“She told you that night?”
Nodding, she replied, “Yes. She was pretty upset that she hurt Nash. She told me she still loved him, but that Nash …”
Her voice trailed off and she started chewing on her lip.
“But Nash what?”
“Um, I’m not really sure you want to hear this. You being her brother and all.”
Leaning forward I gave her a hard look. “Tell me, Charleston.”
Moving in her seat like she was uncomfortable, she swallowed hard and answered me.
“She said Mark fulfilled her in ways Nash couldn’t.”
Anger raced through my body. “So, it is about the money. My own sister is hung up on fucking money?”
“What?” she asked.
I stood and started to pace. “Nash told me today that if Lily had asked him to forgive her, even with the baby, he would have. He said she didn’t, and he thought it was because he didn’t have the type of money Mark did. I told him he was crazy, that Lily wasn’t like that. I can’t believe this.” Looking at Charlie I asked, “Is that why she never told anyone about them dating? Because she was embarrassed Nash wasn’t rich?”
NOTE TO SELF: Make plans to kill Lily for putting me in this spot.
How could she have not told Tucker all of this?
Standing, I held up my hands to get Tucker to calm down.
“Hold on, that’s not it. Take a deep breath and sit back down.”
“What? My sister is consumed by money!”
I rolled my eyes and walked around the desk, grabbing him by the upper arms. “No, she is not. She’s consumed by sex. Mark is into kinky sex and tying women up, and Lily likes that. I guess Nash is more of a vanilla kind of lover.”
Tucker’s face scrunched up. “Gross. I didn’t need that mental image, Charlie.”
With a grin, I winked. “Sorry, but you left me with no choice.”
He shook his head and asked, “So you’re saying my sister is only with Mark because he likes to get his freak on and so does she?”
“No, I’m saying he’s different, and I truly think Lily has feelings for him. Do I think she loves him? No. In a way, Lily did this to herself. She never allowed herself and Nash to have a chance. She kept their relationship hidden, and I think that put a strain on her. Sneaking around instead of showing affection. Truly being together and not just sneaking off and being dishonest. She doomed their chances before they even really had one.”
“Damn, why in the hell did she hide her relationship with Nash?”
“I can think of two reasons. You being the main one, and probably what happened between us back in college.”
He scrubbed his hands over his face. “So you’re saying she was afraid if they broke up, it would be weird for the rest of us in the group?”
“Maybe. It’s a good possibility. Either way, she’s with Mark and they’re getting married. I can’t believe she didn’t tell you any of this. Does your mom know?”
“I have no clue,” he replied with an indifferent expression. “I’m sure she does. She said something about Lily needing to tell me why she was with Mark because it was her story.”
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I reached up and kissed him lightly on the lips. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I honestly thought you knew and just never mentioned it.”
Tucker’s arms moved around my waist, pulling me flush against his body.
“Well, that’s their drama, and I want no part of it. I love you,” he whispered, his nose rubbing over mine.
“I love you too.”
“Let’s get out of here. I need to have your naked body under mine.”
Warmth pooled in my belly, instantly causing an ache between my thighs.
“Are you really not wearing any panties, Ms. Monroe?”
My teeth sank into my lip, and I slowly shook my head. “Nope.”
A low growl came from the back of Tucker’s throat and made the pulsing in my body stronger. I needed him as much as he needed me, but there was no way I was letting him fuck me in my office. Not with cameras rolling. It was bad enough we’d already talked dirty to each other.
“Let me send these two emails and then I’m all yours.”
“Always,” he replied back in a soft voice.
Reaching up, I ran my fingers through his dark brown hair. Our eyes locked as I replied, “Forever.”
I COULDN’T WIPE the smile off my face even if I tried. I sat in my office chair, staring out the window feeling happier than ever before. This past weekend had gone by entirely too fast. Tucker and I drove out to the ranch, met with a contractor, and narrowed down where we were going to build a house. Then we headed to Fredericksburg, where we spent Saturday night at a bed and breakfast. It was the perfect place to be since the engagement announcement hit Saturday. We missed all the craziness of the press that waited for us. At least, we missed it all until we got back home late last night. There were so many reporters and photographers camped outside my condo it was unreal. And for what? It wasn’t even like we were anybody important.
Sighing, I let my mind go back to the amazing evening and day we spent. We only left twice to get food. The rest of the time we were naked and in bed, making love between some of our own kinky fooling around. I needed to send Lily a thank you card. All her talk of the kinky shit she did with Mark gave me a few ideas of my own this weekend. I was a new fan of being tied up, and Tucker loved the whole ice-and-hot-water bit I did while giving him head. He would have died if he knew the idea came from his baby sister.
My cheeks heated as I thought about Tucker’s long, thick cock in my mouth. His tongue pressed against my clit, my hands gripping the sheets as he made me come over and over.
Picking up my phone, I called him.
“Hello, beautiful.”
“Hey, handsome.”
“How’s your day been?”
I sighed. “Long already. I can’t get this weekend out of my mind and it’s … well … it’s making me needy.”
