LITMIR.BIZ

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and luminescent green eyes. “Alex Megalos,” he said with a smile as he stood on the other side of the kitchen island.

      “Nice to meet you. Lilli McCall.”

      His eyes crinkled when he smiled. She liked that. She liked that he smiled at her instead of frowning. But she felt the need to disappear. She didn’t want to call attention to herself. “I really should go,” she said. “This is a business gathering.”

      “No reason we can’t mix business and pleasure. Let’s get you a drink. Come out on the patio.”

      Lilli shook her head again. “Thank you, but I—”

      Max stepped into the kitchen and Lilli felt her heart take an extra beat. “When did the party move in here?”

      “Max, you’ve been holding out on us. How did you lure this angel into your dark castle?”

      Max met her gaze and she took a deep breath. A snap of electricity crackled between them. “Just lucky, I guess,” he said.

      “Well, if you need anyone to take her off your hands,” Alex ventured.

      Max shot him a sideways glance. “Always competing,” he said, then turned to the chef. “Louie, the lady is hungry.”

      “We can’t have that,” Louie said and quickly put a plate together.

      “Max, don’t be so greedy. You’ve already got Kiki,” Alex said. “Share her with the rest of us. She should join us tonight.”

      Lilli stared at Max in panic.

      “If you would like—

      “I wouldn’t,” she said. “Like,” she added, gulping and shot Alex an apologetic look. “I’m a little tired. Thanks, though.”

      “I’m crushed,” Alex said. “Maybe I could give you a call when you’re rested.”

      Confusion rolled through her as she watched a beautiful brunette appear from behind him. “Max, sweetheart, you disappeared,” the woman said.

      He turned to the woman. “Kiki, I’ll be back before you finish your next drink. I need to take care of a personal matter.”

      The woman looked at Lilli and lifted one of her perfectly arched eyebrows. “Is this the personal matter?” She narrowed her eyes.

      “I—uh—need to go,” Lilli said.

      “No need to rush,” Alex said.

      “Exactly,” Kiki said.

      Lilli felt as if she were suddenly surrounded by vipers. There were too many competing agendas for her comfort. “All I wanted was a peanut butter sandwich,” she murmured.

      Kiki snickered. “How charming.”

      “Here’s your plate, bella,” Louie said.

      “Bless you,” she said. “Thank you. It looks delicious.” She turned to Alex and Kiki. “It was nice to meet you. Have a lovely evening.”

      “I will,” Kiki said and slid her hand around Max’s well-developed bicep.

      Lilli nodded, feeling an odd combination of emotions, most of which she didn’t want to examine. “Good night,” she said and stepped from behind the kitchen island.

      Kiki’s jaw dropped. Alex blinked.

      They were looking at her pregnant belly.

      “Want Lilli all to yourself for the rest of the evening?” Max asked, shooting Alex a sly grin. He winked at Lilli and his humor helped her get through the incredibly awkward moment.

      “Uh…uh…” Alex seemed unable to pry his gaze from her belly. He cleared his throat and closed his eyes then forced his gaze upward. He exhaled and smiled. “Hell, I bet she would be more fun than you are. And trust me, Lilli, I’m a lot more fun than Max.”

      “Who is the lucky father?” Kiki asked in a strained voice.

      Lilli glanced at Max. “Um, it’s—”

      He met her gaze. “That’s between me and Lilli.”

      Kiki’s face tightened with suspicion. “That’s a little vague, darling,” she said with an edge to her tone.

      “Kiki, this is not the place for this discussion,” he said. “Louie will be upset if we don’t enjoy his meal. I’ll talk to you later,” he said, looking at Lilli.

      “That’s okay,” she said, feeling her nerves jump in her stomach. “I’m hitting the sack early tonight. Very tired. Thank you again, Louie. G’night. Enjoy your evening,” she said and scooted out of the room, thankful that Kiki wasn’t armed. Otherwise, she was certain she would be so dead.

      While Lilli ate, she watched a boring show on her flat-screen television. Afterward, she took a shower and went to bed, but didn’t fall asleep. Pulling a book about newborn care from her nightstand, she added to the list of items she would need to purchase for the baby.

      A knock sounded on her door and she tensed, but didn’t answer. The knock sounded again and she held her breath.

      “I know you’re not asleep,” Max said. “I heard you walking around three minutes ago.”

      Lilli frowned. She’d gotten a drink of water from the attached bathroom. Sighing, she rose from the bed and opened the door.

      Max stepped inside and closed the door behind him. His gaze fell over her body, and he gave her a bottle of water and a cookie. “You’ve charmed my chef. Louie said you looked like you could use a cookie.”

      “Thank you,” she said, appreciating his kindness. “But I’m sure it’s because he thinks I’m a special friend of yours, even though I told him I’m not.”

      “It’s safe to say we have a special relationship,” he said. “A bond, in a way.”

      His tone made her stomach dip. “Speaking of special friends,” she said. “Just curious, was there a particular reason you didn’t tell Kiki the real father of my child?”

      “Yes. For safety reasons, I’ve decided it’s better not to comment on your relationship with Tony. There are too many people he owes.”

      “Oh,” she said, remembering the threat and feeling a sinking sensation in her stomach. She sat down on the bed. “I keep trying to forget about that.”

      “Don’t,” he said, moving toward her. “You need to be on guard when you go out in public. People will try to take advantage of you if they know of your association with the De Lucas.”

      “I don’t think my real friends would dream of taking advantage of me,” she said and put the cookie and bottle of water on the nightstand. The soft glow of the bedside lamp intensified the intimacy of the moment. He was close enough that she could smell a hint of his cologne and masculine scent. She could almost feel him.

      He gave a cynical smile. “People will always try to take advantage of you when you have money.”

      “You forget,” she said. “I don’t really have any money.”

      He sat down beside her on the bed and studied her. “That could change,” he said.

      Feeling his gaze on her, she looked at him. The expression on his face affected her in a strange way. “How?”

      “There are options,” he said.

      “If this involves that crazy contract,” she began.

      “We won’t discuss it at this late hour,” he said. “Alex asked me to give you his card. He couldn’t stop talking about you.”

      “That didn’t have anything to do with me,” she said, her hair drooping over one of her eyes. “I could tell he was only interested because he liked the idea of taking something away that he thought

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