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He studied her for a moment, his gaze more curious than threatening. “Okay. Are you open to gentle persuasion?”
“Not if it involves any power plays,” she said.
He nodded, stepping closer. “Deal. By the way, I’m hosting a casual business gathering Friday night. It’s just a barbecue. Feel free to drop in and fill up a plate.”
His closeness made her feel as if he’d set off a dozen mini electrical charges inside her. He lifted his hand to a stray strand of her hair. “Your hair reminds me of your personality.”
He looped the strand around one of his fingers and she felt her heart accelerate. “How is that?”
His mouth stretched into a sexy grin. “It’s the color of an angel’s hair, but the curl shows it’s rebellious.”
Looking into his eyes, she felt as if she were sinking into a place where she was aware of only him. He was the most dynamic man she’d ever met in her life. She felt totally fascinated and totally out of her league.
Grasping on to that thought, she took a shallow breath and stepped back. It was a move totally motivated by survival. Max De Luca was a powerful force, too powerful for her.
The strand of her hair stretched taut between them. Max hadn’t released her. She lifted her hand to unravel her hair from his finger, brushing his skin. “I should go. I don’t want to be late,” she said and fled out the door, feeling as if she’d been burned.
Max arrived home after going several rounds with Alex Megalos, Director of Domestic Operation and Expansion for Megalos-De Luca Enterprises. Alex had been Max’s rival for his current position as Director of Worldwide Operation and Expansion.
Talented and aggressive, Alex was always trying to focus resources and energy in his area. Max, however, was forced to continually remind Alex that he had to consider the big picture.
Alex provided a lot of energy, but he also caused more than his share of heartburn. Suffering from a burning sensation in his gut even now, Max just wanted a quiet peaceful evening and an opportunity to wind down. He headed for the bar downstairs and poured himself a glass of red wine.
Sitting in the darkness of the den, he took a sip and savored the stillness of the moment.
A crashing sound followed by a scream shattered the quiet. Alarm shot through him. Immediately jumping to his feet, he raced upstairs. That had been Lilli’s scream. What had happened?
Rounding the corner, he found her on the floor of the nursery surrounded by scattered pieces of a crib and tools.
“What in hell are you doing?”
Dressed in shorts that revealed her long legs, her hair straying from the ponytail in back, she glanced up at him with a scowl. “Trying to put this crib back together. Your moving guys took it apart.”
He frowned, entering the room. “They should have put it back together.” He reached into his pocket for his cell phone. “I’ll get my driver up here immediately. He’s excellent, extremely mechanical. He’ll put it together in no time.”
Scrambling to her feet, she put her hands over his to prevent him from dialing. “No. No.”
“Why not?”
“Besides the fact that it’s not his job to put together cribs and it’s almost ten o’clock,” she said, “I want to do it myself.”
He stared at her for a long moment. “Why?”
“Because I just do. I put this crib together after I bought it. I should be able to do it now.”
“Why is it so important that you be the one to assemble it? The baby isn’t going to know.”
She lifted her chin. “Someday he will. Someday he will know that his mother loved him so much and was so excited that he was coming that she put her time and energy and money into making a nice place for him.”
Her heartfelt determination tugged at something inside him. “That never would have occurred to me. I’m certain my mother didn’t assemble my crib. I had a string of nannies and was shipped off to boarding school before my parents divorced.”
“My mother could sew and knit and she made blankets and caps and booties for me. I’m going to use some of them on my little one.”
“But not anything pink,” he said.
She smiled and laughed. “Nothing pink. I have a few white and yellow things. After my father left, it was just my mom and me.” She bit her lip. “I wish she was still around. I have a feeling I’m going to have a lot of questions.”
“I’m sure you’ll do an excellent job and when he goes to boarding school—”
Lilli gaped at him. “I’m not sending my child to boarding school.”
“There’s no need to automatically reject the idea. A young man can get an excellent education and important connections at an elite boarding school.”
“And they end up with warm, affectionate family ties just like you,” she said.
He opened his mouth then closed it. “Mr. Steel haunts me again.” He shook his head. “There’s no need to discuss boarding school. That’s years away.”
