The Illegitimate Heirs: Luke, Zach and Jake. Kathie DeNosky

consummated their marriage. Her cheeks heated as the memory of what they’d shared in the early predawn light came flooding back.

      Luke had seen her as no other man had and made her feel things she would have never thought possible. But once he’d learned she was a virgin, his incredible patience and the extra care he took to reduce any discomfort she might have had touched her deeply. He’d seen to it that her first experience making love was pleasurable and even though their marriage was destined to end one day, she’d never be sorry that she’d waited for her husband.

      “I see you finally woke up, sleepyhead,” Luke greeted her cheerfully, shouldering the door open. He carried a breakfast tray with two plates of delicious-looking food, glasses of orange juice and a single rose in a glass bud vase. “Time to rise and shine.”

      His thoughtfulness was unexpected and quite touching. “I haven’t had breakfast in bed since I was child,” she reminisced, holding the sheet to cover her breasts as she sat up. “And I was too sick to care about eating anything then.”

      “Well, I hope you have a hearty appetite now, because Mrs. Beck outdid herself,” he noted, referring to the housekeeper. “I think she cooked every breakfast food known to man.”

      “Could you get my overnight case, please?” Haley requested, wanting to retrieve the new bathrobe she’d purchased for the trip.

      “Uh-oh.” He gave her a sheepish grin. “When I got up and went to shower and change, I moved it to my room.”

      “What am I going to put on?” she asked, looking around for something—anything—to wear.

      “I really like what you’re wearing now,” he observed, setting the tray on top of the dresser.

      “I’m naked under here.”

      “Bingo.”

      Her cheeks heated at his lascivious grin. “Seriously, what am I going to wear?”

      “I think you wear nothing very well,” he commented, rocking back on his heels. “It really looks good on you.”

      “Will you be serious?” she pleaded, feeling a little desperate. “I can’t even go downstairs to get my clothes without something to cover up with. Poor Mrs. Beck would probably have a massive coronary.”

      He looked thoughtful. “I guess you might have a point.”

      “I do have a point.” She shook her head. “And unless you intend for me to stay in this bed the rest of the day, I need something to put on.”

      “Staying in bed presents some very interesting possibilities,” he responded, his grin widening. When she tugged the sheet free from the end of the mattress, he pulled the tail of his shirt from his jeans. “If you’re that adamant about it, I’ll have to make the sacrifice.”

      She stared shamelessly as Luke unbuttoned the garment and revealed his wide chest. Earlier when they’d made love, she’d been too nervous and preoccupied with the newness of it all to pay a lot of attention to his physique. But as he shrugged out of the shirt, her breath caught and her heart did a funny little thump against her rib cage.

      His body was absolutely perfect. Every muscle from his shoulders all the way to the waistband of his low-slung jeans was well-defined and he was most definitely the type of man dreams were made of. At least, her dreams.

      When he handed her the shirt, then stood there expectantly, she forced her thoughts back to the matter at hand and shook her head. “Turn around.”

      His smile sent a wave of sizzling warmth shimmering over her skin. “Sweetheart, I saw your body when we made love and believe me, you have no reason to be self-conscious. You’re beautiful.”

      “I’ll have to take your word on that,” she remarked, refusing to give too much weight to his appreciation of her body. “But it’s extremely difficult to throw caution to the wind after twenty-eight years of keeping myself covered up.”

      Apparently deciding she meant business, he finally blew out an exaggerated breath, shook his head and turned his back to her. “We’ve already made love once and I anticipate doing so again quite frequently. It won’t take long before I know your body as well as I know mine.”

      “In less than a week, we’ve gone from nothing more than boss and employee to sleeping together,” she tried to explain, pulling on his shirt. The delicious masculine scent surrounding her as she buttoned the garment caused Haley to feel warm all over. “We only went on one date—if you want to call it that—and that was the night before we got married.”

      When he picked up the breakfast tray from the dresser and turned to face her, his expression was thoughtful. “So what you’re saying is, you don’t switch gears quite that fast.”

      “Something like that.” Maybe he was beginning to understand how she felt.

      “I guess that makes sense,” he said absently as he set the tray over her lap, then lowered himself to sit on the mattress beside her. He looked pensive for a moment. “Since we’re discussing your inhibitions, were they the reason you were still a virgin?”

      She knew he’d be curious and ask about it. “It’s quite simple, really. I went to a very strict, private high school for girls. In our Freshman year, we were encouraged to take a pledge to stay pure until we married. I promised that I would.” Reaching for a slice of crispy bacon, she shrugged. “Besides, I never met a man that I cared enough about to be intimate with.”

      “Never?”

      “Oh, I was tempted a couple of times in college with one or two of the guys I dated.” She shook her head. “But I always found a reason not to break my vow. Probably because it just didn’t feel right with them.”

      “Do you always keep your word, Haley?” His question was casual enough, but she could tell he was extremely interested in her answer.

      Swallowing the bacon she’d been nibbling on, she nodded. “It’s not always easy, but if I tell someone that I’ll do something, I try my best to do it.” She smiled. “I have had to break my promises a few times, but I’ve never made a habit of it.”

      “So that’s why you followed through when I called your bluff about having to be married,” he proclaimed, capturing her gaze with his. “You gave me your word.”

      Haley nodded again. She wasn’t overly surprised that he’d figured out that she was discouraging him when she laid down the terms to have his baby. He was very perceptive and it was one of the many reasons he was such a highly successful businessman.

      “Knowing how you feel about relationships, I thought mentioning marriage would dissuade you,” she admitted. “If I’d tried to back out when you said you were agreeable, you wouldn’t have given me a minute’s peace until I honored my word.”

      “That’s true, but why didn’t you just reject my request outright?” he asked, obviously trying to figure out what made her tick as he took a big bite of his scrambled eggs.

      “Because I know you well enough that when you set your sights on something, you don’t give up. You’re like a dog with a juicy bone.” Picking up her glass of orange juice, she gazed at him over the rim. “Would you have abandoned the idea of me having your child if I’d said no right away?”

      Chuckling, he shook his head. “Not a chance in hell, sweetheart.”

      “My point exactly.”

      “So, if you know me so well,” he argued as he placed his fork on his empty plate, “why do you keep insisting that we need to get to know each other further?”

      How could she explain that it was the little everyday things that she wanted to know?

      “Do you have any idea why my hair is straight when I’m at the office, but when I’m at home it’s curly?” she finally asked.

      His expression clearly stated he thought she’d lost