Endangered: A Delecoeur Mystery #1 (10 page)

During the flight to Napa, Max received
a call that Gavin Shaffer had been located and arrested as well. Once he
learned that Chas had been arrested, he confessed to his part in the plot in
order to secure a lesser sentence. All that was left to learn were DNA results
about Chas' paternity.

“You’re up early,” she said.

“Did I wake you?” He moved so she could
sit with him.

“Your absence in bed woke me.” She sat
between his legs and leaned against him. “Are you thinking about the DNA test?”

He nodded.

Madeleine understood how conflicted he
was. She wished there was some way to ease his discomfort over the situation.

“I hope you don’t mind, I asked the lab
to call me as soon as they had the results,” he said.

“No, I don’t mind. I’m anxious to know
myself.”

He looked down at her. “It won’t change
anything between us.”

It was a statement, but Madeleine saw in
his eyes that he was worried. “Max, nothing will change what's between us. If
Chas is your son, I know you'll want to get to know him even if it's through prison
bars. And even if he isn’t your son, because he’s Julia’s son, you'll likely
want to help him.”

“The truth is I don’t want to help him
or know him. But I know I should if he is my son.”

And that was the conflict. In trying to
kill Madeleine, Chas had made an enemy of Max who was usually forgiving. But
the malice by which Chas had operated and carried out his plan, made it
impossible for Max to forget. He would have lost everything if Chas had
succeeded in killing Madeleine.

Madeleine took his hand in hers.
“Whatever the results, we’ll deal with it. No one would judge you for not
accepting him as your son under these circumstances.”

“It goes against what I believe I should
do.”

“I know.” She lifted his hand to her
lips and kissed his knuckles. “Let's just wait for the call.”

They sat watching the sun slowly creep
over the vine-covered hills. As it settled into the sky, it spread its warmth
over the balcony and onto Max and Madeleine. Madeleine felt him take deep
breath, as if he were breathing in the warmth and light. She turned to look up
at him and saw contentment.

 “Shall I order some breakfast from the
Inn?” she asked.

“How about a champagne breakfast?” Max’s
hands moved from her lap to slide across her belly.

Madeleine smiled up at him, glad to see
his spirits had lifted. It was amazing how a sunrise could shed light on what
was really important; they were alive and together. As long as they had that,
nothing else mattered.

“Are you hoping to get lucky?”

“Hope springs eternal.” He grinned and
kissed her nose.

Turning her body, she straddled his lap.
“Then how about we have dessert first?”

Heat flashed in his eyes. His hands slid
around her back and pulled her to him, torso to torso.

“That’s the best idea I’ve heard all
day,” he murmured as he pressed his lips to hers. "Lookey here," he
said as he opened the sash on her robe.

"You can touch too."

"Lucky me."

Madeleine held his face in her palms.
"There's no luck about it. I love you."

He smiled. "Show me."

She did want to show him. She wanted him
to know just how much she loved and desired him. How she longed for him always.
She wanted him to know that whatever the results of the paternity test, she
would be there for him. What she didn't want him to know was how unsettling it
was to think that he could be a father.

She traced her lips over his shoulders
and chest where his robe once hung. She took in his heady scent, felt his heart
quicken under her touch. She slid her hands down his chest, over his abdomen
and lower. She found him hard and heavy with desire. She smiled and then let
her lips take the same journey her hands had.

"Madeleine." Her name came out
in a harsh whisper. She felt his fingers in her hair, holding her to him. She
used his words, sometimes naughty, sometimes encouraging, as her guide.

"Madeleine!" his voice was
brusque as he reached for her.

She wrapped her hand around him and
looked up into his clouded blue eyes. "Problem?"

"My turn." He pulled her to
him until she straddled his thighs. She moved to take him in, but he stopped
her. He was in control now and he took the time he wanted to touch and taste
and to show her that she was everything to him. His hands slid up her back and
pulled her to him so he could take a soft peak of breast into his mouth. She
sighed and held his head to her. He suckled the other breast as his hands slid
down over her buttocks and kneaded them gently.

"Max," she pleaded.

Not able to deny her any longer, he
pulled her to him, over him. She took him in on a long feral groan.

God he loved this woman. It was beyond
words how much she was a part of him, his heart and soul. The situation with
Julia and Chas weighed heavy on his mind, but he wasn't so self-absorbed that
he didn't see it was taking a toll on Madeleine as well. He wasn't sure what
was going on in her gorgeous head, as she hadn’t wanted to share. Even when
he'd asked, she brushed it off. He knew her well enough to know that it wasn't
Julia and his previous relationship with her. Madeleine had met many of his old
girlfriends. While she sometimes showed some vulnerability, he'd always been
able to prove to her that she was beyond compare. Julia was no different.

So it had to be Chas and the possibility
that Chas was his son. Why that would bother her, he couldn't fathom. He was
upfront with her that he'd hoped he wasn't the father and was unsure of what
he'd do if he was. For a moment he wondered if she was regretting not having
children, but they had decided that they were in no hurry and that maybe they
wouldn't have them at all. He never regretted that decision, ever. With
Madeleine, he had all that he needed. So whatever was bothering her, he wanted
to make sure she knew, without a doubt, that his life, his love, was completely
devoted to her.

Madeleine slowly began to move over him,
around him, feeling the tension grow inside her again. "Max," she
whispered to him.

