Conall Read online

  It had only resulted in the boys depending on themselves more than anyone else. Relying on each other for support and the strength to make it through another day. His brothers were the only men he trusted with his life. Sure, he had others who surrounded him on a daily basis, but when the shit really hit the fan, the only people he trusted were Kieran, Fionn and Shannon.

  The intercom buzzed on his desk and he walked over to answer it. “Yes, Margorie?”

  “Sir, you have a Ms. Tatiana Barbosa here to see you,” she said in a clipped tone. Which meant he wasn’t going to like what she said next. “She does not have an appointment, but says it’s imperative that she speak with you.”

  His first thought was whether or not she was some chick he had slept with. That couldn’t be it. Anyone he spent time with knew never to come and try to find him. Especially at his place of work. “Tatiana,” he said to himself, testing the name on his tongue. No, he would definitely have remembered a name like Tatiana. Sounded French. Intrigued, he spoke again. “What time is my next appointment?”

  “In thirty minutes, sir. It’s with the team handling the issue in Canada.” Oh yes, the former mistress of a high-ranking U.S. Senator had fled to Canada and was threatening to go public with the story. He had a team trying to defuse the situation and assess the validity of the threat.

  “Okay, send her in. I’ll go ahead and see what this is about.” Expecting to see a tall statuesque woman resembling one of his many dalliances—slim, porcelain skin, and long, flowing blonde hair—he was stunned when he saw the woman who glided into his office.

  “Ms. Barbosa?” he questioned after a moment of shocked silence. At her nod, he continued, “How can I help you?” Margorie shot the woman a hard look before closing his office as she exited to return to her work station.

  Conall stood behind his large mahogany desk taking her in as he waited for her to answer his question. He knew that he had never met her before. Oh no, he would have remembered this lovely vision standing in front of him. Statuesque she was not. Porcelain could never describe her skin. As he took in the dark brown curls resting atop her head, he smiled to himself. Her hair color was not even close to blonde. Even though she was the opposite of what he expected, he had an immediate reaction to the sexy woman standing in front of him.

  The light floral scent she wore tickled his senses. He wanted to dip his nose into the crook of her neck and shoulder and inhale her unique aroma. Lush curves were encased in a dark gray dress with a wide black belt cinched around her waist. Tall, knee-length black boots completed the picture. If he didn’t know any better, he would call them “Fuck-me Boots,” but he would keep that to himself for now. Her thick, curly, dark tresses gathered in a loose bun, with long tendrils escaping the professional, but carefree hairstyle. Her lips were perfectly shaped and she had a small beauty mark on the side of her face, situated just under her left eye, high on her cheekbone.

  Damn, she was sexy. Whoever the hell she was, he wanted her.

  “Mr. O’Shea. Thank you for allowing me to barge in like this.” Her husky voice flowed over him like honey when she spoke. Hazel eyes met his emerald ones and he wondered what he had done right in his life for this moment to be happening. And then she spoke again. “My brother came to me last night begging for help. Says he needs to be protected from the O’Shea brothers. Since you’re the only O’Shea brother that I could find, except for the Councilman, I came here.”

  Shocked by her words and her audacity, he forced his features to remain calm and did not react immediately to her statement. Not bothering to respond, he simply stared at her. Not many people could state that they could hold his gaze, but this slip of a woman seemed to have no trouble. She was either very brave or very, very stupid.

  “Do you know my brother, Mr. O’Shea?” she asked bluntly.

  “No,” was all he said.

  “How do you know? You haven’t even asked me his name,” she said, her voice wavering slightly as she seemed to finally realize how this all looked.

  “And you didn’t provide it.” Walking around his desk to the sitting area in his large office, he motioned toward the small tan loveseat. “Please, have a seat, Ms. Barbosa.” After a moment’s pause, she sat down on the edge and placed her purse to the side of her. Her hands folded neatly in her lap. Her mannerisms reminded him of a schoolteacher and he barely restrained himself from asking if she were going to put him in detention. Instead, he answered the question she had initially asked. “I don’t even know who you are, so how could I respond whether or not I know your brother? Better yet, why does he think he needs protection from my brothers and me?” he asked.

