Married in Name Only
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Jules Bennett
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One
“I didn’t know who else to turn to.”
That statement alone added to the already sickening feeling in the pit of Paisley Morgan’s stomach. As if life hadn’t knocked her down over and over, now she stood on the other side of Lucas Ford’s desk as he continued to glare at her like she had nerve walking in here.
Well, she did have nerve. After dumping him years ago and never speaking to him since. But that was all in the past. Wasn’t it?
He leaned back in his leather desk chair and remained silent, and she couldn’t help but second-guess just how much her bold move twelve years ago had affected him.
Had he not moved on? Found someone else to drive insanely wild with desire just from one piercing blue stare? Had he ever thought of her? Because there hadn’t been a day she hadn’t questioned her decision to let him go.
Paisley had bigger issues to worry about than their past and what Lucas may or may not be feeling seeing her show up unannounced. Like the fact that her biological father could be Sterling Perry—the man loathed by nearly the entire city of Houston for his scheming, stealing and money laundering. Not to mention he was arrested for conspiracy to commit fraud.
“What makes you think Sterling is your father, and why should I help you?”
Paisley gripped her clutch in one hand and the letter from her late mother in the other. “I have reason to believe he’s my dad and I need you to investigate to see what you can find out.”
Lucas stared at her another minute, giving her a visual lick as he came to his feet. He was still just as ruggedly sexy as she remembered, but those shoulders had gotten broader, the creases at the corners of his eyes deeper and the strong jaw firmer.
Lucas Ford could always make her breath catch as a young woman and it was no different now, even though years had passed since she’d seen him. Her body responded just the same. There were some memories that were too alive to be pushed into the past. Those vivid moments were always part of her everyday life, no matter how she’d tried to move on.
“What’s this reason you have?” he asked.
Paisley swallowed and glanced down to the letter in her hand. She didn’t bother unfolding the paper as she tossed it down onto his desk. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep her emotions in check. Now was not the time to fall apart. Remaining strong in front of Lucas was imperative, especially considering he hadn’t seen her in over a decade. Vulnerability and tears wouldn’t get her what she wanted; what she needed.
And Lucas was her stepping-stone to finding out the real truth since the obvious choice of her birth certificate had been left blank on the father line.
If there had been any other way than to contact Lucas...
He reached for the letter, opened it up and shoved one hand in his pocket as he read. She knew every word written in her mother’s flawless, delicate writing. It was the content that had Paisley so unsettled and questioning everything she’d ever known and what kind of future she’d ultimately have.
Lucas’s eyes darted back to her. “You believe this? Your mother wasn’t the most—”
“I’m well aware of my mother’s faults,” she defended. “That’s not why I’m here.”
Lucas muttered a curse beneath his breath. “I didn’t mean that. Despite what went down between us, I was sorry to hear about your mother.”
Paisley nodded her acceptance of his apology as another wave of emotions threatened to clog her throat. She’d mentally pushed through the difficult past few months. The flood that had torn through Houston had ultimately claimed her mother’s life and left devastation and destruction in its wake. It had also left an unidentified body on the construction site of one of Sterling Perry’s properties—the elite Texas Cattleman’s Club. Even after all the time had passed, there was still a mystery surrounding the identity of the deceased. There was no ID on the person and no distinguished markings. The entire ordeal was a mess.
An even bigger mess since the person they thought had died, Vincent Hamm, had actually texted his boss and stated he quit and was taking off for the Virgin Islands. So, clearly a man soaking up the rays wasn’t the unidentifiable body found on Sterling’s construction site.
Sterling already had issues going on with the whole scheme he had concocted, which had left a good portion of the region’s banking system in an uproar and many families had lost everything they had... Paisley’s mother included. When she’d passed, Paisley had had to use her own savings to pay for her mother’s burial since there had been no life insurance.
As if dealing with the financial hit of Sterling Perry’s debacle wasn’t enough, Paisley feared for the future of her bridal shop now that she had no cushion to fall back on. But Paisley truly believed she could salvage her future, her finances. If the all-powerful billionaire was indeed her father, maybe she had a chance.
“I need to know if Sterling is my dad,” she went on. “I know Mom wasn’t the most dependable or honest, but I also don’t know why she’d lie about something like this or why she’d write a letter and never actually give it to me. I found it tucked into a book she’d been reading.”
Lucas glanced back down to the paper in his hands. “Sterling doesn’t deserve to know the truth if you’re his daughter.”
“Maybe he doesn’t know anything,” she replied.
