Your Inescapable Love (The Bennett Family 4)

“They’re gonna ask for blood to give us placement in their stores.”

“I’ll give them what’s fair, nothing more or less.” Yes, we want to enter their market, but we’re not going to overpay for it. Christopher sets a stack of papers on my desk. “Get back to me after you look through these. There are—” He bursts out laughing out of the blue. What the hell? Then I notice he’s looking at my computer screen. Shit. I minimized the window with the book, but the title is still visible.

“If you’re gonna give me shit for this, there is the door,” I inform Christopher, who doesn’t stop laughing.

“I don’t have time to give you shit right now.” He’s already backing out. “But I’ll keep it on my to-do list.”

“Mr. Bennett, don’t forget about your lunch meeting.” My assistant peeks inside my office just as my brother leaves. I’m meeting Emilia for lunch. “You have reservations in ten minutes.”

“Thank you, Laney. I’ll be on my way.”

My assistant heads back out, and just as I rise from my seat, my phone rings. The name of the detective in charge of finding Emilia’s father appears on the screen.

Placing the phone to my ear, I ask, “What’s the news?” What I like best about Detective Ferro is that he’s a no-nonsense guy. He hates small talk as much as I do.

“I tracked him down.”

“Are you sure it’s him?”

“One hundred percent.”

“Good. E-mail me all the information, and I’ll take it from here.”

As I stride out of the office, I wonder how best to break this news to Emilia. I don’t see how this can be anything but bad. No matter how I spin it, she’ll be hurt. Knowing Emilia, I’m sure deep down she believes her scum of a father will have some good reason for leaving. Maybe I’m a cynic, but I strongly believe some people are assholes just because. And I want to protect her from people like that, even if it’s her own father. Still, this isn’t my call to make. If she wants to go through with it, I will be there for her, ready to comfort her or punch the moron, depending on what the situation calls for.

Emilia waits for me in front of the building, wearing jeans and a shirt that clings to her, showing off enough skin to make my mouth water.

“Hello, handsome,” she greets me. “I missed you.” She adds those last few words in a lower voice, as if she’s ashamed.

“I missed you too,” I assure her. I’m beginning to think that even if I saw her daily, it still wouldn’t be enough. Her pupils dilate at my admission, as if she wasn’t expecting it. The honesty in her eyes is raw. Does she know how rare that is?

I lean down to kiss her, and she rises on her tiptoes to meet me halfway, flattening her tiny body against me. As I hook my arm around her waist, she’s never seemed more fragile or beautiful. I love this woman, and I’ll do anything to protect her and make her happy. When she pulls back, her eyes glint with hunger, and not of a sexual nature.

“Can’t wait to get to the restaurant. I’m starving,” she says, confirming my thoughts. There’s nothing more satisfying than realizing I know my woman so well I can read her like an open book. I want to anticipate her every need and fulfil it. Right now, she needs food. No way I’m breaking the news about her father to her on an empty stomach. Growing up in a full house taught me that things could go south fast when everyone’s hungry. As an adult, I’ve been in enough meetings that solidified that point of view. Food first, bad news later. I might sneak a session of lovemaking in between too.

The restaurant is two blocks away from the office, so we walk there.

“You’re always doing this,” she murmurs.

“What?”

“Keeping an arm around my shoulders and walking on the side of the sidewalk that is to the street. Like you want to protect me from cars or something.”

I kiss her temple, pulling her in closer. “I want to protect you from everything. Cars, bad people, bad dreams. As far as the arm on your shoulder, I’m just looking for any opportunity to touch you.”

“I see. So you’re a protective opportunist. I think I like you, Max Bennett.”

“Like me? What can I

do to upgrade that?”

She frowns. “Huh?”

“I love you, Emilia.”

She stops in her tracks, and her shoulders tense under my arm. I hadn’t planned to spring that on her like this, in the middle of the street. Hell, I hadn’t planned anything at all. And now that she’s silent, my stomach starts twisting.

“I have a feeling this should have happened in a different environment. Candles would’ve probably helped, but when it comes to romance, you’ve got the wrong brother.”