The Illegitimate Heirs: Luke, Zach and Jake

“No, I’d rather talk in person,” he said as the doorbell rang. “Now, open the door and let me in, Haley.”

At the sound of him ending the call, she tossed the phone on her bed and, giving up on finding her robe, pulled her raincoat out of the closet. “All right, I’m coming,” she muttered when the bell rang again. Shrugging into the coat, she hurried down the hall to the entryway. “Somebody needs to remind Mr. Luke Garnier that patience is a virtue.”

When she opened the door, Luke walked right in as he’d done the day before. “Are you going out?” he inquired, turning to eye her coat.

Pushing the door closed, she pulled the coat’s belt tight around her waist. “I couldn’t find my bathrobe and you wouldn’t stop ringing the doorbell.”

“You don’t keep your robe handy?” he asked as he walked into the living room.

“I live alone and if I want to walk around without a robe, there’s no one here to care,” she replied, wondering why she bothered to explain herself. It was her business, not his. “Now, what do we need to discuss that can’t wait until tomorrow morning, Luke? I thought I made my position quite clear at dinner.”

“You did,” he said, nodding. “And I’ve given it a fair amount of thought.”

She couldn’t tell what he was thinking from his expression, but knowing him, he was there to get her to come around to his way of thinking. “I’m not changing my mind, Luke.”

“I didn’t think you would.” Staring at her, he took a deep breath.

Here it comes, she thought, anticipating his rejection of her requirements.

“I’ve decided that the terms you laid down tonight are within reason and I’m willing to accept them,” he stated as if closing a business deal.

Her heart felt as if it lodged in her throat at the same time her knees gave way. Sinking down on the couch, she could have sworn that the walls started to move in on her.

“W-what did you say?”

“We’ll get married this weekend right after you sign a prenuptial agreement covering the protection of my assets, shared custody of my heir and a fair settlement for you if and when the marriage ends.”

“But…we…I mean, you—”

“I assume that since you haven’t indicated otherwise, you’ll be in the office tomorrow morning?” he interrupted.

Unable to find her voice for the second time in as many days, all she could manage was a short nod.

“We can discuss the details and refine our agreement then,” he continued. “Now, get some sleep. We have a big day ahead of us.”

Haley watched him walk to the door, then close it with a click that seemed to echo throughout the room. She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak and rational thought was completely out of the question.

What on earth just happened? Had her commitment-phobic boss really just informed her that they would be getting married for the sole purpose of having a baby? And this weekend, no less?

Knowing that sleep would be out of the question, she took off her raincoat and tossed it on the back of the couch. As she prowled the room like a caged tiger, she tried to arrange her tangled thoughts into some semblance of order.

The man of her dreams, the very man who clearly stated he had no time for love and marriage, was willing to become her husband. And his only purpose for making her his wife wasn’t because he loved her and wanted to raise a family with her. He was willing to marry her in order to have her bear him an heir.

She stopped in the middle of the room and barely suppressed a scream. Every one of her dreams was well on the way to becoming reality and for all the wrong reasons.

She wanted love and all the bonding that went with it. She wanted a lifetime emotional commitment, not a prenuptial agreement. But to Luke, their union would be just another business arrangement.

As she stood there, she couldn’t help but wonder where her plan had gone wrong. And what had possessed him to agree to her demands?

But most important of all, how in the name of all that was holy was she going to talk him out of following through with it?

Three

The next morning, Luke slid a folder across his desk for Haley’s perusal. “I’ve taken the liberty of having an attorney who specializes in family law draw up a prenuptial contract for you to sign.”

“How did you manage to get this done so quickly?” she asked, looking a lot like the proverbial deer caught in the headlights of a car.

“You can get just about anything done in a short amount of time for the right price.” He nodded toward the document she hadn’t yet touched. “I think you’ll find the agreement spells out what is expected from both of us when it comes to joint custody and parenting the boy. It also covers what we’ll both keep and what compensation you’ll receive when the marriage is dissolved.”

She looked a little distressed. “And when will that be?”