He lifted his face to hers and she
kissed him, long and deep as she move around him. When the kiss broke, their
eyes held, watching, loving, waiting, until Madeleine threw her head back as a
ball of pleasure imploded and then released. As the tension subsided, she gazed
again into to Max's darkened blue eyes and watched as he surrendered to the
pleasure.

~~~

During breakfast, the phone rang. Max
and Madeleine stopped eating and looked to each other. "Here we go,"
he said as he picked up the phone. “Max Delecoeur.”

Madeleine watched his face for any sign
of what was being said on the other end of the phone. After a few minutes, Max
hung up the phone. He sat for a moment, lost in thought.

Well?” she asked.

He looked at her. “I’m not the father.”

She couldn’t contain her relief. She
lunged herself into his lap. “Thank goodness.”

He wrapped his arms around her. “I know
it sounds bad, but I’m relieved.”

“It's not bad.” She squeezed him tight.
“Does Julia know?”

“She will soon. I gave the okay for the
lab to call her too.”

“How do you think she'll take it?”

“I think deep down she regrets what
happened. Perhaps Chas would have been a different man if she’d been upfront
with everyone.”

Madeleine shuddered at the thought. Had
Julia done something different, Max may not have been at the charity event
where they met.

“How are you doing?” Max asked.

“I’m fine. Actually…”

“What?”

“It's silly,” Madeleine said, her cheeks
red with embarrassment.

“Tell me.”

“I really hoped he wasn’t your son.” She
looked into Max’s brilliant blue eyes. “I would have been jealous of Julia
giving you something I didn’t.”

Max eyes softened. “It wouldn’t have
changed anything.”

“I know. It’s a woman thing I guess.”

“We made that choice together.” He took
her arms and gave a small shake. “Madeleine. You have given me so much more
than I would have ever imagined I could have. My life starts and ends with you.
Nothing, not children, not more wealth could ever give me the happiness and ….
Joy,” he said struggling to find words that conveyed his feelings. “That you
have given me. And I would trade everything I have and that I am, to keep you
with me.”

She smiled as she ran her arms over his
shoulders. “I know. I know. I feel the same about you. Every day with you has
been such a gift.”

“Has it?”

Madeleine cocked her head questioningly.
“You don’t believe me?”

“Well, you were jealous that Julia might
have given me a son. Do you regret that haven't given you one?”

“No. Not at all. We talked about that -”

He pressed a finger to her lips. “Then
why would it be different for me?”

She smiled sheepishly. “It wouldn’t.”

“Madeleine. We have the perfect life. So
few have what we have and I don’t mean the money. The depth of love and passion
we have. The ability to create the life we want. I know that very few people if
any have that. There are no regrets in my life with you.”

Her eyes became watery. "But you'd
make a great dad."

One dark brow rose. "Are you saying
that you want children?"

Was she, she wondered? She hadn't
thought about it until Julia had asked about it or when it became possible that
Chas was his son. "I ... I don't know."

He smiled. "It's not too late. Men
can make babies well into their elder years-"

"You talk like you're ancient.
You're barely over forty."

"And you're still in your
thirties."

"Are you saying you want children?
Julia said you didn't."

This time he paused. "First of all,
you can't always trust what Julia says. Or what I said when I was 17 years old.
The truth is, I've never really thought about it. But now that we're talking
about it, there is a certain appeal to it."

"It would change our lives
drastically."

"It would definitely create a new
kind of adventure. I've lived in southern California for over twenty years and
have never been to Disneyland." Madeleine laughed. She loved how Max could
find adventure and joy in just about anything. "And I've only got two more
years on my five year plan. When I retire, I'll have lots of time. But, it
would hinder your work."

"I've never been to Disneyland
either. I hear they have one in France and Japan too."

He grinned down on her.
"So...?"

"So...?" she responded back.

"I guess we don't have to decide
right now," he said finally. "We can sleep on it."

She nodded. "Sleep on it."

"And while we sleep on it, we can
practice."

"You don't think we have the
baby-making process down?"

"Sure we know how to make love, but
we've never done it with the intention of creating life. We should probably
practice that."

Madeleine laughed. "I think
practice is a good idea."

Smiling even as he kissed her, he
murmured. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

The End

"Written
with precision and care, this intriguing romance/murder mystery is a fun read
that will keep readers guessing until the very end." - PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY

Check
out the first two chapters of Deadly Valentine, book one in the Valentine
Mystery series.

I
think I'm going
to puke.
Tess
studied her face in the nineteenth-century Louis XV-style mirror in
Asa
Worthington's foyer. Pale, but not green. Still, the
rolling in her stomach told her things could get worse. Why she'd let Daniel
Showalter talk her into attending his uncle's dinner party she didn't know. It
had disaster written all over it even before her stomach threatened to
embarrass her in front of the town's most elite family.

Recently, Daniel's actions suggested he
wanted more than friendship. Not that Daniel was a bad guy. He was handsome,
down-to-earth and Tess loved his parents as if they were her own. But she was
as committed to celibacy as one could get, short of joining a convent. She'd
given up on the idea of love ever after, preferring the sensual delights of
chocolate, Marvin Gaye tunes and couture French underwear instead.

But it wasn't Daniel's affection for her
that threatened to ruin the night. It was his uncle.
Asa
Worthington was a volatile, intolerant, self-serving man whose gatherings
usually involved patronizing or humiliating everyone in attendance. Even
Asa's
sister, Helen, found him so distasteful that she
hadn't been to a family function in over twenty years.