The sounds of a chair moving across a floor came over the phone. Then a door shutting, then another door.
“Okay, I’m in my office now. Are you calling me for some phone sex?”
Laughing, I twirled a piece of my hair in my finger as I looked out over the city.
“No, remember what I told you, the cameras?”
“Right. The last fucking thing I want is for Blake to find out and watch you make yourself come.”
I shuttered at the thought. “I seriously doubt his brother would risk his company, but now that you planted that in my head, maybe it’s time to disable this little security system my father put in place.”
“Yes. Then I can have sex with you anytime I come visit.”
“Consider it done this week.”
My office phone buzzed.
“Hold on. Yes, Marge?”
“Ms. Monroe, there is someone here to see you.”
Frowning, I looked at my calendar and then at the phone. Why in the world was she calling me Ms. Monroe? Unless the person here to see me was standing in front of her, which wouldn’t be the case unless it was an employee.
“Do they have an appointment?” I asked.
“I really want to hear you moan out my name. Go to your bathroom. There’s no cameras there, right?”
I giggled and hushed Tucker.
“No, they do not.”
“Well, Marge I’m busy right now, have them make an appointment and I’ll …”
The phone beeped, indicating Marge took it off speaker. Balancing my cell phone in one hand, I picked up the desk phone. Before I could even speak, Marge was talking.
“Charlie,” she said in a hushed voice. “I really think you need to see this young woman.”
Young woman?
“Why?”
“Why, what?” Tucker asked.
“No, I’m talking to Marge. Hold on, Tucker.”
Marge was silent for a moment before she started talking in an even quieter voi
ce.
“Because she introduced herself as the mother of Tucker Middleton’s daughter and demanded to see you. Security called me, and I told them to have her come up before she made a scene.”
My entire body tensed. Had I just heard her right?
“Did you say—?” I asked, my voice trailing off.
“Yes. She is here with a little girl, and she is saying Tucker is the father.”
The entire room felt like the air had been sucked out of it. I fought to breathe. Fought to keep down the bile that was now in the base of my throat.
“Give me … give me three minutes before you send her in.”
“Just three?” Marge asked.
“Yes. Three.”
Hanging up the phone, I pulled my cell phone out and stared at the picture of Tucker that popped up on the screen.
“Charlie? What’s wrong, Pumpkin?”
I swallowed hard, glancing at my watch. “There’s … um … there’s a woman here claiming to be the mother of your … child.”
Tucker laughed but soon realized I was serious.
“What in the fuck? I don’t have any kids, Charlie, you know that.”
A minute was nearly gone. Standing, I made my way into the private bathroom, checked my face, and then told Tucker I needed to go.
“Charlie! Don’t you dare fucking hang up!”
Making my way back over to my desk, I pulled in a deep breath. “I’ll call you back.”
“What? Charlie! Charlie!”
I hit end and set my cell phone face down on my desk.
Breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth, I attempted to calm my racing heart.
Oh God. Tucker has a little girl? He has a child? Did he know?
The room felt as if it spun.
No. If he knew he had a child, he would be a part of her life. This is insane.
My phone buzzed on my desk. Flipping it over, I saw Tucker’s name.
Another deep breath and I set the phone down and hit Marge’s call button. Inside I was freaking the fuck out, but on the outside, I was cool as a cucumber.
“Send them in, Marge.”
A few moments later, the door to my office opened and a beautiful dark-haired woman my age walked in. Glancing behind her, I saw a little girl sitting in one of the chairs. Her eyes met mine for a brief moment before she looked back down at her doll.
I swallowed hard. She looked like she was five or six years old.
As I stood up, I forced myself to breathe and lifted my chin, extending my hand to the woman.
With a heavy heart, I plastered on a smile and forced my voice to remain calm and even, which was a monumental feat.
“Charleston Monroe, you are?”
“Lindsey Cooke.”
My mind went through all the people we knew in college. Did Tucker meet her in college?
Glancing over to Marge, I smiled bigger. “Thank you, Marge. If I need anything, I’ll let you know.”
Marge looked at me and then at the woman in front of me.
“Ms. Cooke, is your daughter okay without you?”
The woman glanced over her shoulder and waved to her little girl. It gave me the opportunity to look at her better. She looked nothing like Tucker.
Nothing.
“She’s fine. Thank you.”
Marge looked at me as if she was waiting for me to agree with the woman. How in the hell was I supposed to know?
With a small shrug, I proceeded to ask Lindsey Cooke to sit down.
“Please, have a seat, won’t you?”
She took a seat, and Marge reluctantly headed out of my office. Giving one more concerned look, I grinned and nodded for her to close the door.
“So, how can I be of assistance to you, Ms. Cooke?”
The smile on her face was pure contempt, and one I’d seen a million times in a boardroom.
“I want money.”
Leaning back in my chair, I grinned.
“Direct and to the point. I like it. Now, tell me why in the hell I would give you money?”
She laughed, and it made my skin crawl.
