Tempting Aquisitions Read Online Free PDF

those harsh lines changing as he saw the pride pour forth from her animated face. “Do you know we award scholarships every year to inner-city children who otherwise would have no way of going to college? That we contribute five percent of our profits to major health care initiatives like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease? Do you also know that several of our journalism pieces have been responsible for moving legislation through Congress to better insurance coverage or to give those without a voice public recognition. My grandfather’s legacy was that he believed in giving back, and my sisters and I take that same commitment very seriously.”
    Nathan was surprised by her impassioned plea, but he refused to be taken off course. Lots of companies did noble things—hell, his own company gave money to charity—and it didn’t make him any less noble to want to take the company apart.
    “Corporate charity is an expectation in this day and age.”
    “I’m well aware of that. But through our editorial mission we also have a chance to shape public perception for good.” Keira hesitated for a moment—he saw the brief flash of indecisiveness in her gaze—before she shifted gears. “Your business interests have never been in the media community. It’s also common knowledge you purposely chose not to get involved in your father’s business. So why now? Why us?”
    His stomach twisted at the mention of his father. West Harrison had offered him a job years ago. A job he’d thrown—with deliberate scorn—back in the son of a bitch’s face.
    Even now, the memory burned in his gut. His father’s smug face, so convinced he was doing his bastard son a favor by offering him a position at one of his magazines. It had been a joke of a job, a figurehead position. All the while his brother, Booth—West’s legitimate heir—was being groomed for the head of MediaCorp. Ignoring the usual scorn that tinged the back of his throat with a cold, metallic taste when he thought of his half brother, Nathan focused on her question.
    Keep the emotion out of it, Cooper. The way you always do.
    “Just because I haven’t been focused on the media industry up until now doesn’t mean anything. I’ve built my business on opportunity. Your company has presented an opportunity, nothing more.”
    She continued pressing her point, as if unwilling to drop the one thin thread she was clinging to. “It’s not that simple. You want something and I’d like to know what it is.”
    “Despite our attempt to complicate them, most things are actually quite easy. Straightforward. Surprisingly uncomplicated.”
    Frustrated with the focus on his possible motivations, he shifted gears. Leaning in toward her, his lips a breath away from hers, he whispered, “Speaking of things that are simple, you are right about one thing.”
    “What’s that?”
    “There is something I want.”
    With determined movements, he took the glass from her hand and laid it on the small cocktail table next to their chairs. His focus unwavering, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. The rich tang of wine on her lips met his taste buds first before being quickly replaced with a taste that was uniquely Keira. She filled his palate with the most exceptional flavor, something indescribably fresh, like ripe summer cherries.
    Hungry for more, his tongue sought entrance to her mouth and she tentatively opened for him, her hesitancy evident in the cautious grip she had on his shoulders as she leaned into him. Pressing the temporary advantage, he pulled her closer, one hand settling on her back as the other fit at the nape of her neck. Time spun out between them as if in slow motion, the world around them fading away as his entire existence focused on this moment.
    With this woman.
    A soft mewl sounded in her throat and he responded in kind, deepening the kiss. Their lips met, again and again, her lush sweetness reminding him once more of ripe fruit and the heated air of