Chapter 2
“Dee,” Lilli said. “This situation is crazy.”
Max paused just inside the open sliding-glass door that led out to the patio, and watched Lilli as she paced and talked on her cell phone. After just one night in his home, she looked rattled and nervous. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d had to work so hard to get a woman to stay overnight at his place, and this one hadn’t even slept in his bed.
“Oh, it has to be temporary,” she said. “It has to be.”
He turned to walk away.
“It’s clear that I don’t belong here and I’m sure Max De Luca would be thrilled if I could disappear from the earth.”
He stopped at the mention of his name, curious despite himself. Turning around, he watched her wavy hair bounce against her shoulders and her silver hoop earrings reflect the late-afternoon sunlight. She was wearing shorts that revealed her long, shapely legs, and he noticed her toenails were painted a vibrant pink. A silver chain wrapped around her ankle. She was an odd mix of feminine and practical. He didn’t know why, but he’d liked the combination of strength and vulnerability he’d witnessed in her last night. She’d been determined not to be a pushover, but she’d also revealed her regret over her involvement with Tony. Although Max could name a million reasons, he wondered what had made Lilli decide to break up with his brother.
“How would I describe Max? Tony always called him a man of steel, but he didn’t mean it as a compliment.” She laughed. “Yes, he’s disgustingly good-looking and completely lacking in charm.” She sighed. “Maybe I just bring that out in him. Anyway, I can’t imagine staying here. I can’t imagine a baby living here, spitting up on carpets that probably cost twice what my car does. And speaking of my car, you would get a good laugh at how ridiculous it looks in the garage next to a Ferrari.”
Max felt a twitch of humor at her colorful descriptions. Crossing his arms over his chest, he decided to listen to the rest of the conversation. She was providing him with more amusement than he’d had in a while.
“His wife? I don’t even know if he has one. This house is huge. Maybe she hides in a different wing. Or maybe he keeps her chained to his bed to take care of his every need and pleasure,” she said in an exaggerated voice. “Come to think of it, he’s not wearing a ring and he doesn’t really strike me as the kind to pin himself down to just one woman. Not that it’s any of my business,” she added. “I would move to the other side of the world except I hate the idea of going to a new place with a baby and not knowing anyone.”
The honest desperation in her voice slid past his cynicism.
“I know I should be more brave about this. Maybe it’s just hormones. And what happened when I was with Tony doesn’t help.”
Besides the obvious, what exactly had happened between Lilli and his brother? Max wondered, and he decided to make his presence known. Clearing his throat, he pushed the sliding-glass door farther open.
Giving a jerk of surprise, Lilli turned to look at him. “Uh, yeah I should go now. Dinner next Tuesday with the girls. I wouldn’t miss it. Bye, Dee.” She turned off the phone and lifted her chin defensively. “I, uh, didn’t see you.”
He nodded. “Was your room okay last night?”
“It’s beautiful, of course,” she said. “Your entire house is beautiful.”
“The parts of it you’ve seen,” he said, recalling what she’d said about his bedroom. He could practically see her mind whirling, wondering how much he’d heard. “It was too late for me to give you the complete tour last night. I should do that tonight.”
“Oh, you don’t have to—”
“I insist. The rumors about the dungeon are all false,” he joked and watched her eyes widen. Swallowing a chuckle, he continued to meet her gaze. “And your bed? Did it work for you? Too soft? Too hard?” Last night the image of her in bed had bothered him. He’d wondered what kind of nightclothes she wore, if she ever slept naked.
“Oh, no. It was very nice, thank you.” She cleared her throat. “I’ve been thinking about my living arrangements and—”
“So have I,” he interjected. “If you’re free for dinner, we can discuss it then.”
She worked her mouth in surprise then shrugged. “I’m free.”
“Okay, then we can eat on the terrace.” He glanced at his watch. “Will you be hungry in an hour?”
“Sure,” she said. “How do you dress for dinner?”
He allowed himself a leisurely gaze down her body. He wondered why she made something inside him itch. “Casual is fine. It will be just you and me.”
Despite Max’s insistence that dinner would be casual, Lilli changed from shorts into a periwinkle cotton baby-doll dress she hadn’t worn in a while.
