Susan Mallery - Tempting

"You've, ah, got a head start on me," she said, hoping she didn't sound flustered or stupid. "And can we talk about how weird it is that we're not related but we can technically both call him Dad?"

Alex smiled at her. "I call him the senator."

"I probably should, too, huh?"

"You're not on his staff."

"Not unless he plans on getting into the restaurant business." She sighed. "Is there a book or something-Dealing with Unexpected Biological Parents for Dummies? I could really use that."

Alex grinned.

Her mouth smiled in return. It was an involuntary response to a sexy grin by a handsome man she liked. Their eyes locked, and suddenly she was, reliving that kiss in real time.

It had been good. Better than good. It had been hot and exciting and really, really tempting.

Oh, God. Talk about a mistake. There were fifteen reasons why they could never get together. It was…

They rounded a corner and she saw Katherine walking toward them. Dani instantly stepped away from Alex, fighting a surge of guilt, which was so weird. She hadn't been doing anything wrong.

She was so caught up in acting normal and blameless that it took her a second to notice the tall, incredibly beautiful woman at Katherine's side.

The four of them came to a stop.

"Dani!" Katherine said, sounding delighted to see her. "How wonderful to run into you." She leaned close and kissed Dani's cheek. "I want to be the first to welcome you to the family."

Katherine's graciousness awed Dani. Was the woman real? "Thank you. You're more than kind."

"I am many things, but they're not all good," Katherine said with a laugh. "Dani, this is Fiona, my former daughter-in-law. Fiona, Dani Buchanan, Mark's daughter."

"Hi," Dani said, as she processed the information.

"Nice to meet you," the slender redhead said absently. Her attention was totally focused on Alex.

Former daughter-in-law? Dani turned to Alex. His ex?

Fiona pushed past her and slipped her arm through Alex's. "I need to talk to you, darling. Do you have a minute?"

She pulled him away before he could answer.

Katherine stared after them. "We were all so sorry things didn't work out between them. But maybe with time…"

Dani glanced between Katherine and the retreating couple. Alex had been married to the redheaded goddess? Of course. He couldn't have been with someone average. Who was next on his to-date list? Halle Berry? Scarlett Johansson?

Katherine returned her attention to Dani. "How was your lunch with Mark?"

"Interesting. Political. They're worried word will get out about me. I'm not going to tell anyone, of course."

Katherine patted her arm. "Leaks are a way of life. You'll get used to it. Let them worry about strategy. Did Mark mention I've told the children?"

She had? "He said you were going to."

"They're very excited to have another sister. Whatever you do, don't give out your cell number or they'll start hitting you up for rides." Katherine laughed. "I want to have you over for dinner again very soon. We can all get to know each other. You're one of us now, Dani. That's both a good and a bad thing, so brace yourself. Now that we've found you, we're not going to let you get away."

"I'm okay with that," she said, overwhelmed by all that was happening.

"I need to run. I'll be calling you soon."

***

"And then she left," Dani said as she sat on a chair in Penny's office at The Waterfront. It was still several hours before the restaurant opened for dinner and the building was quiet.

Her sister-in-law frowned. "Katherine sounds great. What's the problem?"

"It's not her. You're right. She's wonderful. It's just there's so much going on. A month ago I barely knew Mark Canfield existed. Now I'm his daughter and part of a huge family. It's weird. Everything's happening too fast. I don't know what to think."

Penny smiled. "But this is what you wanted. To find out where you belong. Although I have to tell you, you're still a Buchanan. Don't think we're letting you get away, either."

"Everybody wants a piece of me," Dani joked. "I'm going to have an entourage."

"There are worse problems."

"I know." She grabbed the mug of coffee on the desk and took a sip. "Fiona was stunning. She's one of those really beautiful women. The kind that makes every other woman in the room feel like a two-dimensional, badly done drawing."

"So you hate her," Penny said cheerfully.

"Only in theory. She may be nice." Although she hadn't looked nice. She'd looked… predatory. "I can't believe Alex used to be married to her. He never said anything about it. I went online and looked-they're divorced. It's final and everything. That is one advantage to a family like the Canfields. A lot of stuff gets reported in the press."

She glanced up and saw Penny staring at her. "What?" Dani asked.

"You checked to see if his divorce was final? Why would you do that?"

Dani stared into her coffee. "I was, ah, just curious."

"Oh my God! You're attracted to him? Seriously?"

"No. Of course not. He's just a guy."

"You're lying! I can tell because you're blushing."

Dani touched her cheek and felt the heat. Damn. "Look, it's not what you think. Alex is… interesting."

"You're related."

"Not by blood. Don't be gross. He was adopted. I think he's nice and okay, maybe good-looking and there's some mild interest on my part, but it doesn't mean anything."

Penny didn't look convinced. "It complicates things."

“There's nothing to complicate. I'm not getting involved with him." She couldn't-no matter how great he kissed.

"No relationships." she told both Penny and herself firmly. "Do I need to remind you about my past?"

"No," Penny told her. "But maybe your luck has changed."

"Not likely."

***

Alex checked his watch, then excused himself from the meeting. He'd promised to take Bailey to dinner and he didn't want to be late. The various interactions of what might or might not happen if the press ever discovered Mark Canfield had a grown daughter could be handled by professionals who made their living working those kind of problems. Give him a good corporate lawsuit any day. Compared to politics, that was easy.

