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?”
“Physically, for one thing. It’s not like you’d be able to beat off an attacker.”
“But if I moved away, I wouldn’t have to beat off anyone.”
He shook his head. “They’re watching you too closely. Maybe later, but not now.”
“Oh, God, I feel so stupid,” she said, fighting back tears. “How did I let this get so out of control?”
“It could be worse,” he said. “You can set up a nursery here. I’ll cover the cost. We’ll make the necessary adjustments in the house. Your life will be just like it was before, with a few perks.”
“Just like before,” she said, laughing with gallows humor. As if anything could ever be like before. “There’s no way I could allow you to cover the cost of the nursery. It wouldn’t be right. And I can’t imagine living here. It’s just so—”
“So what?”
“Perfect. This isn’t at all what I pictured for my child.”
“Why wouldn’t my home be appropriate? I’m a blood relative. How is it right for your child not to know his uncle?”
Oh, Lord. She hadn’t even thought of it that way. Her heart splintered. Her father had left before her third birthday and since her mother’s relatives had lived on the other coast, she’d never had an opportunity to meet them, let alone enjoy any sort of family bond.
She shook her head. “I’d never considered any of this. Once I broke off with Tony, I knew it would be just me and the baby. I didn’t think Tony’s family would want to be involved, and frankly I didn’t want anything to do with anyone bearing the name De Luca.”
Max narrowed his eyes. “Tony and I are not the same man.”
“I’m beginning to see that,” she said. “I need to think about this.”
“Finish your dinner,” he said, cupping her arm with his strong hand. “We can discuss this more later.”
Lilli’s stomach jumped. She wasn’t sure if it was a result of Max’s hand on her bare arm or the terrible news he’d just delivered. She looked into his eyes and had the sense that this man could turn her world upside down in ways she’d never imagined. She stepped backward, needing air, needing to think. “I’m sorry, but I can’t eat right now. Please excuse me. I need to go upstairs.”
Max watched Lilli as she fled the patio through the door. With each passing moment, he felt more drawn to her, but for the life of him, he couldn’t explain why.
Her immediate rejection of his offer to pay to furnish the nursery had caught him off guard. He was so accustomed to covering expenses for a multitude of people that he rarely gave it a second thought.
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