Jimmy sat on the plane thinking about Tate. For a week and a half, they had seen each other almost every night. On Saturday night, she stayed, and he woke to her sweet ass pressed into his erection. His first thought was this was the meaning of life. So many species mate for life penguins, swans, beavers. Even wolves, but not sharks or snakes. Humans find the concept difficult, yet seahorses the weirdest fish managed it. Could he be a wolf? He had his pack, a small group of people he trusted.

It had to mean something when he kept thinking I should be at the table with Tate. When he arrived at his hotel, she would have been asleep for hours. Still, he texted her. It seemed important to let her know he arrived and missed her. Fuck, his actions would surprise his best friend, especially since it was with his sister.

He laid in bed. It felt bigger, but it was the same size he slept in at home, and Tate had only stayed over once. He wondered if he could convince her to stay and get ready for work together like Ivy and Baxter had since they stayed on Chestnut Street. Dressing together. Crap! How could he sleep with a rock hard pecker?

He ran through thoughts to reverse things, most involved his parents, but also the thought of Philip and Amelia together. It weighed heavily on him that he knew about Tate's father. What did she know? Worry took over, as sleep evaded him. Perhaps he was nocturnal like a wolf. Thinking of meeting Dickie on limited sleep made sleep harder to grasp.

Tony had worked overtime arranging for the closing of the New England stores. Meanwhile, Jimmy had expansion plans with viable market research to back them up. The slick slides were ready for his breakfast meeting.

His alarm jarred him out of a dream. Whatever it was about it was pleasant and he had a hard-on to prove it. Another reason to not wake up alone. There were more than he realized. As soon as he quieted the damn buzzing, he looked at his notifications. A few important emails, but his smile was for a text message. Miss me? You're going soft, Sinclair. He laughed. If she said it to his face, she would poke his abs which weren't soft as all.

When he had trouble falling asleep, he adjusted his alarm. He pushed it later to skip his workout. He usually kept to the eastern time zone, but he woke at ten EST. Tate would already be at work. He had to meet Dickie in an hour, so he slowly got out of bed for a warm shower.

Dressed in a suit, Jimmy inspected his face. No dark circles and although he looked pale after a long winter, he wasn't gray, definitely still alive. Hopefully, meeting with Dawson wouldn't do him in.

Arriving at Dawson Sports flagship store, he smiled to see customers milling around. A line at the register gave him the perk he needed. Dawson had a small office in the back and he wanted to meet there instead of his small corporate building. One thing Dawson did well was keep overhead down. Ivy might point out he overworked his staff, but turnover was low, but most jobs in Vail were in the tourism sector. For an accountant who loved to ski, Dawson corporate was a dream job.

The balding man greeted him with a handshake. His face looked less drawn than their last meeting. "Dickie, you look great."

His modest smile wasn't boastful. "I've been eating right. See I even have fresh fruit for breakfast."

A small table held the items for a continental breakfast. Jimmy didn't care for pastries every day either. At home, he started the day with protein, not sugar. Because it was almost lunchtime at home, he picked up a bran muffin and spooned some fresh melon, grapes, and blueberries onto a paper plate. He smirked as he wondered if Charles knew what paper plates were.

"I hope this is okay."

Jimmy looked at Dickie's apprehensive face. "It's fine. Honestly, my butler is more of a snob than me." He laughed. "Absurd. I know." He sat and drank from his coffee which was in a mug. "How's Duncan?"

Dickie frowned. "Busy trying to get on TV again. That boy makes it hard for me to be proud of him. He blew all that money and can't keep a woman. Not marrying Tate was his biggest mistake."

Jimmy's gut tightened. "Tate doesn't see it that way. She's dated and definitely moved on."

Dickie nodded. "Good for her."

Jimmy relaxed, the wolf would pounce to protect. "The stores will be closed soon. The end of season sales are wiping out most of the inventory. We can talk about what's left. You'll have to let me know if anything has enough value to send it here."

Most store closures sold off at a complete loss rather than moving merchandise. Jimmy didn't view it as an all or nothing. The rest would go to a small chain in Maine which bought liquidation items for pennies on the dollar.

Dickie nodded. Points to him for not being sour over his failed expansion efforts. Jimmy turned on his laptop, it was time to show him the right way to expand. With his expert staff, he could easily add management consulting services to the Sinclair brand. The wolf found putting companies out of business disheartening.

Dickie listened and asked questions. The fruitful exchange invigorated Jimmy. When Dickie sat back and sighed, Jimmy narrowed his gaze. He had expected the old man to love his plan. His motives were two-fold, to keep Dawson Sports in Dick's hands, and to get a return on his investment.

"What don't you like? The locations?"

Dickie shook his head. "No. It all makes perfect sense. I wish I went that route two years ago."

Jimmy tried to lighten the tension. "You and me both." He added a chuckle.

