The Last Marchetti Bachelor. Teresa Southwick

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СКАЧАТЬ him, with the fact that he was the black sheep of the family. The only one with blue eyes, more keep-to-himself than outgoing, and the only one just under six feet tall. Except for his sister, Rosie. The point was, he was different. He figured he’d caught a recessive gene not to fall in love; therefore, home, hearth, family wasn’t in the cards for him.

      So why should Maddie take a chance on a guy like that? Especially after her relationship with his brother had fizzled?

      Still, Luke would bet his Marchetti’s Incorporated stock options that Maddie had been telling the truth about not being heartbroken. After discovering she was a virgin, he was even more convinced. Or was that just wishful thinking?

      The intercom on his desk buzzed, startling him from his thoughts. He leaned over and punched the button. “Yes?”

      “Miss Wainright to see you,” his secretary said. “And I’m leaving for the day.”

      Just the sound of her name booted up his pulse. “Send her in,” he answered, trying to keep the hot-damn-I-can’t-believe-she’s-here tone out of his voice. “Have a nice evening, Cathy.”

      “Thank you,” she answered before clicking off.

      Maybe Maddie had changed her mind and they could achieve more than a friendly working relationship. What other reason could she have for coming to his office? Glancing at his computer monitor, he was reminded that she had been handpicked by a senior partner to handle his family’s legal affairs. There could be a dozen things other than his scintillating personality and animal magnetism that had brought her here. She was unpredictable; the night spent in his arms was proof of that.

      He’d best not count on anything with the enigmatic Ms. Wainright. Until notified to the contrary, he would assume she’d come to see him about business concerning Marchetti’s Incorporated. The more business they did together, the sooner he would be able to get her out of his mind. That’s the way it always worked for him.

      His office door opened, and the counselor in question walked in. “Hello, Luke.”

      “Hi.” He stood up. His father had drilled it into all four of the Marchetti boys to stand when a lady entered the room.

      “Do you have a minute?” she asked.

      “Of course. Take a seat,” he said holding out a hand to indicate the leather wing chairs in front of his desk.

      He’d rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt to just below his elbows first thing that morning and loosened his tie. He resisted the urge to straighten it and button his cuffs. With Maddie, he’d experienced an unforgettable, intimate night. He was a loner, not charming like his brothers. He’d learned forever wasn’t in the cards for him. But he couldn’t shut the door on the present, either. No way were the barriers going back up between them. At least on his part.

      In fact, he figured it couldn’t hurt to remind her. “To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from the golden girl of Addison, Abernathy and Cooke?”

      The color in her cheeks deepened to a becoming rose, and he knew his barb had produced the desired result. Her blush highlighted her soft skin and the freckles dotting her nose. He liked the way she couldn’t quite hide them with makeup. There were exactly six. He knew because he’d kissed every last one.

      She was still standing halfway between the closed door and his desk. Her hesitation to come closer and to answer him put a bump in his ego road, slowing it down. In fact he became uneasy. Usually direct, forthright and no-nonsense—the fact of her virginity being the only exception—this was a Maddie he’d never seen before. Her restrained behavior was unusual. Not to mention the worry puckering her forehead.

      “It’s nice to see you, Maddie.”

      She flinched. “I asked you to call me Madison.”

      “I remember.” He’d always been good with figures, but hers was his favorite. He recalled every curve, every square inch of silky, sweet-smelling skin in spite of the tailored green suit she wore with the jacket buttoned to her neck. “So what brings you here? Business or pleasure?”

      “It’s personal, Luke.”

      Was she finally beginning to see things his way? She wasn’t exactly wearing the expression of a woman looking to pick up where they’d left off. In fact, she looked pale, and tired.

      “What is it, Maddie? Are you okay? You look like someone died.”

      “Someone did.”

      His chest felt tight and he had trouble drawing in air. The names of his loved ones flashed through his mind. Ma, Dad, Nick, Joe, Alex, Rosie, their spouses, his niece and nephew. Then common sense asserted itself. If something had happened to one of them, Maddie wouldn’t be standing in front of him with the news. Come to think of it, as long as his family was fine, he couldn’t see that he had much of an emotional investment in the person she was here to discuss. In fact, he’d go it one better. Whoever had died couldn’t directly affect him, so whatever had brought her here after four long weeks was a lucky break for him.

      He took a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll bite. Who died?”

      She swallowed once, then walked toward him. Finally she sat down in one of the chairs facing his desk and set her briefcase on the floor beside her. “I don’t know how to tell you this.”

      “Just spit it out. Who died?”

      She swallowed twice, then looked him straight in the eye. “Your father. Not Tom Marchetti,” she added quickly.

      “Since I’m not adopted, I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about.”

      “There’s no easy way to say this. Tom Marchetti is not your biological father, Luke. The man who is—was—your father passed away.”

      Chapter Two

      “You’re joking,” Luke said.

      She flinched a little at the politely disbelieving expression on his face. “I wish I were.”

      “This isn’t funny, Maddie.”

      She didn’t have the heart to bust him for using the nickname. Although she would never admit it, she liked it when he called her that. “I know. Believe me, I’m as shocked as you are.”

      “Who said I was shocked? Except about the fact that you would lie.”

      She let out a long breath and shook her head, kicking herself for the umpteenth time because she’d let her libido loose and allowed it to run away with her. A random act of passion was like a pebble tossed into a pond, rippling outward and touching so much more than that one tiny spot. She just hadn’t realized that it was a really big pond or exactly how far those ripples could touch.

      “Do the words conflict of interest ring a bell? This is the reason it’s not a good idea for an attorney to sleep with her client,” she snapped.

      The words were out before she’d thought them through. How she wished she could call them back, because the last thing she wanted to bring up for discussion was that night, the most unforgettable hours of her life.

      “I don’t see what one has to do with the other,” СКАЧАТЬ