Lucas knew that lojacking Steve's car brought him dangerously
close to the line ethics-wise. But when the device went
still for half an hour out at Lake Westmire, he knew
his suspicions were confirmed and his actions justified.
He left the mansion through the front foyer, crossing
the driveway turnaround to the garage that housed his
jet black Bugatti.
He cut the hour long drive down to forty minutes, passing
the blip that signaled Steve's Porsche coming the other
way along the Interstate south of Seattle. His GPS took
him down the winding, beachfront road of Lake Westmire,
unerringly to a gravel driveway behind compact, white
cottage that obviously fronted on the lake.
He yanked the park brake, killed the engine, and exited
the low-slung vehicle.
The staircase was short, and it brought him to a narrow,
wraparound deck that most likely led to a veranda out
front overlooking the lake. On the road side of the
house, there was a painted, blue door.". He knocked.
After a few moments, Devin peeped through the small
window, frowning before she opened the door to him.
"Lucas?" She glanced both ways, checking
for what, he didn't know, but obviously puzzled by his
presence.
"What did he want?" Lucas asked without preamble,
hoping a strong offense would put her off balance.
"Excuse me?"
"Steve," Lucas continued, taking advantage
of the small opening she'd left between her body and
the entry wall to barrel inside.
She took a reflexive step backward, the action opening
the door wider. "I have no idea what you're talking
about."
Lucas turned and braced himself against the painted,
yellow wall in the small entry, leaving eighteen inches
or so between them. He was disappointed that she'd lie
outright. Then again, what did he know about her?
"Steve was here," he stated.
She didn't answer.
"Is that the way you want to play this?"
he persisted. "Are you going to look me square
in the eyes and lie?"
Her expression faltered for second, but she blinked
her long lashes over her deep blue eyes, camouflaging
her feelings. "What are you doing here?"
"Tell me what he wanted. Did he plead his case?
Try to make a deal?" If Lucas understood Steve's
tactics, he'd be in a better position to counteract
them.
"You're not making sense."
He pinned her with a glare. "I saw his car."
"You were spying on me?"
"No." In point of fact, he'd been spying
on Steve. "I was not spying on you. But I know
he was here, and I want to know what he told you."
Opening a manufacturing plant in South America was
not a decision to be taken lightly. Steve would have
given her a rosy profit picture and glossed over the
all the risks. It made Lucas crazy that he had to justify
his international, corporate strategy to a woman whose
sole business experience was in autographing her trite,
self-help books for the lovelorn.
Devin gave her head a little shake, her short, wispy,
brunette hair moving ever so slightly with the motion.
"It's none of your business."
Lucas felt his blood pressure rise. "So, you admit
he was here."
"That's also none of your business."
"Damn-it, Devin," he shouted.
A baby's cry sounded from further inside the house.
Devin smacked the palm of her hand against the end
of the open door. "Now see what you've done?"
Lucas instantly realized Amelia was here.
Of course Amelia was here. She lived here.
Devin turned on her heel and swished into the living
room on bare feet, her faded jeans clinging to a shapely
rear end. Lucas ignored the view. Instead, he took the
opportunity to close the door and follow her further
inside the house. He wasn't leaving without answers.
Devin re-emerged into the living room, a red-faced,
blubbering and soggy looking Amelia tucked over one
shoulder. Her hand rubbed up and down the baby's back
as she snarled at Lucas. "Thanks tons."
"I didn't know she was sleeping."
"It's three in the afternoon. What did you think
she'd be doing?"
Lucas didn't have a clue, and it seemed pointless to
venture a guess. "If you'll just tell me what Steve
said."
Amelia's cries grew louder, and Devin began jiggling
her. "You have a lot of nerve Lucas Demarco. Barging
in here--"
"Steve has a lot of nerve sneaking around behind
my back."
She stilled. "He offered to help me."
Lucas snorted out a cold laugh. "Steve's never
helped anybody his entire life."
Amelia shrieked, nearly piercing Lucas's eardrums.
He cut her an annoyed glance. "Can't you do something
to--"
To his shock, Devin plopped the baby against his chest.
He automatically reached out to grasp the child beneath
her arms, leaving her dangling out of the way of his
clean suit. "What the..."
"You try," said Devin.
Amelia took one look at Lucas's face and opened her
mouth to bawl. Her eyes scrunched shut, tears squeezing
out the corner, and her face turned brighter red as
the decibels increased.
Devin headed for the kitchen.
"Where are you going?" Lucas cried, embarrassed
by the high-pitch to his voice.
"To get her a bottle."
