Million Dollar Mistake

All right. You want it, baby, you’ve got it.
He moved, his other arm coming around her body to lift her higher on his
chest as he clenched his fist in her hair and pulled her head back to ravage her
mouth. His lips met hers, harsh at first, desperate to consume before softening to
coax a response. A response readily given as her tongue tangled with his. He
moaned in her mouth, shivering as she did the same. His hand left her hair,
surging down to lift her onto his body. He cupped her buttocks, pressing her
against him as his mouth continued to plunder hers. Everywhere he touched
there was heat. Everywhere she touched there was fire. He was being consumed
and he didn’t give a damn. There was only now, only here, only—

---

Raven.
The realization so startled him that he woke completely, breaking contact with
her lips as he reared back to stare at her. Her eyelids fluttered and lifted,
revealing eyes dark with passion. They gazed at one another for a moment
before full awareness dawned. Nicholas almost wished he had a camera to
capture the sudden horror in Raven’s eyes. Of course his probably revealed the
same, so maybe not.
Raven’s mouth was now opening and closing like a baby bird begging for
worms. A look of such dismay landed on her face that Nicholas’s lips twitched in
an unwilling smile.
“Not the expression a man hopes to see when his lady first wakes and looks at
him, luv.“
“Wha…wha…wha…?”
Rapidly regaining both his customary sophistication and his sense of humor,
he arched a polite brow. “Pardon?”
“Wha—what—oh— God!”
He chuckled, giving her a regretful look. “That’s flattering, but we haven’t
even gotten near paradise yet.”
Raven levered herself up from his chest, unaware that her strap had slipped off
her shoulder, the deep V-neckline pulled to the side to reveal the majority of a
firm round breast. “What do you think you’re doing?”
All of the saliva left Nicholas’s mouth as he stared at the ripe fruit offering sin
to him as surely as Eve’s apple did to Adam. He tried to speak but only garbled
sounds emerged. Unbidden, his hand slid up her back and around her waist to
touch the curve of her breast. He lifted his head, wanting nothing so much as a
taste of her warm flesh.
“No fair.”
“Huh?” Sunk in a sea of sensuality, he grunted as if his brain had turned to
soup. He wanted to lick her, circle her nub with his tongue and—
“No fair taking…”
Nicholas figured Raven must have read the expression on his face because she
jerked herself to a sitting position and grabbed a blanket, pressing it to her chest.
Nicholas fell back onto the pillow more exhausted than if he’d dug a tunnel from
New York to China.
“…advantage. No fair taking advantage,” Raven finally gasped the entire
sentence.
He stared at her for a moment before the unjustness of her accusation
penetrated. “Me? What about you?”
“Me?”

---

“Yes, you. What are you doing in my bed?”
“Your bed? It’s my bed.”
“Not when you turned up your nose at it last night, it’s not. Possession is nine-
tenths of the law.”
“This is my room and this is my bed regardless of who I have in it.”
Nicholas’s jaw hardened at that thought, but before he could comment, Raven
rushed on. “But that’s not the point. You were—” She stopped as if someone had
pressed a button.
“Were what?”
“Trying to take advantage of this situation.”
“Oh, please. Who was draped all over me like a bed of moss over a tree when
I woke up, hmmm?”
“I was not.”
“Were too. You were sprawled across me so I couldn’t move. I couldn’t get
up.”
“You got up,” she said darkly. “Or at least part of you did.”
Nicholas retreated into dignity when he wanted to laugh like a loon. But the
expression on Raven’s face warned him that she might take an axe to him if he
so much as cracked a smile. “That was an involuntary masculine response. It had
nothing to do with you.”
Now she looked affronted. “It did too.”
“Did not.” Nicholas was starting to enjoy himself. At least he would be if his
whole damn body didn’t ache so much from sexual frustration. “It would have
happened with any female body that happened to be in the same position.”
“That—that is the worst thing you’ve ever said to me in my entire life.”
“Surely not.”
“Yes.”
“I know for a fact I’ve said worse things.”
“You’ve never implied I’m not desirable before.” Then she bit her lip, looking
down at the bedcover, adding in a conscientious tone, “At least not since I was a
kid. But when I was a kid I was rather…”
Ah hell, there’s that vulnerability again, Nick thought, his gut twisting in
response. “Unique. You were unique.”
Her surprised gaze flew up to meet his. “What did you say?”
Nicholas levered himself onto his elbow and smoothed her hair behind her
ears. “You had the biggest eyes. You could fall into them and not escape.”
“You noticed my eyes?”
“I couldn’t help it. I looked for them because they were generally hidden
under that mass of hair falling in your face, sort of like an Old English sheepdog.

