She had to distract herself. Clearing her throat, she asked, “Have you decided whether or not you’re going back to work at Marchetti’s?”
With a plate in each hand, he walked to the table and set one in front of her. “Yes.”
“Thank you,” she said, her eyes growing wide at the amount of food he’d given her. When he sat at a right angle to her, she met his gaze. “Do you want to share the information with me?”
“Not really.”
“Okay.”
She started to eat, surprised at how hungry she suddenly was. Lusting after a man could sure work up an appetite, she thought. If luck was with her, the lasagne would hit her stomach and not come back up. She wasn’t quite ready to have that conversation with him. They both ate in silence for a few moments.
Finally he looked at her. “You’re not going to push for an answer?”
“About going back to work?” she clarified.
“Yeah,” he said, almost angrily.
“You said you didn’t want to talk about it.”
“Since when have you ever listened to what I wanted?”
She chewed for several moments, then said, “I always listen. I just don’t always concur. But I agreed to represent you, didn’t I?”
“Yes. After I practically signed the promise in blood.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you have a finely developed flair for the dramatic?”
“Yes. And I can’t help wondering where I got it,” he said tightly. “Since you asked, three days ago I mailed a letter of resignation to Nick.”
She put her fork down, stunned at what he’d said. “Oh, Luke. I thought you were going to wait a while before making such an important decision.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t want to keep them hanging. Now they can hire someone to take my place.”
“Are you kidding? They can never replace you.”
And she had a bad feeling neither could she. Now that he’d awakened her sexual feelings, could any other man make her feel breathless, hot and cold at the same time, and weak as a newborn colt with a mere flash of his to-die-for dimples? She hoped not. Once her business with Luke was over, she wanted to go back to her well-ordered, both-feet-on-the-ground, one-day-at-a-time world. No more magic for her. Contrary to the fairy tales she’d loved as a little girl, it didn’t solve problems. It created them.
Luke chewed his last bite of lasagne thoughtfully, then set his fork on his empty plate. “They would be crazy not to promote my assistant. He’s been holding down the fort since I took this leave of absence. They don’t need me.”
“You’re wrong about that. But as I said before, it’s difficult to move forward when you’re dealing with the past. If you’re ready, I’ll tell you what’s in the will.”
He looked at her half-empty plate. “Are you finished eating?” he asked skeptically.
“Yes. And before you start, what you gave me would feed a family of four. It was delicious. And I’m full. So don’t get on my case. Your obligation is fulfilled.”
“I’ve got dessert,” he said.
Madison’s breath caught at the look on his face. Wolfish and ingenuous at the same time. He probably had something in the refrigerator with enough calories to sustain a starving, third-world country for a week. But he wanted her to think he meant a treat of a sensual nature. Truthfully, she would give up chocolate for the rest of her life for just a moment in his arms. And that scared her to death.
“About the will,” she said standing. “Where did you put my briefcase?”
“By the island.” He stood, too, and picked up their plates.
She retrieved her papers and took them to the table. At the same time he cleared off the remains of their dinner and pushed aside flowers and candles.
Madison waited for him to sit, then opened the file and spread out the will in front of her. She glanced through the legal-size pages to be sure she didn’t miss any of the high points.
“Here goes.” She cleared her throat. “Your father franchised tax and accounting offices.”
“He was a businessman?”
She nodded. “An accountant.”
“I guess that explains where my propensity for numbers comes from,” he said grimly.
Madison refused to get sucked in by emotion. Just give him the details she told herself. Let him assimilate this information. Then she would tell him about the baby. She’d seen the doctor. The pregnancy was confirmed, and Luke had a right to know. For that emotional confrontation she would need all her strength. But one trauma at a time.
She cleared her throat. “He had a sizable estate including property, bank accounts and stock options. There is a cabin in Mammoth Lakes and one in Big Bear, not to mention a small condo near Santa Barbara. He has a membership in an exclusive country club. He never married, and you are his only offspring. It’s all yours, Luke. He left everything to you.”
“That was pretty straightforward. How come you didn’t just tell me over the phone? Why the formal reading?”
“I wanted to be here—to make sure you were listening,” she added, so he wouldn’t think it was personal. Even though she couldn’t help that it was. “I want this to sink in. Later, you’ll have a lot of decisions to make about the business.”
“I’m still stuck on the fact that he was into numbers.”
She supposed it was natural to wonder where the color of your hair came from. Why you were short or tall. Where did you get a love of reading or athletic ability. Luke had never questioned any of that. He’d never had reason to. Until now.
He stood up so fast his chair nearly toppled over. Without a word he walked to the sliding screen, opened it and walked outside onto the patio. Madison stood, too, and watched him. There was tension in his shoulders. Angrily he ran his hand through his hair, then folded his arms over his chest as he looked up at the sky.
Opening the slider, she followed him outside. A lovely, cool breeze brushed against her skin. It was a beautiful early-July evening, and the stars twinkled like diamonds on black velvet. Beyond the patio there was a pool area with several wrought-iron chaises and chairs covered with thick pads for comfort.
