Son of Scandal

by Dani Wade

  Ivy wasn’t buying it. “Apology not accepted. Why would you talk about me with her in the first place?”

  Paxton took a step closer, his movement tentative, as if too much pressure would make her go off like a bomb. “We are very close. There was no way she wouldn’t ask about what she walked in on.”

  That earlier near miss wasn’t something Ivy wanted to talk about. Not right now.

  “Which you explain away by bad-mouthing me?” she asked instead. “What a gentleman you are.”

  “My family—” he ran his hands through his hair “—they don’t see things the way most people do.”

  “You’re right. I have plenty of experience with them, right here in this office. They see people as objects—in terms of what purpose they can serve. Not who they really are.”

  He shook his head as if to deny it, but she wasn’t letting him off the hook with this.

  “I thought you were different, Paxton. Is that really how you want to live? Giving credence to that type of thinking?”

  She stepped closer, her brain working through all the implications. Horror filling her as she thought about the future. “What about our child? I don’t want him to think that’s okay. That I’m inferior because I was Daddy’s assistant.”

  Paxton took a deep breath. “You know I see you as more than that.”

  “They don’t. Do you honestly think I’d let my child be alone with them so they can bad-mouth me when I’m not there?” Though how she’d prevent that, she wasn’t sure.

  “I would not let that happen.”

  “I want to believe you, but somehow you always end up disappointing me.”

  “What?” Surprise opened up his face, but she wasn’t sure if it was because of her opinion or because she had the audacity to say it out loud.

  It was that surprise that did her in—unlocking the churning emotions deep inside of her.

  “Yes, Paxton. I spent the night with you, gave you my body, and you walked out without a word. I try to make decisions on my own, trying not to bother you until necessary, and I get accused of keeping secrets.

  “I finally believe we are building some kind of partnership—” she almost choked on the word “—to raise our child, and I overhear you belittling me to your sister. I guess I’m the lesser partner in this arrangement.” Ivy struggled not to let tears make an appearance, but she was failing.

  “I’ve worked here for almost two years. You’re a great boss and I appreciated that enough to keep my distance. I never thought it would happen, but then we moved beyond business. And it was the most incredible thing I’ve ever experienced.” A white-hot wave of emotion washed over Ivy, blurring her vision with a flood of tears.

  “I should have known the magic wasn’t real. You were too good to be true, and I’m left trying to find the good in this nightmare. Is it just something about me? Something that won’t let me have anything good that’s truly mine?”

  Ivy doubled over, the only way she knew to hide the tears that fell. It took a moment for the haze of anger and pain to dissipate, leaving her head clearer.

  Actually too clear.

  Ivy knew immediately she’d said something she shouldn’t have. The last thing she’d wanted Paxton to know was how much their night together had meant to her, how deeply his disappearing act had hit her.

  As she straightened, she could tell by the shell-shocked expression on his face that he’d gotten that message loud and clear. It hurt, because that expression meant she’d done a better job of hiding her feelings since he’d been home than she’d thought...or that he was completely clueless as to how she’d felt when they’d been together.

  Then his expression darkened, intensifying as he studied her. But his look was far from analytical. More like a deep, hidden realization coming to life.

  It became even more focused as he approached her. Her heartbeat picked up speed, causing her to catch her breath. Was he angry? Was he panicked? Was he—

  Then his hands were in her hair once more and his lips covered hers. Ivy’s world went dark and she gave herself over to the ultimate rush. There wasn’t a single ounce of resistance in her body. At least not until he pulled back.

  “I wasn’t trying to put you down, Ivy. I was trying to throw Alicia off the trail. To protect you and our child from my family.

  “It’s sad that I had to do that, but I in no way meant to hurt you. The things you’ve said...these feelings you have...they’re a more precious gift than anything I’ve ever been given. Never, ever forget that.”

  * * *

  Ivy was lost in the whirlwind as Paxton locked them in his office and closed the blinds. With no guarantees, no resolution, she should not trust him, trust this... But something deep inside would not let her deny herself the chance for one more taste.

  Each step he took toward her brought out a pulse of awareness that she didn’t want to face. They were in his office—the ultimate no-touch zone. A combination of guilt and excitement mingled inside of her.

  But when he moved in close, cupping her face as if her revelations had opened his eyes to her true self, she melted. Her shoulders relaxed as she dropped her guard. Her head fell back, granting him access to her vulnerable neck. The move was instinctive, a surrender to both his will and the emotions that had brought her here.

  He lifted her to the credenza against the wall, crowding close between her legs. Though her skirt still covered her, its flowing style left her feeling exposed. His commanding presence overwhelmed the lingering fears in the back of her mind. As she braced herself with her arms behind her, Paxton took full advantage of her position to press even closer.

  She tightened her thighs, unconsciously embracing his hips, drawing him into her with her lower body. Fear held her back. Even though she ached to hold him close, Ivy could not get her arms to make the move. No matter how desperately she wanted him.