Paisley took in a deep breath and went for the whole truth. “Listen, I know I’m the last person you wanted to see come into your office.”
“Actually, Sterling would be the last person, but since he’s incarcerated, that’s a nonissue.”
“As I was saying,” she continued, hating how vulnerable she felt standing before the only man she’d ever loved. “I’m not your favorite person. I get that. If you need to lash out and deal with the past first, fine, but you’re the best in this business and I need your help.”
A corner of his mouth kicked up. “Been keeping up with me, Tart?”
A shiver slid all through her at the nickname that stemmed from her favorite candy. He’d been the only one to call her that, but she’d never forgotten. Clearly, neither had he. That instant reminder from the past of the bond they shared gave her a sliver of hope that maybe he wouldn’t just throw her out of here without hearing her out or at least giving her the chance to defend herself.
He remained silent as he just stood there with a look she couldn’t quite describe. Part of her recognized the desire, but there was a layer of something else and she couldn’t tell if it was disdain or frustration.
The way Lucas used to look at her would have her clothes falling off in record time. They’d never argued, they’d had their future all mapped out...until one day she’d realized she had to let him go.
“Are you going to help me or not?” she demanded because getting caught up in nostalgia was not going to help her sanity or her business.
“My assistant can take down all the information and the deposit for my services.” Lucas tossed the letter back onto his desk. “I’ll be in touch.”
Anger bubbled within her. He was not going to dismiss her that easily. True, they’d ended on abrupt terms, but that didn’t just erase all they’d shared to that point. She wouldn’t let him just brush her aside when this was all she had left.
“First of all, I’m not dealing with your assistant, I’m dealing with you.” He was about to see just how serious she was about getting his help. “Second, I don’t exactly have all of the funds right now. But I promise you will get every dollar you are owed. I’m not leaving until you agree to take this case.”
Lucas took in a deep breath and circled his desk. With slow, methodical moves, he came to stand directly in front of her, bringing with him a waft of aftershave that smelled expensive and downright sexy.
Expensive and sexy? That summed up Lucas Ford in two simple words. He’d always been in a totally different league, but she’d been naive enough to believe the difference wouldn’t matter.
She’d been so utterly wrong and they’d both been crushed in the end.
“You need me.” His bold statement was as honest and real as anything they’d ever said. “You’re stuck without my help. Is that what you’re saying?”
Paisley gritted her teeth and nodded. He had her in a difficult position and he damn well knew it, but she’d meant it when she said she wasn’t leaving without his help. She had nothing left to lose, but she had everything to gain.
A smile spread across his tanned face and made those bright blue eyes shine with amusement and something akin to deviousness. “There might be a fee you can afford.”
Lucas didn’t know what game he was playing, but once he’d started talking, he couldn’t stop himself. Paisley waltzed in here looking too damn sweet and innocent than should be allowed—and he knew she was neither. She couldn’t be, not with the way she’d pulled a Dear John breakup with him twelve years ago. That had obliterated any “sweetness,” and he’d stolen her innocence one stormy night in the garden shed on his father’s estate.
They’d been each other’s firsts so of course she’d stuck with him. He refused to admit it was because he was foolish enough to actually think they’d marry and live happily ever after.
Now she came to him with another type of letter, this one dropping a veiled hint that the devil himself was her biological father.
Oh, she didn’t come out and name Sterling, but the clues she dropped with words like “billionaire” and “well-known Houston businessman” and the real red flag of “a man nobody wants to mess with.”
Sterling Perry had ruined so many lives over the years and the trickling effect would last for some time to come. In fact, Sterling was the whole reason Lucas had entered into private investigator work to begin with. Once Sterling had ruined Lucas’s father, wiping out the businessman’s reputation when he spread lies about stolen money and Sterling claimed to have proof to back up his claims. All of it turned out to be bogus, but the damage had been done. It had ruined Lucas’s father.
Lucas had vowed to work to seek justice for those who couldn’t obtain it themselves.
Most recently, Sterling’s crooked investments had bankers scrambling to secure their reputations and businesses. So many small businesses were affected, like Paisley’s wedding shop.
But now he’d been arrested for conspiracy to commit fraud and Lucas hoped like hell the man never saw the light of day again...though something more damning would have to be found for Sterling to be put away for the amount of time he deserved.
Lucas never liked Sterling, never even wanted to mention the man’s name, and now Paisley was asking him to research the guy? Was there a ring of truth to this cryptic letter?