“Never,” she corrected.
He loosened his tie and unfastened the top couple of buttons of his shirt. “Let me help you put this crib together. Where are the instructions?”
Lilli winced. “That’s the problem. I threw them away after I put it together the first time.”
He couldn’t swallow a chuckle at her stymied expression. “Okay, then we’ll just look it up on Google.”
“Google it?” she echoed. “I never thought of that.”
“So I’m good for something,” he said in a wry voice. “My laptop is in my quarters. Come on. I still haven’t given you that tour. From the way you act toward me, I wonder if you still think I have a woman tied to my bed.”
Her face bloomed with color and she groaned. “When are you going to stop teasing me about that?”
“When you stop calling me Mr. Steel,” he said and led her to another wing of the house.
When Max opened the door to his suite, all Lilli could do was stare. Lush carpet covered the floor, cushioning every footstep. A gas fireplace featuring a stone mantel provided instant warmth. On either side, stone shelves held books, electronic items and a full bar. A large bed covered with luxury linens provided the centerpiece, but what captured her attention was the dramatic arched window that showed the starry sky in all its glory.
“I have shades to cover them if it’s too bright,” he said.
“How can you bear to do that? It’s so beautiful,” she said.
“Thank you. I like it. I also have a flat-screen television that comes down from over that wall.” He walked through one door and motioned for her to follow. “Personal gym and lap pool.”
Lilli blinked at all the equipment. “But you already have a pool.”
“That one is for being lazy. This one is for exercise.” He glanced her. “You can use it anytime you like. It’s okay to swim during pregnancy, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
He led her to another room, which held a desk, sofa and more electronic equipment. He turned on his laptop. “There’s another office suite downstairs, but I tend to accomplish more up here. Would you like some juice or sparkling water?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m fine. All you need to live in here are a kitchen and washer and dryer.”
His lips twitched. “There’s a galley kitchen across the hall. Laundry chute in my closet.”
Tugging off his tie, he released another shirt button. Lilli was struck by the sight of his tanned fingers against the white shirt. He truly was an amazing male. She wondered how many women had shared his bed. No chains needed for him.
She cleared her throat and tried to move her mind in a different direction as he tapped on the keyboard. “Just curious, but do you even know how to do laundry?”
He glanced at her and gave a cryptic smile. “Yes, I know how. We were required to learn in boarding school, along with basic mechanics, financial management, survival skills and cooking.”
“You can cook?” she said in disbelief.
“I make a damn good omelet, can broil a steak with the best of them and I was recognized for making the best grilled cheese sandwich in my class.”
She couldn’t stifle a laugh from his defense of his culinary abilities. “Nothing chocolate in your repertoire?”
He shot her a level glance. “I buy only the best.” He looked at the screen. “Here we are. Instructions for assembling your crib.”
She joined him to look at the screen, surprised at how fast he’d found the instructions. “How did you know what kind?”
“I looked at the brand and model before I left the nursery.” He hit the print button and seconds later, they returned to the nursery armed with instructions.
An hour later, they proclaimed victory as Lilli put in the final screw. “We did it,” she said, punchy with excitement. She lifted her hand for a high five. “I hate to say it, but I couldn’t have done it without you. Thanks.”
“My pleasure,” he said, his hair mussed from raking his fingers through it. She’d known he’d spent the entire time itching to do the work himself. He’d offered and insisted every five minutes, but she’d demurred. “If only everything were this easy,” he said, offering his hand to help her up from the floor.
Her knees cramped from staying in one position too long, she wobbled as she stood. Strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her against his warm body.
Bracing herself on his arms, she was immediately distracted by the sensation of him, smooth skin over hard muscle. Her breasts pressed against his chest, her belly meshed with his and her thighs just barely touched his trousers.
“Are you okay?” he asked in a low voice.
Her heart pounding a mile a minute, she nodded and barely managed a whisper. “Yes. I guess I sat a little too long.”
He slid his hand through her hair, surprising her with the sensual but tender gesture. “You stopped seeing my brother months ago. How is it that you don’t have a man in your life now?”