“Because I’ve got a little bombshell out there, and I’m pretty sure you don’t want it getting out that your fiancé knocked up an old girlfriend and left her to raise their child all alone. Especially when he’s worth as much money as he is.”
Damn those fucking papers. Why do they have to put what people are worth?
“You do realize that Mr. Middleton is set to inherit that money later on down the road?”
She settled back in her chair, crossing her perfectly fit legs. “He gets a trust fund each month. From what I’ve been able to figure out, it’s a pretty big one. And you, why, you’re the richest woman in Texas.”
I laughed. Again. “Hardly, but thank you for thinking so highly of me.”
“Listen, you have a bunch of zeros and that’s all that matters. I want six-hundred-thousand dollars to keep my little secret.”
Agitation bubbled up in my chest, and I had to take a deep breath before I lost it on this piece of scum. Leaning forward, I placed my arms on my desk and looked her in the eye.
“You honestly believed you could walk into my office, lay a claim that hasn’t even been proven, and demand I give you money?”
She nodded. “If you don’t, I’ll go to the press and talk.”
I held up my finger and said, “Wait just one second. You do realize they will ask you if you have proof. What are you going to show them?”
Her smile faltered for a moment. “Do you really want it to get to that stage, Ms. Monroe?”
“Yes.”
My reply caught her off guard. There was something about this woman. Her demeanor said one thing, but her eyes said something different. They were almost desperate.
“Excuse me?”
“Yes, I think the first thing we need to do is a paternity test. If it shows that Tucker is indeed the father, then he’ll take responsibility. I mean, isn’t that why you’re here? For Tucker to take responsibility? Be a father to this young girl?”
“Um, no.”
Lifting my brow, I asked, “No?”
“I don’t want Tucker involved in her life. I’ve done fine this long without him.”
Leaning back in my chair, I smiled. “So, what you’re really after is money, Ms. Cooke? You want me to pay you to make you go away and not cause problems with the press.”
She nodded. Her once strong confidence slipped.
“No.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “No?”
I shrugged. “No. I’m not going to let you walk into my office with some trumped-up claim that my future husband is the father of your child and pay you to go away. I don’t work that way. I’m beginning to wonder if you even know who Tucker is.”
When she smiled, it actually made me shiver. I was hoping like hell she didn’t notice it. She obviously knew Tucker; I just wasn’t sure how well she knew him.
The door to my office flew open, and Tucker came rushing in. Marge was hot on his heels.
“He moves quickly. I couldn’t stop him.”
“It’s okay, Marge.” I motioned with my hand that everything was fine. Tucker stormed over to us while Marge shut the door quietly.
“What in the fuck is going on here? Who is—”
When Tucker stopped at the sight of Lindsey Cooke sitting in front of me, he paused. And so did my heart. His mouth opened, then closed. Then it opened again.
My entire body went stiff, and I had to fight the urge not to get up and run to my bathroom.
He knows her.
For the first time since this woman walked into my office, my confidence slipped.
And my fear that this really could be Tucker’s baby skyrocketed.
I STOPPED IN my tracks when I saw Lindsey sitting in the leather chairs opposite of Charlie.
Holy fucking shit. Talk about a blast from the past.
“Lindsey?” I asked, startled by her appearance.
“Hello, Tucker. It’s been a while. How have you been?”
My head jerked over to see Charlie. She was attempting to remain calm but clearly freaking out inside.
“I’m fine. You want to tell me what in the hell kind of game you’re playing?”
“I’m not playing a game. I was just about to agree to do a paternity test since Ms. Monroe seemed to think we didn’t know each other.”
Charlie cleared her throat.
“Exactly how do you know Ms. Cooke, Tucker?”
I could hear the hurt and anger in her voice, but I knew all Lindsey heard was strength.
“We met about six years ago after we graduated UT.”
Glancing back to Charlie, she shot me daggers.
Charlie stood. “Do you have reason to believe that Ms. Cooke’s claim that the little girl sitting outside could be your daughter?”
“What? No! I mean, we slept together once, and I wore a condom.”
Lindsey grinned. “There’s only a ninety-eight percent success rate of preventing pregnancies with a condom.”
Anger pulsed through my veins.
“Get real, Lindsey. You and I both know I was so fucking drunk that night I was hardly able to get it up. If my memory is right, I don’t think I even finished before I passed out.”
Charlie cleared her throat again and folded her arms across her chest.
“I’m not really interested in hearing how the two of you were together, Tucker,” Charlie bit out.
“I know I came. At least twice, Tucker.”
My eyes landed back on Lindsey. “What do you want?”
“Six hundred thousand and I go away with our little girl and you never hear from me again.”
“No,” Charlie and I both said at once.
Lindsey sighed.
Picking up her phone, Charlie hit a button. “Marge, I need you to come in here.”
Lindsey looked nervous as she glanced between Charlie and me.
The door opened and Marge walked in. It was then I saw the little girl sitting in the chair. She looked nothing like me, but that didn’t mean anything. For a brief moment, a sense of dread moved over me, making my chest feel as though someone sat on it.
There was no fucking way that kid was mine. I never even got off that night. I know I didn’t.
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