She stood beside him, close enough to feel the warmth from his skin, but not touching. God help her if she touched him. “What is it, Luke?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me. At least talk to me. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I’m mad as hell.”
“That’s a good start,” she encouraged. “Why? I thought hearing the terms of the estate would help. Are you angry with me?”
“Of course not. Why would you think that? You haven’t kept anything from me.” He looked at her, studied her gravely. “Don’t you see, Maddie? All I have are clues. Just hints that barely scratch the surface of who my father was.”
“Then I’m guessing you’re upset with Flo and Tom.”
“Damn right I am. Their lie took away all my choices. If I had known, I might have wanted to meet him. I could have decided that I wanted to see what his personality was like. Get to know things about his health history. Am I anything like the guy whose DNA I carry?”
“I know that’s upsetting—”
“No kidding. They should have told me and let me make the decision. Now I’ll never know. The answers are dead and buried.”
“Not all of them,” she said gently. “Your parents have some of them. I’m sure they would be glad to tell you what they can.”
He turned to her, and the look in his eyes made her wince. “What they can? That’s the problem. Because they kept this from me, all I have are questions and no way to get all the answers.”
Madison couldn’t stand by and watch him suffer so without trying to offer comfort. She moved half a step toward him and put her arms around his waist. He only hesitated a moment before drawing her closer, letting her rest her head on his chest. The next moment Madison wondered who was comforting whom.
She savored the solid, warm length of
him. She reveled in his strength. She had never felt so safe and protected in her whole life. He held her for a long time, and she knew the precise moment his breathing changed, increased in rate.
“You smell like a meadow full of flowers,” he said, his voice husky. “So clean and fresh and pure.”
She lifted her head and met his gaze. In the moonlight she read the intensity there. It struck a wellspring within her, and her heart started pounding like a drum.
He rested his palm against her cheek, and she snuggled into the touch. His thumb gently, softly brushed across her lips as he looked at her, gauged her reaction, gave her the chance to stop him. She knew he was going to kiss her, but she couldn’t find the will to protest.
He lowered his mouth to hers, and the contact sent a lightning bolt of pleasure arcing through her. He released her hair from the elastic scrunchy. Then his fingers threaded through her loose curls and cupped the back of her head, gently applying pressure that made the touch of their mouths more firm. With his tongue he traced the seam of her lips until the seductive movement encouraged her to open to him. Then he entered her, imitating the most intimate act between a man and a woman, and fire shot through her.
Madison felt the tingles that zinged from the top of her head to the soles of her feet, curling her toes, leaving her knees limp as linguine. If Luke hadn’t been holding her, she would have fallen in a heap on the ground. But somehow she knew she could count on his strength. It was herself she didn’t trust. Being this close to him was too much like coming home.
Especially when he moved his attention from her mouth to a sensitive spot just beneath her ear. When he concentrated there, she thought she would lose her mind. Like a rag doll, she stayed still and slack while he nibbled her ear, her jaw, her neck. The touch of his tongue, the warmth of his mouth, heated her blood and sent it singing through her veins. Her breasts swelled and her breathing grew labored, her willpower in shreds.
“We were good together, Maddie. Remember?” His voice was hoarse as he whispered in her ear.
“I remember.”
She couldn’t forget any more than she could resist him. If she could, she wouldn’t be carrying his baby now. The thought sent a chill through her.
He lifted his head and met her gaze, his chest rising and falling rapidly. “It’s July. You’re not cold are you?”
She nodded and stepped away from him.
“It’s warmer over here,” he said with a roguish grin as he opened his arms. “I’m more than happy to share body heat.”
And she was more than happy to let him. But she couldn’t. “This is inappropriate.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. Kissing you is the most appropriate thing I’ve done in a really long time.”
She shook her head. “I can’t, Luke. I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. But I can’t participate.”
“Why?”
“We’ve been over this before. It’s the reason I was reluctant to represent you.”
“The suggestion of impropriety,” he said, his voice tight with frustration.
“Yes. If I let it go on, it won’t just be the suggestion. It will be a full-blown blooper.” She folded her arms over her chest. “My career is important to me. I plan to make partner in the firm faster than anyone ever has—male or female.”
“Is this for you? Or are you trying to prove something to someone? That you have a reason for being?”
There was a lot of truth in what he said. But she just didn’t know how to answer him.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Maddie, you don’t have to prove anything to anyone. You’re entitled to live your life the way you want. But have you thought through the goals you’ve set for yourself? Such a demanding career—”
“What do you mean?”
“You were made to have a family, children. What’s that going to do to your career?”
Her stomach dropped to her toes. Did he know? How could he? It was time to tell him. She couldn’t put it off any longer. He knew what was in the will. It would take time for him to deal with the ramifications. But she didn’t have any time left. Here goes.
