a hidden strength beneath his soft exterior, and I liked that about him, too.

“I’m a grown woman.” My fingers caught his cute bowtie. “I can handle myself.”

His strong lips pressed against the center of my forehead. “Most importantly, I want you to enjoy yourself.”

My insides fluttered as he added to the warmth. “Then you better show this girl to the bar.”

He laughed and took my hand inside of his. The driver opened our door soon after and Nolan assisted me out of the limousine with precision and grace. Together, we walked up the flagstone steps leading to the larger-than-life front entrance with Nolan snaking his arm around my waist, keeping a gentle, yet possessive, hold on me.

As soon as we stepped inside, my breath hitched.

Nolan cast his gorgeous eyes down on me, giving me a knowing smile as if saying, I told you so.

The vaulted ceilings and painted artwork were immaculate. There were large canvas prints of various wildlife from around the world. Ski memorabilia everywhere.

“Incredible, isn’t it?” A woman’s voice came from the side.

I turned to find a tall, thin woman gliding our way. Her red lips spread into a smile as Nolan leaned in to greet her. They air kissed each other’s cheeks before Nolan introduced us. “Christine, I’d like you to meet Sophia Monroe.”

Christine’s eyes sparkled as she stepped forward to embrace me. I played the role, following her lead, mimicking Nolan’s greeting with her. “Welcome,” she said.

“Thank you.”

“All of what you see and taste tonight is because of Christine,” Nolan said.

Christine lifted her hand and set it on Nolan’s arm. “None of this would be possible if it weren’t for Nolan,” she countered.

Nolan rolled his eyes. “Really, it’s the Rothschilds’ idea.”

“And I’ll continue to give you credit until Mr. Rothschild tells me otherwise.” Christine dropped her hand away from Nolan’s arm.

Looking around the room, Nolan said, “Everything looks fantastic.”

“It worked out. But please, Nolan, next time give me more than a couple hours heads up to change venues.” Christine looked at me and shook her head.

“It feels right having it here,” he said.

“You just wanted to have a party knowing your parents would be gone.” Christine hooted. Then she turned her eyes to me. “Some things never change,” she said as she left.

I smiled, keeping my arm looped through Nolan’s. Musical instruments were playing in harmony somewhere in the back and now that I knew that this was Nolan’s family’s house, I wasn’t sure I could look at it—or him—the same. The luxuries around every corner, the textures and sensations of wealth. I was surrounded by it all and I couldn’t help but wonder if Nolan’s request to change tonight’s event was inspired by wanting to show off his family’s wealth.

“What will it be, Ms. Monroe?” Nolan leaned close to my ear and asked as he called a waiter over. “Wine or champagne?”

Nolan was smooth. Each move was calculative, preparing to set him up for his next. Nothing was by chance with him and, because of that, I couldn’t wait to see what else he had in store. “Wine.”

“Wine it is,” he said, plucking two glasses of white from the tray. Then he handed me the glass as he began his toast. “To having the prettiest woman in the room by my side.”

“To looking better when you’re by my side.” I held my glass up to his.

He smiled, piercing me with his devilishly dark eyes as he wrapped his lips over the rim.

Together, we floated through the party. Nolan stopped to greet people along the way, introducing me as we went. He made me feel welcomed and soon we had found ourselves on the second floor stepping out onto a balcony overlooking a ski trail.

“Until tonight, I always thought that these houses were such a waste,” I shamelessly admitted.

Nolan looked mildly confused and maybe a little offended.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything,” I quickly retracted. “This is your parents’ house and it’s lovely. Truly. It is.” I cast my gaze to the ground, stopping myself from digging the hole I’d just started any deeper.

Nolan stepped forward, placing his hands on my hips. “You’re absolutely right.”

Raising my brows, I lifted my chin and found his eyes sparkling down onto mine.

“Most of these houses only get used a couple weeks out of the year. And they’re all much too big for any family—no matter the size.”

I tilted my head, and this time it was me who was looking at him sideways.

Nolan laughed. “Houses like these, it’s all for show.”

My giggle rippled throughout my body as I smoothed my hands up around his shoulders. He had said exactly what I was thinking, and it was nice not having to explain myself or fight to make him see my point of view.

“The ultra-wealthy,” his face scrunched with disgust, “they’re so hard to please.”

I laughed much harder than I should have, but Nolan made me feel at ease.

“The real reason I brought you here is because there is something I wanted to ask.”

His tone grew more serious and had my brows knitting with nervous jitters tying knots in my stomach. “What is it?”

