Jacey awoke to a world of muted sounds and blackness since her eyelids refused to open. She willed the sounds to go away again, so she could sleep.

Then again, maybe she was still asleep and dreaming, because Luca was present. He wasn’t snarling at her anymore though. Or angry. Or disapproving. Or criticizing. She couldn’t understand what he was saying, only that he sounded worried. Anxious even. His thumb was tracing circles on the top of her hand, and it felt amazing.

This was the Luca she fantasized about. The Luca who cared. The warmth of his fingers seeped through her hand and did crazy things to her heart. She wanted to sit up and assure him everything was okay, but she only managed a fragile-sounding moan.

“Jacey? Can you hear me?” His voice was thicker than usual, rough with concern. It resonated through her and nestled in her chest, warming the coldest parts of her.

Something sharp pricked her wrist, and a sliver of coolness traveled up her vein. She shivered.

“Here.” Luca’s voice cracked as he tucked something around her shoulders. It was smooth and silky, and it smelled like him.

She shivered again, this time in delight.

“If you’ll just sit back, sir. We have heated blankets.” To her intense disappointment, someone removed the silky fabric with Luca’s scent. She quickly forgave them as the toasty blankets they replaced it with put an end to her shivering. It was sheer heaven. It was also the last thing she remembered.

Jacey awoke a second time to muted voices, a distant wail, and electronic beeping noises. Swiveling her head, she groaned at the ache between her temples.

“Jacey!” Luca bent over her bed. He was perched on a silver swivel stool, his forearms resting on his knees. White floor-to-ceiling curtains surrounded them.

She hated how ravaged he looked, wishing she had the strength to reach over and brush the tousled lock of hair from his forehead, wishing she had the right to.

“Where am I?”

She loved the way he raised one brow at her question in that half incredulous, half challenging way of his. “At the medical center. You passed out during our board meeting.”

The memory of Edric’s shocking announcement made her stomach pitch dizzily. She swallowed.

“I’m sorry you had to find out about the Pillmeyer account sabotage that way. Sometimes Grandfather gets carried away. He was so tickled to learn you were innocent of any wrongdoing, he didn’t stop to consider how upsetting the news might be for you.”

Her brain must be addled from her collapse, because she could have sworn Luca was apologizing. To her! “I already forgave him. He offered me a bonus.”

His brows shot up in surprise at her attempt to joke.

The curtains brushed aside, and Alora Maddox faced them, clapping softly. “Congratulations on the bonus, darling. Hopefully, your hard work at Genesis and Sons will come with more than a bonus, though. You’re way over-qualified. I’m thinking a pay raise and promotion are warranted soon.” Her voice was taunting, and her words were clearly directed at Luca.

She was an inch and a half shorter than Jacey, a fact that had irritated her for years as the elder sister. She more than made up for it with the twist of red-gold hair atop her head and queenly presence. She looked immaculate this evening in her charcoal pinstripe suit, minty green shirt, and silver jewelry.

Luca stood and held out a hand. “It’s been awhile, Alora.”

“That it has, Luca.”

They knew each other. Personally or just professionally? Either way it was news to Jacey, but she couldn’t sense any major undercurrents of animosity beneath their mutually chilly greetings.

Alora stood at the end of her hospital bed and squeezed her foot through the blankets. “You don’t look so good, little sis. What gives?”

“Who knows? I was thinking flu bug, but it lasted all week.” She yawned. “If it’s something deadlier, you’ve all been exposed. That means I’m taking you down with me.”

Luca laughed. It was such a beautiful, unexpected sound, her heart raced. She gazed up at him in awe.

He gave her a slow, deliberate wink that made her stop breathing.

“Well, isn’t that precious of you?” Alora’s voice was dry. “Greyson is on his way. Thought I’d warn you.”

“Why would he bother?” Her gaze returned to her sister’s while her chest clenched in apprehension. He was the oldest of their five siblings, and they hadn’t spoken in over five years. Not since the day she’d eloped with Easton.

“He caught me on the phone with Rhys and overheard enough to guess something was wrong. It’s kind of hard to explain, but Greyson still cares about you. In his own way, of course.”

Could have fooled me.

Alora’s head swiveled to the curtain which was opening, and her voice hardened. “He just isn’t good at showing it.”

Greyson walked in, shrugging the shoulders of his dark, navy suit. He sported a moronic but endearing red bowtie that shouted nerd even louder than his short, spiky auburn hair flying in all directions. His ridiculous lack of style suited him, though, and he managed to look good despite it. “You know what they say about eavesdroppers.”

“Nothing good,” Alora snapped.

“Thank you for coming,” Jacey interrupted, sensing an argument brewing. “It’s good to see you.” Finally, albeit a few years late.

He nodded and moved to stand beside her older sister. “So what happened? Someone try to poison you?” There was no mistaking the meaning of the dark look he sent in Luca’s direction.

“Greyson!” Alora hissed.

“It’s a fair question,” he muttered.

Luca hadn’t bothered rising to greet him as he had Alora.

Interesting.

