The Kincaids: Southern Seduction: Sex, Lies and the Southern Belle. Kathie DeNosky

that?”

      “I don’t know.” He held her close. “But I’m sure the authorities will find whoever it is and bring them to justice.”

      “I hope so,” she said, trembling against him. “RJ said that after the police interview the security team at TKG and get preliminary results from the autopsy, they’re going to interview each member of the family. Does that mean we’re all under suspicion?”

      Daniel didn’t want to tell her that was most likely the case. She’d had enough upset and he wasn’t going to cause her more by confirming her assumption.

      Thinking quickly, he shook his head. “It’s probably just a matter of investigative procedure. There might be something that you or one of your siblings could tell the detectives that would give them a lead to follow or a clue who the killer might be.”

      “I suppose you’re right,” she said, sounding emotionally spent.

      “One of those boxes we brought over contained towels, didn’t it?” he asked. When she nodded, he guided her toward the back stairs, leading from the kitchen to the second floor. “Let’s go upstairs and get you into a warm bath. Maybe it will relieve some of the tension and help you sleep.”

      While Lily took a nice soaking bath in one of the two master bathrooms, Daniel took a quick shower in the other. As he toweled himself dry, he wondered who could have killed Reginald Kincaid and why.

      It was a fact of life that men in high corporate positions weren’t without their share of enemies. Whether it was a disgruntled employee, a business rival or a radical member of a special interest group, there was always someone who didn’t agree with the way a CEO conducted business and the decisions he had to make for the welfare of the company. But who would have taken their grievance to the extreme and resorted to murder?

      Pulling on a pair of boxer briefs, Daniel walked into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the king-size bed as he waited for Lily to finish her bath. He didn’t like that she was having to relive the loss of her father. She had just started to adjust to losing the man and now the uncertainty of what had happened, and why, was starting all over again.

      But he liked even less that there was an unknown murderer on the loose and there was no way of knowing if he intended to target another member of the Kincaid family.

      Five

      When Lily came out of the bathroom, she stopped short at the sight of Daniel sitting on the edge of the bed wearing nothing but a pair of dark blue boxer briefs. She had seen his body many times during their three-month affair and it never failed to cause her pulse to race. But tonight? With learning that her father had been murdered and seeing reporters camped in front of her mother’s house, how could she possibly be distracted by how sexy he looked?

      But that was exactly what she was thinking. With broad muscular shoulders, well-developed pectoral muscles and enough ripples on his abdomen to make a bodybuilder proud, Daniel Addison exuded over six feet of pure sex appeal.

      “Feeling more relaxed?” he asked as she walked over to the side of the bed.

      “A little,” she said, wishing that she could close her eyes and things would be the way they were before his mother’s dinner party. Her father would still be alive and she wouldn’t be getting ready to have the talk that she knew would send Daniel running in the opposite direction from her. But then, that would mean she wasn’t pregnant. And no matter how strained things became between them when she told him about the baby, her pregnancy was something she wouldn’t wish away for anything in the world.

      Rising to his feet, he walked around to where she stood and pulled her to him. “I’m sure things will look a little brighter in the morning when you’re more rested.”

      “Daniel, there’s something we need to discuss,” she said, loving the feel of his bare chest pressed to her cheek. She had put off telling him long enough. He might not want a child but he was going to have one, and it was past time that she told him about the baby. “It’s really important.”

      “Not tonight.” He shook his head and, reaching down, pulled the comforter back for her to get into bed. “You need sleep and there’s nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow.”

      “But if I don’t tell you now, I might not—”

      He put his index finger to her lips to stop her. “Whatever it is, you can tell me in the morning.”

      Too tired to argue, she simply nodded and climbed into bed. Daniel was right. Her news had waited this long, it could wait another eight hours.

      “I’ll be on the couch in the sitting room if you need me,” he said, pulling the comforter over her.

      “I thought you were going to sleep down the hall in one of the other bedrooms,” she said, unable to stifle a yawn.

      Leaning down, he gave her a quick kiss. “I decided that was too far away. Now try to get some rest, sweetheart.”

      As she watched him walk through the open French doors and into the sitting room, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed that he had stuck to his word about sleeping in another room. She shouldn’t be, she told herself, rolling to her side. Being held by him throughout the night, even if they didn’t make love, would only complicate things and make it that much harder for her when they finally did discuss her pregnancy tomorrow morning.

      Unable to stop thinking about how she should tell him that he was going to be a daddy in seven months, she must have drifted off to sleep. The next thing she knew, Daniel was stretching out on the bed beside her and gathering her into his arms.

      “It’s all right, Lily,” he said, cradling her to his bare chest. He wiped the tears from her cheeks with the pad of his thumb. “I’m here, sweetheart. Everything is going to be fine. It was just a nightmare.”

      Leaning back to look at him, she couldn’t tell him that it might have been a bad dream, but it was one that she feared would turn out to be all too prophetic. In the dream, she had told him about the baby and watched the attraction in his eyes turn to utter contempt.

      When she had ended their affair, she might have told herself that she was calling a halt to things before she got in too deep and suffered a broken heart when he lost interest in seeing her after learning about the baby. But the truth of the matter was, she had already fallen in love with Daniel, had most likely loved him from the moment they met.

      She knew it was foolish and that she would suffer more emotional pain when he learned her secret and severed all ties with her, but she couldn’t resist wanting one more night in his arms. Snuggling against his solid strength, she asked, “Will you please keep holding me, Daniel?”

      “I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart,” he promised as he ran his hands up and down her back. “Not until you tell me to.”

      Lily rested her head on his shoulder and her hand on his broad chest. With the steady beat of his heart beneath her palm and his strong arms wrapped around her, she felt more content, more secure than she had in several weeks. It felt as if in his arms was where she belonged, where she would always belong.

      “Lily, don’t get me wrong,” he said, his voice a bit rusty. “I love the way your hand feels on my body. But if you keep that up, I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to continue being a gentleman for much longer.”

      Realizing that she had been moving her fingers over his pectoral muscles and the upper part of his abdomen, she stopped immediately. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize …”

      When she started to pull her hand away, he covered it with his and, holding it to him, gave her a kiss that sent heat streaking to the darkest corners of her soul. “I’ve missed holding you, Lily. I’ve missed you touching me like this and me touching you. It’s all I’ve been able to think about for three weeks. But you’ve had a lot of trauma in the past several days and I won’t take advantage of that. I came in here to comfort you and I promise that’s all that’s going to happen.”