"But--" The baby squirmed against his grip,
but he was afraid to hold her closer. Her nose was running,
and shiny drool was smeared across her chin.
He was wearing a Saville Row suit for pity sake.
Then she suddenly stopped howling. She stiffened. Her
face scrunched up, and a horrible rumble emanated from
her little body. The stench that filled the air nearly
made him gag. He breathed shallow, through his mouth,
glancing frantically around the room for a place to
put her down.
Thankfully, Devin emerged from the kitchen.
"That's a good girl," she cooed, shooting
Lucas a glare, retrieving the baby and cuddling her
close, barely flinching at the smell.
Lucas took a very large step backward, silently acknowledging
Devin's fortitude.
"Do you need a change, sweetheart?" she asked
the baby.
Lucas thought fumigation might be more in order. But
when Devin laid Amelia on her back on the floor and
reached for a bright blue diaper bag, all he could think
about was escaping.
He darted toward an open window.
"Would you like to change her?" Devin asked
sweetly.
Lucas's jaw dropped open. He could probably count on
one hand the number of times in his life he'd been rendered
speechless. But this was one of them.
"Since you're going for sole custody," Devin
continued. "You might as well get in a little practice."
"She'll have a nanny," he pointed out.
Devin tugged off Amelia's stretchy, pink pants, revealing
a white diaper. "You don't plan to change her diapers?"
Lucas turned away, gazing across the wooden deck and
the sloped lawn to the calm waters of the lake. Devin's
neighbor had a dock with a sleek speed boat tied up.
A few dozen houses were visible along the curve of the
shoreline, front yards neatly landscaped, while evergreens
covered the hillsides behind. It was actually quite
beautiful here.
"Lucas?" Devin prompted.
"I don't expect it to be necessary," he answered
her question. There was a very good reason why nannies
were invented.
"There's a girl," Devin cooed, and Lucas
dared to look back to where Amelia stood on chubby bare
feet, hand grasping Devin's hair for balance.
Devin tucked away the change pad and handed Amelia
a bottle of juice. The baby promptly plunked down on
her fresh diaper and popped the bottle in her mouth.
"Why do you want custody?" Devin asked, coming
to her feet, brushing her palms across her backside,
and finger-combing her hair where Amelia had mussed
it. Her tee-shirt was winkled, and several damp spots
dotted its front. It was no wonder she went for plain,
serviceable clothing. He could only imagine the havoc
Amelia would wrought on linen and silk.
Still, the plain clothing couldn't hide her gorgeous
figure. She was short, maybe five-five. And the absence
of heels made her seem even shorter. But her legs were
lithe and toned, her waist nipped in, and breasts rounded
and in perfect proportion to everything else.
He didn't know what she did for exercise, but it was
working.
"You don't seem particularly interested in Amelia,"
Devin continued.
"She's a Demarco."
"So?"
"So, I have a responsibility--"
"Can't you at least be honest?"
"I am being honest." He owed it to his brother
to keep Amelia safe. If Lucas had died with a daughter
in such a vulnerable position, he'd expect no less of
Konrad.
"You want her ten percent of Pacific Robotics,
Lucas, controlling interest. You don't give one whit
about Amelia as a person."
"You're dead wrong about that."
"I'll do whatever you ask for the company,"
she pledged. "I promise I won't interfere."
He wished he could believe her. "What did Steve
say?"
"I can't tell you that."
Lucas threw up his hands. "I know what he said."
He'd offered her a deal. If she won guardianship of
Amelia, Steve would make it worth her while to support
his plans for expansion into South America.
"Then why ask me?"
"I wanted to know if I could trust you."
She moved closer. "You're lying. You'll never
trust me. You wanted information to use against me."
She was close.
He'd wanted information to use against Steve. "I
can see this is getting us nowhere."
"I'm way ahead of you, Lucas. I've known for weeks
that we were going nowhere."
He gazed into her crystal blue eyes, unable to help
noticing her dark lashes, prettily arched brows, small,
straight nose, bow lips and her creamy smooth skin.
She was a beautiful woman. She was also feisty and passionate,
making her a frustrating opponent.
But he'd defeated frustrating opponents before. And
he'd win this battle too. She might know how to change
a diaper, but Amelia needed more than hugs and a fresh
bottom. She was a Demarco. She would one day control
a significant percentage of a corporation worth hundreds
of millions of dollars.
She needed education, advice and experience, and she
needed the security and savvy that went along with her
future position in life. Lake Westmire might be a fine
place to raise most children. But it wasn't enough for
Amelia.
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