As much as Paisley had hurt him, Lucas still couldn’t imagine a monster like Sterling having a child like Paisley. The last thing he wanted to do was get wrapped up in either of their lives...and if those two lives were entangled? Damn it. He turned cases down on the daily simply because he didn’t want them for one reason or another. He could quit working now and never have to worry about making a living again. Money had never been the issue and that wasn’t the reason he hesitated now.
Something pulled at him. No, not something. Paisley. Even after all these years, she had some damn hold over his conscience. He knew she worked hard for her business and she struggled now, both emotionally and financially.
Plus, he knew that emptiness at the loss of a parent. How could he just ignore her when she needed someone and clearly, he was it?
But he wasn’t a fool, and he was going into this with more experience than he’d done before and his generosity would most certainly come at a price.
“Listen,” she started before he could get to his offer. “I know I hurt you years ago—”
“You left a damn note.” A note he’d held on to for too long until he’d finally tossed it into his fireplace and watched it burn while he’d downed copious amounts of his favorite bourbon. “After all we’d shared, I deserved better. Or maybe the serious relationship was only one-sided.”
“You know that’s not the case,” she defended with a layer of hurt in her tone. “I had to let you go, Lucas. Your father...”
Intrigued, and maybe a little pissed at the fact she was even here, Lucas crossed his arms over his chest. “My father, what?”
Paisley licked her lips and tucked her hair behind her ears. A slight nervous habit she’d clearly never outgrown. An instant later, she squared her shoulders and tipped her chin.
“Your father told me I was holding you back,” she stated. “You were all set to head off to Harvard with a full scholarship and, well, he was right. I would’ve held you back. You would have put all your goals on hold to stay with me.”
Gritting his teeth, Lucas thought back to the night he’d found her letter on the seat of his truck. Upon reading it the first time he’d thought it was a joke, but then he’d read it a second and third time, knowing full well his Paisley had gotten scared and hadn’t trusted what they had...she hadn’t trusted him.
Ultimately, that had been what hurt the most. She hadn’t had enough faith in him and the fact he would’ve conquered anything to be with her. Forever.
But he hadn’t known the bit about his father until just now. That was a new pain. The betrayal from his own father who witnessed how distraught Lucas had been and kept urging him to move on with his life and put adolescent relationships in the past.
Pushing aside the raw memories, Lucas dropped his arms and shrugged. “That’s a nice story. Maybe it’s true, maybe it’s not. Doesn’t matter at this point.”
Paisley opened her mouth as pain flashed in her hazel eyes. Then she merely nodded as if she couldn’t even come up with a plausible defense, which just proved his point that she didn’t have one. Seeing her again did bring back a rush of memories, but even more maddening was the fact that her standing before him had his body stirring.
Damn it. He could block out the hurt, he could even block out how foolish he’d been to think they were a forever thing, but he couldn’t block out the way she’d felt lying against him or how her warm breath washed over his torso as she eased down his body.
Lucas muttered a curse and circled back around to take a seat at his desk. If he didn’t get these lustful thoughts under control, this impromptu meeting would turn embarrassing real fast. He prided himself on being the best, taking on elite clients, and one proverbial blast from his past threatened to turn him back into a horny teen.
“Coming here was a mistake,” she murmured as she took a step forward and reached for the letter on his desk.
Lucas snaked his hand out to cover hers, waiting until her gaze met his. The instant she looked at him, Lucas knew he had her. She was in a bind and he could help...with a price. He didn’t want to be a dick about this, but he also had his own wants and needs. No reason they couldn’t help each other, right?
Besides, he’d given up on fairy-tale thinking long ago. He knew love was just a four-letter word people tossed around to benefit their own needs.
“The only mistake would be you walking out again, Tart.”
Her lips thinned. “If we’re done with the past, then stop calling me that.”
She was still so damn sexy when her cheeks tinged pink when she got angry. Every part of him wanted to give her hand a yank until she stumbled down onto his desk where he could give her a proper reunion.
But business came first. She’d taught him that valuable lesson.
“I’ll help you,” he told her, keeping his hand on hers. He slowly rose to his feet and leaned across the desk. “I’ll discreetly dig into this story about Sterling being your father and I’ll save your bridal shop because I know you’re on the brink of financial ruin.”
Paisley’s lids lowered, out of shame or frustration he didn’t know. “And you want something in return. What is it?” she asked, focusing back on him.
Lucas released her now and tucked that wayward strand of honey-blond hair behind her ear. “Marry me.”
