He knew he had never said this to her before, never cared one way or another what she was up to. Before now, she had been only his sister; they shared bloodlines, but that was as far as it went. But something had changed. Over the past few days, something had changed inside him.
And listening to a lovely and sweet young woman had taught him that there was so much more to life than keeping score ofthe women he had been with and wandering from one place to the next. He wanted more.
"Change it." He ameliorated his tone, hands reaching for hers.
She drew back slightly in shock. They were also not emotional and public displays were simply not done.
"Get up and stop feeling sorry for yourself. Do something with your life. If the way you look doesn't suit you, change it. Find something you like doing and go for it."
She had allowed him to take her hands but was looking at him as if he had grown two heads and a horn.
"That's rich coming from someone who has never worked a day in his life."
He winced at the truth of it.
Chapter 3
The atmosphere around the table was strained. He supposed that was the usual way in this family. Silence hung heavy and pregnant with discomfort. After the first course, and there were bloody seven of them, the conversation would peter off because no one had a damn thing to say to each other.
The only reason he was here was for his sister's sake and he had a few things to tell them. He was staying away from Catherine right now, but as soon as this was over, he was going to pursue her. He had spent a couple of sleepless nights grappling with the situation and had come to a decision. He was going to ask her to marry him. He smiled grimly at that. He never thought he would live to see the day when he would abandon his resolves for a woman, especially one he had just met.
But here he was. Thoughts of her consumed him. He kept reliving the taste and texture of her lips, the feel of her slender curves. Every time he closed his eyes, he pictured her golden-brown eyes and her lips. He kept going over her story in his mind. He wanted her so much that it was becoming ridiculous.
"So, Dean." Martin Collier looked up from the sliver of duck he was slicing into and pinned his son with sharp gray eyes. "I'm surprised you were able to grace us with your presence. As far as I knew, you were jetting off to where? Italy? Spain?"
"I decided to stick around." He was also determined to keep his calm, no matter what. His father had a way of riling people up just for the fun of it.
"And you're not out on the town with the latest flavor of the week." He grinned and looked around the table at the other occupants as if sharing a joke.
Dean's mouth tightened at the derogatory term.
"No." Keeping his voice scrupulously polite and courteous, he continued to eat his meal. "I've been thinking that it's time I take my rightful place in the company."
You could hear a pin drop as the people at the table stared at him in surprise.
"Heh. Heh." Martin lifted his snowy white napkin and dabbed at his mouth. "Well, wonders never cease. What brought this on?"
Lifting a brow at him, Dean picked up his wineglass. "I met someone and I'm going to ask her to marry me."
This time the silence was longer. The minutes ticked by as eating was suspended by everyone but him.
"Well!" This time it was his mother who broke the silence. "Do we know this young woman?"
"No. She doesn't run in our circle. Thank God." He added feelingly.
"When did you meet her?" his father asked.
Swinging his gaze to his father, he sipped before responding. "Two weeks ago."
"I see." Janet Collier folded her napkin into precise squares and nodded to the hovering maid, signaling her to clear the table and bring in the next course. "Where's she from? Who's her family? And is she suitable?"
He had expected those questions and was armed with the answers.
"Suitable for what?"
"To become a Collier of course." His father blustered. "We come from a long line of..."
"Save it, Father." He cut in rudely. "I always find it funny, hilarious even and certainly pathetic that our impeccable line is more important than a good character. It doesn't matter if there's cheating in the relationship as long as the person is from a so-called good family." He pinned the suddenly hapless Charles with a glance, letting him know that he was aware of his extramarital affairs. "I want to be different. I spent all my life following your examples, you and Mother. I was disillusioned from the age of ten."