by Leanne Banks
Women had always been more than happy to accept his generosity. In fact, on a couple of occasions, his companions had tried to take advantage of him. One woman had even gotten herself pregnant by another man and tried to make Max take responsibility for the child.
Lilli was the exact opposite. Unless it was all an act, which it could be, he thought, his natural cynicism rising inside him. Still, Lilli didn’t strike him as a woman adept at hiding her emotions or motives.
He suspected she didn’t want him to know that she was attracted to him, but he had seen it in her eyes. The attraction was reluctant, but strong, the same as it was for him.
In other circumstances, he would want her for himself. And he wouldn’t just want her. He would take her.
Lilli paced her bedroom for two hours. With her head feeling as if it were going to split into a million pieces, she lay down and surprised herself by falling asleep. When she awakened at eleven-thirty, her stomach was growling like a mountain lion.
“Sorry, sweetie,” she murmured, rubbing her stomach. The idea of that dinner going to waste nearly made her sob. Max had told her to call Ada, the housekeeper, if she needed anything, including a snack, but Lilli couldn’t imagine imposing at this hour.
Dressed in a tank top and shorts, she quietly crept downstairs to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and peered inside. She found the leftovers and turned around.
“I’m glad you got back your appetite,” Max said, startling her so much she almost dropped the container she was holding. Swearing under her breath, she managed to save the dish. Her heart racing, she backed away and closed the refrigerator door.
“I didn’t think you would be down—” She broke off when she saw that he was shirtless, his pajama pants riding low on his waist. His chest was a work of art. Her mouth went dry.
“I heard a noise,” he said casually, as if he didn’t know that seeing him half-naked took her breath away.
She needed to keep it that way, she told herself and locked her gaze on his forehead. “I was hungry. I can just grab an apple and go back upstairs.”
He moved closer to her and pulled the dish from her hands. “Why would you eat an apple when you can have this?” He put the dish in the microwave and started to warm it up.
Lilli tried very hard not to allow her gaze to dip across his naked shoulders, but she didn’t quite succeed. When the plate was hot, he directed her to a seat at the table.
Twenty minutes later, she’d polished off a reasonable portion of beef, bread and a brownie he’d insisted she eat.
She leaned back in her chair and stretched her legs. “That was delicious. Thanks.”
His gaze enigmatic, he gave a slight smile. “You’re welcome. Not bad for Mr. Steel.”
Lilli blinked, then realized there was only one way he could have known she’d called him that. Her cheeks heated with embarrassment. “How long were you listening to my phone conversation?” she accused.
“It wasn’t premeditated,” he said. “I was going to tell you about the report I got from Jim, but you were so absorbed in your conversation that you didn’t notice me.”
Lilli closed her eyes, wishing she could hide. “Great.”
“And no, I don’t have a wife or mistress tied to my bed. I haven’t found it necessary to tie women up to keep them in my bed.”
She opened her eyes. “I didn’t mean it the way—”
He waved his hand. “We may as well get this on the table. I know you’re attracted to me,” he said without a millimeter of arrogance.
She opened her mouth to deny it, but her throat closed around the lie.
“I’m flattered that you think I’m hot,” he said. “But it’s probably a good idea that you also think I’m cold because, for some reason, I find you attractive.”
Lilli gaped at him, sure he was mocking her. “No.”
“Yes,” he said.
“But I’m pregnant,” she blurted out. “And not with your baby.”
“Your pregnancy doesn’t conceal your other assets. It doesn’t conceal your fire.” His gaze traveled to her breasts and lower to her legs, then all the way back up to her mouth, making her feel as if a hot wind had blown over her. He gave a short laugh as if the joke was on him. “Don’t worry. I’ll get over it. You may have seduced one De Luca, but I’m not as easily impressed as my brother.”
She felt as if he’d slapped her. “I haven’t been trying to impress you,” she told him. “Besides, your brother did the seducing, not me.”
“It doesn’t sound like you fought him.”
“I didn’t,” she told him, but there’d been a time he’d taken advantage of her. “My mother died one week before I met Tony and I freely admit I was a mess.” She met and held his gaze for a long, fierce moment. “And besides the fact that you’re hot, what makes you think I would want to go round two with anyone with the last name De Luca?” She stood and whirled away.
He snagged her wrist, pulling her against him when she stumbled. Her hand fell against his chest and she felt his heart against her palm, his heat all over her.
“Hold on to that thought,” he said. “You’re going to need it. But just so you know, if you ever went to bed with me, you would never think of it as round two.”
