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nervously in his office, one hand in his pocket. It was bad enough he had to have a bodyguard, but it was worse having his friends involved in the situation. But he’d had to ask David for help because the police didn’t have any clues.
    His troubled gaze couldn’t fully appreciate the rich cherry furniture which gleamed warmly from the constant polishing his office manager insisted on doing each week. The soothing ambiance his father had meticulously created in this room was completely lost on him today. Thinking of his responsibilities to the four hundred and sixty-three people who worked for his father’s company created the all-too-familiar knot of tension in his gut.
    Back when his father had first gotten sick, he’d been busy finishing his doctorate, but his brain had shifted into some split-mind mode allowing him to learn the business at the same time. Daily worry hadn’t started visiting until after the first time his stalker shot at him. That close call had painfully introduced him to the concept of his own mortality. It also had him wondering what would happen to all the people in his company if something happened to him. The second attempt had come after David’s guards had started seeing to his safety. But now he was like a prisoner in his own life.
    A knock on his door had him exiting his morbid thoughts and swinging to face his visitor.
    “Come in,” he yelled, snorting as he did so. He wished Leah would just escort people with appointments in to see him. The older woman insisted on maintaining the same casual approach to visitors his father had always used.
    His body relaxed and his hand came out of his pocket when his college roommate, and current protector, vaulted through the door tight as a coiled spring. David’s body vibrated with constrained energy all the time. He often got a contact jolt just being near the man.
    “Hello, Dr. North. Sorry to be running behind,” David said, grinning as he watched Nicolas sag in relief after seeing it was him. “How the hell do you make it through the day, Bro? You obviously hate this business shit.”
    “Yes. I do. But somebody’s got to run this place so all the people who work here can eat.”
    Nicolas answered while accepting David’s man hug, his hand lingering around his shoulder. David was one of the few people whose touch felt genuinely affectionate. They were an odd pair with not much in common, but they had remained good friends for a lot of years.
    “Dude, I hear you. You’re a good man for feeling that way,” David said softly, then froze when he felt Nicolas tense against his arm. He followed his friend’s gaze to the doorway where his clueless baby sister stood looking around. “About time you got here, Megan. What did you do? Jog over instead of drive?”
    “Stop whining, David. I got caught in traffic. Wow, St. Nick. This is a very nice office you have here.” Megan’s reluctant gaze finally swung to the man she’d accidentally seen hugging her brother moments before. Now she could see why her mother had been compelled to warn her about his changes. The man she had jokingly nicknamed St. Nick as a teenager had become a lean, well-dressed businessman with more poise than she’d imagined possible for him.
    About three seconds into their gazes locking, Megan realized Nicolas still had the same turquoise gaze she’d fantasized about for years. Yet, like the geek she knew he was under the fancy clothes, his confused stare further revealed he had no idea how much his intense scrutiny unnerved her. Her relief to have the maturity edge today—faked or not—was enormous.
    “I guess you ended up getting that doctorate you always talked about.”
    Unable to stop staring at the grown-up version of Megan, Nicolas walked away from David as he answered. “This was my father’s office. I merely inherited it. I can’t take any credit for the ambiance, but I haven’t changed it much. And yes. . .I did finally get my doctorate.”
    His body