Seductive Secrets

“I can’t believe you’d have to ask,” Paul’s mother said. “Ethan told me you found her.”

“He did?” Paul responded cautiously. Obviously, his brother had neglected to mention Paul’s suspicions about the woman. “Has she been visiting Grady?”

Constance laughed. “She’s been by his side constantly for days. Having her there has made his recovery nothing short of miraculous. All the hospital staff are talking about it.”

“Grady’s getting better?” The volume of Paul’s relief almost drowned out the other tidbit his mother had dropped. Lia was visiting Grady despite being told to stay away.

Obviously Paul had underestimated just how intent she was on interfering with his family. Well, he’d send her packing as soon as he returned home.

“...Ava’s daughter back in the fold.”

Who was back? His mother had continued to prattle on while Paul had been preoccupied. He shook his head to reorient his thoughts.

“I’m sorry, Mother, it’s really loud where I am. Can you repeat what you said?”

“I said, Grady is thrilled that you found Ava’s daughter,” Constance said.

“I found...” Now Paul understood why Ethan had been working so hard to get in touch.

“When are you coming home? Grady’s been asking to see you.”

For the first time in his adult life, Paul Watts had no words. While his mother waited for his reply, Paul’s brain worked feverishly to unravel what could possibly be going on back in Charleston. What sort of crazy stunt was his brother trying to pull? And why? Lia had no more Watts blood than Eth...

Paul shut down the rest of that thought. He and Ethan might not share a biological bond, but they were brothers and Ethan was just as much a Watts as any of them. The same could not be said for a drifter like Lia Marsh.

He hadn’t been idle over the last few days of the conference. He’d taken the time to dig into her background and what he’d come up with only reinforced his suspicion that she was some sort of con artist.

“Mother, I need to go.” Paul hated to be rude, but he needed to talk to his brother immediately. “Can I call you later?”

“Of course. When are you coming home?”

He was scheduled to return home in three days’ time. “I’m going to cut my trip short and catch a flight today.”

“That’s wonderful.”

Paul hung up with his mother and immediately called Ethan. He wasn’t surprised when it rolled over to voice mail. Snarling, Paul disconnected without delivering the scathing smackdown his brother so richly deserved. He sent his personal assistant a text about his change of plans so she could organize a flight for him, and then he headed to his suite to pack.

An hour later he was on his way to the airport. A second call to Ethan went unanswered, but this time Paul left an icy message, demanding to know what was going on. The hours between liftoff and touchdown gave Paul plenty of time to check in with the rest of his family and get a feel for what had been going on in his absence.

The situation had progressed further than he’d anticipated. What really burned him was how happy and unquestioning everyone was with the arrival of a stranger claiming to be Ava’s daughter. Lia had charmed his parents, aunt and uncle as well as his three Shaw cousins. Nor would any of them listen when he pointed out that they didn’t know anything about this woman who’d abruptly appeared in their midst. All they cared about was that Ava’s daughter had come home and Grady had magically become healthy.

Eager to get the whole messy situation sorted out, once he arrived in Charleston Paul headed straight from the airport to Grady’s estate. He parked on the wide driveway at the back of the property, noting that Ethan’s car was absent. The heated lecture Paul wanted to deliver would have to wait.

Paul’s breath came in agitated bursts as he wound his way along the garden path and approached the back of the house where a set of double stairs ascended to a broad terrace. Taking the steps two at a time, Paul crossed the terrace to the glass door that led into the kitchen. The room had been remodeled a few years ago to include a massive granite island, abundant cabinets, professional appliances and an updated surround for the fireplace. Two doorways offered access to the interior of the home. Paul chose the one that led into the broad entry hall. Immediately to his left, a set of stairs led upward. Paul’s tension rose as he ascended.

The home had been designed with spacious rooms off a wide main hallway. Upstairs, the broad space between the bedrooms was utilized as a cozy lounge area for watching television from the comfortable couch or reading in one of the armchairs that overlooked the rear of the property—as his grandfather’s nurse Rosie was doing at the moment. Although Paul recognized that his grandfather didn’t require her hovering over him at all hours of the day and night, seeing her whiling her time away over a cup of tea and a novel disturbed him.

“How’s he doing?”

Rosie looked up from her book and shot him a wry grin. “Go see for yourself.”

Paul approached his grandfather’s bedroom, bracing himself for the same dimly lit, hushed space it had become since Grady’s stroke. But the scene he stepped into was the utter opposite. Stuttering to a halt just inside the door, Paul gaped in confusion and alarm. What the hell was going on here?

Someone had pulled the curtains back from the windows allowing light to fill the large space. Elvis Presley’s “All Shook Up” poured from a speaker on the nightstand, almost drowning out the soothing trickle of water from a small fountain situated on the dresser. The scent of rosemary and lavender drifted toward Paul. As the aroma hit his senses, he noticed a slight boost to his energy and felt a whole lot calmer than he’d been in months. He shook off the sensations and scowled at the source of all his internal commotion.