  Sitting in one of the wing-backed chairs across from the loveseat, he crossed his legs and rested his elbow on the arm of the chair, his hand rubbing his chin in contemplation. His gaze never left her face and he noticed her cheeks taking on a berry-colored hue. Hmmm, interesting.

  She seemed to think about his question in detail. Her perfectly arched eyebrows came down in a frown. “Actually, I don’t know why he would say that. Well, I do, but it doesn’t make any sense. My brother is not the most upstanding of people. But he’s my brother and when he came to my house last night, he was scared. You were the least scary of the bunch and the most approachable. So, here I am. I need to find out what’s going on.”

  Damn! Last night? Wait, she thinks he was the least scary? He wanted to laugh at the irony. Did she know what his family did? Tilting his head to look at her a little more closely. Only one question came to mind. “Why?” he asked.

  “Why what?” she responded, her brow creased in confusion.

  “Why do you need to find out what’s going on? Shouldn’t your brother be here instead?” The question flowed off his lips.

  “That’s not how this works. I’m the oldest. I do what’s necessary to protect my brother. You’re a businessman. I’m a businesswoman. I figured we could speak about this like adults. Whatever my brother did to you or your family, we can fix it.” The words rushed out of her mouth.

  “Is that right?” At her nod, he continued, “Okay, so tell me, what happened last night?” he said in a calm voice.

  Inside his mind, he had immediately figured that her brother had been somewhere near the warehouse. But how could he? No, he would call Fionn or Shannon and see if they knew anything. Still, there was a tingling feeling in his shoulders that neither of his brothers would have any idea what he was talking about. No. This was about him. What he had done. He was mentally going over the layout of the warehouse they were in last night. Who saw them go inside and if anyone was there when they left. The coincidence could not be denied.

  “That’s why I’m here. Listen, you don’t know me and I don’t know you. But, I protect my brother, even when he doesn’t deserve it. As I said, if he’s done something to piss you off, I need to know what it is.” The sultriness of her voice wasn’t forced and he was positive she had no idea how it was affecting him.

  “I know what your brother may have told you, but I don’t know who he is.” Although he would sure as fuck find out soon enough. “I’m sure there’s been some misunderstanding.”

  Which was a damn lie. If her brother had seen him last night, he had every right to be scared.

  “But that doesn’t make sense,” she said with a deep sigh. “Actually, my being here doesn’t make sense. I’m not sure why I thought I could come down here and ask you about this. Even if my brother was mixed up with you, it’s not like you would tell me,” she said with a curl to her lip.

  “You’re right. I wouldn’t,” he answered honestly. At the stunned look on her face, he simply sat quietly and waited for her next move.

  “Why did you agree to see me?” she asked.

  “I thought you were someone else,” he answered quickly.

  “Oh,” she said under her breath. Then her eyes hardened and she stood up. “Then I’ll be leaving. I didn’t mean to bother you, Mr. O’Shea. I just felt compelled to try and see you and fin
d out what was going on with my brother.”

  “You’re not bothering me. But now I have a question for you. Why did you feel you needed to confront me personally? Why come all the way to my office?” Although his tone was casual, he needed to know the answer to his question. Looking at her face, he saw the flush of burgundy blaze across her cheeks. Oh, now that’s interesting.

  “I told you,” she squeaked. “You were the most accessible one. Although, when your secretary told me that you would see me, I was somewhat surprised. You seem too busy to be bothered with unexpected guests.” Her eyes were bright and he knew that wasn’t the whole story. There was a reason why she was here, in his office.

  “Yes, but I have three other brothers, Ms. Barbosa. Granted, you wouldn’t get to Kieran, but if your brother is into something shady, why come to me? I’m a businessman, love, not a thug.”

  “Are you? I’ve always believed that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” was her snippy reply.

