Rafe glanced at Nicole in triumph, but glimpsed a shadow of pain and uncertainty in her eyes. It stopped him. “Are you okay?”

“Of course,” she said, but the words sounded forced. “I should get Joel into a bath and then to bed.”

“I can help,” he said.

She looked as if she intended to protest, then closed her mouth. “That would be great,” she said and led Joel upstairs.

Rafe followed after her, unable to keep his gaze from her round derriere. He remembered grasping her hips as he thrust inside…Growing hard at the memory, he reined in his need. He would have her again. It was just a matter of time.

He helped Joel with bath time and after Nicole dressed him in snuggly pajamas, Rafe read two books. Joel fell asleep before Rafe finished the second story and he left his son’s room to go downstairs.

He found Nicole and Michael eating dishes of ice cream at the bar. Out of nowhere, he felt a sharp stab of jealousy. Her hair damp from a shower, Nicole wore shorts that revealed her long, lithe legs and a tank top.

“How did I miss the ice cream party?” he asked, keeping his tone light.

“I wandered into the kitchen and found Nicole with ice cream,” Michael said. “Couldn’t resist.”

Yeah, right, Rafe thought. “Is there any left?”

“I can share,” Nicole said, offering him her spoon and he felt just a bit mollified.

She lifted her spoon and he covered her hand with his and swallowed the bite of intensely chocolate ice cream. “Good,” he said.

She smiled. “I put it on the shopping list. A forbidden indulgence.”

“I’ll take another,” he said.

She lifted another spoonful to his mouth and he slid his tongue over the cold creamy confection then sucked it down his throat. He saw her eyes darken with sensual awareness.

Michael coughed. “Nicole told me you received a letter with photos from Aunt Emilia?”

Rafe nodded. “I got a copy made for you,” he said, reaching for his briefcase. He’d viewed the photos several times during the day, and each time was filled with bittersweet emotions. “It was so long ago it almost felt like pretend. A dream. This makes it more real,” he said, still surprised at the comfort the photos brought him.

Michael glanced over his shoulder. “Look. Damien’s hair is sticking straight up in that one.”

Although his chest felt tight, Rafe nodded and managed a laugh. “And Leo’s lifting his chin like he’s gunning for a fight.” He studied the faces of his mother and father. “I remember thinking Dad was so strong, never needing rest, but they both look tired.”

“What do you expect when they had to take care of four hellions like us?” Michael asked.

“The letter was strange. I’ll let you take a look at it. Emilia said that Leonardo isn’t dead. She said something about him being successful in Pennsylvania.”

Rafe looked at Michael and saw his brother’s face turn pale.

“Where is she? Where is this woman? I need to talk to her,” Michael said.

Rafe shook his head. “I ran a search for a phone number from the return address, but they said she had worked as a caretaker for their children. She moved on to take another job and left no forwarding address. I’m going to put an investigator on it.”

“He couldn’t be alive,” Michael said to Rafe. “Could he?”

Rafe knew Michael had felt guilt for Leonardo’s death. After all, Michael had gotten in trouble, so Leonardo had taken his place on that fateful trip on the train to the baseball game so many years ago.

“Don’t get your hopes up,” he cautioned Michael.

“But she had pictures,” Nicole said. “Pictures of all of you. And she knew about Joel,” she said to Rafe.

“Easy to say, now that he’s here,” Rafe said.

“I know it’s strange, but-”

“Damn right it’s strange,” Rafe said. “We’re already tracking Leo. I intend to check her out, too. She could answer a lot of questions about our past. Maybe the time has come for us to get those answers.”

Ten

Rafe’s cell phone rang. He took the business call from one of his clients and left Michael with Nicole on the patio.

“It’s good of you to help Rafe through this adjustment period with Joel,” Michael said to Nicole. “Learning that he had a son knocked him sideways. Of course, he recovered because that’s what he does.”

“I’m not sure how much help he’s needed. I’m getting the impression that all the Medici brothers are quite resilient,” she said, glimpsing some of the same drive in Michael that she saw in Rafe. Michael came across as quieter and more solemn.

Michael nodded. “Necessary for survival.”

“But all of you have done more than survive. You’re all very successful.”

“True. I think it’s partly a control issue,” he said and gave a slight smile. “Never want to be poor, never want to be at the mercy of someone else, never want to care too much that losing something or someone will blow our world apart.” He shrugged. “That one has gone by the wayside for Damien and Rafe. Damien fell in love and got married and now Rafe has a son he would give his life for.”

“Is Damien more like you or Rafe?”

“Damien is me times ten,” Michael said. “He used to be described as the terminator because he never let his emotions affect his decisions. Rafe hides his wounds with a joke. I remember when we were kids, he stepped on a nail and tore up his foot. My parents didn’t take him to the doctor until the next day because he kept saying it wasn’t that bad.”

“So, he was like that even before your family was split up,” Nicole mused, and even though she’d heard the story of what had happened to the Medicis before, the horror of it hit her again. “Rafe’s been so determined for Joel to know that he has a father and that his father will always be there for him. I know the loss was terrible, but Rafe comes across as so strong. He’s so confident, it’s almost-”

“Frightening?” Michael finished for her. “You look beneath the surface. You won’t underestimate him.”

“My sister did,” she said, and wondered if Tabitha had been afraid of Rafe because of his raw power.

“I think you’re smarter than that,” he said.

She laughed and shook her head. “Smart enough to know I’m not the right woman to handle that man.”

“What makes you say that?”

“He needs a woman who can stand toe-to-toe with him and look him in the eye without flinching. Plus, most powerful men aren’t satisfied with just one woman,” she said.

Michael wore an odd expression on his face and looked just beyond her shoulder.

“The things I learn when I leave my younger brother with the lady of the house,” Rafe said and Nicole felt a wave of embarrassment mixed with frustration.

“I’m not the lady of the house,” she said.

“I don’t see any other ladies around here except those who are employed to work here. I don’t know whether to be flattered or insulted,” Rafe said. “You not only know what kind of woman I need, you accuse me of running around on my future wife before I’ve even made it down the aisle.”

“I didn’t say you, specifically. I said most powerful men. In my previous life, I saw the inner workings of a lot of those power marriages, and trust me there was definitely a shortage of love and loyalty.”

“Sounds like you might be a little prejudiced when it comes to successful men,” he said lightly, but his gaze held hers.

“Again, I didn’t say successful. I said powerful. There’s a difference. With everything I’ve learned, I came to the conclusion a long time ago that if I ever marry, it will be to an ordinary man.”

Michael chuckled.

Rafe dipped his head, but his eyes were full of challenge. “You may have a tough time pulling that off given the fact that you are not an ordinary woman.”

“You’re full of flattery, but I see straight through it,” she said.

“Michael,” he said, “tell me, would you call Nicole an ordinary woman?”