Slow Burn (A Madaris Family Novel) (2 page)

Slade Madaris opened the door and was suddenly entranced
by the woman he found standing there. He inhaled. Then exhaled. He repeated the process several times before forcing himself to speak. “May I help you?”

He saw the glint of surprise in her eyes and thought they were beautiful eyes. Warm and expressive. “You aren’t Dr. Justin Madaris, are you?” she asked in a soft voice with a New England accent.

Her question made a grin tug at his lips. “No, I’m not Dr. Madaris. I’m his cousin. Do you need to see the doctor?” It wouldn’t be the first time someone had come to the front door instead of following the sign and going around the back to where Justin had built a separate facility for his medical practice.

“Yes. No.” As if to explain her hasty response, she smiled and said, “This is not a medical call. I’m here to see both Dr. and Mrs. Madaris.”

Her smile did something to Slade’s insides, actually made his heart skip a beat. “I see,” he said, watching her nervously nibble on her lip. He wondered what had her so tense. He continued to watch the torture she was giving her mouth and thought they had to be the most kissable pair of lips he’d ever seen on a woman.

Deciding he’d seen enough and any more would push him to do something outlandishly bold—something his twin brother, Blade, would not hesitate to do—like pulling her into his arms and kissing her, Slade sighed heavily, then pushed away from the door frame and took a step back. “Then won’t you come in while I let them know they have a visitor?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Skye Barclay walked into the house feeling slightly off-key. If this man was an example of how they grew them in Texas, then she had lived in the wrong state all her life. He was simply gorgeous. And his eyes were so sinfully dark and alluring that she couldn’t help the warm surge that began coursing through her.

She put his age in the early thirties, no more than thirty-two or -three, and he had to be every bit of six feet three or more and was dressed in a pair of neatly starched well-worn jeans, a belt with a wide brass buckle, and a white chambray shirt. In her opinion he was the epitome of just what a Texan man should look like, all the way down to his booted feet.

And then there was his face. The man was as ruggedly handsome as any man had a right to be. In addition to the gorgeous pair of eyes, he also had a pair of lips that made you think of stolen kisses on a hot summer night and a pair of dimples that were responsible for the shiver she suddenly felt inching up her spine. His dark hair was cut low and neatly trimmed around his head, and his firm jaw more than complemented the rest of his striking features.

“Would you like something to drink while we wait?”

The man’s question recaptured Skye’s attention. She gave him a bemused look. “Wait?”

“Yes. Justin and Lorren are out riding. I’ve sent a text message letting them know they have a visitor.”

“You did?”

“Yes.”

She glanced around feeling somewhat embarrassed. She was acting like a sixteen-year-old noticing the opposite sex for the first time, instead of the twenty-six-year-old woman that she was. She’d been too busy checking him out to notice he’d used his cell phone. The one he was now placing back into the pocket of his jeans. Doing so made the denim material stretch tight across muscular thighs. She fought to hold back the little moan that threatened to escape her throat. She’d never reacted this way to a man before. Certainly not to Wayne.

“Introductions are in order, don’t you think?” he asked, smiling and offering her his hand. “I’m Slade Madaris.”

She took his hand, and the moment their hands touched she felt a tingling sensation flow through every part of her body. She cleared her throat and said, “And I’m Skye Barclay.”

His smile deepened. “Skye?” At her nod, he said, “I like that. It’s different.”

“Thank you. My mother named me after someone she once knew.”

“And where are you from, Skye? Although I have to admit that your accent gives you away. You’re a New Englander, right?”

She chuckled. “Yes. I’m from Augusta, Maine.”

Slade nodded. “The capital city. I’ve been there once, to a political fund-raiser a few years ago with my uncle Jake.”

“Jake Madaris?”

Slade lifted a brow. “Yes, one of my grand-uncles. Do you know him?”

She figured that now was not the time to let Slade know that her private investigator had given her a preliminary report on certain members of the Madaris family and Jake Madaris’ name topped the list since he was so widely known on a national level. “I don’t know him personally,” she replied honestly. “But you don’t have to be from Texas to know who he is. Everyone knows he married Hollywood actress Diamond Swain a few years ago and they have two children.” A teasing glint shone in her eyes when she then added, “See, I’m caught up on my entertainment trivia.”