She swallowed hard. “I’m pregnant.”
“And no man has approached you?”
“No.” She closed her eyes, trying not to sink into a helpless puddle on the floor. He felt so strong, so good. The intimate sound of his low voice both soothed her and wreaked havoc with her nervous system. “I didn’t want a man in my life. I don’t know if I ever will,” she said, remembering how victimized she’d felt.
He gave a low laugh that caught her off guard. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
She looked up at him, searching his face in the low lighting. “No. I’m not.”
“Every woman has needs,” he said.
“I don’t,” she told him, because it had seemed all her sexual needs had disappeared. “Not for a long time.”
“How can you say that? You’re attracted to me,” he said and slid his fingertips from her hair to her throat.
“That doesn’t mean I want to have sex with you,” she said, but her skin was heating and her heart was racing.
“I could make you want to be with me,” he said. “I could make you want it more than you ever have.”
For a sliver of a moment, she believed him and the possibility sent her into turmoil. She had to shut this down once and for all. She took his hand and put it on her belly. “There will always be this between us,” she said. “Always.”
Max returned to his suite and poured himself a glass of red wine. There was something electric between him and Lilli. He could feel it in his skin and deeper in his gut. She was a little afraid of him, but still determined to hold her own. That attracted him even more. She was resolved to push him away, but she was fascinated by him. He could see it in the way she looked at him, hear it in her quick intake of breath and he felt it in her response to him.
The passion she tried to hide got to him more than any other woman’s overt seduction had. He was still aroused from being so close to her.
Plowing his fingers through his hair, he walked to his office and pulled out another legal proposal from his attorney. After watching what had happened to his brother because his guardian had been permissive and irresponsible, Max couldn’t stand the idea of another De Luca plunging down the same path.
He suspected Lilli would never sign a document giving him guardianship unless she became ill, and she might not even sign it under those conditions.
There were other options, though. Other ways to make sure this De Luca was raised properly. His attorney had outlined each of them. Some were more costly than others, and not just in terms of money. Rubbing his chin, he remembered when he’d got the news of his brother’s death. The feeling of loss and despair had slammed into him like a concrete wall.
He would never let the same thing happen to another De Luca. Never.
Four
The next evening, after a full day at work, Lilli entered the De Luca house to the sound of jazz music, tinkling glasses and animated conversation. She’d noticed a few extra cars in the driveway, but she hadn’t known what to expect once she got inside.
The scent of grilled food permeated the house, making her mouth water and her stomach growl. Then she remembered. This must be the barbecue gathering Max had mentioned the other day. All she wanted was a sandwich and she could fix that herself. Heading for the kitchen, she found two men and two women preparing food and placing it on serving trays.
A large bald man barked orders from one end of the large kitchen island. The man pinned her with his gaze as she approached the island. “No guests in the kitchen, bella,” he chided and pointed to himself. “Louie can’t have you stealing secrets.”
This was Max’s fabulous chef. She hadn’t had a chance to meet him yet because he seemed to cook and disappear.
“I’m not really a guest and I won’t steal your secrets. I just want to make a peanut butter sandwich. It won’t take a minute.”
He gasped in horror. “Peanut butter sandwich, when you can eat this?”
“I need to make this quick,” she said, more than ready for the solace and quiet of her room. She stepped behind the island. “I just want to take it to my room. Upstairs.”
Louie’s eyebrows shot upward. “Upstairs? You are a special friend of Mr. De Luca. Only the best—”
“No, no, I’m sure he doesn’t think of me as a special friend.”
“I don’t know why not,” a man said from behind her.
Lilli whipped her head around to look at a tall, muscular man with brown hair and luminescent green eyes. “Alex Megalos,” he said with a smile as he stood on the other side of the kitchen island.
“Nice to meet you. Lilli McCall.”
His eyes crinkled when he smiled. She liked that. She liked that he smiled at her instead of frowning. But she felt the need to disappear. She didn’t want to call attention to herself. “I really should go,” she said. “This is a business gathering.”
“No reason we can’t mix business and pleasure. Let’s get you a drink. Come out on the patio.”