“No, not poison though a lot of women claim that’s what it feels like.” Dark eyes snapping with humor, a slender Asian woman in a white coat bustled in. A stethoscope draped from her neck. “Hi, there,” she trilled cheerfully at Jacey. “I’m Dr. Shu. You weren’t awake the last time I examined you. How are you feeling now that you have a few extra pints of fluid in your system?”

“Much better, thank you. Just tired.”

“Well, that’s to be expected for a woman in your condition, Ms. Maddox.”

Jacey stared. “My condition?”

“Uh-oh! You mean you don’t know?” The woman’s dark, pencil-thin brows rose. “You’re expecting a baby, Ms. Maddox. Allow me to be the first to congratulate you.”

“I’m pregnant?” Jacey whispered. I can’t be. How was it even possible? Her hand crept to her mid-section. Easton was dead, and they hadn’t exactly been intimate very often the past year. His schedule had been too consumed by the whirl of the racing circuit. Except for the night of their five-year anniversary. About thirteen weeks ago.

Mercy! I’m pregnant. It would certainly would explain the sickness, the exhaustion, the clawing edginess, and her late monthly cycle.

What in the world am I going to do with a baby? I can barely support myself. She slumped against the pillows, wanting to howl her frustration at the ceiling. “How far along am I?”

Dr. Shu shook her head, her smile wry. “I’m going to have to defer to your OB-GYN to answer that question. You can’t be very far along if you didn’t even know you were in the family way.”

Greyson, who’d been gulping like a fish for several seconds, finally found his voice. He swung in Luca’s direction. “You sick, filthy—!” He stubbed the toe of his shoe on the edge of the bed in his effort to launch himself at the other man.

Greyson’s fists made a pummeling motion, but Luca easily held him off.

Dr. Shu hastily shoved aside the curtain. “Security! We have a situation!”

“Stop it!” Jacey’s voice cut through the chaos. She was surprised at how calm she felt and how firm her voice sounded. “It’s Easton’s baby, if you insist on knowing. And mine. It’s my baby.” Her breath hitched with embarrassment as all eyes turned in her direction. There had never been anyone else. Despite her wild teen years. Despite her dubious reputation. Despite what everyone thought of her. She might be a tease and a flirt — even a liar in the past — but she’d not been unfaithful to her husband or his memories. At his death, she’d promised God she was going to clean up her act, and she had.

Or had she? Kissing Luca hadn’t exactly been part of her plan to remain faithful to her dead husband. However, being in his arms had felt so special after five years of being married to a man who hadn’t made a habit of coming home most nights. Easton had preferred to hang out with his friends and party until the wee hours of the morning, refusing to grow up.

There she was. Comparing the two brothers again. Guilt stabbed her in a dozen places.

She couldn’t bring herself to meet Luca’s gaze, though she felt it on her. She was dying inside at what he must be thinking of her, with the way she’d made out with him and practically gobbled him up, and all the time she’d been pregnant with another man’s son. His niece or nephew, no less!

Greyson dropped his fists, and Luca took the opportunity to shove him a few feet away. Alora caught their brother’s arm and gave it a yank. “I can’t believe you. Brawling in the middle of an E.R. We better bounce, before they arrest you for disturbing the peace.” She shot a frustrated look at Jacey. “I’m so sorry about this. Call me. Please?”

“I will.” Jacey stared after them, too distraught to say anything else. I’m pregnant. Heaven help me, I’m pregnant! She was in no way qualified to be a parent. Not on any level — financially, emotionally, or otherwise.

Dr. Shu ducked back on their side of the curtains, smoothing her white jacket. “Alrighty then. Looks like our crisis is averted.” She clasped her hands in front of her. “My nurse will be paying you a visit shortly to give you some pamphlets about prenatal care. She can help you set up your first OB appointment, too, if you’d like. Do you have any questions before I leave?”

“When may I go home?” Jacey had no idea what time it was, but it had to be getting late and she hated traveling to her apartment after dark. It was a part of the city that could quickly turn ominous at night.

Her doctor smiled in understanding. “It’s no fun being in a hospital bed, I know, Ms. Maddox, but you were pretty dehydrated when you came in. I’d like to keep you awhile longer for observation and get another sack or two of fluid in your system before you go.”

“Ah, okay. Thank you.” Jacey watched her go, tiredness seeping over her once more. Maybe she would call Alora for a ride or try to get a cheap motel room nearby. She didn’t feel up to a lengthy bus ride tonight with a stopover at the gym. She turned drearily back to Luca who remained in the curtained off area with her.

His mouth still looked pinched around the edges even though Greyson was out of sight.

“I’m sorry about my brother. What an awful conclusion for him to make!”

“How long have you known?” he growled.

“What?” Every muscle in her body tensed at the ferocity in his voice.

“About the baby. How long have you known?”

The breath left her with a huffing sound. “Five minutes, maybe? Same as you.” She searched his face, thoroughly puzzled. Having a baby wasn’t a crime, was it?

“You had to have known something!” he exploded. “It’s your body.”

She felt a flush burn its way across her face. “My monthly cycle has been late before. Not that it’s any of your business.”

“Not my business! You’re carrying my brother’s child. When were you planning on telling my family?”