Dani wasn't prepared for the circus that was a national campaign, he thought as he walked toward the front of the building. Someone should talk to her about what to expect. Maybe later he could-

He pushed through the swinging door that led to the reception area. Fourteen-year-old Bailey was there, but so was a man Alex had never seen before. It only took him a second to figure out something was wrong.

Bailey sat on the floor, a yellow Lab puppy sprawled across her lap. The guy crouched next to her.

"Tell me more about your new sister," he said, a tape recorder in his hand.

Bailey smiled. "She's pretty and really nice. Ian likes her and he doesn't like anybody."

"She's your daddy's little girl."

Bailey wrinkled her nose. "She's not little. She's big."

Anger exploded into rage, but Alex was careful not to let it show. He stepped between Bailey and the reporter, then offered his sister a hand up.

"Bailey, would you please wait for me in my office?"

Bailey's eyes widened. "Is it okay I played with the puppy?" she asked.

He forced himself to smile. "Of course. Give me a second, then we'll go."

"Okay."

She kissed the puppy's head, then eased it off her lap and stood. When she'd waved goodbye and passed through the swinging door, Alex turned on the reporter.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

The man was in his late twenties, short and skinny. He stood and scooped up the dog in one arm. "Whatever gets the job done, man." He grinned. "I hear you have a new sister. Congrats."

Alex grabbed his arm. "Who the hell do you think you are, using a puppy to get secrets out of my sister?"

The reporter's grin broadened. "Kids love dogs. Specially kids like her. The stupid ones."

Alex's vision narrowed until there was only his anger and the other man. The insult to his sister fueled the need to lash out and before he could consider whether or not he should, he shot out his hand and punched the reporter in ttfe face.

The guy yelped, as did the puppy. Blood poured from his nose. The tape recorder fell to the floor and cracked open.

Alex stepped on it, crushing the electronic guts of the small machine, but it was too late. The damage had been done… in more ways than one.

The newspapers were delivered shortly after four in the morning. Alex was waiting for his. He walked into his kitchen and laid the front page on the dark granite counter. The message couldn't be more clear.

There was a picture of the senator, a blurry shot of Dani and a headline that read:

Senator Canfield's Love Child.

Dani was running late, which meant she wouldn't be able to stop for coffee. Penny would probably have a pot going, but she was more into food than liquids, which meant the chances of getting a double shot latte with extra foam were about zero.

"Drive-through," Dani murmured as she opened the front door and stepped onto the tiny porch of her rental. "Drive-through and-"

Her morning exploded into a blinding series of camera flashes and yelled questions.

"How long have you known the senator was your father?"

"Are any of your brothers his kid, too?"

"Are you asking the family for money?”

"Do you expect a cabinet position if the senator wins the election?"

Dani froze, stunned by the dozen or so people standing on her front lawn. Her inability to answer any of them didn't seem to stop the bombardment of questions.

They called out to her, took her picture and seemed to be waiting for something. A reaction, maybe? They were going to have to accept wide-eyed amazement, because that's all she had in her.

"Go away," she managed at last and started toward her car.

Reporters surrounded her, pushing tape recorders in her face and shouting out more questions.

"What does Mrs. Canfield think about you being her husband's daughter by another woman?"

"Are you going to change your name to Canfield?"

Dani made it to her car and managed to squeeze inside. She started the engine and shifted into Reverse, but the reporters continued to huddle around her car. Not knowing what else to do, she eased her foot off the brake and let the car start moving. At last the reporters withdrew.

Her relief was short-lived. As she backed onto the street, several of them ran to their cars. She blinked. There was no way they were going to follow her, were they?

It was like something out of a movie, only this was real and she didn't know how to deal with it.

Her first thought was that she couldn't go to Penny's. Not with a parade of reporters behind her. She grabbed her cell phone and used speed dial to call Walker. The former Marine would know what to do.

The call went through to voice mail.

Dani swore. She drove through her quiet neighborhood, a six-car escort right behind her. She managed to lose two at the first light and three more at the second. Encouraged by that, she headed for a congested intersection, faked going straight, turned left on the yellow light and zipped around another corner. When she was sure she'd lost everyone, she pulled to the side of the road and called her other two brothers.

And got no one. Apparently they were all busy with their own lives. She stared at her cell for a second, then called information.

"Campaign headquarters for Senator Mark Canfield, please."

Thirty minutes later, Dani was in a back booth at the Totem Lake Shad's. She barely had time to order coffee before Alex entered the restaurant. He looked good as he walked purposefully toward her. Despite the trauma of her morning, she could appreciate the broad shoulders and long legs. If nothing else, he was a distraction.

As he slid in across from her, he passed her the morning paper.

"You didn't see this?" he asked.

She scanned the headline and groaned. "No. I don't read the paper or listen to the news in the morning. It's too depressing. I guess I have to change that." She quickly read the article. "How did this happen? I didn't tell them. I swear."

"I know it wasn't you." He explained about Bailey and the reporter and the puppy.

She stiffened in outrage. "That's horrible. Who is the guy? I have a former Marine brother who would be happy to beat the crap out of him."