A corner of his mouth kicked up. “Been keeping up with me, Tart?”
A shiver slid all through her at the nickname that stemmed from her favorite candy. He’d been the only one to call her that, but she’d never forgotten. Clearly, neither had he. That instant reminder from the past of the bond they shared gave her a sliver of hope that maybe he wouldn’t just throw her out of here without hearing her out or at least giving her the chance to defend herself.
He remained silent as he just stood there with a look she couldn’t quite describe. Part of her recognized the desire, but there was a layer of something else and she couldn’t tell if it was disdain or frustration.
The way Lucas used to look at her would have her clothes falling off in record time. They’d never argued, they’d had their future all mapped out...until one day she’d realized she had to let him go.
“Are you going to help me or not?” she demanded because getting caught up in nostalgia was not going to help her sanity or her business.
“My assistant can take down all the information and the deposit for my services.” Lucas tossed the letter back onto his desk. “I’ll be in touch.”
Anger bubbled within her. He was not going to dismiss her that easily. True, they’d ended on abrupt terms, but that didn’t just erase all they’d shared to that point. She wouldn’t let him just brush her aside when this was all she had left.
“First of all, I’m not dealing with your assistant, I’m dealing with you.” He was about to see just how serious she was about getting his help. “Second, I don’t exactly have all of the funds right now. But I promise you will get every dollar you are owed. I’m not leaving until you agree to take this case.”
Lucas took in a deep breath and circled his desk. With slow, methodical moves, he came to stand directly in front of her, bringing with him a waft of aftershave that smelled expensive and downright sexy.
Expensive and sexy? That summed up Lucas Ford in two simple words. He’d always been in a totally different league, but she’d been naive enough to believe the difference wouldn’t matter.
She’d been so utterly wrong and they’d both been crushed in the end.
“You need me.” His bold statement was as honest and real as anything they’d ever said. “You’re stuck without my help. Is that what you’re saying?”
Paisley gritted her teeth and nodded. He had her in a difficult position and he damn well knew it, but she’d meant it when she said she wasn’t leaving without his help. She had nothing left to lose, but she had everything to gain.
A smile spread across his tanned face and made those bright blue eyes shine with amusement and something akin to deviousness. “There might be a fee you can afford.”
* * *
Lucas didn’t know what game he was playing, but once he’d started talking, he couldn’t stop himself. Paisley waltzed in here looking too damn sweet and innocent than should be allowed—and he knew she was neither. She couldn’t be, not with the way she’d pulled a Dear John breakup with him twelve years ago. That had obliterated any “sweetness,” and he’d stolen her innocence one stormy night in the garden shed on his father’s estate.
They’d been each other’s firsts so of course she’d stuck with him. He refused to admit it was because he was foolish enough to actually think they’d marry and live happily ever after.
Now she came to him with another type of letter, this one dropping a veiled hint that the devil himself was her biological father.
Oh, she didn’t come out and name Sterling, but the clues she dropped with words like “billionaire” and “well-known Houston businessman” and the real red flag of “a man nobody wants to mess with.”
Sterling Perry had ruined so many lives over the years and the trickling effect would last for some time to come. In fact, Sterling was the whole reason Lucas had entered into private investigator work to begin with. Once Sterling had ruined Lucas’s father, wiping out the businessman’s reputation when he spread lies about stolen money and Sterling claimed to have proof to back up his claims. All of it turned out to be bogus, but the damage had been done. It had ruined Lucas’s father.