  Score one for the lovely Tatiana. Nodding at her in acquiescence, he acknowledged the barb. Tilting his head as if he were pondering the questions of the universe, he asked the question he knew she had not asked herself before strolling in here pretty as you please. “Then wouldn’t that make it worse for you and your brother for you to come here? To me? The one who can move in polite society, but still have the heart of a criminal beating inside?”

  At her widened eyes and deer in the headlights look, he knew she had finally caught on to the danger she had placed herself in. Slowly backing up to the door, he could see her trying to escape him. Oh no, pretty little butterfly. You came into the spider’s web and now I got you.

  Finally, she found her voice, attempting with all her might to backpedal. “You’re right. I should never have come here.” Her legs continued to slowly move her closer to his office door. The quiver in her voice gave her away. Did he make her nervous?

  “What’s the matter, Tatiana? Leaving so soon?” Purposely using her first name, he continued sitting as she tried to slowly plan her escape.

  “I made a mistake coming here,” she repeated.

  “Yes, you did,” he said in agreement. At her gasp, he continued, “Now that I’ve seen you, I’m not sure I’ll ever forget you. You were brave to come into the lion’s den.”

  “Sir…I mean, Mr. O’Shea, this was a reckless decision to come here. I never should have come to your office.” Just as she was about to open the door, he jumped up from the loveseat and managed to get his hand on the door to gently close it again.

  “I like hearing you call me Sir. Say it again,” he whispered in her ear. Inhaling deeply, he captured her scent and it sent a frisson of awareness through his body. His body responded instantly and his cock hardened within his pants.

  Eyeing her face as he stood close to her body, he noticed her eyes close and her lips began to quiver. The tiny moan that came out of her was proof that his attraction to her was not one-sided. Hell, he didn’t even know why he was attracted to her. Sure, Kieran was into chocolate, but his tastes had always been more geared toward vanilla. Well, in skin tone alone. His desires in the bedroom were anything but normal.

  “Do I make you nervous, Ms. Barbosa?” He wasn’t touching her, but he was close enough that if she moved even an inch, her entire body would be flush against his. Was he coming on a little too strong? Yes. Did he give a shit? Not one damn bit.

  “I think I should leave now,” she managed to say in a low voice.

  The only thing that would make it difficult for him would be if he had to kill her brother. If he had never seen what he did and run to his sister, he wouldn’t have this dilemma. Maybe he could ask Fionn to take care of it for him. Keep his hands clean and his path clear to pursue the lovely vision standing in front of him.

  One thing he knew, something about this woman drew him to her. When she had first walked in, her attempts at being prim and proper had almost fooled him. Until he had looked into her eyes and watched her pupils dilate as she took in his long, lean form. Denying her own desire for him was not something he could let slide. Not when he felt it too.

  “Answer me, Ms. Barbosa. Do I make you nervous?” he asked again, this time in her other ear. Not sure why he’d lost all common sense and control, he grazed his lips across her lobe, skimming his lips across her soft skin. Feeling her shudder made him smile. Not usually one to come on so strong, there was no way he could have held back from touching her.

  Swallowing deeply, she seemed to gather her nerves before turning her hazel eyes to him. “Fuck you. I need to leave.”

  An unexpected laugh bubbled up to the surface and he couldn’t help but let it out. “Oh, Ms. Barbosa. I think I like you.” No one ever spoke to him that way, and lived to tell the tale. Feisty, he liked that.

  Stepping back, he removed his hand from his office door. “I’m not holding you here. But rest assured, I will find you again. No matter the reason you came to see me, now that I know you exist, I will do everything in my power to make sure you never forget me.”

  As she stood there gaping at him, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, he took matters into his own hands and opened the door to his office. In a low voice he said, “Run along, love. I have things to do. But rest assured, I’ll see you soon.”

  “Not if I have anything to say about it,” she responded as she quickly left the office and headed toward the elevator. Her feet moved so fast, it was if she was running. Pressing the button multiple times, she kept looking over her shoulder at him. And every time, he was there. His gaze soaking her in. The smirk on his face giving away his humor at her efforts to deny what they’d both felt in his office. Never taking his eyes off of her, even as she tried her damnedest to run away from him, he stood outside of his door and waited.

