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She wore the sterling jewelry Max had purchased for her at the auction and had gone a little more daring with her makeup by giving her eyes a smoky look.
Although she cursed herself for it, she wanted to look nice for Max. She rolled her eyes at the way she minimized her feelings. The truth was she wanted to make his head spin. It was only fair since the man could turn her upside down with just a glance.
Max’s chauffeur drove her in one of the luxury sedans. As he pulled in front of the palatial resort, a valet rushed to her door to open it. “Good evening. Mr. De Luca’s guest?”
She nodded in surprise as she accepted his assistance out of the car. “Yes, how did you—”
The young man smiled. “We know all of Mr. De Luca’s vehicles.”
“Oh,” she said, nodding. “Thank you.” She turned back to Max’s chauffeur, Ricardo. “Thank you for the ride.”
Ricardo smiled at her and waved. “My pleasure, Miss McCall. Enjoy your evening.”
Lilli made her way to the glass elevators that whisked her up to the top level of the resort. Walking into the restaurant, she looked for Max. A man beside her said, “May I help…”
Her gaze collided with Max’s across the room and she didn’t hear anything else. He rose from the table where he sat, his gaze fixed on her.
The intensity with which he watched her made her feel as if she couldn’t breathe. Her heart felt as if it were tripping over itself. Why did this man affect her on so many levels?
She walked to his table and he extended his hand, taking hers. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you,” she whispered and took a shallow breath. “This is lovely.”
“I thought you might enjoy a night out,” he said and glanced down at the necklace she wore. He touched the pendant and his warm fingers brushed her bare skin. “I like the way my gift looks on you.”
The hint of sensual possessiveness in his tone gave her a surprising, forbidden thrill. She was a liberated woman. For Pete’s sake, what was wrong with her?
“Have a seat,” he said before she could reply. “I already ordered orange juice and seltzer for you.”
“Thank you.” She sat down and felt the hum of anticipation and electricity wind a little tighter between them.
The waiter appeared at their table, offered suggestions and they placed their orders. Max was all charming conversation, pointing out different sights from the restaurant’s breathtaking view as the sun slid lower on the horizon.
Tonight interruptions were kept to a minimum. Although Lilli felt plenty of gazes on her and Max, no one approached the table. The waitstaff were perfect, appearing to refill drinks, clear plates and provide nearly invisible but courteous service.
“I told the maître’d I wanted as few interruptions as possible tonight,” Max said as if he’d read her mind.
She nodded. “I couldn’t help comparing this experience to the auction.”
“The auction was a free-for-all. Now you understand why I don’t attend many,” he said and lifted his hand. “Although I must say I enjoyed it much more because you were there.”
“It was fun and I made a new friend,” she said.
“Who?”
“Mallory James. She invited me to lunch on Saturday.”
He nodded his head in approval. “Good. You’ll be occupied.”
Strange response, she thought. “Occupied for what?”
“I’m going out of town for three weeks.”
Her heart sank. Crazy. She would have to think about that later. “Oh, wow. That’s a long trip.”
“Yes. I knew it was coming. We have several grand reopenings in different locations scheduled over the next few weeks and my presence is required at all of them.”
“The bane of being the boss,” she said, forcing a smile because, heaven help her, she would miss him.
“These arrangements were made before I knew you existed. I’ll be out of the country,” he said, clearly displeased. “I’m not comfortable leaving you at this stage.”
His confession made her feel as if the sun came out from behind a cloud. “I’ve got six weeks until my due date. Everything’s been perfect so far. There’s no reason to think I’ll have any problems.”
“Still,” he said. “It’s best to be prepared for everything. Give me your cell phone.”
She blinked. “Why?”
“So I can program in my contact numbers,” he said.
“Oh, I can’t imagine that I would need to call you while you’re out of the country,” she said.
He waved his fingers impatiently and she gave him her phone. “Of course, you’ll be talking to me. I’ll be checking in with you on a regular basis. For any immediate emergencies, you’re to call my assistant, Grace. I’ve told her to be on twenty-four hour call.”
“That’s ridiculous. I wouldn’t call your assistant. I’ve never even met her.”
“If you’re not comfortable, I can arrange a meeting.”
