From Playboy to Papa!

Flames surrounded him, the sound of screams stabbed at him. He watched his father’s face stretch into a grimace of pain.

Rafe heard his father shout.

The agony of the sound sent a bolt of terror through him. He saw his brother Leo screaming in fear. “Daddy, Daddy!”

Rafe ran toward his father and Leo, struggling to save them. Just as he grew close, a wall shot up between them. The wall was acrylic. He could see through it, but he couldn’t get past it.

Beating against the wall, he watched his father and brother suffer as flames engulfed them.

“Let me,” he yelled. “Let me…” His knuckles bled as he hammered his fists against the wall. “Dad…Leo…”

His father’s face turned gray, the color of death. Leo’s scream filled his brain. Rafe ran, desperate to save them both.

A cramp knotted his calf, jolting him awake. He swore under his breath, sitting upright in his bed, gasping for air. Sweat drenched his body. His heart pounded. He needed to get his father. He needed to save Leo.

Several seconds passed before he realized he’d been locked in a dream. The same dream he’d experienced since he’d been told that his father and Leo had died in the train accident. He’d spent so many nights wanting to fix it. To rescue his father and Leo. It had been too late, but he still wanted to save them.

He still had to try.

Sucking in a deep breath of air, he rose from his bed and paced from one end of his bedroom to the other. The wetness on his skin began to dry. It had been a dream, although years ago, some of it had been all too real. He couldn’t have done anything about it when it had happened. That tragic reality swept through him for the hundredth time. He couldn’t do anything about it now, either, he thought, inhaling deeply.

Rafe thought of Joel and Nicole. He could do something about them, he thought. And he would. Nothing would stop him. He would never be helpless again.

Early the next morning he put together a plan.

His BlackBerry rang, interrupting his thoughts. He glanced at the caller ID.

“Maddie,” he said to his assistant. “What’s up?”

“I thought you should know that Mr. Argyros is in town and he’s been asking for you more than once. I get the impression he may be looking to acquire.”

“He’s always worked with Livingstone in the past. He may just be trying to work another deal.”

“True,” she said.

He felt a familiar gnaw of hunger-the possibility of winning. “How long is he in town?”

“I don’t know for sure, but I think he said something about three more days.”

Rafe raked his hand through his hair and stifled a sigh. He was accustomed to making quick, difficult decisions. This one was a little more difficult than usual, but it didn’t stop him. “Okay, I need you to find a house for me.”

“A house?” his assistant echoed. “Wow. Did you have anything particular in mind?”

“I have a son. Changes need to be made. I’m bringing my son back to Miami with me.”

A long, full silence followed. “A…son?” she whispered.

“Yeah. I’m bringing his-” He paused, narrowing his eyes. “Mother.”

“Oh,” she said.

“It’s complicated.”

“Sounds like it,” she said.

“I’ll give you more instructions tomorrow.”

“We have to leave for Miami the day after tomorrow,” Rafe said as he made an unexpected visit the following night.

Nicole gaped at him. “Excuse me?”

“It’s business. I can’t wait any longer and I won’t leave Joel behind.”

Nicole’s stomach clenched. “Why not? Joel has been fine here with me.”

“Joel’s my son. I won’t leave him behind. I’ll never leave him behind again.”

She saw his deadly determination and felt a chill shoot through her. “It’s not that easy. Joel doesn’t even know you. Do you have any idea how traumatic this will be for him to be jerked away from everything he knows?”

“Then come with him,” he said.

Nicole blinked. She’d spent the previous evening making arrangements with the private investigator and making contingency plans to leave the country with Joel. “I don’t know what to say,” she said.

He shrugged. “If Joel is really your priority, it should be an easy decision.”

“But I have a job.”

“Take a leave of absence.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“It is,” he said, his eyes dark with determination and daring. “What’s most important to you? Your security or Joel’s?”

She took a shallow breath. “Joel’s security is most important, of course. I just don’t understand why this has to be done immediately. Why can’t you take care of your business and then we can arrange for a getting-acquainted visit next month?”