He tilted his head as he searched the depths of my eyes, letting the suspense grow with each passing moment. “Sophia—”

I inched myself closer. Standing taller, I held my breath and perked my ears while anxiously anticipating what he had to say.

His eyes narrowed. “Do you ski?”

My eyes widened as I looked away, blowing out a heavy sigh of relief as I did. Then I started laughing. “Ski?” I turned back to look him in the eye.

He drew his dark brows together. “Did you think I was going to ask you something else?”

Tucking my hair behind my ears, I said, “Yeah.”

“Yeah, you ski? Or yeah, you thought I was asking you something else?”

“Yeah, both.” I laughed as heat spread across my chest. “Though I’m not very good.”

“Skiing is what makes this town special.” Nolan twisted me in his arms, facing me toward the ski slope. Wrapping me in his arms, he continued, “Winters here are magical. You get sunshine, warmth, and snow.”

With my back pulled snuggly against his chest, I imagined the green grassy trails below covered with snow. The sight in my head was serene and beautiful, exactly as Nolan described it.

“And here, you can do it all from your front door.” His arms tightened around me.

I held on to his strong forearms as we silently rocked back and forth.

A minute later he was called from inside. “Nolan. It’s time.”

He released his arms and twisted me back around to face him. His gaze was soft and made me believe that I was the only thing on his mind. “I’m sorry, but duty calls.”

“What do you have to do?” I asked.

He dropped his forehead against mine. “The welcome speech.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

“God, yes.” He laced his fingers through mine. “Stand where I can see you.”

I pulled back and gave him a questioning look.

“If you can do that, then I’ll be able to get through it without having a nervous breakdown.” His lips curled at the corners.

“Are you afraid of public speaking?”

“Terrified,” he murmured as if not wanting his secret to be known.

He’d led me believe he could do anything, handle whatever kind of pressure he was under. For him to admit his fear was only more evidence to make me believe he was as incredible as I already thought he was.

“It will be quick. But if you’ll do that for me, I’ll have you to look forward to after.”

“You can count on me.” I bounced on my tip-toes.

He turned his head and looked inside at the crowd through the windows. “Now, if only the guests didn’t need to be reminded to have fun.”

“Do people really need to be reminded of that?”

He turned back to me. “You have no idea who any of these people are, do you?”

I shook my head.

“Good.” He towed me to the door. “It’s better that way,” he said as we stepped back inside. “As the saying goes, ignorance is bliss.”

We meandered down the halls, spiraled our way down the stairs, and as Nolan guided us to the ballroom I silently started taking note of what exactly Nolan meant by me not knowing who these people were.

Looking around, I asked the same questions over and over. Who were these people surrounding us and what did Nolan know that I didn’t? And why was it that he wanted to keep it from me? After all, most of them had friendly faces and were polite. How bad could it really be?

Suddenly, Nolan stopped when a woman my size emerged from the crowd.

She stepped forward and there was something familiar about her that I couldn’t place. Nolan released my hand and bent down to give her a warm embrace. And when he stood, her eyes quickly landed on me.

My heart jumped into my throat.

And my fingers wouldn’t stop touching my jewelry.

My tongue darted out, wetting my lips.

I stood there with an awkward insecure look plastered across my face, unsure what to do with my hands.

The woman kept her eye on me as I wondered who she was. “Nolan, is this your date?”

Nolan turned to look at me. Our eyes met and my heart raced with anticipation of how he would respond. The small kiss in the limo answered our questions about what tonight was for us, but would Nolan also be proud to introduce me as his date?

The woman gave Nolan a hard glance and I didn’t know how to take it.

It was like she knew I didn’t belong. I was afraid she might be the type of women to start a cat fight with the one person she saw as being vulnerable, unwelcome, and out of place. But then Nolan eased my worries with one single response.

“Sophia,” his slit for eyes raked me over, “meet my baby sister, Charlotte.”

The tension in my shoulders released. “Pleased to meet you.”

I offered her my hand but, like everyone else here tonight, she leaned in for a hug and air kissed both my cheeks.

“It’s a bold move, mister,” she said as she turned her attention back to Nolan.

I listened but was quickly lost by what it was they were discussing.

“How was the flight?” he asked her. “Did you hit any traffic?”

Charlotte slapped Nolan’s arm.

Nolan reached for the spot she hit as if nursing the wound.

Charlotte rolled her eyes.

And I giggled at the sibling antics playing out in front of me.

Nolan side-stepped her and slid his arm around my waist as Charlotte excused herself. And with him by my side, I once again felt liked I belonged. Because God knew I didn’t.