“Luke, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Chapter Six
In the moonlight Luke studied the serious expression on her face. “After what I’ve been through in the past couple of weeks, ‘There’s something I need to tell you’ is not what I want to hear.”
Maddie opened her mouth to respond, but the phone rang.
“Hold that thought,” he said. Whatever she had to say couldn’t be as life altering as finding out that he wasn’t who he’d thought.
Luke went inside and picked up the phone in the kitchen. “Yeah?”
“Luke, this is Nick. Your big brother. Remember?”
Pain twisted through him at the reminder that he only had half a connection to this man he’d always looked up to and tried to emulate. At least now he understood why he’d always fallen short. They had different fathers.
“What’s up, Nick?”
It had been on the tip of his tongue to call him what was automatic after all these years, “Bro.” But the word stuck in his throat.
“I need to talk to you.”
“I have company.” He glanced over his shoulder to find Maddie had followed him inside.
“I know. I’m on the cell phone and sitting in front of your house. We have to talk. But I didn’t want to interrupt—”
“Okay. Maddie and I are finished, anyway. Give us a minute.”
He hung up the phone and turned to her. “That was Nick.”
“I heard.”
“He’s out front. Apparently what he needs to say can’t wait. What did you want to tell me?”
“That can wait. It’s time to mend fences with your brother.” She gave him a wan look. “And don’t start with the fractions. He’s 100 percent your brother.” She gathered up her paperwork and put it back in her briefcase. “Let me know when you want to discuss the estate in more detail. Your father’s business is on automatic pilot for now. But sooner or later you’re going to have to make some decisions.”
“I’ll call you.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
Luke noticed shadows in her green eyes. Again he had a feeling something was up with her. “Are you all right? Nick can wait if you want to talk.”
She shook her head. “No. It will keep. Bond with Nick. We’ll talk soon.”
“Thanks for everything, Maddie.”
“You’re welcome.”
He opened the door for her. “I’m not sorry about the kiss.”
She met his gaze. “Neither am I,” she said, then quickly walked down the steps. As she passed his brother she said, “Hi, Nick. Be gentle with him. Bye, Nick.”
“I’ll be as gentle as a middle linebacker. Bye, Maddie. Sorry to interrupt.”
“No problem,” she said over her shoulder. At the curb she got into her car and slammed the door shut.
Luke pulled his gaze from her fading taillights and focused on the angry features of his oldest half brother. Nick was three inches taller than him, with dark-brown eyes and hair. He was the CEO of Marchetti’s Incorporated ever since Tom had retired. Right now he looked like one seriously angry first in command. In slacks, white shirt, and loosened, blue-striped tie, Luke guessed he’d come straight from the corporate offices.
He opened the door wider and held out his arm. “C’mon in. What can I do for you?”
Nick pulled a familiar envelope from his shirt pocket. “This is what you can do for me.”
“My letter of resignation,” Luke said, closing the door. “You didn’t have to come in person to let me know you accept it.”
“You should have delivered it in person.”
“Why? There’s nothing more to say.”
“There’s plenty to say.” Nick’s voice was a combination of anger and betrayal.
Luke felt bad about that. If anyone knew what betrayal felt like, it was him. He had just wanted to spare his
brother the awkward conversation where he tried to be nice but was relieved that Luke was disappearing.
“I can’t think of anything. Unless you don’t know I have a different father.”
“Mom and Dad told me. They told all of us.”
“Rosie and Steve, too?”
“Yeah, your sister and her husband know. And guess what? We all think you’ve gone off the deep end.”
Luke shrugged. They still stood in his empty living room. He recalled Maddie teasing him about it. God, he wished he’d asked her to stay for this. When she was with him, he never felt quite so adrift.
“Then everyone knows why I resigned,” he said, ignoring the sarcastic comment.
Nick shook his head as he braced his feet wide apart and rested his hands on his hips. “You’re going to have to explain that. I’m clueless and so is everyone else.”
“It’s simple. Marchetti’s is a family-owned business. I’m not a member of the family.” He shrugged. “I thought I would save you the time, aggravation and inconvenience of asking me to leave.”
Nick laughed bitterly. “Dad always said you were the best and brightest. Boy, was he wrong.”
He wasn’t even Tom’s son. Why would he say something like that? “What are you talking about?”
“You’re dumb as a post if you think anything has changed. You’re still my brother.”
“Half brother,” he clarified.
“We don’t do the family thing in parts.”
Luke recalled Maddie telling him the same thing, in different words. The corners of his mouth turned up at her phrasing. What part is still his brother? Hair, nose, hands, feet? But she wasn’t walking in his shoes. Neither was Nick. They didn’t know how it felt to discover your father wasn’t who you’d always thought. She had called him exasperating. Had his biological father been that way, too? He would never know.
“Look, Nick, I appreciate the gesture. But it’s not necessary. I understand that I’m not a part of the business anymore. And I’m okay with it,” he finished.
The Last Marchetti Bachelor Page 7