“Whenever we both agree that we’d like to move on with our lives.” He shrugged. “I’m sure we’ll know when the time comes.” Leaning back in his chair, he motioned toward the folder. “Take your time to read over the contract, then sign it and have it back on my desk by the end of the day.”

“It’s so generous of you to give me an ample amount of time to think over what I’ll be signing,” she said, her tone sarcastic.

He stated what he saw as obvious. “I don’t intend to drag my feet on getting this finalized. You laid down the terms, I’ve made the decision to comply with them and we’ll get married on Saturday morning. But between now and then we have a lot to do.”

“What’s the rush?” she asked, hiding a yawn behind her delicate hand. She looked thoroughly exhausted and he’d bet his next multimillion-dollar deal that she hadn’t slept a wink the night before. The thought that she’d soon be in his bed caused his heart to stall and a slow smile to tug at the corners of his mouth.

“Why wait?” he responded, answering her question with one of his own. “I want to get started making you pregnant as soon as possible.” That instantly brought her fully awake and added quite a bit of color to her unusually pale cheeks.

“You can’t be serious. We’ll be sleeping together?” She shook her head and the curls brushing her flawless cheeks fascinated the hell out of him. “I don’t remember you mentioning anything about that last night.”

He smiled. The idea of waking up with her in his arms each morning was becoming more appealing with each passing second. “I didn’t think I’d have to. The last I heard, that’s what married people do.”

Her turquoise eyes grew wide. “But the only reason for the marriage is to have a child. I thought we’d be sleeping in separate rooms and visit a doctor for some kind of medical procedure. That’s what we would be doing if we weren’t getting married.”

“You assumed wrong.” He couldn’t stop himself from giving her a wicked grin. “I have all of the required equipment, sweetheart. And let me assure you, everything works just fine. I see no reason for us to resort to a turkey baster when I’m perfectly capable of taking care of the job myself.”

He almost laughed out loud at the shocked expression crossing her pretty face. “But we barely even know each other outside of this office. And you’ve made it quite clear that you have no expectations of the marriage lasting for any length of time after the birth.”

Had he heard a hint of panic in her voice?

Interesting.

“That’s not exactly true. I said we’d know when it was time to move on. That could be a month, a year or even ten years after the birth before that happens. But that’s not the point,” he said, shaking his head. “I can’t think of a better way to get acquainted than making love. Besides, if I have to get married to get the heir I want, you can damned well bet I’m going to enjoy all of the benefits of the marital institution. And that includes sleeping with you.” Heat began to gather in his lower belly and anticipation filled his chest. There were definite advantages to meeting her demands.

He didn’t think it was possible, but the blush on her cheeks changed from pink to a deep rose. Was it possible that Haley found the idea of making love with him less than appealing? Or could it be that she was a bit more innocent than he’d anticipated?

Deciding to find out, he stood up and rounding the desk, took her by the hand to help her to her feet. “While you read and sign the prenup, I’ll make the arrangements for our trip to Pigeon Forge,” he said, taking her into his arms.

“W-what are you doing?”

“Giving the woman I’m going to marry a hug,” he responded, drawing her a bit closer. Holding her to him increased the heat in his lower body and sent a shaft of excitement straight through him.

At first, she stood stiffly in his arms. “We aren’t going…to be married…here in Nashville?” she asked, sounding delightfully breathless.

“No.”

When he drew her even closer, Luke felt a tiny tremor course through Haley and instantly knew his suspicions about her innocence were right on the mark. He normally liked his women to be a little more experienced. But for reasons he couldn’t put his finger on, he found Haley’s inexperience oddly touching.

“I have an important meeting with the management employees of Laurel Enterprises and I want to tour my new properties and meet the construction crews,” he explained, enjoying the feel of her silky hair against his cheek. “And since there are several wedding chapels in the Pigeon Forge area where we’ll be staying, it just makes sense for us to get married while we’re there.”

“This is a…” She paused. “…huge step. I’m not entirely certain we’re doing the right thing. Are you sure you want to go through with this?”