Slade thought her chocolate-brown eyes held a warmth that nearly stole his breath. “You did pretty good. Their four-year-old son is Granite and their one-year-old daughter is Amethyst.” Then without missing a beat he said, “And you never did give me an answer about that drink. Do you want one while we wait?”

She shook her head. “No, thank you. I’m fine.”

It was on the tip of Slade’s tongue to say yes, she definitely was fine and in all the right places, but he knew such a comment would be inappropriate. Because of the number of projects Madaris Construction, the company he co-owned with Blade, had acquired in the last few years, he had basically put his social life on hold. The woman standing before him was making him think that maybe it was time for it to get reactivated. Every nerve in his body was coming to life just by looking at her. In all his thirty-two years he’d never felt remotely attracted to this degree toward a woman before, and he wasn’t quite sure just what to make of it. Blade was the playa in the family, the one who assumed it was his God-given right to have any woman he wanted.

Slade studied Skye thinking her age couldn’t be any more than twenty-five and she was no taller than five feet, three inches, with what he considered a perfect face: the coloring that reminded you of dark coffee with a smidgen of cream; full lips; high cheekbones; eyes the color of rich chocolate; and copper brown hair styled in twisted curls that stopped short of touching her shoulder blades. Her makeup, if she was wearing any, was light, and instead of lip coloring her lips shone from a touch of gloss.

She was wearing a floral top and matching skirt that complemented her petite figure, and a pair of flat leather shoes that seemed more for comfort than for show—although he thought they looked cute on her small feet. There was something about her that reminded him of a prissy, prim and proper lady. It was there in the gracefulness of her walk and the correctness of her talk. She was yet to slaughter a single verb.

“Would you like to have a seat then, Skye?” he heard himself asking.

Before Skye could answer, a smiling couple practically breezed into the room. From the genuine warmth in the handsome man’s incredibly dark eyes that connected to Skye’s—which were so much like Slade’s—she immediately got a comfortable feeling. And the woman by his side, whose smile was just as radiant as her beauty, sent out an air of friendliness. Skye knew from the private investigator’s report that Dr. Justin Madaris was forty-six. She immediately thought he wore his age well. Except for the sprinkling of gray at his temple, he looked younger than his years, and he appeared to be in great physical shape.

Skye’s gaze then moved to zero in on Lorren Madaris. At thirty-six she was definitely a beauty with her nutmeg complexion, dark brown hair that fell in soft curls to her shoulders, and eyes the color of rich caramel.

The first thing Skye picked up on was that they appeared happy together, very much in love, which was evident by the way Dr. Madaris was still holding his wife’s hand.

“Hello. I’m Dr. Madaris and this is my wife, Lorren. Slade said you wanted to meet with us.”

Dr. Madaris’ words pulled Skye’s thoughts back to the business at hand. She knew that in order to make them understand the reason for her visit she would have to tell them everything, which meant revealing information she herself just recently had discovered.

Sighing deeply, she took a step forward. “Yes, I’m Skye Barclay,” she said, offering both individuals her hand and immediately feeling the genuine warmth she had detected earlier radiating from their touch. “And I’ve traveled from Maine to meet with the both of you,” she continued. “It seems the three of us share a common interest in something. Or should I say someone.”

She saw a puzzled look appear in their eyes, and a quick glance at Slade, who was standing not far away, showed that same perplexed look in his gaze as well. It didn’t go unnoticed that Lorren Madaris instinctively moved closer to her husband’s side and he placed an arm protectively around her waist. Slade had taken a step to stand closer to the couple, sending a silent affirmation that as Madarises they stuck together. When Skye thought of just how disjointed her family was, she couldn’t help but admire such loyalty.

“And who might that someone be, Ms. Barclay?” Dr. Madaris asked in a clear yet non-intimidating voice.

Skye inhaled deeply. She had rehearsed this part many times over the past few weeks, since finding out the truth of her birth and deciding to make the journey to Texas. But now that the time had come, she was feeling more than slightly nervous. What if Dr. and Mrs. Madaris were not the pleasant couple they seemed? What if once she told them of the nature of her visit they saw her as a threat to their well-ordered life?

