Their Wicked Wedding by Ember Casey Read Free Book Online

him. But one can never be too careful, as I’ve learned these past couple of years. Better to nip this in the bud.
    I pull my cell phone out of my pocket and find the number for Joseph Osborne, one of the private detectives of my acquaintance. I’ll pass the matter off to him and see what he discovers. And if this situation requires more action, I’ll deal with it then. After the wedding. Until then, I have more important things to do.
    It’s not until I’ve spoken to Joe and hung up again that I see the icon reminding me that I have a message. The one left by the caller with the strange number. Is it possible that Mr. Harker tried to contact me before showing up at my office? How the hell did he get my cell number?
    My thumb hovers over the voicemail button, but then I curse and throw the phone down on the bed. I’m not dealing with this now. Lily is already frustrated with me because of this nonsense. I’m not going to give that man another thought, long-lost family member or not.
    But if he is who he says he is… If he’s really my half-brother…
    Our half-brother, I remind myself. He would be related to Louisa by blood as well. And Lily too, by marriage. This affects all of us.
    I picture him again—the dark eyes and hair, that something about him that seemed vaguely familiar. Were those Cunningham eyes? Was that my father’s hair? If I had looked a little harder, would I have recognized Wentworth Cunningham in that man?
    No. My father was not a perfect man, but he wouldn’t have cheated on my mother. He loved her deeply. She might have died when I was young—shortly after Louisa was born—but I can remember how close my parents were. And my father never remarried after she passed. That has to mean something, doesn’t it? The man never looked twice at another woman when she was gone. Why would he let his eye stray when she was still alive?
    Unless his behavior after her death was some sort of penance. Unless he thought to honor her in her death the way he never did when she was alive.
    No. I’m not indulging these thoughts. It just isn’t possible.
    I turn and stride out of the room. I need a distraction, and since Lily’s locked me out, a stiff drink will have to do. There might not be liquor in my room, but there has to be something in this house. Whatever it takes to make me forget about Taran Harker.

CHAPTER FIVE
     
     
    LILY
     
    If Calder thinks I’m going to ignore the fact that he’s keeping something from me, then he’s an idiot.
    And if he thinks he can keep staring me like he wants to tear my clothes off and I’ll just forget that he lied to me… well, he’s going to have to try a little harder than that. Secrets aside, I haven’t forgotten our game. It’s going to take more than one of his searing stares to break me.
    Still, it’s hard to concentrate on my breakfast when his eyes are boring into me the way they are. Goose bumps prickle across my skin as I stare down at my cereal, determined to ignore him. And to think I actually felt sorry for him when he stumbled in here this morning! He looked exhausted. Maybe even hungover. For a minute there, I thought about apologizing for the way I left things last night. There are healthier ways to deal with disagreements.
    But he seems fine enough now. He’s even started brushing his bare foot against mine beneath the table. He plays like it’s an accident, but I know better. And I don’t want him to think he’s getting to me, so I keep my foot where it is and pretend not to notice.
    I shove another spoonful of cereal into my mouth. Calder and I are sitting adjacent to each other at two sides of the square table, and Lou and Ward are sitting across from us, enjoying their own breakfasts. I said a few words to them when I first sat down, but when Calder joined us about ten minutes later, we all fell quiet. I suspect the tension between me and Calder—angry or sexual or otherwise—is more than a little palpable. And Calder and Ward