“I am.”

“Really?” She didn’t sound as if she believed him for a minute.

He nodded. “You told me that it would take us getting married before you’d have my son and I’m complying. In some courts, a verbal agreement is as binding as any contract. And unless you’ve changed your mind about us being married, I’d say we have a solid deal, sweetheart.”

“No, I haven’t changed my mind.”

He smiled. “I didn’t think so.” Releasing her, before she realized just how much he looked forward to making her pregnant the old-fashioned way, he picked up the folder containing the prenuptial agreement. “This is fairly basic and straightforward. After you sign it, I want you to take the rest of the day off, as well as tomorrow.”

“Why?” she asked, looking confused. “I thought you said we had a lot to accomplish.”

He nodded again. “I need to review the agenda for my meeting with the Laurel employees, call the charter service to arrange our flight and reserve a wedding chapel for the ceremony.”

“But you normally have me make those arrangements for you.”

“You’ll be too busy.”

She frowned. “Doing what?”

“You’ll need to pack, inform management that you’re giving up your apartment and decide whether to store your furniture or donate it to an agency for the homeless.” He walked back around the desk and reaching for his suit jacket hanging on the back of his chair, removed his wallet. “I almost forgot. I have to attend a charity thing at one of the museums tomorrow evening and I need a date. I want you to go shopping for something new to wear,” he said, handing her one of his credit cards. “And while you’re at it, you might as well get whatever you’re going to wear for the marriage ceremony on Saturday.”

To his amazement, she looked as if he’d offered her a poisonous snake instead of the small harmless piece of plastic. “If I want something new to wear, I’ll get it myself.” She sounded more than a little offended as she scooped up the folder containing the prenup. “For your information, Mr. Garnier, I’m not destitute. You pay me more than enough to be able to afford whatever clothes I wish to purchase.”

As he watched her leave his office in an obvious huff, he wondered what he’d said to upset her. Didn’t men buy things for their spouses anymore?

Of course, he and Haley weren’t married yet. Maybe she took exception to him paying for things like that before they’d made their union official.

But the way he saw it, it was already a done deal. They had a verbal agreement, would soon have a signed prenup and within a few days a marriage certificate. End of story.

Staring at his computer screen, Luke still couldn’t quite believe that in two days, he’d be a married man. Hell, he’d spent the better part of his adult life avoiding anything more than a casual relationship with any woman. And he’d never so much as entertained the idea of getting married. So why was he jumping into the deep end of the marital pool with both feet now?

Haley had every trait he wanted for his heir—intelligence, a good head for business and excellent health. And for another, he couldn’t get her to have his son without the benefit of marriage. Yet, when he’d first heard her requirements to agree to his plan, he’d rejected the idea outright and given serious consideration to looking for a different woman. But the more he’d thought about it over the course of their dinner together, then later on the drive to his place after dropping her off at her apartment, the more sense it made and the more appeal it held.

She was extremely passionate about mothering a child and that would definitely work to his benefit. He had several satellite offices throughout the south, requiring a certain amount of travel, and juggling a small child with all the paraphernalia required for his care would be counterproductive. Besides, he would have had to hire a nanny to care for his son until the boy was out of infancy and old enough to go with him to the actual job sites anyway. But with Haley sharing custody of the child, Luke wouldn’t have to worry about finding someone suitable to give his son the quality of care he expected.

And then there was the more pleasurable aspect of marriage. Until he’d stopped by to ask her to be his surrogate, Luke had never seen Haley outside of the office and certainly not wearing anything other than the conservative suits she seemed to prefer for her job.

But when she’d opened her door and he caught sight of her long, slender legs in those extremely short little cutoffs and the size and shape of her pert breasts in that snug tank top, it had damn-near knocked his socks off. It had been like he was seeing her for the very first time and every one of his male instincts had come to full attention—reminding him in the most basic of ways that he hadn’t had the pleasure of a woman’s company in his bed for a very long time.