Paul realized it was Lia who’d transformed Grady’s master suite from dark and bleak to bright and festive. And it did seem to be having a magical effect. For the first time since his stroke, Paul’s grandfather was sitting upright in bed, propped against an abundance of pillows, his bright gaze fixed on the woman standing beside him. Lia was chattering away while her hands stroked up and down Grady’s arm, working the muscles.

A bewildering swirl of emotions cascaded through him at the sight of his grandfather looking so happy and...healthy. Gladness. Relief. Annoyance. This last was due to Lia. She looked so utterly normal without all the theatrical makeup and princess clothing. Today she wore a plain gray T-shirt and black yoga leggings that showed off her lean hips and thighs. A silky ponytail of brown hair swept forward to cascade over one delicate collarbone, while long bangs framed her narrow face with its pixie chin and bright red lips. Silver hoop earrings swung against her delicate jawline.

Paul’s immediate impulse was to haul her out of the room and away from his grandfather. He didn’t trust her despite finding nothing concrete in her background to support the warning in his gut. Just because she hadn’t been caught didn’t mean she wasn’t up to no good. Nor did it help her case how swiftly she’d charmed his entire family into embracing her as one of their own.

Even as he fumed in frustration, Paul became aware of something hot and disturbing lying beneath his irritation. It was as if his anger had awakened an insistent, instinctive pulse of raw hunger. He cursed the untimely appearance of this single-minded lust for Lia Marsh. Being distracted by physical cravings was the last thing he needed.

As if alerted by his conflicting desires, Lia glanced his way. Within their frame of sooty lashes, her eyes locked on his. Pleasure roared through him as she bit down on her lower lip. Color flooded her cheeks and for a second he pondered what might happen if his awareness was reciprocated.

Paul ruthlessly swept such musing aside. What did it matter if she was attracted to him? But then he dialed back his annoyance. Could he use it to his advantage?

His thoughts must’ve shown on his face because a wary frown drew Lia’s eyebrows together. Irritated that he’d given himself away, Paul scowled in return. With a grimace she shifted her attention to Grady. Her smile brightened with what appeared to be genuine affection. Paul’s gut clenched as he took in the tableau.

“Look who’s here,” she murmured, indicating Paul.

His grandfather turned his head and the warmth in his welcoming smile filled Paul with blinding joy. It was as if all the years of estrangement had been never been.

“Paul.”

At hearing his name spoken so clearly by his grandfather, a lump formed in Paul’s throat and stuck there. Because the stroke had affected Grady’s speech, he’d struggled to make himself understood these last few months. Obviously, the reports of Grady’s improvement hadn’t been exaggerated. But to credit this interloper was going too far. Lost in his circling thoughts, Paul still hovered where he’d stopped just inside the room until his grandfather tapped out some rhythms on a small drum next to him on the bed.

“That means come,” Lia explained.

Completely bewildered by what was happening, Paul crossed to his grandfather’s side and gave his arm a squeeze. “How are you feeling today?”

The routine question was completely unnecessary. This man bore no resemblance to the invalid from a week ago. At that point, with Grady growing weaker by the day, Paul would’ve moved heaven and earth to see the return of a mischievous glint to his grandfather’s green eyes, which had so recently been dull with defeat and grief. What he glimpsed in Grady’s manner was the exact change he’d longed for. But at what cost?

“Happy.” A distinct pattern of tapping accompanied Grady’s singing. While his voice was breathy and tuneless, the word came out surprisingly clear. Yet despite his joy, Paul was disturbed by how his grandfather’s gaze settled fondly on the young woman massaging his hand. “Lia home.”

“What’s with the drum?” Paul asked Lia, grappling with his shock at Grady’s rapid improvement and his attachment to the stranger who had invaded all their lives. Discomfort formed a hard knot in his chest. Although thrilled by his grandfather’s improvement, Paul could see nothing but trouble barreling down the road toward them and cursed his brother for doing something so radical and foolish.

“I did some research on stroke recovery and discovered that music and rhythm can help lift a patient’s spirts, enable them to communicate and improve their speech.” Lia smiled fondly at Grady. “Tomorrow we’re going to learn breathing rhythms and also practice meditating to music.”

“What’s all that supposed to do?”

“The medical explanation didn’t make all that much sense to me,” Lia said. “But there was something about how the brain processes information and how music can affect that in a positive way. I think that’s why Grady can’t speak, but he can sing.”

Paul’s chest tightened as hope surged and he set his jaw against a blast of raw emotion. From the way his grandfather beamed at Lia, it was obvious what everyone had been saying. Grady’s improvement had been inspired by the return of his long-lost granddaughter. Only Lia wasn’t Ava’s daughter and Paul hated the fraud she and his brother were perpetrating.

So, what was he going to do? Paul had never lied to his grandfather. Many times in the past when he was a kid growing up, he’d done something wrong and no matter how bad the punishment, he’d always told Grady the truth. It was a point of pride to Paul that his grandfather trusted him without question.

If he continued to let Grady believe his granddaughter had returned to her family, what sort of damage was he doing to his relationship with his grandfather? Yet Grady’s will to live seemed to have been restored by Lia’s arrival. Could Paul figure out a way to get rid of her without causing his grandfather harm?