Looking into his hard, sensual gaze, Lilli felt a shiver run through her. Somehow, deep inside her, deeper than her bones, she knew that again he wasn’t bragging. He was just telling the truth.
Three
Lilli awakened to the sound of the Bose alarm clock on the elegant bedside table. The strains of classical music lulled her into consciousness. Rolling to her side, she pulled the pillow over her head.
Just a couple more minutes. This bed was divine. It felt so wonderful she hated to leave it. Much better than her lumpy mattress back at her apartment.
She stiffened at the thought and immediately sat up in bed. Frowning, she told herself not to get used to this level of luxury. Sometime, more likely sooner than later, she would be living in a place where she was both the chief housekeeper and assistant housekeeper. There would be no Bose stereo systems and the closest she would get to a gourmet meal prepared by a chef would be a frozen dinner.
Rising from the bed, she padded across the luxury carpet to the large shower in the connecting bathroom. She would need to get up earlier since her commute to work was longer from Max’s home. The very thought of him made something inside flutter and flip.
Hunger, she told herself. It had to be hunger or the baby. After she donned her colorful scrubs, she headed downstairs and was surprised to see Max pacing and speaking into a cell phone via a Bluetooth in his ear. He wore running shorts and a tank top that showed off his muscular legs and arms. Everything about him oozed strength. “Tell Alex we’re limiting our domestic expansion until we see what happens with the dollar.”
He saw her and lifted a hand. “Yes, I know Alex still resents that I was promoted over him. We each serve an important purpose. I provide the balance. He provides the fireworks. Tell him I said to think global. I’m working from home this morning. I’ll be in the office this afternoon and will get an update then. Thanks. Bye.”
He immediately turned to Lilli. “Good morning. Did you rest well?”
She nodded. “Yes, thank you.”
“We have fresh-squeezed orange juice and the cook will be happy to prepare anything you like.”
She shook her head. “I need to get on the road if I’m going to make it to work in time.”
He frowned. “You can’t skip breakfast. What about the baby?”
“I’ll grab something at work. We always have fruit and bagels in the workroom,” she said.
He shot her a disapproving glance. “That’s not good nutrition.”
“I don’t think my baby is suffering. I’m taking my prenatal vitamins.” He moved toward her and she struggled with the urge to flee. She was doing her best to keep her gaze fixed on his eyebrows. She refused to look into his eyes, or at his mouth, or at that stubbo
rn chin or at those shoulders. Or lower. Feeling a flush of heat, she stepped backward. “Better go. See you la—”
“Your things from your apartment should be here by the time you return,” he said.
Lilli stopped abruptly and blinked. “Excuse me?”
“I arranged for someone to pack your belongings and bring them here. Duplications like most of your furniture, dishes and linens will be put in storage. All the baby items will be moved into the nursery.”
Trying to catch up with him, she shook her head in confusion. “Where is the nursery?”
“Across the hall from your bedroom,” he said. “A decorator will be calling you later today so you can tell her what you would like done to it.”
She shook her head again. “Did I ever actually say that I was going to stay here?”
He lifted a dark eyebrow. “There was another choice?”
She sighed, hating him for being right. “Well, you could have given me a little time to adjust to the idea. There’s no reason I couldn’t pack my own stuff and—”
His eyes widened in horror. “Moving in your condition?”
She sighed. “I’m very healthy. Women have been getting pregnant and delivering babies for years. In ancient times, it wasn’t unusual for a woman to be working in the fields one minute, having her baby the next, then back at work immediately.”
“I won’t have you in the fields, period,” he said in a dry tone. “In terms of the speed of the movers, there was no need to wait. We both agree, even if you don’t want to admit it, that you belong here until we figure out a safe place for you and the baby. And that will be months from now.”
She made a face at his imperious tone. Lord help her, he sounded like an emperor.
“In the meantime, I’ve asked my personal attorney to draw up some documents regarding custody of the child in case something should happen to you.”
Lilli felt a chill. “I already told you I’m not signing those papers. If signing those papers is part of the bargain for me staying here, then I’m leaving.”
“I never said that.”
“No, but even you admitted that you could be ruthless. I’m not signing my child over to Ruthless Mr. Steel,” she said, mentally drawing a line and daring him to cross over it.
“Yet,” he said.
“I won’t be manipulated over this,” she warned him.
“Manipulation is for sissies,” he said with a scoff.
“Then what do you call what you do?” she asked. “Bullying?”
“Reason and logic prevail among rational human beings.”
Lilli knew she wasn’t totally rational about this subject. It was too close to her heart. She took a shallow breath and met his gaze. “I don’t want you to intimidate me about this,” she said in a quiet voice.
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.”