His lower body tightened even more. In two short days, Haley would be his and he would be making love to her quite frequently. Just the thought of having those shapely legs wrapped around him and her soft body cradling his caused the heat deep in the pit of his belly to flicker into a flame.

“Here’s your signed prenup,” Haley said, choosing that moment to walk into his office. When she tossed the folder onto his desk, then turned to leave, she added, “And unless you wish to issue another edict about what I need to do before we make the trip to Pigeon Forge, I’ll be leaving the office now.”

So that was why she’d become so upset. She obviously viewed his suggestions about her apartment and buying something new to wear as high-handedness. He’d have to remember that calling all the shots at the office was one thing, but he’d have to exercise a little more diplomacy when they were discussing what he thought she should do in her personal life.

“Before you leave there’s just one more thing. Are you using anything for birth control?” He knew she wasn’t presently seeing anyone, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t prepared.

Her cheeks colored the pretty shade of rose they always did when he mentioned anything to do with sex. “No. That’s not an issue.”

“Good.”

“Is there anything else?” she asked, her gaze not quite meeting his.

“I’m pretty sure what I told you earlier covers everything,” he said, unable to stand up without her seeing the evidence of his arousal. “I’ll give you a call this evening to let you know what time I’ll pick you up for the charity event tomorrow evening.”

She shrugged one slender shoulder as she continued toward the door. “Whatever.”

“Haley?” When she stopped and turned to face him, he grinned. “There is one more thing I really think you should consider doing.”

“What?”

Her withering glare might have stopped a lesser man, but it didn’t phase Luke one damned bit. Nor did it stop him from a little teasing.

“Be sure to get plenty of rest between now and Saturday.” He gave her a suggestive wink. “I plan on getting our little project started this weekend.”

When her cheeks turned bright pink and she fled his office like something chased her, he laughed out loud. Getting married just might prove to be more fun than he’d first thought. At least temporarily.

As Luke held her hand to help her out of his limousine, Haley glanced at the other couples arriving for the museum’s annual charity event. She recognized several prominent businessmen, a couple of them Luke’s rivals, and she knew they were attending for the same reason Luke was—meeting potential clients. Making a contact at a social function could mean the difference between signing a lucrative contract to build the next high-rise to grace the Nashville skyline or watching the competition walk away with the job.

“It’s good to see you again, Luke,” a distinguished-looking elderly gentleman greeted them as they walked through the museum’s entrance. He pumped Luke’s hand, then turned to give her a friendly smile. “And who is this lovely young lady?”

“My executive assistant, Haley Rollins,” Luke answered, already scanning the crowd in the atrium. “Haley, I’d like for you to meet Max Parmelli, the curator of the museum and the head of this year’s charity drive for the city’s homeless shelters.”

Holding her hand, the older man leaned forward to kiss the back of it. “It’s a real pleasure to meet you, Ms. Rollins.”

She smiled at the pleasant older man, but Luke prevented any other greeting when he placed his hand to her back and guided her through the crowd toward a group of men standing by the fountain in the middle of the room. One of them she recognized as a former client of Garnier Construction who she knew in the very near future was going to be expanding his current building, if not contracting for a new one.

“Why don’t you look at some of the exhibits or get something for yourself at the buffet tables?” Luke advised, his attention clearly focused on the men by the fountain. “I’ll find you in a few minutes.”

Effectively dismissed, she watched him join the group before heading toward a display of artifacts believed to belong to the ill-fated Romanov family of Russia. She really wasn’t all that interested in any of the exhibits, but she couldn’t—wouldn’t—just stand there like a little lost puppy, waiting for Luke to once again grace her with his attention.

Sighing, she wandered around the museum, wondering what on earth she’d gotten herself into. It hadn’t been lost on her that Luke had introduced her to the curator as his executive assistant, instead of his fiancée or future wife. Nor did he have any compunction about dumping her in favor of soliciting a possible repeat client.

But she really didn’t have any reason to complain. He’d made it quite clear that he was only marrying her because he couldn’t get her to have his heir any other way. And she was going through with their arrangement because she wanted a baby more than she’d ever wanted anything in her entire life.