“Ms. Barclay?”

She knew that everyone in the room was waiting for her response, and an ingrained need pushed her to give them one. “Vincent.”

It was Lorren Madaris who spoke, and the question seemed to tremble off her lips in a soft tone. “Our son Vincent?”

“Yes. Vincent Madaris, your oldest son. I recently discovered that he’s my brother.”

Skye held her breath for a few tense moments while the
other three people in the room stared at her, as if they were trying to make sense out of what she’d said.

Then with a smile that she felt was both gracious and sincere, Justin Madaris cleared his throat and then gestured to a sofa and several chairs, “In that case I think we should sit down and discuss your recent discovery.”

She released a deep sigh as she crossed the room to take one of the chairs. The doctor and Mrs. Madaris sat close together on the sofa, and she noted Slade’s tall, muscular frame settling in the chair across from hers. He had introduced himself as Justin’s cousin, but evidently he didn’t consider himself a distant cousin, since by taking the chair and not excusing himself he was making a clear statement that he felt he had every right to remain and listen to whatever it was she had to say.

“Now then,” Lorren Madaris said in a soft voice while holding tight to her husband’s hand. “Tell us about your discovery.”

Skye nervously smoothed the fabric of her skirt across her thighs. She quickly glanced over at Slade. He was staring at her. But then a glance at the Madarises indicated they were staring as well. Everyone was staring and waiting.

The air surrounding her seemed to thicken, and breathing took an effort. But she forced herself to speak. “I discovered a little over a year ago that I was adopted. My parents never told me.”

“How did you find out?” The question was asked by Dr. Madaris.

“I stopped by my parents’ home one afternoon to visit. They didn’t hear me enter and were in the living room discussing me with Aunt Karen, my father’s sister. She was trying to convince them it was time to tell me the truth, that I’d been adopted. She thought I had a right to know and that I
should
know, considering the fact that I was getting married within the year.”

“You’re engaged to be married?” Slade asked, quickly glancing down at her hand and then returning his gaze to hers. She immediately became captured by his intense stare.

To break eye contact she glanced at her own hand that was now minus the engagement ring she had worn for a year and a half. She returned her gaze to his. “No. Not anymore.”

She decided not to bother them with the details of how Wayne Bigelow had made good his threat last week to call off their wedding if she continued to pursue what he considered a foolish move in flying out to Texas and meeting her brother. Wayne had given her an ultimatum, either him or Vincent.

“You hadn’t suspected you were adopted?” Lorren asked.

Skye shook her head. “No, I hadn’t had a clue and no reason to think so. It had been a well-kept secret and I was too shocked to ask my parents anything that day. It was another two weeks before I approached them with what I’d overheard.”

“And that’s when they told you the truth?” Dr. Madaris asked.

“Yes.”
But not before they lied and told me I’d heard wrong,
she decided not to add. She also decided it wouldn’t be worth mentioning how they’d joined forces with Wayne asking that she not look for her biological mother. The three of them saw her doing so as disrespecting her adoptive parents.

“So what happened next?” Slade inquired.

“I hired a private investigator,” she said.
Against my parents’ and my fiancé’s wishes
. “It took him almost nine months to finally get back with me, and it was then that I found out that my mother had given birth to me when she was sixteen, given me up for adoption, and later gone to college and met the man she married and they had two children.”

“And how old are you, Ms. Barclay?” Justin Madaris asked.

“I’m twenty-six.”

Lorren gazed at her husband before asking, “And who was your biological mother?”

“Kathy Lester. And she was married to John Lester. They had two children, Vincent and Candice. Kathy, John, and Candice were killed in a car accident almost twelve years ago. Vincent survived the accident.”

When Lorren nodded, Skye inhaled deeply and then continued. “It took me several more months to find out what had happened to Vincent. I learned he had first become a ward of the State of Texas since he had no living relatives. Then I discovered that at the age of six he had been adopted by the two of you.”