The more I thought about his comments on the balcony, the more I realized just exactly what he was referring to. The place was completely foreign to me. The customs, culture, and how people talked—it was new, exciting, and had me scared that I might unintentionally do something wrong. I was walking on eggshells and by the time Christine called Nolan to the stage up front, I was feeling like my head was floating in the clouds.

This wasn’t my circle. I didn’t know how to act no matter how hard I tried to fake it. Everything was so proper. From greetings, to how people held their wine glasses, to how women responded to men. And the only word that kept coming to mind was superficial.

But even that felt wrong because Nolan was anything but. He was so genuine with everything he did, including the way he continued to treat me. Never once did he flaunt the fact that he came from money. Nor did he try to impress me with the dozens of things I had seen tonight that he could have easily chosen to discuss or merely point out. Instead, he kept things simple, focused on me, and it only made me more curious to know who exactly he was and why he chose me to be his date tonight.

I watched the crowd part as the big man made his way to the front. Faces smiled and nodded as hands clapped. Once he broke through the crowd, Christine introduced him to everyone before embracing him in another hug.

The more I saw, the more I admired the man. It appeared he had it all. And as the crowd gave a warm applause, I was anxious to hear what it was he was going to say.

“Thank you all for coming tonight.” Nolan quickly found me standing in the back and winked. “Both the Fosters and Rothschilds are so very pleased to see each and every one of you. And it brings me great pleasure to know that our community is dedicated to this charitable cause as it only confirms what I already knew—the environment means so much to us all.”

A small round of applause circled the room.

“I mean, without snow there would be no skiing.” Nolan smiled. “And without skiing, what would we do?”

The crowd laughed.

I looked around and couldn’t help but notice how everyone’s eyes were glued up front on Nolan. There was respect and adoration on their faces. And I knew that could only come from having a reputation people respected.

“It is important to us all,” Nolan continued. “And the climate and snow are also important to the wildlife we all love, as well.”

Another loud applause roared through the crowd.

I glanced to the photos I had seen on my way in and then it hit me. Everything important to these people was here. Whether in photograph or speech, their concerns were the reason Nolan had brought them here tonight. And when the crowd laughed again, I snapped out of my thoughts to find Nolan staring directly at me.

I smiled and nodded, thinking he was flawless in his delivery. If what he said about being fearful of public speaking was true, I didn’t see it. He hid it well.

Then he turned his head and said, “Now, enjoy yourselves. Indulge in food and drink and don’t forget to write those huge checks to show your support.”

This time I laughed and clapped along with the crowd.

When Nolan left the stage, I watched his every move. It seemed as if everyone wanted to talk with him. And Nolan gave each individual his undivided attention. Looking them in their eyes, responding to questions with patient thought, and I couldn’t help but be turned on by his confidence and the way he commanded the room.

Finishing the last bit of my wine, I couldn’t wait for him to join me. And once he was within reach, he locked his gaze on me and I had tunnel vision as I watched him stride directly for me.

My heart thrashed in my ears as I felt the ache move over my clitoris.

Nolan wet his lips as his broad shoulders spread out like wings.

He was neatly fit into his tuxedo and had me feeling weak in the knees with the way he was looking at me. Feeling my breath begin to pant, I admired the little bit of dark shadow beginning to fill his face. And when he stepped up to me, reaching for my hands, my nipples drew tight beneath my gown.

“Thank God that is over,” he said in a husky voice.

“You did great.” My fingers played with his.

He lifted his eyes and turned his head as he wiped his face inside his hand. Then he dropped his gaze back to mine. “Thanks to you.”

I squeezed his hands.

“C’mon. Let’s go have some fun. There’s more I want to show you and I can introduce you to some of my favorite people along the way.”

“You don’t need to impress me.”

“Because I already have?” He smiled.

“Don’t flatter yourself.” I smirked. “You’re doing well, but you’re not there yet.”

Then his eyelids hooded over as he dropped his head. And just when I thought he was about to kiss me again, the house butler arrived. “I’m sorry to interrupt, sir. But you have an urgent call.”

Nolan pulled back and turned his attention to the butler. “Tell whoever it is that it can wait.”

“I’m sorry, sir.” The butler shook his head. “I’m afraid it’s a family matter.”

Nolan’s brow twisted with concern. “Is everything all right?”

“No. It doesn’t seem so.” The butler motioned for Nolan to follow. “Please, Mr. Foster. Time is of the essence. We must go now.”