Destiny Unleashed by Sherryl Woods Page A

not the shyness and vulnerability of the girl he’d first met, but the steely resolve of a woman who’d matured, a woman who was icily furious with him.
    He’d fallen in love with the girl all those years ago, but the woman excited him in a whole new way. He’d anticipated winning her back with a first glance, perhaps a touch. Instead, she was going to be a challenge, perhaps an impossible one, but he’d never avoided something merely because of the uncertainty of the outcome. Seemingly insurmountable odds were his favorite kind.
    No question, this was going to take some cunning on his part. He refused to consider that it might also take time. They’d wasted enough of that, thanks to his own foolishness. He didn’t intend to lose a moment more than necessary. It was a good thing he had an excellent head for strategic planning. He’d gotten Destiny over here, hadn’t he?
    Of course, that, too, had taken time and patience and an ever-escalating campaign against Carlton Industries. Now, with the Fortnum Travel acquisition on the horizon, the fight continued. He could give up as a gesture of good will, but more than any of the othercompanies he’d sought to steal out from under Carlton, Fortnum was a perfect match for Harcourt & Sons. Destiny wouldn’t be pleased when she discovered he was dead serious about this one.
    “How was your first meeting with Ms. Carlton?” Malcolm asked when he joined William in his office the next morning. “Did things go as you’d expected?”
    Had they? William gave the question some real thought. In some ways they’d gone better. There had been a lively spark in Destiny’s eyes that had given lie to all of her claims to have forgotten what they’d once meant to each other. But there had also been a hard, unforgiving edge he hadn’t entirely anticipated.
    Not only had Destiny revised history and blamed him solely for their separation all those years ago, but she’d apparently taken his attacks on Carlton Industry to heart, even though he’d been deliberately unsuccessful in most cases. He’d succeeded from time to time, only to keep the threat legitimate and to raise the stakes in the hope of getting her to London to retaliate. He should have guessed that the mother-hen protectiveness that had taken her back to the States all those years ago would be more powerful than ever by now. Perhaps he should reconsider the Fortnum acquisition, but that would be a risky business, as well. How much respect would Destiny have for him if he gave up suddenly or too easily?
    Returning to Malcolm’s question, he said finally, “It was an interesting evening.” It was the best he could do.
    “Any idea why you were included in a Carlton event?”
    William laughed. “Oh, I think that was clear enough. Destiny wants me to know she’s keeping an eye on me. In fact, she had Sandhurst watching me all evening long in case I gave away my inside contact.”
    Malcolm permitted himself a rare smile. “Then it’s a very good thing that you don’t have one, isn’t it?”
    “Indeed. And just as well you haven’t told me yours,” William replied. “There was no way either of us was likely to give ourselves away.”
    “What’s your next step, sir?”
    “I’m thinking about that right now.”
    Malcolm studied him soberly. “Sir, if you don’t mind my asking, what exactly is your goal? I’ve never been entirely clear on that.”
    “To be honest, there have been a few moments when I’ve lost track of it myself,” William admitted.
    “And now?”
    William smiled. “Now that I’ve seen her again, it’s all perfectly clear. I want Destiny Carlton back in my life. And this time, I don’t intend to let anything stand in my way until she’s my wife.” Not even Fortnum Travel, if it came down to that.
    Malcolm nodded slowly. “I thought it was something like that. If there’s anything I can do to help, it will be my pleasure.”
    “You’ve done more than enough,” William told him.