Lorren smiled proudly. “Yes, we adopted Vincent on his sixth birthday and he’s been ours ever since. He’s so much a part of us that we often forget he’s adopted. That might have been what happened in your parents’ situation. Over the years the word ‘
adoption
’ had no meaning in the relationship. In our case, of course Vincent knows he’s adopted, and remembers his parents and sister, although he was only five when the accident happened. He remembers the happy times he spent with them, and when he was younger he spoke of them.”

“But he doesn’t anymore?” Skye asked curiously.

“No, he hasn’t mentioned them in a long time. We were able to obtain some of their possessions for Vincent, like family pictures, and I think that helps because he has visuals that he can see whenever he wants.”

Skye’s stomach fluttered at the thought that someone had a picture of her biological mother. That had been the one thing the private investigator hadn’t been able to obtain.

As if reading the sudden look of longing in her gaze and understanding it, the older woman asked when she met Skye’s eyes, “Would you like to see the pictures, Skye?”

Skye smiled as a happy thrill shot to every part of her body. This was almost too much to hope for. “Yes, please. If you don’t mind.”

Lorren waved such a thought away as she stood. “Of course we don’t mind. I’m sure all of this, finding out you were adopted and have a brother, had to have been an awesome experience for you.”

“Yes, it was,” she said softly.
And the impact could have been softened if I’d gotten support from my parents and fiancé,
she thought. But it was as if the very idea of her finding out the truth had bothered her parents for some reason. And as for Wayne, what had been important to her just hadn’t mattered to him. From the day they’d started dating, it had always been all about him. She had put up with it only because her parents thought the two of them were a perfect match and she’d always wanted to please her parents.

“Would anyone care for something to drink while I’m up?” Lorren asked.

“Yes, sweetheart, a glass of wine would be nice,” Justin said, smiling at his wife. “I’ll pour the drinks while you get those albums.”

Standing, he glanced over at Slade and Skye. “Would the two of you care for anything?”

Skye, who’d felt her throat drying up earlier, said, “Yes. I’d like a glass of wine, too. Thanks.”

“Same here, Justin,” Slade replied.

While Justin walked over to a bar set up in the corner of the room, Skye glanced over at Slade. Once again she was captured by his intense stare. A part of her wondered if he’d somehow known she’d deliberately left out parts of the information she’d share with everyone?

“What about your father?”

She blinked upon realizing Slade had spoken. “My father?”

He nodded. “Yes, your biological father. Have you tried locating him as well?”

Slade’s words filled her mind, and she tried concentrating on them and not on him. An atmosphere of sensuality surrounded him, to a degree she definitely wasn’t used to in a man. She struggled to calm the unfamiliar emotions rising within her as she responded to his question. “No, although I’d like to. But it seemed to take forever to get the information on my mother and more than anything I wanted to know about her first.”

Skye thoughtfully nibbled on her lower lip. She didn’t want to think how her parents would feel if she began getting information on her biological father as well.

“Here’s your drink, Skye.”

She glanced up and looked into the eyes of a smiling Justin Madaris. She accepted the wineglass he handed to her. “Thank you.”

At that moment Lorren Madaris returned with several large photo albums. She smiled over at Skye. “I think John Lester’s favorite pastime was taking pictures of his family, and I’m thankful for that,” she said, handing the albums over to Skye. “And I know this has to be a very special moment for you, one you might want to experience alone. We’re going into the kitchen for a while to give you your privacy.”

“Thank you.” Once again Skye was appreciative of the woman’s understanding and insight. Somehow Lorren Madaris understood her need to see the pictures for the first time alone. It would be like unveiling a part of her history. She would be seeing photos of her mother, sister, and brother. They were another family she hadn’t known existed.

She watched Justin and Lorren turn to leave. Lorren stopped and sent Slade, who hadn’t moved out of his chair, a questioning look. “Slade?”

He glanced at Lorren and Justin before moving his gaze to Skye. Skye felt her skin tingle when he stared at her for a second before giving her a soft smile. “I’m staying with her,” he said simply.

Skye’s heart stuttered at his words, and when Justin and Lorren glanced back at her, seeking confirmation that it would be okay for him to remain, she nodded. For some reason she wanted Slade to stay. “Yes, that’s fine,” she said softly.

