Luca was everything she shouldnât want. He was dangerous.
He was a man who was used to people doing what he wanted them to, and he was willing to take whatever measures were necessary to make it happen.
They would come to a coparenting arrangement that suited them both, but that was it. Thatâs all there could be.
Claire looked up to notice Luca was watching her as he held their child. His gaze flicked over her casually, and yet she could feel the knot in her belly tighten. She wasnât misinterpreting this. Luca made it plainly clear that he was attracted to her, as well. It might just be a negotiation strategy to soften her up, but when he looked at her that way, it almost made her feel like resistance was futile.
Luca was a man who got what he wanted. What would she do if he decided he wanted her?
* * *
The CEOâs Unexpected Child is part of Mills & Boon Desireâs no. 1 bestselling series, Billionaires and Babies: Powerful men ⦠wrapped around their babiesâ little fingers.
One
âI donât care, Stuart. Iâm not letting a total stranger just take my daughter from me.â
Claire Douglasâs lawyer, Stuart Ewing, patted her on the hand. He had a grandfatherly way about him, an easygoing attitude that belied the fact that he was a courtroom barracuda. She had a lot of faith and money invested in the man, but that didnât mean she wasnât terrified deep down.
âWeâll work something out, Claire. I just need you to keep your cool when we go in there. Donât let your emotions get the best of you.â
Claire frowned. Keeping her emotions in check was not exactly her specialty. Sheâd been bombarded with emotions over the past two years. Her life had become a roller coaster from the moment she found out she was pregnant. After years of failed fertility treatments, it had been their last chance. That moment had been the highest of highs.
Her husband dying in a car accident when she was five months pregnant was the lowest of lows. Especially the painful revelations that followed it. The birth of her daughter had been the only thing that pulled her out of that dark place, giving her a reason to be joyful and live her life again.
But sheâd never expected this. The disclosure of the mistake theyâd made at the fertility clinic had changed her whole life. It had made her a millionaire, and at the same time had threatened the stability of her small family.
âMrs. Douglas? Mr. Ewing? Theyâre ready for you.â The receptionist at the front desk gestured to a set of double doors that led to a conference room.
There, Claire presumed, waited the man who was trying to take her child and the lawyer heâd hired to help him. She felt her stomach roll, threatening to return the coffee and bagel sheâd forced down her throat that morning.
âCome on, Claire,â Stuart said, pushing up from the waiting-room chair. âEverything is going to be fine. Youâre not going to lose your daughter.â
Claire nodded, trying to act calm and assured, though she was anything but. There were no guarantees. They were marching into a room where Edmund Harding was waiting for them. He was the kind of lawyer every billionaire in Manhattan had on speed dial. Harding had such a level of prestige and influence that he could probably get the courts to do anything he wanted.
Scooping up her purse, she forced her trembling hands into tight fists at her sides and followed Stuart into the conference room.
The room was elegant and intimidating, with a large rectangular glass table that cut it in two like a blade. There was no question that it divided everything into their side and their opponentsâ side. There were plush leather rolling chairs lining the table, but at the moment all of them were empty.
Claireâs gaze drifted to the large, floor-to-ceiling windows on the left side of the room. A man stood in front of it, looking out over Central Park. She couldnât make out any of his features, just the hulking shape of his broad shoulders and narrow waist. The man was tall, his arms crossed over his chest. He emitted an intense energy that Claire picked up on immediately.