  Then Paxton leaned in, resting his lips against the frantic pulse at the base of her throat. His mouth, his breath, were heated softness stroking her skin. He didn’t rush or push for more. Instead he breathed deeply, inhaling her scent. A flash of heat shot through her, settling with a soft explosion between her thighs. Her soft cry echoed around them, a sound this room should never have heard.

  Only then did Paxton open his mouth and cover the delicate spot. The sensations overwhelmed her. Soft, wet suction. The rumble of a groan deep in his throat. The tight grasp of his hands anchoring her on each side of her waist.

  After long, heady minutes of his exquisite attention left her hot and edgy, he pulled back. His knuckles brushed the underside of her breast as he lifted his fingers to the two buttons of her suit jacket. He didn’t move to open them, but instead held still.

  Waiting. Then watching.

  His head lifted. That intense amber gaze found hers and locked on. Mesmerized, she could not look away.

  His fingers tightened as if it were all he could do not to rip the jacket open. Instead he asked, “Ivy?”

  The questioning tone echoed in his expression. A need to acknowledge her permission; a desperation for it to be granted.

  She wished she could ignore it, but the ache in his request hit her with a fierceness she hadn’t expected, amplifying her own desires. She’d already laid herself bare. There was no denying him or herself right now.

  So she answered simply, “Yes, Paxton,” knowing there would be regret and pain further down the line. But his emotions and her own were a dynamic duo she couldn’t walk away from.

  It was short work for him to open her jacket, then the delicate blouse beneath. Her fuller breasts swelled over the cups of her bra, plump from the life growing inside of her. He brushed the creamy tops with his thumbs, followed by desperate sucking kisses. His attention to her breasts drew her deep into this moment, melting away any lingering fears for the future.

  “Paxton,” she murmured, wi
shing she had the courage to cradle his head in her hands.

  Finally his palms pressed beneath the hem of her skirt, then squeezed the quivering muscles of her thighs. She felt a muffled curse against her breast as his fingers found the top edge of her thigh-high stockings, then another as they reached the damp material of her panties.

  Ivy found herself slipping into a world of sounds and sensations as he worked his fingers around the barrier to explore her most intimate flesh.

  Around and over and under until she wanted to weep in time with the pounding in her core. Then his teasing fingertips barely slipped inside of her. She couldn’t stop the jerk of her hips, her body’s attempt to draw him deeper. He eased in an inch more. Two fingers, then three.

  At the same time, his whole body crowded closer. She found herself caught in his gaze once more, telling him things with her expression and movements that she would probably wish she had left hidden later on.

  When sanity returned.

  He worked her expertly, as if he knew just how to bring her greatest fears and fantasies to life. She tried not to think about the last time they’d done this—pure, exquisite pleasure, followed by so much pain.

  “Paxton, please,” she cried, her body skating the edge of ecstasy without the key that would push her past the brink.

  “I need you,” he said, pulling back to fumble with his pants. “Heaven help me, but I need you, Ivy.”

  In a matter of seconds, he had freed himself, bared her and was pressing against her lower lips. Ivy tilted her hips, granting him access. Her core seemed to suck him inside, so great was her need.

  Only then did she allow her arms to embrace him, her hands to anchor him to her. He filled her to overflowing. Her every nerve jumped straight to overload. Her entire world narrowed to the feel of him moving inside of her, the sound of his desperate draws of air, and the way only Paxton McLemore could overtake her body and her mind so completely.

  His increasingly hard thrusts sent her into a tailspin and she screamed her release as he surged against her. In this moment, need, relief and love rolled into one, leaving no more room for the fear.

  Twelve

  It took a moment for Paxton to realize that Ivy was quiet, not moving as he parked in front of Auntie’s house. Despite the physical connection forged in his office last week, they’d tiptoed around each other and the heavy subjects neither of them seemed to want to tackle.

  Paxton knew Ivy was afraid for the future, but he had no answers for her, despite their incredible attraction. So he left the emotions locked away, where they were safe. Where he was safe. She seemed content to do the same.

  Still, every time they touched, those emotions made an appearance.

  “Are you okay, Ivy?” he asked, a little worried by the way she stared out the window, toward her family home without making a move to get out of the car.

  Then there was the way she worried her lower lip with her teeth. That little move told him something weighed on her mind. He wanted to ignore it, to avoid any deep subject that would upset their current intimate equilibrium. But he wasn’t a coward, especially not with the women he cared about.

  Ignoring the jolt of that thought, Paxton pressed harder. “What is it, sweetheart?” he asked.

  She glanced his way with the weak smile. “Just hormonal, I guess.”

  “That doesn’t make it any less valid,” he reassured her, only to be reminded of his words to his sister last week. He’d forgotten in the upset at the office and its aftermath to check on Sierra. He needed to do that.

  “I love my sisters,” Ivy finally said. “I’m so excited that I’m finally feeling well enough to help Jasmine with this charity auction.” She worried her lips with her teeth some more. As sexy as he found that...

  “But...” he prompted.

  “Sometimes it’s hard to be with them.” He caught a brief glimpse of a sad smile. “They’re so happy. They have strong relationships. They’re building families. And I have...” She frowned. “What? A business relationship? With an extra helping of sex?”