Overwhelmed, Lilli shook her head. “No. That’s not necessary.” She lowered her voice. “None of this is necessary. I’ll be fine.”
He met her gaze. “It’s my job to make sure you stay that way.”
“Why?” she demanded. “It’s not as if you’re my hus—” She broke off, horrified that the words had just popped out of her mouth.
Unable to tear her gaze from his, Lilli felt something snap and shimmer between them. A forbidden possibility neither of them would consider. What if Max was her husband? What if…Feeling as if the circuits in her head had scrambled and misfired, she looked away from him.
She took a mind-clearing breath. “That was stupid. This is about the baby. You feel responsible because you’re the uncle. It’s not about me.”
He cleared his throat. “It’s all connected. The baby, you, me. And since your delivery date is growing closer, you must make a decision about guardianship if something should happen to you.”
She glanced back at him and watched him pull a manila envelope from his suit jacket pocket. “I’ve asked my attorney to come up with an agreement that should be more palatable for you. While I’m gone, I want you to look at this and take it to another attorney if that will make you more comfortable.”
Her heart twisted. This entire meal had been a setup. Max wanted one thing and one thing alone from her. Control of her baby. Although she wanted to toss the agreement back at him, she felt forced to take the envelope for the sake of civility.
Max seemed to sense the change in her mood and signed for the check and escorted her from the dining room. She hated sharing the close space of the elevator, but getting into the Ferrari with him was far more excruciating. The darkness closed around them, creating a veil of intimacy.
Every time he shifted gears, her gaze strayed to his hand tightening around the knob. His long legs flexed as he accelerated and pushed in the clutch. Despite her hostility, she couldn’t help noticing a commanding sensuality with the way he drove the luxury sports car. He would be a commanding, demanding lover, she knew, but he would also make sure his partner was satisfied. In fact, she suspected a woman might never be the same once she’d shared a bed with Max.
As soon as he pulled into the garage and came to a stop, she turned to unlock her door. The second after she hit the button, the automatic lock clicked again, effectively trapping her in the car with Max. Inhaling a shallow breath, she caught a draft of his masculine scent with just a hint of cologne.
Although she fought its effect on her, she couldn’t deny feeling light-headed and entirely too aware of him as a man. “What do you want?” she asked without turning to look at him.
“You haven’t had a chance to read my attorney’s proposal, so you can’t be upset about it. But you haven’t said a word since we left the restaurant. Why?”
She stiffened her resolve against his gentle, reasonable voice. “You don’t seem to understand. My baby is not for sale.”
Three seconds of silence passed before she felt his hand on her arm. “Look at me. You can’t really believe that I intend to buy your child.”
She reluctantly faced him. “Why should I believe anything else? You’ve been trying to cram money down my throat since the first time I met you. In exchange for control of my child.” She willed herself to keep her voice from wavering. “You said I should find this agreement more palatable. You don’t seem to understand that it doesn’t matter how much money you pile onto the agreement, I’m not giving up my baby to you.”
He stared at her in shock. “Is that what you think? That the new agreement is about money? It isn’t. It gives you far more rights than the previous one. Good God, do you really think I’m that much of an ogre?”
Glimpsing his sincerity, she bit her lip in confusion. “I didn’t know what else to think. You invite me to a fabulous dinner where you act as if you’re actually enjoying my company then slap me with a contract.”
“Of course I enjoyed dinner with you. Otherwise, I could have left the contract with one of my staff to give to you. And I wanted you to have my contact numbers. This is my last night in town for a while. I wanted to spend it with you.”
Her heart hammered against her rib cage and she shook her head. “You’re confusing me. I don’t know what you want from me,” she said. “Other than to sign your agreement.”
He looked into her eyes for a long moment then his gaze traveled to her lips and lingered. He lifted his gaze again to hers and she felt scorched by the desire she saw there.
“You want to know what I want from you?” he asked in a low voice. Then he lowered his head and took her mouth. He slid one of his hands under her jaw and cupped her face as if she were both precious and sensuous. The gesture undid her.
He devoured her mouth in dizzying kisses as he gently rubbed his hands down her neck, massaging her taut muscles.