After Justin and Lorren left the room, Skye glanced over at Slade. He still hadn’t moved out of the chair, and his encouraging smile sent a wave of goose bumps over her skin. “Go ahead and look at the photos, Skye. I’m going to be right here, if you need me.”

His words touched her. He didn’t know her. He had met her less than an hour ago, yet Slade Madaris had done something in that time frame that Wayne hadn’t done in all the years he’d known her. Slade was making himself available to her. Unselfishly. Somehow he understood the impact seeing the photos might have on her and hadn’t wanted to leave her alone. She was overwhelmed by such thoughtfulness and caring coming from a total stranger.

“Thank you,” was the only thing she could think to say, too filled with emotion to say anything else at the moment.

She noticed her hands trembling as she opened the first photo album. Her heart caught immediately. She swallowed hard. The very first photo was that of her mother, standing alone under a huge sycamore tree. She was smiling for the camera, for her husband. As Skye studied the picture, the first thought that came to her mind was,
I favor her a lot. We have the same oval face, the same dark brown almond-shaped eyes, and the same-shaped lips.

There was no doubt in Skye’s mind that she was this woman’s child. She inhaled deeply at the thought that Kathy Lester had been the one who’d given birth to her. Her biological mother.

As Skye continued to slowly turn the pages, she knew this first album was one that John Lester had put together as a loving tribute to the wife he adored. And from the way Kathy Lester was smiling back into the lens of the camera, one would know that she loved her husband as well. No matter what mistake she’d made at sixteen, Kathy had found true love and happiness in later years with John Lester.

Skye couldn’t help but wonder if her mother had told John about her, about the child she’d given up for adoption at sixteen. A part of Skye wanted to believe that she had. She wanted to believe her mother and her husband had shared a relationship based on love and trust and there hadn’t been any secrets between them.

Skye then wondered if it had been a hard decision for Kathy to make in giving her up. Had she held her in her arms before doing so? Or did she have domineering parents who had left her no choice in the matter? Parents who’d made the decision for her.

Skye closed the first album and placed it aside and opened the second. She was tempted to glance over at Slade, but she knew he was there, quietly sitting in the chair, sipping his wine and watching her. The first photo she came to nearly made her heart stop. It was a family portrait, probably the last one the four members of the Lester family had had taken together. Kathy Lester looked radiant and gorgeous, her husband handsome, and her two children were beautiful.

Skye studied the face of the little boy in the photo, who couldn’t have been more than four when the picture had been taken. Like his mother’s, his face was oval, his eyes dark brown and almond shaped. But he had the smile and dimples of his father.

Her gaze then moved to the little girl who was probably not quite two yet. Skye’s breath caught at how much the little girl favored her when she’d been that age. She stared at the photo, thinking of the loss of her mother and sister, their husband and father. Vincent. The four had lost one another in a way that could never be changed. And in a way she had lost them, too. Everyone but Vincent. A shiver of happiness ran through her knowing there was now more than a possibility that she could meet the brother she never knew she had.

“Are you okay, Skye?”

Slade Madaris’ voice filled the room. It was deep, sexy, concerned. A long pause ensued before she finally said, “Yes, I’m okay.”

But even as she was saying the words, she swiped at the tears that came into her eyes and she knew she was headed toward an emotional meltdown, one she’d tried fighting since discovering she’d been adopted. But she couldn’t fight it any longer. Although she tried holding them back, the tears kept coming.

Suddenly, the album was taken out of her hand. She felt herself being pulled up from the chair, and her throat seemed to squeeze shut when large, strong arms wrapped around her, pulled her close to a solid, muscular frame. She automatically leaned into Slade, totally mesmerized not only by his touch but by his tenderness. He was comforting her and she clung to him, as if he were the life preserver she desperately needed in this massive storm she was going through.

More tears came and he wrapped her tighter into his warm embrace. Her mind became blurry. She didn’t want to question why Slade was giving her—a woman he didn’t know—so much attention. All she cared about was the fact that he was doing so.

“That’s it. Let it all out, Skye. Cry for each of them. Cry for your loss. Theirs. It’s okay.”