More snippets of that father-son conversation came back to him now. “She listens to me, son, and that’s rare in a woman, believe me. So if you find one that listens and understands, that’s more than half the battle.” Ted had laughed. “The other half doesn’t need mentioning. Your hormones’ll make their opinions known but your head and your heart will lead you in the right direction.”

His father was right. Doug’s hormones didn’t need mentioning. But he’d been following his heart from the minute he’d laid eyes on Juliette in the lobby, letting her set the pace, allowing her to ask the thought-provoking questions, putting her needs before his own. His head had taken over last night, forcing him out of her cottage and away from her bed before he did something they both might regret later.

He thought of his father’s words and how they related to Juliette. As he’d told her this morning, she’d listened to everything he said. Without passing judgment, she’d been there and she’d cared. He exhaled a slow groan. The tables had turned. Though he still needed information, still wanted to be able to look himself in the mirror, he already knew with certainty he could and would put Juliette first.

Because he loved her.

He extended his hand and led her inside. “Welcome. It’s not as big as the cottages, but it’ll do.”

She glanced around, taking in the dark wood furniture, hardwood floors, beige decor and smiled. “It’s so masculine. So you. Makes you wonder if Merrilee matches people with rooms as well as with their fantasies.”

He laughed, though he felt anything but light with his secrets, lies and omissions standing between himself and what he was coming to realize was his true fantasy-Juliette herself.

He didn’t ask himself where that put his story and professional future. He already knew he had no answers. “So what brings you to my end of the world?” he asked her instead.

She caught her lower lip between her teeth. “I need to talk to you.”

“Sounds ominous.”

“It isn’t really, but you need to bear with me.” She paced the room and he remained silent, giving her the time she seemed to need. Finally, she settled herself on his bed, knees curled beneath her. “I’d planned to do this the seductive way, but I’m finding I can’t.”

Her simple button-down shirt was opened to reveal a mere hint of lace, and yet it was supremely seductive to him. This woman could be covered from head to toe and he’d still get hot and bothered just looking at her. But she obviously had more on her mind than tempting him right now. “What is it?”

“What’s more intimate than sex?” she asked.

Hearing her say the word, he nearly choked right there. “I’m not sure. You tell me.”

“Truths. Secrets. Private revelations. Once two people reveal those, they’ve shared something deeper and more meaningful than a physical joining. You’ve already given me that intimate gift by sharing your past.”

He nodded, unable to speak. He’d told her a lot, but he hadn’t revealed all. Doug inhaled deep. “Go on.”

“I intend to reciprocate.” Her wide eyes bore into his. “And once I do, we’ll be on more even footing. I’ll have let you inside me, so to speak.” An incredible flush stained her cheeks a bright shade of red. “And you’ll know for certain you’ve put me first.”

How could he believe he’d completely put her first considering the lies and omissions that stood between them? That and his guilt. Neither of which he’d figured a way out of yet. And neither of which she knew anything about.

So, he resisted the urge to touch her. If he didn’t exercise restraint now, he’d take her right now on this bed and satisfy both of their fantasies at their personal expense. He needed to hear what she had to say first. Needed this intimate, emotional bonding she wanted to give him. And not for his story or career. What he’d do with those truths, he’d have to deal with later.

She inclined her head and a red curl eased over one shoulder, as she inched closer on the bed until she sat next to him, until her heady scent surrounded him and set his already raw nerves on fire. “And once you believe you’ve gotten your fantasy, then we can make love.”

“Juliette.” What he meant as a warning came out resembling a low growl.

She merely smiled. That sexy, I-know-it-all smile. Only she didn’t.

Sleeping with Juliette would be the answer to a dream, his and obviously hers, too. She wet her lips with her tongue and he followed the movement, recalling doing the same thing this morning, tasting her in excruciatingly slow detail.

And that’s how he’d make love to her, Doug decided. Excruciatingly slow, exquisitely tender. He wanted nothing more. But he curled his hands into tight fists, knowing he’d never be that free. Not until he’d admitted all. And he hadn’t figured out how to do that without losing her forever.

“I’ve got secrets that no one knows. Not another living, breathing soul except my sister, because there’s been no one I trust. Until now. I trust you. Because you’ve put me first. You’ve made me feel cherished and special.”

“That’s because you are.” Doug swallowed a curse. He was in purgatory, that awful place between heaven and hell.

“Thanks to you, I believe that. But in case you’re wondering why this sudden revelation, it’s not just about getting closer to you. I need your advice. Because what I’m about to tell you can affect so many people’s lives.”

He cleared his throat. “I have to admit you’ve piqued my curiosity.” Little did she realize the people whose lives would be most affected by her revelation sat together in this very room.

Doug the reporter was on the verge of gaining the information he needed-the very reason he’d traveled to Secret Fantasy to begin with. Doug the man was on the verge of being in Juliette’s arms and inside her body.

Yet all of him was teetering on the brink of losing everything he now realized he held dear because he was gaining that information in a deceitful way. Something he’d known going into this charade.

But it was no longer a charade, no longer a means to salvaging his career. It was his life. She was his life and he didn’t want to lose her.

CHAPTER EIGHT

“MY NAME is Juliette Stanton.” She said the name as if it ought to mean something to him.

Tread the fine line of truth, Doug thought. “Senator Stanton’s daughter.”

She inclined her head. “He’s quite a public figure, isn’t he?”