  Watching until the elevator door closed and she was out of his sight, he turned to see Margorie staring at him with an odd look on her face and a smirk on her lips. “What are you smiling about?” he asked her.

  “Nothing, sir. Just wondering if you’ve seen a ghost. You look a little shell-shocked. Do you need some water to cool down?” Her voice held mirth, as if she were on the verge of laughing.

  “Funny, Margorie. Mind your own business, old lady,” he said with a smile. Yeah, he may be one-fourth of a quad of men who had no problem with killing, hurting, maiming and wallowing in all kinds of other bad shit, but Margorie…well, she got a pass. At just over fifty years old, she was a grandmother of three and tended to treat him like he was the fourth. Actually, when any of his brothers came around, they got the same treatment. They all grumbled about it and swore her machinations were unwelcome, but secretly, they all enjoyed the way she treated them. He wasn’t sure if she knew the full extent of what they did or who they really were, and he would never willingly put her in a position to find out. Some things were better left in the dark. His dual nature was one of them.

  “Mmmm hmmmm. Whatever you say. And don’t forget, your meeting with the Condor Team heading up the issue in Canada is in six minutes. They’ll be waiting for you in the executive boardroom.” Handing him a folder with an updated briefing, she turned back to her computer as he made his way back into his office. As he stepped through the doors, he caught a whiff of Ms. Barbosa’s unique scent. He was bound and determined to see her again. Exiting his office once again, he stopped by Margorie’s desk. “Find out all you can about Ms. Barbosa. I want details by two o’clock this afternoon. Family, friends, secrets. I want everything, and I do mean everything, you can find out about her.”

  “Yes, sir,” Margorie answered with a smile as she turned and picked up her desk phone.

  Chapter Three

  She had been a fool to go to that man’s office. Tatiana sat in her living room at her home in East Boston. What had she been thinking? No, if she were honest with herself, she hadn’t been thinking at all. As soon as Tony had come to her looking all crazy in the eyes, she had taken it upon herself to seek out Conall O’Shea. Just st
upid.

  There was no denying that she knew exactly who he was. Yeah, he may have pulled himself up by his bootstraps and done something for himself, but his family is littered with ruthless criminals and rumored to be one of the main families connected to the Irish Mob.

  Now, after seeing him in person, there was so much more to the man than she’d expected. Too rattled to go back to her office after her encounter with him, she went home, put on her comfy pajamas, and settled in to do some more research. Sitting back on her couch, her laptop thrown to the side, she nibbled on her thumb as thoughts raced in her mind. Not usually so impulsive, when the idea had come up to confront Conall, she had latched onto it and never let it go. It had seemed so logical at the time, but she could now see how foolish that was.

  Last night after Tony had left, she did a routine search on him, noting the name of his company, the address, and then had spent more than two hours looking at pictures of him and his many girlfriends. Well, maybe not girlfriends, but conquests. Slight obsession and an intense need to see him in the flesh was all she could think about. So, at ten o’clock, she had marched her butt right over to his office and got the shock of her life.

  Not only was he more handsome in person, his voice was deeper than expected, his eyes greener than the finest emeralds, and his body seemed to call out to her. God, what was she doing? The man was probably a criminal. This was ridiculous. Thank goodness she’d not mentioned to Tony what she was planning to do. In all honesty, it was more about her curiosity than anything and you know what they said about curiosity killing the cat. One day she would learn to keep her ass away from danger. And Conall O’Shea was definitely dangerous.

  She shouldn’t be thinking about him anyway. His last words to her about seeing her again made her nervous. She wasn’t his type. She knew this. He knew this. So, why even say the words? A strong knock on her door jarred her out of her internal thoughts. Looking over at the clock, she noted that it was just before six o’clock. Distracted and still thinking about her earlier encounter, she called out, “Who is it?”