Passion and Peril: Scenes of Passion / Scenes of Peril

“Let me get this straight,” Vanessa said. “You’ve actually hired Maggie to do...what?”

“She’s going to be both my lawyer and my business advisor,” he said.

Maggie glanced down the table at Stevie, who was looking at Matt in something akin to shock. Her brother looked at her, realization in his eyes and a rapidly growing grin on his lips.

Oh, damn. Stevie had figured out that Matt was the man who had come up in their earlier conversation. What was that phrase Stevie had used? Boy toy.

She looked down the table at her brother, promising him with her eyes that the wrath of Satan and the winds of hell would be nothing compared to her if he let this one slip. He smiled at her and made a zipping motion across his mouth.

Yeah, you’d better keep it zipped, junior....

“Maggie, aren’t you hungry? You haven’t touched your plate,” her mother said.

She stared down at her dinner, her appetite gone. Her stomach churned nervously at the sight of roast beef congealing in a puddle of gravy. “Um,” she said.

Brock slipped his arm around her shoulders and he gave her a squeeze. “You know how girls are,” he said. “Always dieting.”

Matt sent Maggie a disbelieving, amused look. She knew what he was thinking. Girls. Brock’s feminist awareness quotient was a shade lower than a Neanderthal’s.

And she really wished he wouldn’t touch her.

“I’m curious as to why you didn’t discuss Matt’s job offer with Brock before you took it,” Vanessa asked. “I mean, you are planning to get married, aren’t you?”

And now everyone was looking at Maggie.

But oh, my God, she was not going to turn Brock down in front of her entire family.

“Um,” she said.

Steve had his glass of milk in his hand, and Matt, who was sitting right next to him, elbowed him.

No one else saw it. Just Maggie.

But the milk went everywhere. “Whoops,” Stevie said as Vanessa jumped up to avoid getting drenched.

“Clumsy me,” Stevie said as Maggie’s mom ran for the kitchen towel.

Matt threw his napkin down to start soaking up the spill. He looked up at Maggie and smiled as Stevie kept on making noise. “Wow, how did that happen?”

No one was looking at her anymore. Thank you, she mouthed silently to Matt.

He blew her a kiss.

Which Vanessa, unfortunately, saw.

“Didn’t you date Maggie back in high school?” she asked Matt after the worst of the spill was cleaned up and they were all sitting back down.

He shook his head. “No. I went out with Angie. You know, Caratelli, off and on for a couple of years.”

“But you wanted to date Maggie,” Vanessa persisted. She laughed. “Date being the euphemism that it is in high school.” She looked at her brother. “Right, Steven?”

“Has anyone seen the new James Bond movie?” Stevie asked brightly.

“Am I right or am I right?” Van asked Matt.

“Van,” Maggie said. What was her sister doing? As if Brock weren’t already prickly enough just at the sight of Matt. “Don’t.”

“Matthew’s not denying it,” she pointed out. She’d had far too much to drink tonight and Maggie’s heart broke for her. Her mother had pulled her aside to report that Van was home because Mitch had made it official. He was filing for divorce.

Maggie met Matt’s eyes again across the table, and the look on his face was...

God, was it actually true? Matt had wanted to go out with...

But...

“I was seventeen,” Matt said to Vanessa. “I wanted to date everyone.”

Maggie stood up. Enough already. “We have to get to work.”

“For the record,” her father said. “I’m not happy about this job change.”

“For the record,” Maggie said, “I am.”

* * *

MATT LEANED AGAINST the Maserati, watching Maggie say good-night to Brock, who was going to stay and keep Vanessa company for a little while longer.

He clenched his teeth as he watched the other man kiss Maggie. True, she turned her face away so that first kiss landed on her cheek. But Brock was a persistent bastard, and...Matt had to look away.

He jumped slightly, surprised to see Stevie leaning next to him. He hadn’t heard the kid approach.

“So. You’re a millionaire.”

“Not quite.” Matt glanced at Maggie. She’d pulled away from Brock, but he still held her hand.

“Answer me honestly,” Stevie said. “Are your intentions toward my sister honorable?”

Matt looked at Stevie in surprise. The kid was already as tall as he was, but he was lanky with that big-boned pony look that teenage boys so often had. He wore his dark hair buzzed at the back and sides, with a long lock of curls in the front that flopped down over his eyes. His face was just starting to lose its boyish prettiness as he began to fill out.

“I guess that’s not really my business, is it?” Stevie continued with a shrug. “You know, she’s as much as told me that she’s not going to marry the Blockhead.”

“She did?”

Stevie smiled. “Yeah, well.” He imitated Brock’s deep voice. “You never know with girls. They’re always changing their minds.”

Matt laughed. “God, he’s a jerk.”

“Who’s a jerk?” Maggie said, joining them.