---

I was surprised you could see anything.”
Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “I reminded you of a dog?”
He grinned. “Not exactly. You’re not what I’d call the most faithful
companion.”
“That does it,” she spluttered, thumping him on the arm. “Get out of my
room.”
Laughing, he fended off her attack. “Calm down.”
“You insult me and then tell me to calm down. Not likely.”
He grabbed her arms and flipped her over him and onto her back. “Damn, you
always were a wildcat when you got your temper up.”
“I was not,” she said, managing to give him an elbow in the ribs.
“Were too,” he said, cupping his palms over her shoulders so he could hold
her down. “Either you were a wildcat or you skulked around like a little ghost
watching everybody from the shadows.”
She worked her leg out from under him and tried to buck him off of her. “You
don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He leaned his body weight back on her to keep her still. “I’ve known you
since you were ten years old, sweetheart. I think I have a clue.”
“You know nothing about me.”
“Why don’t you teach me?”
“Maybe I don’t want to,” she said, her mouth pouting like a child denied ice
cream.
“Okay, then, I know that you twist men around your finger until they can’t
think straight.”
Raven stared up at him. “Everyone needs a hobby.”
“I think you’d better find a new one.”
Her bottom lip jutted defiantly. “Why should I?”
“Because your little hobby has landed you in the middle of a very sticky
situation. It’s a good thing I came along.”
“Your coming along was helpful, but not necessary. What are you doing here
anyway?”
“Not important.”
“It is too.”
“No, the only thing that’s important is that you are now my problem.”
She started wiggling under him, trying to get loose. “I’m nobody’s problem.
I’m a free and independent woman.”
“Yeah, well Jackson is planning to change all that. Will you stop wiggling?”
Her squirming movements intensified as she panted, “Maybe your little
announcement of our engagement has taken care of Jackson.”

---

“Nice thought, but I doubt it.”
She tried to buck him off. “Will you get up?”
He scowled down at her as his swollen member pressed against her hip.
“Thanks to you, I am up.”
She went as still as a deep lake for a moment. Then a little mischievous grin
escaped. “Again?”
Nicholas let her go, rolled to the side with a disgusted grunt and stood with his
back to her. He grabbed his robe from the bottom of the bed, shrugged it on
before turning to face her. Lord, but she was tempting. She lay there, all tousled
and flushed, her eyes shining, laughter trembling on her lips. He started to say
something that would cut her down to size, then changed his mind. “All right. It
wasn’t just an automatic response. Satisfied?”
She lifted onto her elbows. “No. Continue.”
He glared at her for a moment, before admitting what he’d kept to himself
when he’d seen her over the past few years. “You turned me on, okay?”
Pointing at her breast, she breathed, “Little ole me?”
“Don’t get too carried away,” he said, his tone dry as dust. “I might like
touching the merchandise, but that doesn’t mean I’m buying.”
Her eyes met his, the light in them fading away. After a minute she said,
“That’s good, because I’m not for sale.”
“Tell that to your father.” He could have cut out his tongue for allowing that
remark to escape.
“What? What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing,” he said, turning away.
She scrambled out of bed and grabbed his arm. “What are you implying?”
“Nothing.” He’d said enough, more than he’d intended. He was reluctant to
tell her the truth about her father, about the man she’d always adored. She’d find
out about her family’s financial situation and her father’s scheming soon enough.
“Nicholas.”
With a gentle movement, he removed her hand from his arm. “Get dressed and
packed, Raven. After breakfast, we’re out of here.”
Jackson ran into Lorianne just outside the dining room. “Hi, you’re up early.”
Lorianne gave him a patient look. “I’m always up early.”
“Oh, oh, that’s right.” He rubbed his forehead. “You’re an early bird, aren’t
you?”
Lorianne studied him for a moment before answering, “Are you feeling all
right, Jackson?”

