Secrets of Paternity Read Online Free PDF

agencies were involved. More exact descriptions of Paul’s out-of-character behavior.
    â€œI can start with this,” James said. “Give me a couple of days to do some preliminary digging. Do you want me to call you?”
    Kevin swallowed hard then nodded.
    James pretended not to see how much his help meant to Kevin. “What’s your phone number and address?”
    Kevin gave him a telephone number only. “It’s my cell.”
    It was twice in a week that someone was afraid to give James personal information. An image of the Harleywrecker flashed in his mind. She’d had the same sort of wariness in her eyes as Kevin.
    â€œI gotta go,” Kevin said, pushing himself up. He hadn’t taken off his jacket, and now he dropped his sunglasses back into place—before he headed out into the night.
    James didn’t want him to go, but he understood that if he wanted a relationship with this young man, he’d better take it slowly. He’d been handed a golden opportunity to get to know Kevin. He wouldn’t squander it because he rushed it.
    James extended his hand. Kevin clasped it. “Thanks,” he mumbled, then he headed for the door, his strides long and quick. The door shut behind him with a rattle of glass. His footsteps down the stairs were heavy and fast, drifting out of earshot within seconds.
    Silence crash landed louder than ever before in the big house James loved. He hadn’t realized just how empty it was, not truly. It made him hunger to fill it up now. Right now.
    He grabbed a beer and headed into his office. He would look up newspaper articles about Paul’s death first. But when he pulled up a chair to the computer, he just sat there, thinking about Paul, about how they met, and what had happened between them to make James indebted to him.
    He needed to tell someone. Not his mother, not yet. Not until the relationship settled. Quinn was in Los Angeles helping the other ARC owners on a big case. That left Cassie. He called her home number and got her answering machine. He hung up, debating whether to call her cell, which would be on, but he didn’t want to interrupt her night with her fiancé. They weren’t at home, so they must be out having fun somewhere.
    The doorbell rang. As before, he ignored it. It rang again.Fifteen seconds later, again. Irritated he headed to the front door. When he was a kid, an unlit porch light meant “do not disturb.” He didn’t have candy left to give out.
    He yanked open the door, intending to give an etiquette lesson to the trick-or-treater. No costumed kid stood there, however, but the Harley wrecker, not decked out in a costume but in blue jeans and a red sweater.
    â€œAm I interrupting something?” she asked, looking ready to flee, probably because he was scowling.
    â€œNo.” He was surprised by the jolt of reaction that whipped through him. “No, please. Come in.”
    â€œUm. No, thank you. I’m sorry for dropping by so late, but I saw your light on. I just wanted to know about the estimate on the repairs. If I owe you more money.”
    Maybe it was because he was already high on adrenaline from meeting Kevin that his heart started beating louder. That was part of it, he supposed, but more likely it was because he found her appealing. He liked that she was a woman of her word, that she’d shown up when she said she would, proving that such people did exist. He also liked the wary look in her eyes, similar, in fact, to Kevin’s expression, even the same shade of blue—
    â€œMr. Paladin?” she said, taking a step back, her expression even warier.
    â€œWould you like to have dinner?” he asked. He needed to talk to someone about what had just happened. He had a feeling she would sympathize or cheer or give him good advice on how to handle the situation. Maybe she even had teenagers herself.
    â€œWith you?” she asked.
    He smiled at the shock in