Page 1 of Twelve Dates of Christmas

Chapter One

~ Rylan ~

Twelve days to Christmas, and all I could think of was how could I get out of it. I supposed with my billions, I could pay for an excuse—like an unavoidable trip to China or something. Yeah, no. That probably wouldn’t work.

I took a deep breath while I stalked down the sidewalk toward the building where I was meeting the owner of Padrik Industries. The chill filled my lungs, invigorating me. Overhead, the clouds broke and let through a beam of light for what seemed the first time in weeks.

Destiny.

It was all I could think as my future arrowed right through my chest, poleaxing me and freezing me to the spot. That bright spate of sunlight seemed to shine directly onto her, the embodiment of perfection. I took in everything at once. She wore black slacks, black high-heeled boots and a red puffy coat. Her halo of blonde hair fell below her shoulders. Her locks and the red and green plaid scarf around her neck, blew in the breeze, a flag beckoning me to charge at her—charge at her and scoop her up and runaway with her.

So yeah, that coat should scream Danger at me, but instead I found myself following her into the Waterfront Galleria. She half-jogged up the wide steps, just inside the bank of entry doors, then she stood still in the middle of the pale marble tiled floor while she looked for something.

I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. A moment ago, I’d been figuring out how to avoid Christmas and the matchmaking that would be thrust onto me. Those women, my stepmother thought were so perfect for some unfathomable reason, were fake from their noses and tits clear through to their phony personalities. The one real thing about them was their ill-hidden avarice when it came to my fortune.

It left me colder than this sub-zero winter day.

But this woman…

One look and I wanted to know exactly how to make her my wife.

She headed across the open area, and I followed like a heat seeking missile. Only to pause when I saw where she was going. The Twelve Dates of Christmas. A speed dating event.

Oh, fuck no.

Pulling out my phone I called my brother, Kenton. “Hey, I need you to reschedule the Padrik meeting,” I said without any greeting, the second he answered. “I’m not going to make it.”

“Don’t you have an assistant?” he snapped. I heard him moving then he huffed. “Fuck, Rylan. The meeting’s in fifteen minutes.”

“Yeah, that’s why I’m calling you and not Flo. I need you to take care of it.” I hung up before he could protest, confident my brother could handle things for me. I powered down the cell and shoved it away before striding toward the entrance to the auditorium my girl had walked into.

“Name?” a guy at the registration desk said.

“Rylan James.”

He scanned his list, looking for something I knew he wouldn’t find. “I’m sorry, I don’t have—”

His eyes went wide as I slid a hundred dollar bill across the desk toward him. “I’m sure you do have it.”

“Oh…yeah, there it is. Can you verify your information?” he said.

After five minutes of actually registering for the speed dating event and getting handed a packet of information and a sticky nametag, I was allowed through the dark green curtains and into a Christmas-bedecked room festooned with miles of garland and twinkle lights. Just inside the threshold, I checked my coat then turned to find the reason I’d come to this ridiculous event.

Little two-person stations, each comprised of two chairs and a round cafe table topped with a small holiday display, were set up throughout the room. I scanned the space. Christ, there had to be at least a hundred and fifty to two hundred people in here. How the hell could there be so many individuals wanting to do speed dating?

I couldn’t see the point. Though to tell the truth, I couldn’t really see the point of dating at all lately. Building my empire seemed far more important.

On the far left side of the ballroom, I saw a flash of red and beelined for it, hoping it was her, even though she’d probably checked her jacket, as I had. As I got closer, I saw it was indeed her, the cloud of blonde falling around the shoulders of her merry red sweater. She smiled at the guy who slid into the seat across from her.

Oh hell no.

I stopped beside him. “You’re in my spot.”

He glanced up at me, meeting my glare. “What?”

“You’re in my spot.”

He started to say something to refute me, but stopped when he saw the fifty in my hand. My back was to my girl, so she couldn’t see it, but he was out of the seat in a flash.

“Oh…sorry about that,” he said and was off in a blur to the other side of the room, pocketing the cash and not looking back.

I took the place he’d just vacated.

My eyes met her startled brown-eyes, and I grinned. Up close, she was utterly breathtaking and utterly mine. Not to be cliche but where the hell had this angel been all my life. Right here and now, I was ready to drop to my knee and give her anything she ever wanted as long as she met one requirement—taking my name.

“Hi,” I said, bidding myself to act normal and not like the possessive caveman rising up inside me. “Ready for this thing?”

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