An Heiress For The Bear (Sarkozy Brothers 2) (2 page)

He sighed and got to his feet. "Let's hope this event will snag us a few new benefactors."

Through the door, he could see his trio of lawyers, busy working on their next trials. There were three this week, from what he knew, and he'd landed Kat Brandon as his assistant on the Hernandez case.

Kat, with her long-legged curvy frame and startlingly red hair, had joined them six months ago, and he was supremely glad that he'd been spending much of his time out of the office since she'd walked into Aleksander & Lukas Pro Bono.

Her stunning silvery eyes had caught his attention the first day she'd arrived, and Lukas had marveled at the fact the Alana had actually employed a woman who outshone her in the beauty department.

But they'd been desperate, and beggars weren't choosers according to Alana. Alana's cold, superior attitude toward Kat made a lot of sense. But Kat was passionate about every case, yet distant and cool.

Which had been all well and good while he'd been busy with Delta Ops, and Marek and the fucking Legion who were shadowing them constantly. Just a few weeks ago, they'd shot at Marek, at close range no less. The organization had stepped up their efforts to take another one of his brothers, and the Sarkozys were making every effort to ensure that didn't happen.

Despite those efforts, Marek had been shot again, this time on their private land in Klamath, and this time, they'd downed Marek with a more potent poison, putting one of the strongest bears in their clan flat on his back for weeks. Lukas was still waiting for the lab to call him with the results of the test.

Alana snorted, cutting into his thoughts. "You say that like it's as easy as going down to the 7-Eleven." She threw herself onto the small sofa that sat against the wall beside the open door.

Outside his office, Kat was sitting very still, her head shifting slightly in the direction of Lukas's door. He frowned.

Eavesdropping now, are we?

He cleared his throat. "It can't be that hard. You've chosen a good few wealthy patrons. And asking them to recommend their friends was good idea. We managed to find our current donors easily enough."

Alana shot to her feet, her blue eyes flashing. "That was because your grandfather knows enough people. But both Roger Gardner and Mark Phillips confirmed they're putting their money into other causes as of next year." Despite her frustration, not a hair moved out of place from her pin-straight shoulder-length hair.

Lukas said nothing. He'd taken over from his grandfather Aleksander Sarkozy, who'd run the place for decades. Lukas had joined fresh out of law school, and got his name added on to the old man's, an honor he'd not expected.

But he'd done enough door-knocking of his own to acquire a handful of donors that had stuck with them over the last couple years. If he had to do it again, he'd start knocking today.

Alana smoothed down the front of her skirt. Her suit, though severe, hugged the limited curves on her body. For a bear shifter, she certainly lacked in the curves department. "I have work to do."

She stalked to the door and almost bumped into Kat, who'd come to stand at the threshold without either of them realizing.

"Don't you have something to do?" Alana snapped.

Lukas caught the tiny rise of Kat's eyebrow before she halted its movement. Interesting.

Kat cleared her throat. "I heard you mention that you were looking for donors for the practice?"

"What's it to you?" asked Alana, planting herself in front of the girl.

Lukas tried to control his irritation as he said, "Alana, let her in. If she wants to say something, she's entitled to. Freedom of speech, right?"

As Alana turned to glare at him, something clicked into place. Now he knew why he'd never entertained Alana as a possible life partner. Not that he was looking, but even in the women he did date, however casually, he appreciated a little more than a pretense of kindness.

Alana huffed and stepped aside, glaring at Lukas as Kat glided past her and stopped in front of him. Her glasses tried and failed to hide her beautiful pale blue almond shaped eyes, failed to disguise the straight, patrician nose. He'd seen past her walls the first time he'd set eyes on her.

He'd been drawn to her even then, but she'd thrown up walls higher and stronger than her silly glasses, and he'd been forced to observe her from a distance. It had helped that he'd spent all of two weeks on site since her hire.

Today she stood not a few inches from him, and he felt a sizzle of heat run through him.

Something of his feelings must have reflected in his expression because her eyes widened in alarm.

"We don't have all morning, Miss Brandon." He kept his voice cool, which seemed to fluster her.

She cleared her throat.

"I can get you the money."

W
HAT
THE
HELL
HAD
SHE
been thinking?

Kat swallowed, unable to believe how far her stupid feet had taken her before her brain engaged. She was standing in front of Lukas, so close that she could see the golden flecks in his green eyes, could smell the spicy cologne that he always wore.

She shouldn't be anywhere near him if she knew what was good for her. The few times she'd seen him in the last six months had made a sizable impact on her libido. The man was sizzling, all broad shoulders and muscles that tempted her to caress them.