Haley smiled as she absently gazed at a delicate, elaborately decorated egg. She was finally going to have her own baby—a child she would love and nurture and who would love her unconditionally in return. And the fact that Luke was going to be the baby’s daddy made her decision to go through with their agreement much easier. The only fly in the ointment was the fact that Luke didn’t love her, nor did he make any pretense that he expected their marriage to last.

“It looks pretty fragile, doesn’t it?”

At the sound of the male voice at her shoulder, Haley turned to find a nice-looking man with dark blond hair and sparkling green eyes standing next to her. “Yes, it does,” she said, really taking a look at the Faberge egg in the glass case in front of her for the first time.

“Back where I come from, we fry up the eggs for breakfast and throw the shells away,” he remarked, laughing.

“And home is Oklahoma or Texas?” she asked, recognizing his southwestern drawl.

“Beaver, Oklahoma, to be exact,” he announced proudly.

“And you?”

“I was born and raised in Atlanta.” She walked to the next display case containing pictures of the Romanov family shortly before their deaths. “But I’ve lived in Nashville since I was in college.”

“Never went to college myself,” the man disclosed, shaking his head as he followed her. “I left home right after graduating high school with a fifty dollar bill in my pocket and an old guitar slung over my shoulder.” He grinned. “That was fifteen years ago and I’ve been here ever since.”

“So you’re in the music business?” she asked politely.

The man looked shocked for a moment before giving her a wide grin. “You’re about the sweetest thing I’ve come across in a long time. What’s your name, darlin’?”

She caught sight of Luke coming toward them like a charging bull. “Haley, I need you to come with me.” The censure she detected in his voice startled her.

“Haley is it?” the man beside her repeated, smiling. “Pretty name for a pretty lady.”

She ignored the man’s compliment as Luke came to stand on the other side of her. “Is something wrong?”

“No. I just want to get your opinion on one of the paintings offered here that I thought would make a nice addition to the office.” Before she could respond, he glared at the friendly man standing beside her. “You’ll have to excuse us.”

When Luke took her by the elbow and strongly urged her in the opposite direction, she gave the man an apologetic smile. “It was nice talking with you.”

He nodded. “You, too, Haley. That’s just my luck, though. All the pretty ones are already spoke for.”

She frowned as Luke hurried her toward a gallery on the opposite side of the atrium. “Are you sure there’s nothing wrong?”

“We’ll talk about it later,” he said, leading her to an abstract painting. “Right now, I want your opinion on this. Do you think this would be appropriate for the reception area?”

She stared at him before she finally shook her head and turned her attention to the painting. “I’m not the person you should be asking about this.”

He looked surprised. “Why not?”

“Because I prefer a more realistic rendering,” she elaborated, pointing to a beautiful landscape down the long wall. “I especially love scenes like this.”

“Really?” Shaking his head, he glanced from one painting to the other. “I wouldn’t have guessed that about you.”

“I’m sure there’s a lot about me you’d never guess,” she murmured, moving on to view another canvas. If he was surprised by her taste in artwork, he’d be shocked right down to his Italian loafers to learn how she truly felt about him.

While Luke arranged the purchase and delivery of the landscape she had chosen for the Garnier office on Monday, Haley continued looking at the array of artwork.

“You know, that picture looks like something my nephew did when he was in kindergarten,” a familiar voice remarked from behind her.

Turning, Haley smiled at the man she’d talked to earlier in the room displaying the Romanov treasures. “You wouldn’t happen to be following me, would you?”

He grinned. “Would it bother you if I said yes?”

“It wouldn’t set well with me.”

Haley glanced up to see Luke walking toward them, his expression anything but pleased. “Come on, Haley. It’s time I took you home.”

“There you go again, trying to steal her away from me,” the man said good-naturedly.

Luke placed his hand to her back. “Pal, she’s not yours for me to steal away. She’s already mine and you might as well give up the chase. It’s not going to happen tonight or any other night.”