Billionaire Bachelors: Stone by Anne Marie Winston

Author:Anne Marie Winston
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2002-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

“What is this fund-raiser for?” Faith asked as they stepped into the grand ballroom a little while later.

Stone grinned, feeling a spark of genuine amusement as he anticipated her response. “It’s not quite the typical political occasion,” he said. “It’s for WARR.”

“War?” Her eyebrows rose.

“Wild Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation. The organization rescues lions, cheetahs, tigers, elephants, bears…you name it, from bad situations. They restore them to health and place them in zoos, parks and other habitats where they’ll be able to live in peace.”

She nodded, her eyes lighting up. “That’s wonderful. I read an article about Tippi Hedren’s efforts with the great cats recently. It’s horrifying to hear some of the stories about the way those poor animals are forced to live.”

“It’s also horrifying that people think they’ll make great pets.” He took her hand and directed her toward a large display near the entrance, where guests were perusing photos and stories about WARR’s work. “A child in Wyoming recently was killed by a tiger that her neighbor owned as a pet—uh-oh.” Catching sight of the woman bearing down on them, he squeezed her hand once in warning. “Brace yourself. We’re about to face the inquisition.”

“Stone Lachlan!” It was a woman’s voice, booming and imperious. “Where have you been hiding yourself?”

Stone kissed the rouged cheek of the tiny woman who approached. “Mrs. deLatoure. What a pleasure. I’ve been working rather than hiding, but I’m glad I took a break tonight. Otherwise, I might have missed seeing you.”

The little woman beamed. “Outrageous flattery. Feel free to continue.”

Eunicia deLatoure was the widowed matriarch of one of the country’s wealthiest, oldest wine-making families. Her sons had taken over the business a few years ago when her husband had passed away but the widow deLatoure was still a force to be reckoned with. Rumor had it that her sons ran every major decision by her before plunging into anything. Having met her quiet, deferential sons before, Stone didn’t doubt it.

He slipped an arm around Faith’s waist then and drew her forward, enjoying the feel of her slender body in his grasp as he made a perfunctory introduction. This night was going to be both heaven and hell. Especially now that he knew what she was thinking. Did she have any idea what she was asking for? He seriously doubted it. He was pretty sure she was still a virgin. Damn, that was the wrong thing to think about!

“Your bride! I just read about your engagement a few days ago.” The woman’s eyes flew wide and the stentorian tones turned heads throughout a solid quadrant of the ballroom. She leveled a piercing gaze on Faith. “Congratulations, my dear. I assume this is a recent development.”

“Very recent. We’re still in the honeymoon stage.” Stone answered before Faith could open her mouth. “And we’re feeling quite smug to have kept it a secret from the press.”

The matriarch chuckled. Then her gaze sharpened as she pinned Faith with that gimlet eye again. “It’s delightful to meet you. Is

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