---

“Sure, why?”
Lorianne tilted her head to the side, wrinkling her nose. “You don’t look well.
As a matter of fact you look like you haven’t slept at all. It’s the same way you
used to look when our parents had parties when we were kids. Remember, after
our duty appearances, we wanted to disappear so we could stay up to watch
horror films all night.”
Jackson grinned at her. “You used to hide your eyes when the scary parts came
on. Then you fell asleep on the sofa.”
“I did not. You imagined that.”
“No, I didn’t. You even snored.”
Lorianne punched his arm. “You take that back.”
Jackson faked a flinch, then said, “Those were happy times, weren’t they?”
“You sound as if happy times are over.”
“It feels like it.”
Lorianne frowned. “Jackson, what happened to your positive attitude?”
“It sank when Nicholas showed up last night. Do you really believe they’re
involved?”
Lorianne stared at him and then turned on her heel to enter the dining room.
She paused at the door, quoting over her shoulder, “There’s none so blind as
those who will not see.”
Nicholas and Raven paused in the entrance of the dining room. The entire
family was assembled there, much to Raven’s surprise. As if the two of them
were the main feature, all eyes focused on them. Lorianne and Margaret stopped
their conversation, J.R. glanced up from his piled-high plate and Nana gave them
a queenly nod as Jackson turned from the buffet to serve her.
Raven hesitated, but felt Nicholas’s hand in the center of her back supporting
her, urging her forward. She took a reluctant step inside, saying in her gayest
voice, “Good morning, everyone. Did you all sleep well? I slept wonderfully. It
must be this country air.”
“The windows were closed, pet, and sleep was the last thing on our minds,
remember?” Nicholas’s suggestive comment hit the room like a hundred-pound
weight dropped from a forty-story building.
So much for civility, Raven thought as Jackson threw them a dagger-sharp
glare.
Nicholas wrapped his arms around Raven and announced, “Did I mention that
we’re engaged?”
Raven could almost hear the huge sigh of relief from Jackson’s parents, which

---

rather ticked her off. She wouldn’t have been that bad for their son. She wasn’t a
leper, for heaven’s sake. She’d had no intention of getting seriously involved
with him, but it was the principle of the thing.
J.R. tipped his coffee cup in their direction. “I can’t tell you how delightful
that news is to everyone.” Obviously, he was pretending last night’s hallway
scene didn’t happen.
“Not everyone, Father,” Jackson denied.
J.R. barreled on as if his son was invisible. “To think we had some small role
in reuniting the two of you. Isn’t that great, Margaret?”
“Oh yes.” Margaret cracked a small smile. “Wonderful, wonderful news.”
“Wonderful,” Lorianne echoed.
Nicholas snorted in Raven’s ear. She sent him a look over her shoulder.
“Like a fairy tale,” Margaret continued.
“The fair princess rescued by the dashing prince,” Lorianne added.
At that, Nicholas started coughing to disguise his fit of laughter, at Lorianne’s
ironic comment. Raven unwrapped herself from his arms and turned to give him
a thump on the back, hissing, “Shut up.”
“I think you’re confusing your folklore, Lorianne,” Jackson said, not
bothering to look at her, keeping his hard gaze on Nicholas instead. “This entire
thing is more like Beauty and the Beast.”
Nicholas straightened at Jackson’s comment, but before he could open his
mouth, Raven leaped in to play the tactful smoother-over. A role as foreign to
her as a chew toy to a toothless lion.
“I wonder who he was calling the beast, darling,” she said in a light tone to
Nicholas.
It was enough to make Nicholas relax a bit, but the look on his face told
Raven he’d deal with Jackson later. A glance at Jackson revealed he would
welcome the opportunity.
Nana called a halt to the testosterone display by saying with a wicked sparkle,
“Now that the cocks have finished crowing, I think we should have mimosas to
celebrate. Don’t you agree, Margaret?”
Margaret responded. “What a delightful idea. Orange juice and champagne is
a lovely way to start the day.” She bustled out of the room to make the
arrangements.
“Don’t just stand there like lost children,” Nana continued, patting the chairs
near her. “Come and have breakfast.”
Again Raven felt the urge to run and was surprised to feel Nicholas also
hesitate. Could he be as reluctant to prolong their visit as she? She glanced back
at him, but his only response was a brief look, after which he sighed. She started

