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
