Married in Name Only

But the woman who was married to him? Well, she had to be a bit more realistic. She enjoyed the sex and the living arrangement, but she also knew it would come to an end.

“Thanks for my surprise.” Paisley gestured toward the coffee table with a giant bowl full of Sweetarts—hence the name he’d dubbed her years ago. “The Thai food was amazing and so was the candy. I also managed a glass of wine and a good book. It’s been a great night.”

He unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them up his forearms, then undid the top two buttons of his shirt as he stalked toward her.

“So you’re saying you didn’t need me?” he joked with a naughty grin.

“I need you for other things,” she told him, purposely raking her gaze down his lean body. “I thought you were going to be late,” she added.

Lucas pulled the black Stetson off his head and ruffled a hand through his hair, leaving it messy, sexy.

“I went to the clubhouse hoping there would be some buzz about Sterling’s release,” he said. “Ethan Barringer was there and I found out something that could affect our plans.”

Paisley reached for his arm and stared into his eyes. “What happened?”

“First of all, you know Sterling is out, but he’s under house arrest. Clearly, he’s not going anywhere, but that won’t stop his cronies from coming to him.”

“Okay. What else?”

Lucas’s mouth twitched and she couldn’t tell if he was amused or stunned. “There’s a new rumor that Roarke isn’t Sterling’s son.”

Paisley gasped. “What?”

“I don’t know if it’s true, but if it is, that would explain why Roarke wasn’t at his father’s side or working to free him.”

“You think Roarke knows Sterling isn’t his father?” she asked, her mind trying to process what all this could mean.

Lucas trailed a fingertip up her arm and curled his hand over her shoulder. “I don’t know anything yet, but I wanted to keep you informed. We need to figure out our next steps. I really need to find something that will put Sterling and your mom together before you were born. You and Roarke are about the same age, so maybe there’s some backstory there that we’re missing.”

Paisley nodded in agreement, but she had no clue how to go about finding the truth about illicit affairs. Again, these were things only Sterling could reveal because everyone else—her mother and Sterling’s wife—had passed on.

“Do you think Sterling cheated on his wife because she cheated on him first or vice versa?” she asked.

Good grief. Was nobody faithful? Were she and Roarke both love children spawned from lust and revenge?

“I think it’s worth exploring,” he told her as he slid his hand down her back and pulled her against him. “I planned on going back to the office and working more, but after I left the clubhouse, I just wanted to get home.”

Paisley shouldn’t let his charming words affect her so, but she couldn’t help herself. Lucas was getting to her more and more each day. She wasn’t even sure he was deliberately trying to use his charms to spin her farther into his web. He was just naturally appealing.

How could she not fall for the man he’d become? Successful, strong, protective...he was the entire package. And their past bond only pulled her in deeper.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here,” she admitted. “I wasn’t looking forward to going to bed without you.”

Those blue eyes raked down her body as he reached for the straps on her gown. “It’s a bit too early for bed, isn’t it?”

Paisley shivered as the satin slid over the swell of her breasts and grazed her sensitive nipples. She pulled in a deep breath and relished the instant arousal and the hunger in his eyes.

“I’m not tired,” she told him. “Did you have something in mind?”

Lucas’s lips twitched. “I have in mind to rip this gown off you, but I’m also enjoying your slow striptease.”

“It’s not a striptease if you’re the one doing the stripping,” she informed him.

Before he could say a word, Paisley stepped back. Keeping her eyes locked on his, she slid her thumbs into the fabric at her waist and very carefully, methodically, eased the material down. The gradual way it slid over her body only awakened her senses even more. She couldn’t wait for him to get his hands on her.