---

to say something when the pressure of his palm at her waist gently moved her
forward.
He settled her in her chair before continuing on to Nana’s. Raven watched as
Nicholas grinned then lifted Nana’s hand to his lips for a brief salute. “You’re
really enjoying this situation, aren’t you, ma’am?”
Nana chuckled. “I find it highly amusing. You young people are so dramatic.”
She glanced at her grandson who had turned back to the buffet. “It’s better than
television.”
Jackson brought a plate of fresh fruit back to his grandmother then took a seat
beside her. “Anything is better than TV, Nana. Especially those soap operas
you’ve become so addicted to.”
“When you’re as old as I am, boy, you have to live vicariously. No man my
age can keep up with me.”
Nicholas winked at her. “Then the men in your world are sadly lacking.”
Nana cackled. “That’s right. No stamina.”
Raven laughed. “Not your problem, I suppose?”
Lorianne giggled then covered her mouth as Nana wagged a finger at Raven.
“If I were twenty years younger, you wouldn’t have a chance.”
Raven nodded. “I’d fight you for him.”
With an abrupt move, Jackson pushed his chair back and stood up. “I’ll see if
Mother needs some help.”
“Good idea,” J.R. said, looking up from his loaded plate. “Lorianne, pass the
coffee, please.”
It was another half hour and a couple of celebratory mimosas later before
Raven could mention the real reason they’d come into the dining room in the
first place. “This has been so lovely that I hate to cut my…um, our,” she added
with a quick glance at Nicholas, “visit short, but we must be on our way.”
“Your way where?” asked Lorianne.
For a moment Raven was speechless. They hadn’t discussed that.
“Back to New York for a few days while I finish some business and then on to
Virginia,” Nicholas answered, smooth as a still lake.
Lorianne rested her elbow on the table, cupping her chin as she stared at
Nicholas. “What’s in Virginia?”
“My home. It’s time Raven became reacquainted with it.” His chocolate tone,
accompanied by the left hand that covered Raven’s shoulder, left no doubt that
he intended to re-introduce Raven to his bedroom as soon as possible.
Jackson’s expression darkened another notch as he looked from Nicholas to
Raven.
Margaret smiled and said brightly, “Virginia must be so lovely this time of

---

year.”
J.R. looked at his wife as if she’d lost her mind. “It’s the middle of winter
there, Margaret, and the entire East Coast is braced for another big snow storm.”
“Oh well.” Margaret shrugged. “Snow is lovely too.”
“I’m glad you think so, my dear, because we have a lot of it at the moment.”
J.R. stared down the table at Nicholas. “I hate to tell you, but you won’t be going
anywhere today. Probably not for a few days.”
Nicholas frowned. “The roads are that bad?”
“Damn near impossible at the moment.”
Raven was horrified at the thought of another few days spent in this awkward
situation, even if it was of her own making—sort of. “But this is upstate New
York. You’re used to snow.”
“The snow fell too fast and over too large an area for the crews to keep up.
The state and local crews are out in full force—”
“Then—” Raven still hoped it was a mistake.
“They haven’t made a dent. You’re still not going anywhere,” J.R. said.
There was complete silence for a moment. Silence so loud Raven could hear it
screaming. The only consolation was that Lorianne and Margaret looked as
dismayed as she probably did, while Nicholas looked rather grim. The only one
who looked pleased was Jackson.
Finally, Nana broke the silence. “Well, won’t this be fun? I think we should
have another mimosa to celebrate.” She punctuated the announcement with a
hiccup.
Jackson lifted the pitcher. “Great idea, Nana.” His hungry gaze ran over
Raven. “It’s not every day life gives you a second chance.”

---

Chapter Five
Lorianne hesitated when she saw Jackson standing alone in the drawing room.
She’d been looking for him, thinking he might need to talk, but found herself
suddenly reluctant to face him. She’d known this man since childhood. She’d
watched him grow from gangly youth into polished man, supported him when he
needed it, laughed at his jokes even when they weren’t funny, listened with a
sympathetic ear as he spoke of his dreams, soothed him when his anger and
impatience with his father’s pushing drove him nuts. She even went so far as to
temper her criticism of his actions when he needed it; and there were times when
he needed it. All because she loved him, had loved him as an adolescent, and
loved him still, even now that he was making a fool of himself over Raven
Rutledge. Anyone with an ounce of sense could see Raven was just toying with
him, but still Jackson was eager to play.
Jackson half-turned in profile and she caught sight of his face, his expression
both one of misery and determination. Reluctantly, her heart went out to him.
She knew what it felt like to love someone who didn’t love you back. She
stepped forward, her heels clicking on the wood floor, drawing his attention.
He turned fully, his face hopeful but sinking into resigned lines when he saw
her. Lorianne’s heart sank, but she recovered quickly. One thing she’d learned as
a child of a political household was how to hide her feelings.
“Hi,” she said, careful to keep her voice light and her lie believable. “Hope
I’m not interrupting. My head’s rather fuzzy, so I thought I’d sit by the fire for a
while.”
Jackson shrugged and indicated a sofa. “Be my guest.”
Lorianne nodded and walked over to settle herself on one of the plump
cushions as Jackson turned back to stare into the fire. An uncomfortable silence
stretched out for a few minutes, the air swirling with emotions. She studied
Jackson’s drooping shoulders, but suddenly instead of wanting to comfort him,
she wanted to slug him. She started to say something when Jackson broke the
silence.
“Are you enjoying yourself?”
At that inane question, Lorianne almost started laughing, but quickly clapped
a hand over her mouth as Jackson hunched his shoulders and faced her. She gave
him a noncommittal, “I always love coming up here for a visit.”
“That’s good, that’s good.” His voice was distracted.