"Duncan will never want to work for the store, so I've been thinking. What the hell is the point? Really, you've been closing my stores, and it hasn't been stressful. I'm actually happy."

"I'm not following."

"The thought of opening more stores should be exciting. How much do you think you could sell it for? Would I get enough to live comfortably?"

Jimmy's jaw dropped. "You want to sell your business?"

"I might. I, um, don't want to be poor."

Jimmy's mind raced through the implications. "I could put out some feelers, but if it goes to another sports retailer your Vail offices would go. Maybe not your distribution center, but the professional jobs."

"I thought the shark didn't care."

He laughed. "I have thick skin, but you would have to live with it. Plus, I prefer wolf, not shark."

"Lone wolf."

"Absolutely not. I have a top-notch team." And a pack family.

"Do you think I'm making a mistake?"

Jimmy shook his head. "My father handed the reins to me early, because I wanted them. If I wasn't interested, he would have either continued working or sold. I allow him to live life and dapple in a few projects. You want to live life."

"Is it worth enough to be worth it?"

"We'll see. I might try conglomerates, so most of your jobs would stay."

"You mean like Leonard?"

"Not if I can help it. Whitby might be an option. The old man is out and a friend of a friend has an in with the son. I could have a casual conversation."

"No one knows, not my wife and definitely not Duncan."

"My business is being discreet. I'll run some numbers. If the total sale isn't lucrative enough, I could put a figure together to buy you out. It's not my goal to be in the retail business, but I need to protect my investment."

Dawson nodded. "You are a hell of a guy."

"Don't ruin my reputation by spreading it around."

Jimmy needed to be discreet, so he couldn't share the recent developments with Tate. With business in Vail concluded quickly, he checked out of his hotel and went to the airport. Because he would lose two hours in the sky, he wouldn't be home until after dinner. Instead, he asked if he could stop by on his way home from the airport.

Meanwhile, he called Josh and asked about a way to meet Whitby casually. He had seen the guy at events, and knew his reputation. Recently, he didn't fit the image of a playboy with his beautiful, exotic wife on his arm. He thought of Tate, would she get along with the dark-eyed woman?

"He and Oliver drink scotch together. I could arrange drinks. It has to be right after work. Oliver likes to get home. Tomorrow Shaun will be at your house. I could take her to dinner after a drink."

"Okay." Jimmy couldn't have Tate over for dinner if Shaun was around. His cousin normally kept her trips to Chestnut street to the daytime hours when Jimmy was at work.

Shaun had her own project. She was cataloging the antiques and artwork in the Sinclair attic. Eventually they would sell the items. As a museum curator, Shaun hated to see the valuable pieces stored in the attic. It was a long-term project and her priority was her wedding. Jimmy would like to have Tate as his plus-one.

By the time he landed in Boston, he had an invitation from Tate to stop by and for drinks at five-thirty the next day.

Tate pulled him through her apartment door and their mouths met like wild animals in heat. What animals kissed? Who cares?

"I missed you too." He laughed. Her reaction made returning home better. He thought about returning to her waiting for him at his house like a wolf.

"How's Dickie?"

"He's doing remarkably well. He's lost some weight. The guy has grown on me."

"Did he agree to your expansion plans?"

"No, he hasn't committed." He should have told her, but he made a promise to Dickie. Talking with Tate about his work had been wonderful, except now she knew too much.

She looked at his face. "Are you tired?"

He nodded. "I slept awful last night."

With a tilted head, she asked, "Why?"

He shrugged. "A lot on my mind." You.

"Is your car waiting?" Jimmy nodded. "Why don't you have Georgie get a suit from Charles and then he can pick you up here in the morning."

He gazed into her emerald eyes. "You want me to stay."

She nodded. "You need sleep, so I won't keep you up late."

He hugged her. It felt comforting. "You smell amazing."

"I showered. I went to the dojo after work."

"I want to see you in your karate pajamas."

Tate laughed. "It's called a gi. They aren't sexy."

"I bet you're wrong." He pulled on her hip so their bodies fit.

She pushed back. "Go give your staff orders. Are you hungry? For food?" She giggled.

"Something light. I really am tired." He texted Georgie and Charles. Most of what he needed was in the car.

"Cheese and crackers? Wine?"

"Perfect. I was wondering if it would break your rules if I asked you to my cousin's wedding?"

She frowned. "My rules?"

"The rules, but I don't need to hide we're dating."

"So you decided that people in their thirties date."

"You aren't thirty yet."

She frowned. "Don't remind me."

He wouldn't because he liked how things were between them. "So, the wedding?"

She stood for a long pause. "Is it okay, if I say I have to think about it?"

Jimmy nodded. "Remember, there will be cake."

Tate laughed. "I eat plenty of cake." She cupped his junk with her hand. "Plenty." The naughty woman licked her lips and Jimmy let her hand know he liked it.

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