He shook his head before she finished her suggestion. “Not next month. Now. My son is going to live under my roof. I’ll be arranging for full custody. You can either help or get out of the way. I can get a court order by tomorrow morning.”

“How am I supposed to make all these arrangements? Get everything packed?”

“Don’t worry about packing. I can pay for everything you and Joel could need or want.”

She shook her head. “You just don’t understand. Security doesn’t always come from money and things. It comes from people and familiarity.”

“I’ll be that person for Joel. My home will become that place for him, too.” He paused three heartbeats. “Are you coming or not?”

“You’ve given me no choice.”

“You’re valuable to my son. I’ll make sure you’re well-rewarded financially.”

Anger roared through her. “I don’t want your money,” she told him. “If I wanted money, I could turn to my father and play his game. Maybe you’re no better than he is,” she said, spitting out the words, giving him the ultimate insult.

Rafe shrugged. “You’ll find out soon enough,” he said. “My private jet will take us to Miami no later than Thursday morning. Let me know what you need, but be ready.”

“Why do you want him?” she demanded. “It’s not as if you’ll pay any attention to him. It’s not as if he’s suffering without you. Why must you have him with you when he’s clearly thriving without you?”

“He may be thriving now, but no one can know the future. Not even you. I won’t have my son go through what I did. I’ll protect him with every cent of my fortune.”

“A father is more than money and fortune,” she said. She knew that more than most. “What is it going to take for you to realize that?”

“I have time to learn what I need to know about being Joel’s father as long as he’s with me, and that’s going to start the day after tomorrow.”

Fuming, fussing, full of fear, Nicole wrangled a leave of absence from her boss and began to pack. She needed to take Joel’s favorite books and stuffed toys, and his favorite blanket, the photo collage of Tabitha and his baby-picture scrapbook.

Terrified at the prospect of losing him, she put herself on fast-forward. She had a job to do. She needed to focus on that, not her fear. In the back of her mind, she held on to her plan of taking Joel and fleeing from the country. If Rafe was a bad father.

As long as she worked with him, she was buying time before he took legal action. Right now, she still possessed Joel’s passport and the ability to leave the country.

Nicole worked through the day and described the trip to Miami as an adventure when she picked up Joel from nursery school. “You’ll get to spend some time at the ocean.”

“I can swim?” Joel asked, getting excited. “Will I use my water wings?”

She nodded as she gripped the steering wheel. “Or a life jacket. You’ll get to go on a big boat, too. Rafe owns a lot of big boats.”

“Like Grandfather?” Joel asked, referring to Nicole’s father.

Her chest tightened. “In a way,” she said, praying that Rafe wasn’t like her father. “It’s warmer there than it is here,” she said. “You won’t have to wear a coat.”

A long silence followed. “Will you go with me?” Joel asked in a worried voice.

“Of course, sweetie.”

“Will you stay with me?”

Her heart twisted. “I’ll always make sure you’re safe. You’re the most important thing in the world to me.”

Joel let out a big breath. “Will you swim with me?”

Nicole smiled. “Sure.”

“Can I take my favorite book?”

“It’s already packed,” she said. “You can check my list and tell me if we need to add something else. Okay?”

“Okay,” he said.

Nicole glanced at him and spotted a smile on his face. His expression tugged at her.

“I get to go to the beach,” he said.

Rafe issued a few last-minute instructions to his assistant. He glanced up and saw Nicole holding Joel’s hand as they walked toward him. He exhaled in relief, surprising himself with the emotion. Part of him had wondered if Nicole would find a way to bail at the last moment.

Despite the cool expression on her face, something about the woman assured him. He wasn’t sure if it was her protectiveness of his son, her willingness to challenge him, her mysterious beauty, or a combination of all three that got to him.

He shouldn’t trust Nicole one inch. How could he? She was Tabitha’s twin. Nicole had to share some similarities with the woman who’d betrayed him. With all the time they’d spent together in the womb and growing up together, it would have been a miracle if at least a few of Tabitha’s faults hadn’t rubbed off on Nicole. Those flaws would show up soon enough, he reminded himself. At the moment, she was useful to him.