She blinked. “We can call them right now, if you want.” She sat up in bed, scanning the room for her handbag.

“I can’t believe what a fool you’ve made of me!” He leaned closer, his face reddening. “This is the real reason you came to work for me, isn’t it? Your end game all along. Why you’ve been slowly worming your way into my grandmother’s good graces. You nearly had Rhys fooled, too. They wanted so badly to believe in you, Jacey. You have no idea how much.” His voice grew so hoarse, he had to stop and clear his throat.

“M-my end game?” she spluttered.

“What exactly do you want from us, Jacey? I think it’s finally time to come clean. You owe us that much at least.”

Realization splashed over her like icy rain. “You think I want money.” She fisted the blankets with both hands as pain skidded through her chest. It had been foolish to hope Luca was ever going to change his opinion of her. His mind jumped to the worst possible conclusions, no matter what she did.

“Everyone has a price, chica. What kind of price tag have you put on your baby’s head?”

She couldn’t bear his sneering any longer. It hurt too much. “Get out.” Her voice was shrill but firm with finality. It was her own fault for crushing on a man who despised her. It was her fault for wanting and expecting anything other than his never-ending disdain.

“Nice try, Ms. Maddox, but we’re not even close to being through with this discussion.”

She held his gaze, her own fury mounting. Whatever he saw there made his lips curl in derision.

Her heart twisted in response. “Yes. We are.” Her voice grew calmer. “I don’t want anything from you, Mr. Calcagni. I never wanted anything but a chance to atone for the way I wronged your family. A chance to say I’m sorry for encouraging Easton to pursue a career that ultimately got him killed.” She moistened her lips, too angry to stop her tirade. “You would have never listened to the words of a Maddox, so I came to work for you instead. I hoped in time I could win your forgiveness through my service to your company. But you know what? I’m not half as sorry as I was the day I first walked into your office, because now I understand why Easton left.”

“By all means, enlighten me,” he commanded coldly.

“None of you were willing to listen to him, were you? None of you were willing to let him be what he was meant to be. That makes you as much to blame for his death as I am. Maybe if you had been willing to properly fund and train him, his attempt to race cars wouldn’t have ended so tragically.”

Luca turned red, then white. She’d never seen him so furious, but she was far from finished. She’d held back speaking her mind for too long. It was his turn to listen.

“This past Monday, the real reason I came to work early was to turn in my resignation. Your grief was the only thing that made me decide to stick it out another week under your hateful iron fist. I felt you deserved another chance, because I realized you were hurting as much as I was. Unfortunately, you have the most unkind and spiteful way of showing it, so I’ve decided you don’t deserve one thing more from me. You’ve made it clear over and over and over again how unwelcome I am at Genesis & Sons. I get it now, and I am resigning. That’s all I have to say. You can leave now.”

His mouth parted as if he was debating what to say next.

“That means get out.” She gritted her teeth to keep them from chattering against the chill radiating from her heart.

His lips clamped, and his eyes burned into hers, a kaleidoscope of fury, hurt and accusation whirling in their depths. Without another word, he turned and slapped his way past the curtains.

Her chest heaved at the cloying emptiness his absence left in the emergency bay. She sank against the mattress, closing her eyes. It had felt so good to have him holding her hand while she dozed. So incredibly good for her soul to come into contact, however briefly, with his humanity. His compassion. She had not mistaken his concern for her. It was real.

But it was over. Luca couldn’t have humiliated her more with his assumption she would use her baby to squeeze money from his family’s coffers. The very thought made her ill. Hadn’t she just spent the past several weeks proving she was willing to work for a paycheck and work hard?

The truth made her sink farther down in the hospital bed linens. Luca was never going to accept her for who she was any more than her parents had. And why should they? She was but a twenty-five-year-old woman with a handful of unrealized dreams that didn’t fit in any of their corporate missions or personal agendas.

She’d dreamed for years of a career in music, and now her dreams were over. She was widowed with a baby on the way and no contingency plan. No new job lined up to replace the one she’d given up tonight. No strong ties to any of the friends she’d left behind five years ago or the ones she’d met on the racing circuit. The only thing going in her favor was the fact that Luca had paid her more than she expected, so she had nearly a thousand dollars saved in the bank again. If Edric Calcagni kept his word, she also had a bonus on the way.

The idea gripped her and took root. She could leave this God-forsaken city. Tonight, if she wanted. There was no law keeping her here. She’d done it before when she’d eloped with Easton. If she asked nicely, Alora would probably grant her one last favor and empty out her apartment for her and toss her few belongings into storage. Or just toss them out altogether. She owned very little of value these days.

If she was going to endure an unplanned pregnancy, she might as well endure it in peace somewhere far beyond the reaches of both the Calcagnis and Maddoxes. She could sing and wait tables for a living. It wouldn’t be a fancy life, but it would be hers and hers alone. She would be beholden to no one.

The idea grew more appealing by the second. She would head straight to the airport after leaving the hospital and purchase a one-way ticket to somewhere. It didn’t matter where so long as it was far from Luca’s sneering face, which was still burning a hole in her heart.