To bolster her confidence, she stepped into a pair of sandals with heels. She suspected she would need every bit of confidence she could muster when she told Max that she was returning to her apartment.
She walked downstairs through a hallway of marble and a living area that looked as if it had been taken out of a high-end decorator magazine. The sliding-glass door was open and Max stood, holding a glass of red wine, in front of a warming stove. With his back to her, she couldn’t miss the V-shape of his broad shoulders and his narrow waist.
She felt a strange dip in her stomach at the sight of him and grabbed an extra breath. He must have heard her because he turned to face her. He was dressed in slacks and a white open-neck shirt that contrasted with his tanned skin. Moving beside a small table already set with plates and platters with sterling covers, he pulled out a chair for her.
“The chef prepared orange juice and seltzer for you. Is that okay?”
“Very nice,” she said, surprised he’d known about the no-alcohol-during-pregnancy rule because he didn’t seem to have any children of his own.
“My chef has prepared one of his specialties. He’s excellent, so you should enjoy it.”
A woman dressed in a uniform appeared from the sliding-glass doors. “May I serve you now, Mr. De Luca?” she asked.
“Yes, thank you, Ada,” he said. “Lilli, this is my assistant housekeeper. She assists my chief housekeeper, Myrtle. Ada usually covers the 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. shift, so if you need anything after hours, feel free to ring her.”
He had an assistant housekeeper? Lilli took another gulp of her drink, feeling more out of place than ever. “It’s nice to meet you, Ada.”
“My pleasure,” Ada said with a smile and proceeded to serve the meal.
As soon as Ada left, Max turned to her and lifted his glass. “To a good meal and a meeting of the minds.”
His gaze dipped to her décolletage and she felt a shocking awareness of him as a man. A strong, sexual man. Pushing the feeling aside, she took a deep breath and gave a determined smile. “It was very generous of you to invite me to stay here last night and tonight. I’ve given it some thought and I believe it will be best for me to move back to my apartment.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I can’t allow that.”
She blinked. “Allow?”
“I have some information that makes the choice clear, but I intended to tell you after our meal. I suspect you’re concerned about staying here. You’re probably afraid this setup isn’t conducive for a baby.”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Please go ahead and eat.”
Lilli wanted to protest, but politeness compelled her to force down a forkful of the beef dish. The delicious taste momentarily distracted her and she took another bite. “Oh, you were right about your chef. This is amazing.”
“You’ll find I’m often right,” he said. “I learned at an early age not to allow emotion to determine my choices.”
“Why?” she asked, taking another bite.
“I watched my father spend half his fortune trying to keep his mistress happy.”
She heard cynicism creep into his tone again, and for the first time understood why. “I’m assuming his mistress wasn’t your mother,” she ventured.
“She wasn’t. She was Tony’s mother.”
“Oh,” she said again, remembering something Tony had told her. “But I thought Tony’s parents were dead.”
“They are both dead. Died in a boating accident.”
She set down her fork. “I’m so sorry.”
He shrugged. “It was ironic because the boat was called Franco’s Folly. My father’s name was Franco. He spent a good part of his life chasing after things that eventually ruined him. Something I refuse to do. But that’s a different subject.” He took a sip of wine. “Jim did some research on the man who gave you his card yesterday. Trust me, he’s bad news. You may as well be a sitting duck if you move back to your apartment without protection.”
“Protection?” she echoed, appalled. “That’s got to be an exaggeration. The man was a little pushy, but he backed off when I told him to. I’ll just have to be very firm—”
“Lilli,” Max interjected in a quiet, ultracalm voice that immediately got her attention. “It turns out he’s involved with the local mafia. They’re not above kidnapping or murder to collect on a debt.”
Lilli froze, her appetite fleeing. “Oh, my God.”
Nausea rose inside her and she turned from the table, automatically turning away. Terror coursed through her. How could she protect her child?
She felt Max just behind her. His body heat warmed her back. “You won’t need to worry if you stay here. No one would dare hurt you as long as everyone knows you’re in my care.”
“Maybe I should go ahead and move out of town. I didn’t want to do that, but—”
“You’re too vulnerable for that right now,” he said.
She turned to look at him. “What do you mean, too vulnerable?”