She smiled up at the man she’d loved with every single breath from the first moment he’d held her in his arms, just the way he was now. “Because something tells me that he’s going to fall in love. For real this time. And that it’s going to change everything for him, in the best possible ways.”

“Ian? In love? Did he say something to you?” But Claudia knew it wouldn’t take him long to figure it out, and a moment later, he said, “Tatiana?”

Ian and Tatiana had been seated together at Marcus and Nicola’s wedding, and though Claudia had been seated at the next table, she’d noted the way Tatiana’s gaze had continually returned to her son’s handsome face. And it had seemed to Claudia that his normally steely self-control had been hanging by a thinner thread than usual around the pretty actress. Tonight when they’d come inside the house, Claudia had seen all of the same signs, on both their parts. Only this time, her son hadn’t seemed quite as good at pushing away his obvious attraction.

“Tatiana,” Claudia confirmed for her husband, her brain already a half-dozen hopeful steps ahead to another wedding and babies and, most of all, the happiness Ian had always deserved, but had never quite been able to find.

It suddenly occurred to her that if she could have picked out a woman for her son herself, she couldn’t have chosen better. Tatiana would never need Ian’s power or influence to help her achieve success. She would never need his money. All she would ever ask him for was a love that matched her own for him. Granted, that was the one thing Ian didn’t seem to think he had to give. But Claudia was confident that in time, he’d realize the truth of what was in his heart, that there was not only enough love for her and his father and siblings...but endless love for a woman who would finally make his life truly whole.

“She’s very pretty and obviously talented,” Max said in a considering voice, “but do you really think she’s strong enough for Ian?”

Claudia looked toward the door through which Tatiana had just exited. “Something tells me she’s going to end up surprising everyone with just how strong and determined she is. Ian, most of all.”

Max’s arms tightened around his wife. “I hope you’re right.”

“When,” she said with a saucy little grin, “have I ever been wrong?”

Knowing better after several decades of marriage than to answer that one, he simply covered her mouth with his. When the sound of the pasta boiling over forced her out of his arms, both of them knew without a word being said that as soon as dinner was over and the kids all went home, they would be right there in each other’s arms again.

Ian already had his jacket off, his shirtsleeves rolled up and at least two dozen fire logs moved into the wood shed by the time his brothers tore themselves away from drooling all over Tatiana to come outside to help. They’d pulled in Ford, as well, and soon the four of them were making a serious dent in the wood his parents had had delivered.

He hadn’t had a chance to see Adam or Dylan since he’d been back. They’d both called a couple of times to ask if he was free to grab a beer with them, but he’d been in meetings each time. He’d been looking forward to finally getting to sit down with his brothers tonight in their parents’ house, but when he’d seen Dylan with his hands on Tatiana—and then Adam a couple of minutes later—he’d immediately seen red.

Ian had always been a possessive man, but where Tatiana was concerned he didn’t have one damned thing to be possessive about.

She wasn’t his.

She would never be his.

Hell, if one of his brothers wanted to date her, he should be happy for them both.

His jaw popped hard, and the pain of it had him belatedly realizing that he was clenching his teeth hard enough to break a molar. Damn it, he needed to get his infatuation with Tatiana under control, and fast.

Ian had always been able to calculate sums quickly in his head and could figure out the worth of a risky investment with nearly perfect clarity every single time. But so far, he hadn’t been able to figure out how to stop thinking about a pretty girl.

Out on the driveway when she’d stumbled into his arms, the attraction between them had flared up so fast and so hot that he’d been a heartbeat from dragging her into the woods at the side of his parents’ property so that he could turn that intense attraction into something even hotter. But though this only reinforced his decision not to let her shadow him, knowing he was doing the right thing by keeping his hands off her didn’t do one damned thing to diminish his desperate need for her.

“Heads up!”

Ian dropped the logs in his arms onto the top of the pile and spun around just in time to catch the football before it slammed into his head. He hadn’t played in years, but his muscles and his hands still held enough memory to throw a perfect spiral back to Dylan without so much as blinking. They sent the ball sailing back and forth several satisfying times before Adam suddenly decided to steal the ball from Dylan. He quickly lobbed it back to Ian before Dylan got his revenge by sending his Adam flying on the wet grass.

For a few minutes, as he played football with his brothers on the back lawn, Ian felt like a kid again. Back then there’d been no worries holding any of them back, no concern whatsoever about what the future held, no responsibilities beyond remembering to kick their shoes off outside so they didn’t track mud on the kitchen floor…and hoping there would be enough light left after dinner to pick up their game where they’d left it.

He’d started with those games in the backyard with his brothers and ended up the top high school quarterback in the Pacific Northwest. But though he’d done even better in college, instead of gunning for a contract with the NFL, he’d traded in his football jersey for a three-piece suit and a career in investing. Still, after all these years, he’d never forgotten the rush of throwing for a touchdown. Every time he closed another big deal, he felt that same rush. Running Sullivan Investments might be a hell of a lot different than the pro football career he’d once dreamed of, but the challenge of bringing his best game and the thrill of the win were the same.

Speaking of challenges, Ian was well aware that he hadn’t yet dished any retribution to Ford Vincent for the way he’d screwed around with Mia’s heart for five years. Sure, from everything Mia had told him, it sounded like Ford had gone out of his way to atone for his sins, but just because Ian’s sister had completely forgiven the guy didn’t mean Ian was all the way there himself. Mia hadn’t let Ian tear Ford apart at the wedding, or after, but if he acted quickly enough, she wouldn’t be able to stop him tonight.

With the center of Ford’s chest a perfect target for the football, Ian got ready to let it rip. But a few seconds later, on a curse, he dropped the ball back to his side.

“Mia would be very proud of you for not giving in to the urge. And don’t worry,” Tatiana said as she moved closer and took the football out of his hands, just in case he changed his mind and decided to nail Ford after all, “it will be our secret that you were even thinking of doing it.”

Just then, as his sister came out into the yard and put her arms around Ford’s waist, Ian couldn’t decide what was harder right then: not letting himself turn to drink in Tatiana’s beauty, or keeping his gaze on Ford and Mia while they kissed as if they were alone rather than surrounded by family.

In the end, however, Ian knew it wasn’t really a choice. Not only was he slowly starting to accept that Ford really was treating his sister the way she deserved to be treated, but the woman beside him drew him like no one else ever had. And even if he should have been focusing on protecting his sister and reconnecting with his brothers, Ian hadn’t yet figured out a way to stop himself from losing the thread of anything but Tatiana whenever she was near.