The Innocent Behind the Scandal (The Marchetti Dynasty 2)

He turned to his drink. His libido only seemed to come to life at night now. When he woke sweaty and aching all over after explicitly sexual dreams featuring a treacherous liar and a thief—

‘Maks, you dark horse! Are congratulations in order?’

Maks looked up and to his side, to see the smirking face of photographer Pierre Gardin. Another reminder of Zoe that he didn’t need. ‘What are you talking about, Pierre?’

‘Your girlfriend was working with me this week, and the rumour on set was that she’s pregnant. She kept disappearing to the bathroom, but she’s still the best assistant I’ve had in a long time. I hate to admit it, but I think she’s got real potential to—’

Maks swivelled around on his stool. He could see Pierre’s mouth moving but the sound was muffled. He wanted to shake the man.

He cut through whatever he was saying now. ‘What did you say?’

Pierre stopped talking and cocked his head, eyes narrowing on Maks. ‘Actually, Zoe never mentioned you. Maybe you’re not together any more? Maybe the baby isn’t yours? I can’t keep up with these young people and their love affairs...’

Baby. Pregnant.

Maks was having a hard time getting his brain to absorb those words. It was so nonsensical.

And then Maks had a mental image of Zoe in bed with another man and his brain went white-hot.

‘Where is she?’

Pierre frowned. ‘I have no idea. She went home—back to London, presumably.’

Maks’s brain was melting.

Pregnant.

Yet she hadn’t called him.

Do you blame her? asked a caustic voice. The words he’d last thrown at her reverberated in his head: Get out. I never want to see you again.

Was he even the father?

‘Maks, are you okay?’

No. He wasn’t. For weeks now he’d been avoiding thinking about Zoe’s stricken face when she’d come to his townhouse that night, and her entreaty, ‘You know I’d never do something like this.’ Avoiding the niggling question as to why she would have come to his house if she’d really leaked the photos and been paid for them. Surely that wasn’t the action of a guilty person? Surely she would have just disappeared with the money?

His conscience pricked. His team had offered to look deeper into the leak of the photos. To confirm beyond doubt that it had been Zoe. But Maks had stopped them, telling himself that he knew.

But now he wasn’t so sure at all.

* * *

Within twenty-four hours Maks was standing outside Zoe’s door. Not used to waiting for much, if anything, he had to curb his impatience as she seemed to take an age to open it.

When she did, and he saw the shock on her face and the way her eyes widened, he couldn’t stop the rush of blood and instant jolt of lust.

He still wanted her.

As if he hadn’t already known that.

‘Why didn’t you answer my texts or calls?’ His helpless reaction made his voice harsher than he’d intended.

She pulled an over-large shapeless cardigan tighter around her. Maks looked down. He couldn’t see any visible signs of pregnancy, but she did look pale.

‘Maks. What are you doing here?’

He moved into the apartment and shut the door behind him.