Shut up. He's a Sarkozy, which means he can't be trusted.

Her heart was racing, and she clenched her fingers tightly.

You're a lawyer, for God's sake. Why do you suddenly suck at stating your case?

The way he'd spoken just now, that cool tone, had made her want to turn and walk away. She was used to that behavior from Alana, but she'd accepted it. Most women tried not to see Kat when she was in the room. She was the type who rubbed other women the wrong way, threatened them to such an extent that ignoring her was the only thing that made them feel comfortable.

But right now, it was Lukas Sarkozy who watched her with that cool, emotionally blank expression, the light from the window glinting off his honey brown hair. She swallowed and nodded.

"I mean I can get you a donor."

He raised his eyebrows. "You can?" Lukas's voice had dropped, now low and almost husky.

"Yes." Kat straightened her spine, aware Alana was standing behind her, silently watching as Lukas made fun of her. But she probably deserved it because this whole idea was insane.

"And who is this donor?"

Her heart thudded in her chest. Why had she spoken without thinking this through? This was what happened when she spoke without using her brain. What brain? Staring into Lukas's eyes, her brain seemed to go on the fritz.

She forced herself to focus. "Anonymous." She whispered the word, glad that she'd managed to save herself in time.

"An anonymous donor?" Lukas frowned.

Kat nodded. "The donor wouldn't want me to divulge... their identity." Then she paused. "You don't really need to know, do you?"

Lukas shook his head, although his eyes remained trained on her face. "No. We do receive anonymous donations every so often. It's just that it's not common for donors to hide. People usually like the publicity."

Kat shook her head, suppressing a shiver as Lukas's eyes drifted to her lips. Was the man deliberately trying to push her off track?

Why the hell is he looking at my lips?

She blinked. "The donor doesn't need accolades."

Lukas sat on the edge of his desk and folded his arms, the fabric stretching across his broad chest, revealing his defined pecs.

"So how will we communicate the details of this arrangement with this anonymous donor?" Alana asked from beside her.

Kat had to force herself not to jump.

She turned slightly to look at Alana, and lifted her chin. Kat was tall, taller than Alana, and when she straightened her spine she could see the skin on the other woman's face tighten in anger.

"I'll be the go-between. Take the papers to be signed. Facilitate the funds transfer."

Alana's eyes widened. She opened her mouth, clearly dissatisfied with Kat's suggestion, but Lukas got to his feet. "Thank you, Kat. I think you may have just saved my ass."

Kat swallowed a nervous laugh, then blushed.

She'd almost said something totally inappropriate regarding that particularly attractive ass.

L
UKAS
WATCHED
AS
K
AT
WALKED
out of his office, taking in the generous curve of her hips, the shapely ass covered in Armani.

Kat Brandon was a complicated woman, and he was going to enjoy peeling away the layers to discover the real Kat hidden beneath.

"You must be insane," Alana snapped.

Lukas had forgotten she was still there.

"What do you mean?" he asked as he walked around his desk and took a seat.

Alana's cheeks were flaming. "You really believe that Kat, of all people, knows someone wealthy enough to donate to our cause?" The tone she used implied that Kat was merely good enough to rub shoulders with the beggars on the street. And Lukas felt a ripple of anger run through him.

He leaned forward and rested his hands on the surface of his desk. "A donor is a donor, Alana. And if Kat has a donor, we will accept him or her with open arms."

Alana shook her head. "I know what she's trying to do," she said, her voice tight.

"Which is?" Lukas's voice lowered.

"You're eligible. She's single. How do you know this isn't just a ploy on her part to land herself a rich husband?"

Lukas laughed. "If I was that rich, we wouldn't need donors, now would we?"

"You're plenty wealthy, and we both know it." Alana leaned closer. "And we both know why she would be a very bad idea."

Lukas had to force himself to remain calm. Alana's possessiveness was becoming overbearing. And the one thing that both Lukas and his bear disliked was an overbearing woman.

He sat down slowly. "I think you're mistaken. Kat hasn't shown the least bit of interest in me since she started working here. She's not making a play for me, so you can stop with your suspicions."

Alana laughed. "You may be blind. But I'm not. That woman is more than just interested in you." Alana glared at him. "So just watch yourself. She's not what you want. Humans never are."

With that, Alana turned on her heel and stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Lukas watched through the open door as Kat lifted her eyes from her paperwork and saw Alana walking down the aisle between the desks. The expression on her face was calm and unaffected.

But when she shifted her gaze to him, he saw something in her eyes, something that made him sit forward in his chair.

Alana might just be onto something, he thought. And for once, Lukas wasn't planning on running for the hills.

There was something about Kat Brandon that intrigued him.