---

“What about you?” Lorianne asked. “Are you enjoying yourself?”
For the first time a flash of the Jackson Lorianne had known forever surfaced.
“What do you think?”
Lorianne considered telling him, but realized he was too infatuated for it to do
any good. She settled for, “Things do seem a bit awkward.”
Jackson snorted. “That’s an understatement.”
“I wish there was a way I could help.” When Jackson didn’t comment,
Lorianne continued in a soft voice, “Have you known her long?”
“For a few weeks. But they’ve been the happiest weeks of my life.”
Her heart dropped to her shoes. “Really?” Not the answer she was looking for.
“You know how sometimes you see someone and you know they’re the one
for you?”
Lorianne nodded. Yes, I know.
“That’s how I felt when I saw her in Colorado. She was in the foyer of her
home, surrounded by priceless antiques and gilt. God, I’ve never seen such an
over-the-top mansion in my life”—he grimaced—”a silver baron with more
money than taste. I wish you could have seen it, Lorianne.”
“I can imagine,” she smiled. “I watch America’s Castles on TV.”
Jackson gave her interruption an impatient wave. “Then Raven stepped
forward to greet me, and the surroundings fell away.” His expression was
—besotted, Lorianne thought before he continued, “All I could see was Raven. It
was the most profound moment of my life.”
Lorianne just stared back at him. “It was?”
“Absolutely.”
“Almost a religious experience, no doubt.” Lorianne winced, wondering if he
heard the sarcasm in her voice.
With an eager step Jackson came over to her and sat down, gathering her
hands in his. “I knew you’d understand.”
“Ummm, sure.”
“She was so full of life. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Still can’t.”
Lorianne studied their clasped hands. “I noticed.”
“So did her father. He encouraged me to ask her to come back here with me.”
He leaned closer to whisper. “I wanted to introduce her to the family.”
Lorianne withdrew her hands, clenching them in her lap. “She was happy
about that?”
Jackson gave her a sheepish look. “I didn’t tell her. I thought I’d scare her if I
mentioned falling in love with her on the spot.”
“Jackson, are you sure this is love?” Lorianne stared at her white knuckles,
chewing her words before continuing, “I mean, of course you’re fascinated and

---

infatuated—what man wouldn’t be—but love takes time. It comes from knowing
someone, from building a strong foundation, from—”
Jackson looked offended. “I ought to know whether I’m in love or not.”
At that, Lorianne backtracked. “Of course, you should—”
“And I think she really loves me, but is afraid of it.”
“Huh?”
“She’s afraid of the demands of the political life and all the pressures.”
Lorianne threw him a confused look. “I thought you were having second
thoughts about politics.”
Shaking his head in all directions, he ended by clenching his jaw. “Yes. No.
I’m not sure. I’m sick to death of being pushed, that’s all.”
“I understand.” It was then she realized that his father had not only been
pushing politics down his throat relentlessly, he’d also been pushing her, her
family and her connections. No wonder he’d never seen her as anything other
than a childhood friend.
Jackson looked away from her. “Since meeting Raven, I keep thinking about
the fishbowl aspect of political life. How you’re living under a microscope every
minute.”
“I think Raven is pretty used to the microscope,” Lorianne observed, thinking
about all the tabloid stories she’d read about “the wild Raven Rutledge”.
Jackson catapulted himself off the sofa. “Lies, all lies. People inventing stories
to sell papers.”
“Yeah, well, they’ve invented some good ones,” she said, her voice dry as
unbuttered toast.
Ignoring her, Jackson continued, “I have to find a way to make her see that we
could work.”
“What are you going to do about Nicholas?” At his blank look, she added,
“Her fiancé, remember?”
“That’s where you come in.”
“Me?” Lorianne practically squeaked. “What do I have to do with it?”
“I want you to make Nicholas fall in love with you.”
Lorianne stood up. “Are you nuts?”
Jackson shook his head. “No, I think it’s a good solution.”
“Well, let me tell you what I think. I think you must have fallen on your head
between breakfast and now. Of all the ridiculous—”
“No, it’s not. I’ve seen him looking at you.”
Lorianne looked at Jackson. She wanted to slam him against the wall, then tell
him to grow up and face reality. “He feels sorry for me.”
“What? Why?”

---

Lorianne’s jaw dropped to her knees as she stared at him. He really doesn’t