  Her pain and uncertainty hit him hard. Hard enough to overcome his reluctance to go deeper. “No, Ivy.” He cupped her worried face between his palms and struggled for honesty. “I’m not sure exactly what this is between us—yet—but the last thing I want is a business arrangement. Hell, especially not in the office.”

  The smile they shared was more intimate than Paxton could ever remember having with any other woman.

  But the feeling faded as she asked, “So why are you holding back?”

  He was. He knew that, knew it came not just from the obstacles with his family, but his own memories of being used by a woman in the past, something he wasn’t ready to talk about. So he deflected. “Why are you?”

  The knowledge was there in her eyes, even though he knew she didn’t want to admit it. “We both have reasons for holding back, Ivy.”

  Leaving it at that, he got out of the car and went around to open her door.

  He genuinely enjoyed dinner with her family, appreciating how open and welcoming they were to him and to each other. There was no strategy in the way they interacted, no subtle attempt to one-up each other. Paxton could relax and be himself.

  After the meal, Royce left to attend a meeting, and the women got down to the business of planning the upcoming auction that Jasmine was coordinating through her event-planner business.

  Paxton spent some time reading about the history of Savannah’s shipping industry in the books on the overcrowded bookshelves in the front parlor. It was fascinating to learn more about the industry his family had been involved in since they’d settled in Savannah so long ago. Then he chatted with Auntie until she fell asleep in front of the television.

  He was certainly living the high life tonight.

  Finally he decided it was time to at least check in and see how much longer the women would be working. He headed back down the hall from the front parlor to the kitchen, Auntie’s snores fading into the background. The women’s conversation was muffled until he reached the doorway to the dining room.

  Only then did some of Willow’s muffled words take shape. “Oh, they were more than happy to talk...just not about that night.”

  Paxton paused, confusion running through him.

  Willow went on, “He never said...never out right admitted his involvement. So while it’s likely he was involved...ship, there’s no proof...”

  Icy shock jolted through Paxton’s body. His brain struggled to catch up. He strained to hear more.

  “But don’t give up, Ivy. Tate will find something.”

  “What should I do in the meantime? After the...office, I’m afraid...if they find out before we have proof.”

  Willow sniffed. “I’d watch that grandmother of his... She hears the name Kane, and it’s all over.”

  Kane. It sounded so familiar, but Paxton probably wouldn’t have realized why if Willow hadn’t paired it with his grandmother. The ship.

  Kane was the name of the man who had sunk his family’s ship.

  Cold rational logic was the only thing to get him through this. He stepped into the kitchen to a chorus of gasps all around.

  “Ivy, what exactly is it that you know about the Kane family?”

  She swallowed hard, but then lifted her chin and replied, “That was my mother’s maiden name.”

  Fury bubbled up from his core before Paxton shut it down through sheer will. “So, you deliberately kept this from me?”

  She didn’t answer, but her wide eyes remained trained on him as he stepped closer.

  “Is this one of those ‘things I’m going to hide from you because I don’t have a direction yet’ scenarios? The kind that keep me protected until you can decide exactly what you want to do?”

  Ivy cast a quick, guilty glance toward her sisters before she slowly nodded. “Maybe. B
ut, Paxton—”

  He cut her off with a sharp, dismissive wave of his hand. “You were talking about the sinking of a ship. The one that took the McLemores’ heir and beloved son from them?” Paxton’s angry words rang through the kitchen. He thought back over what little he’d heard. “That night is a scar on my family’s heritage. My grandmother has never been the same since that night.”

  The rest of the earlier conversation slowly registered.

  “What makes you think this man you were talking about was responsible?” he asked as he put two and two together. He ignored their shocked faces as he stepped farther into the room. “Even more, why would you care?”

  “Paxton—” Ivy swallowed.

  Ivy was part of the Kane family. The implications hit hard and fast. He stomped closer. “I want to know what’s going on, Ivy,” he said, pinning her with his hard stare. “Right now.”

  Her mouth worked, but it took a minute for words to come out. “Paxton, I didn’t want you to find out—”

  “Obviously. I realize you’re not that familiar with my family, but the story of that ship is notorious. My grandmother tells it often. It was devastating to our family.”

  He circled around to get a better look at her face. “But to my knowledge, the family that was responsible left Savannah. The Kanes. Isn’t that right, Ivy?”

  She slowly shook her head. “It’s not what you think, Paxton.”

  “Are you sure? Because it sounds to me like you are part of a family that attacked our company and our family.”

  Paxton knew he sounded overly emotional about something that happened generations ago. But that was just how sensitive his grandmother was over the same subject. It had shaped the McLemores’ entire history.

  Jasmine stepped in. “Yes, Paxton. We are descendants of the Kane family that was accused of sinking that ship. But that’s not—”

  “No, I want to hear it from her.” He leaned against the table, so heavily that the pattern of the wood grain registered against his palms. “Have you known this all along and hidden it from me, Ivy?”