The Playboy's Proposition(22)

He rolled over and pulled her against him. "Such as?"

She wanted to say love, but she wouldn't. "Compassion, affection, understanding."

He shrugged, but slid his fingers through her hair. "Like I said before, there's a difference between need and want."

"So, maybe you want those things," she said, feeling herself sink under  the spell of his dark eyes. "There are other things you want, but you'd  never admit it."

"Never is a long time," he told her and pulled her on top of him.                       
       
           



       

Her quarrel with him grew less important with his hard body beneath hers. "Well, it's difficult for me to imagine … "

Sliding his hand behind the nape of her neck, he pulled her mouth  against his. "No need to imagine," he said. "I'm here now and so are  you."

He seduced her with his sure, magic hands and seductive velvet voice,  making her forget her reservations, making her forget that she wanted  more than his passion and his body. He took her up and over the top,  again and again, and somewhere in that dark night, something changed in  her heart … .





The next morning, Gary prepared a splendid breakfast and the Medicis  enjoyed a rare sunny morning in a private neighborhood park. The three  Medici men played ball with Joel, carrying the little boy like a  football and making him laugh until he was weak.Michael lifted his  nephew onto his shoulders and carried him around so he could be taller  than anyone else.

"That's good father material," Nicole hinted broadly.

The comment made her stomach feel as if she were going up on the down  elevator. "I'm sure he'll be a great father when he's ready," Bella  said, then tried to change the subject. "When did you say your due date  is?"

Soon enough, Rafe checked his watch and announced that it was time to  leave. "This has been fun, but some of us have to work tomorrow," he  announced.

"And I need a round of pool with Rafe," Damien said. "He's been impossible since I let him beat me."

"Let me?" Rafe said. "You wish."

"We'll see," Damien said.

"Sounds like a challenge to me," Michael said with a secret smile.

"If you came down to South Beach, you could put yourself in the running."

"I'm busy with more important things than billiards at the moment."

"Afraid of getting beat?" Rafe asked.

"You can't goad me," Michael said. "I really do have better things to do."

"Damn." Rafe turned serious. "Are you talking about Leo? You shouldn't let this eat at you so much."

Bella's heart stopped and she stared at Michael.

Michael's gaze turned hard. "I can handle it."

Rafe lifted his brow and shook his head. "Okay." He glanced at Bella.  "It was nice meeting you, Bella. Good luck dealing with my brother. He  can be ornery as hell, but underneath, way underneath, he's a good guy."





The next day, Michael arrived home at dinnertime. Bella was working  late, so he went through the mail. When he saw a package from Italy, his  gut clenched. Curious if this was from his mysterious Aunt Emilia, he  quickly opened it. Photographs spilled out.He held them up and was taken  back in time to his childhood. He saw the four wide-eyed faces of him  and his brothers dressed in their Sunday best. His gaze wandered to  Leo's face and he felt the sting of loss. He wondered how long a person  could mourn. Forever, it seemed.

He looked at another photo of a baby held in his father's arms like a  football while a toddler craned to see the infant. He turned the photo  over and saw a notation scrawled on it. Baby Michael with brother  Leonardo.

Less than a year younger than Leo, he'd tormented his brother by  following him everywhere. He'd been so excited to join his father to  ride the train to the baseball game. It would have been his first. He'd  even rubbed it in a little to Leo because Leo wanted to go so badly. But  Leo had already attended a game with Dad, so it was Michael's turn to  go. Until he'd raided the cookie jar before dinner and his parents had  decided his discipline would be not going to the game.

To this day, he couldn't eat a cookie without feeling sick to his  stomach. His father had died in the train crash and his brother had been  missing forever.

His stomach twisting with a guilt that wouldn't pass, he found a short  note behind the photos. Dear Michael, I wanted you to have these  photographs your father sent me so many years ago. I am so glad that you  and your brothers have found each other and are keeping your family  bond alive. Do not ever give up on each other. Love Emilia.

Michael stared at the note and photos, fighting a warring combination of  sweet memories and nauseating loss. A day didn't pass when he failed to  think of Leo, but seeing this underscored his need for resolution.

Unwilling to discuss this with his brothers, Michael called his  investigator. "Have you made any progress?" he asked, not bothering to  keep the impatience from his voice.

"These things take time," the investigator said.

"You've been saying that for months," Michael said.                       
       
           



       

"Look, I believe your brother may have survived the crash. I believe he was taken in by a woman who couldn't have children."

"Names, what are their names?"

"She went by a different name than her husband, and apparently her husband went by several different names."

Michael frowned. "Several names. He must've been a criminal."

"Some records indicate he'd been charged with petty theft. When I  checked three of the names, I got a bunch of complaints about grifting.  Some that involved a boy."

Michael closed his eyes. "What was the boy's name?"

"Depends," Carson said. "John, George, but no Leo. The complaints that  included a mention of the boy stopped when your brother would have been  about fifteen."

"Do you think he died?" he asked. "Or was killed?"

"Either of those could have happened, but there's another possibility. He could have disappeared and changed his identity."

"I want a written report of everything you've found. Is the woman who kept him still alive?"

"No, and I'm not too sure about the man, either. I'm still working that end of the lead, but I have to pursue others, too."

"Okay," Michael said with a sigh. "Keep me posted."





The rainy day matched Bella's mood. Since it was slow that morning at  the spa, she urged Charlotte to get out and take a break while Bella  manned the reception desk. It took some arm-twisting, but Charlotte  finally agreed.With no customers in sight, Bella sipped a latte as she  tried to distract herself by reading the paper. She was still angry with  herself for expecting Michael to share more of himself with her. When  he'd decided to introduce her to his family, she'd let her guard down.  She should remember that he viewed her as temporary and she should  always, always do the same.

Under the downtown community section, a short article caught her eye.  The article reported how a fire had destroyed a community center, the  same one where she and Michael had worked that Saturday. An anonymous  donor had stepped up to pay for a new center to be built.

Her heart skipped over itself and suspicion raced through her. A warm,  lovely kind of suspicion. Anonymous donor. She'd just bet she knew who  that was.

Bella sighed. How was she supposed to tell herself that she shouldn't  care about Michael when he did these kinds of things? Just when she  thought he was too hard and remote, he did something to turn her opinion  of him upside down.





Michael heard the side door open. "Hello?" Bella called. "Anybody home?  Anybody want a hot dog with mustard and chili and greasy French fries  just because it's Monday and it's raining?"She walked into the den still  wearing a yellow slicker and carting a paper bag and what he would  guess were two milk shakes.

He chuckled. "Sounds good. Gary may not like it, though. He thinks you're going to put him out of a job."

She shook her head. "Ridiculous. I can make a few things, but he's the professional. Where do you want to eat?"

"In here," he said. "What kind of milk shake did you get me?"

She tossed him a sideways glance. "How do you know I got one for you? I may have gotten both of them for me."

He grinned. "I guess I'll just have to see if I can negotiate one from you."

"It's possible," she said, pulling off her jacket. "I hope you like chocolate."

"I do," he said. She made the room brighter, somehow.

"Okay, then, if you answer this question honestly, I will give you a  chocolate shake," she said and unpacked the bags, giving him two hot  dogs while she took one.