Leanne Banks - Billionaires Galore! - Bedded by the Billionaire

He swallowed a drink of wine and ruthlessly cut off his little mental fantasy. With the impending birth of his brother’s child, there was far more at stake than Max’s libido. Even though he was encouraged by how seriously Lilli was taking her maternal duties, he knew that attitude could change for a variety of reasons.

His own brother’s guardian had started out well, but when Tony had hit his teens, the guardian had seemed to give up. She’d allowed Tony way too much freedom and Max was convinced the lack of parental influence had sent Tony down the road into trouble and eventually to his death.

Max refused to allow that to happen to another De Luca. If Lilli continued to refuse to sign an agreement with him, there were other ways. More drastic, more costly, but perhaps ultimately necessary.

Two days later, Lilli left work a little early because Max had invited her to join him for dinner at The Trillion Resort’s rooftop restaurant. His assistant had made the arrangements with her, and she had no idea why he’d invited her. Since the auction, Max had worked such late hours she hadn’t seen him at all.

She fussed over what to wear and finally chose a pair of maternity slacks and a silk top with varying colors of sea-blue that featured an Empire waist and fell nearly to her knees.

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.