Doug heard the love and caring in her voice. “He’s one of the few politicians who can claim a good political and moral record. I can see a lot of you in him,” he said softly.

“That’s a nice compliment.” She smiled. “You haven’t made the connection yet. Could it be the news hasn’t reached Michigan?”

Another lie coming back to bite him. “You’re Chicago’s infamous Runaway Bride. I made the connection, I just didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“You didn’t recognize me then?” He couldn’t mistake the hope in her tone.

He grasped on to his first day on Secret Fantasy and fingered one spiral curl with his finger. “The hair’s different than the pictures.”

She glanced down. “Everyone thinks I bolted because I got cold feet. Or I had a lover on the side. Did you know local radio stations in Chicago are holding contests? It was ridiculous. I couldn’t leave my house without being followed. Don’t people have anything better to do than focus on my life? I’m not even a celebrity.” She shook her head in disgust.

“You never know what’s going to strike people’s interest.”

She lifted her head and met his gaze. “You haven’t asked me why I ran.”

“If you want me to know, you’ll tell me.” When she looked back on this conversation he wanted her to be able to remember she’d revealed without being pushed or prodded. That he hadn’t forced or directed the conversation in any way.

Because when she found out the truth, not only didn’t he want her hurt, but he wanted her to be able to forgive him.

“I do want to tell you. I just don’t know where to begin.”

Her pain was palpable and Doug had no desire to prolong the revelation any longer than necessary. “I know about the newspaper articles fingering your ex’s business partner in a money-laundering scheme.”

She winced. “Then you know the article was retracted due to lack of proof.”

He merely nodded.

“I believed Stuart was innocent. I believed his partner, Congressman Haywood, was innocent.”

“So the retraction must have been a blessing.”

“At the time it only confirmed what I already knew. But later…”

Doug held his breath. Here it was, the answer to his story. The one that would put him back on top, ease his father’s emotional unrest and fix the damage he’d done to the Tribune’s reputation. That damned guilt warred with anticipation deep inside him.

Juliette stared off into the distance. “We’d gotten to the church early to do that last-minute family thing. But I was getting claustrophobic and I left my mother and sister in the back chamber because I needed air. The church wasn’t filled yet but I didn’t want to run into anyone, so I went out the back to a place Stuart, Gillian and I used to hang out when we were kids. That’s where I saw them.”

Adrenalin rushed through his veins. “Saw who?”

“Stuart, Congressman Haywood and Paul Costa.” She clenched and unclenched her fists. “The article in the paper alluded to Mob connections and money laundering but it didn’t mention anyone by name. But Costa is an alleged boss and there’s no way I wouldn’t recognize him. And then there was the snippet of conversation I overheard. Something about the retraction being taken care of and the reporter silenced.” She shivered. “There was no question what Stuart was involved in.”

Doug listened to her in disbelief. His gut had told him she knew something to link Barnes and Haywood to illegal dealings. He’d never once thought she’d been an actual eyewitness.

“Did they see you?” At the thought, his stomach began to churn.

“Would you miss a bride in her fluffy white wedding dress?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Actually Stuart caught sight of me and excused himself. I’d already ducked back inside and he grabbed my arm and led me to someplace private. We had a huge argument. I called off the wedding and he…” She inhaled deep.

“He what?” Doug grasped her hands, warming them inside his. He had his story. Now he needed to take care of Juliette. And later he’d figure out how to tell her the truth without ripping her heart and trust to shreds. “Did he threaten you?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think I’d be as torn or confused about what to do if I’d been his target. He said if he went down, he’d make sure he took my father with him. An implicit threat to keep my mouth shut.”

And knowing Juliette’s strong feelings for her parent, something Stuart Barnes had to have known, he’d easily guaranteed her silence.

Doug squeezed her hands tighter. “Forgive me for asking this, but is your father involved in anyway?”

“No. But if Senator Stanton’s handpicked protégé is arrested, it’ll taint my father’s record and any good he’s accomplished in his term. He might be innocent, but he’ll go down in history as leaving office surrounded by scandal and suspicion.”

Doug let out a slow groan. Her admission had just called a glaring halt to his plan to expose Barnes and his Congressman partner at all costs. A blunt article with Juliette as his witness would destroy her father. And anything that hurt Senator Stanton would kill Juliette. Something Doug would never do. The tough-guy reporter he’d been before meeting this woman was long gone. Doug had to accept that truth-one a long time in coming. As long as he’d been on this island.

Damned if he had a plan right now, but he had to come up with one and soon. Although he had all his personal excuses for wanting to nail Barnes and Haywood, a more pressing reason remained-he couldn’t let their illegal activities go unchecked. And he had to expose them before Barnes was elected senator. A good possibility considering his being jilted at the altar would garner him the sympathy vote and, as of now, Senator Stanton was still in his corner. He had to halt the senator-elect, without hurting either Juliette or her family.

“You’re quiet. I’ve shocked you.”

He shook his head. “I always knew you were special. But the lengths you went to to protect your father, the flak you took from the media…”

“He’d do it for me in a heartbeat. That’s why I need to figure a way out. I can’t let Stuart become senator, knowing what I do. And I can’t hurt my father. I need your help and input. Together we could come up with an idea.” She hesitated. “But I was also hoping we could do something else together first.” Her voice had dropped a husky octave and the atmosphere shifted.