Million Dollar Mistake

part of the uproar. She found herself wishing she were sitting by a calm lake. She
tried to say something, but everyone was talking at once, so she decided not to
bother. Maybe no one would miss her if she disappeared into her room. She took
a surreptitious baby step backwards, then another before she jerked to a stop.
She’d forgotten about Nicholas’s iron clamp on her wrist.
“Oh no, you don’t. You’ll stay here and face the music.”
“It doesn’t sound like music. More like a gang of cats fighting in an alley.”
Nicholas sent her a look, seeming to agree. “Excuse me.”
When no one stopped talking, he put two fingers in his mouth and blew, the
whistle so sharp that everyone stopped in mid-syllable and covered their ears.
Nicholas pressed Raven’s wrist in warning, spitting the words out like
machine gun fire. “This may not be the ideal time, but I have an announcement
to make. Raven and I are engaged.”
Three mouths dropped open, three sets of eyebrows lifted and three sets of
eyes widened until they all looked like surprised owls. Raven swallowed a
chuckle at the sight.
Nicholas turned from right to left, his rapid, precise words spraying the enemy
troops. “So, since I’m the person most concerned with whom she was kissing
and why, I’ll take care of this.”
Jackson’s shocked stare swiveled from Nicholas to Raven and then back
again. “I don’t believe it.”
Nicholas drew himself up, seeming even taller than his imposing six-foot-
two-inch self. “Believe it. I was on my way to her room when I saw this
convention in the hall.”
“What were you going to do in her room?” Lorianne blurted, her expression
curious.
Indicating his robe, Nicholas grinned, sending Lorianne a look that made her
blush from head to toe. “What do you think?”
“Oh, oh, of course.” She made a quick grab for her cup and saucer, which had
almost tipped from her hands at his response.
“You’re lying,” Jackson accused. “Raven?”
“It’s true,” she squeaked. Sweet heaven, she’d have agreed with anything,
even “my mother is a rooster”, to escape from this mess.
Nicholas pushed her through her bedroom doorway, stepping inside after her.
“I don’t think we’ll need any of you for the rest of the night. Raven and I have
other things to do. Don’t we, darling?”
Raven shivered at the murder-and-mayhem expression in his eyes, but she

---

nodded anyway and even tried a small smile.
“We’ll clear this up in the morning. Good night.” Nicholas didn’t wait for any
response as he gently closed the door.
Raven stood inside the room, not sure what to say to a man whose expression
resembled a volcano in full flame. She stared at him for a moment before her
brain finally kicked in. “What did you mean by ‘the rest of the night’?”
“If I know your ex out there, he’ll be keeping watch to see whether or not I
leave.” He spread his arms wide. “So, looks like it’s your lucky night.”
“You’re going to spend the night here? With me?”
He gave a strangled laugh that didn’t have all that much amusement in it.
“Bingo. See what happens when you get into big trouble?”
“But there’s only one bed.”
“I’d say let’s flip for it, but the mood I’m in right now, I’m going to say—” He
jerked a thumb toward the bed. “I get the mattress. You get the carpet.”
“I’m not going to sleep on the floor.” She pointed toward the window. “I’d
rather sleep in that tree out there.”
He looked over at the tree on the other side of the glass, which was practically
obliterated by a mass of falling white flakes. “As long as you don’t mind the
snow, be my guest, sweetheart.”
“You aren’t really going to be rude and insist I sleep on the floor?”
“I don’t consider it rude. It’s practical.”
“No,” she said with an emphatic shake. “Practical is both of us sharing the
bed.”
“Is that an offer?” He gave her a teasing smile that would have turned her
insides to mush if she weren’t so annoyed with him.
She folded her arms, a mulish expression settling on her mouth. “Absolutely
not. Not the way you mean it.”
He stared back at her. “It’s your loss, sweetheart. I know a lot of women
who’d agree.”
“What are you going to do, offer me references?”
He laughed. “If you insist.” Then he turned and walked over to the bed. “Let
me know if you want some blankets.”
“That’s it?” she spluttered. “That’s all you have to say?”
“No. One more thing.” His hands went to the tie on his robe. “I sleep nude.”

---

Chapter Four
In the middle of the night, Raven adjusted her position for what seemed like
the twenty-trillionth time. It didn’t help. It only reinforced how impossible it was
to sleep in the only chair in the room, a brocaded ladies’ slipper chair. Whatever
idiot had designed this antique had never considered that a full-grown woman
might have to sleep in it some day. She’d kill for one minute alone with the
designer.
In the soft glow of the lamp on the nightstand, Raven glared at the
inconsiderate male sprawled across her bed. She couldn’t believe Nicholas had
blithely climbed into bed a few hours before, leaving her to make her own
sleeping arrangements. Regardless of his warning, she hadn’t thought he’d really
do it—that he’d take the mattress and leave her the floor. Men didn’t treat her
that way, not anymore. She’d held her ground, positive he was teasing.
She should have known better. Once Nicholas made up his mind a tsunami
couldn’t change it. She also hadn’t expected him to boldly drop his robe on the
floor without caring that she was watching him either. And she did watch. It was
a point of pride not to turn away when he allowed his black silk robe to slip off
his shoulders and pool on the carpet. Then after sending her another challenging
stare—and without any more shame than an infant—he’d climbed into bed,
slipped under the covers and was soon asleep.
Raven twisted at the memory, trying to get comfortable by tucking her legs up
to clasp her knees as she remembered his well-defined chest, washboard abs and
long lean limbs. It was only by the sheerest willpower that she’d stopped herself
from focusing on his hips to judge the rest of the merchandise. Feeling him
automatically swell against her when she’d kissed him earlier was not the same
as seeing him in the flesh. Raven shifted again, pushing her hair out of her face,
fanning herself a bit to cool off.