Sexy in Stilettos Read Free

made him think about parts of himself he hadn’t thought about in years. The parts that wanted to get close and to comfort. The parts he knew better than to trust. They stirred within him, wanting to take care of this woman with the wide caramel eyes that made him think of Bambi . Keep it casual Danthers. Before you get stung. “Well, whatever it is, I promise you, it’s not worth your tears. You can do better.”
    Alec stumbled off the elevator, feeling like he’d been poleaxed. He whipped his head around as he searched for a floor number. He’d been so eager to escape her, he hadn’t paid any attention. Maybe it was the quiet strength with which she held herself together. So strong, she didn’t dare show anyone any vulnerability. And when she had, she’d only done so because she was too far gone to keep it together. She reminded him of the only woman he ever loved. Adele .
    He paused in the middle of the hallway, earning him a quizzical look from the maid. He tried for a charming smile but knew he fell short when she raised an eyebrow. “Sorry. Do you know the way to the Grand Terrace?”
    She nodded toward the door he passed on the left. “Next floor up.”
    He mumbled a thank you and headed for the doorway, taking the stairs two at a time. Get your head together . Adele called him home because she needed him. He couldn’t afford to have his brain on frappe.
    His stepmother spotted him before he even made it out the terrace doors. The smirk on her face tipped up one corner of her lips, making her look younger than her fifty years. She dismissed her assistant in characteristic Adele fashion, with a scowl and a boot up the ass.
    Alec tried to hide his chuckle. “Do you have to be so hard on your assistants? That one looked ready to piss herself or jump off the terrace.”
    She shrugged elegant shoulders. “I need one made of sterner stuff. I don’t know why these twenty-something young things keep showing up, hoping I’ll teach them how to be a socialite. I expect them to work. Shit, at their age, I already had my own company.” She shook her head and scrutinized him. “How’s my boy?”
    Some of his frozen annoyance at being summoned defrosted a little. She always referred to him as hers. Even though she’d been his stepmother, she’d treated him like family from the first day he showed up on her doorstep, demanding to see a father he’d never met. It was the sole reason he was standing here now.
    “Your boy’s fine.”
    “Bullshit.” She placed her hands on her hips, sauntering to the railing like the fashion model she’d once been. “Is it a woman?”
    How the hell did she guess? “Nope.” Shoving his hands in his pockets, he joined her at the rail.
    She faced him, arms stretched out for a hug.  He enveloped her in an embrace and wondered how in the world he ever thought her to be a giant. But then and now, she was a force to be reckoned with. Even the hug she gave him was fierce and tight, as if she could take on all his problems. He returned it. Mom . The word went unspoken, but both of them knew he how he felt.
    She set him away from her and sniffed. “Let me look at you properly. Then we’ll talk and maybe you’ll tell me about the woman who has you in knots.”
    “I told you, there’s no woman.”
    “And I’m telling you not to lie to me.”
    In a hurry to change the subject, he said, “So, what’s my little brother done now?”
    She wrinkled her brow. “Don’t say it like that.”
    “Come on. I wouldn’t be here unless you needed me to clean up one of his messes. And it would have to be a pretty big mess if I’m here. Normally your lawyers handle it.”
    She sighed. A deep sigh that told of her age and exhaustion. “It’s more than one thing.  I don’t even know where to begin.” She reached out and touched his arm. “I wouldn’t place this burden on you if it wasn’t important.”
    He hated that word. Burden . He owed her his life. They both knew it. But he