Dare to Desire by Carly Phillips Page B

a button-down shirt and jacket, filling out the material like it had been cut for his broad frame. Just last night, she’d dreamed of the tattoos beneath, covering his tanned skin.
    Madison’s mouth grew dry. He’d shaved, and his smooth cheeks made her want to press her lips against his warm skin and breathe him in. She could already smell his cologne, and the scent did things to her that should be illegal during the day while she was fully dressed.
    He met her gaze, caught her staring, and his lips turned up in a sexy grin.
    Before she could react, Jon spoke, breaking the silence. “I take it you want to fight to hold on to the rights assigned to you?”
    She forced her gaze to the lawyer and nodded. “It’s more complicated than it looks. My foster mother’s house is located on property that is surrounded by land owned by the town. It’s been in the family for generations and has been zoned in as a private residence, but with Franny—that’s my foster mother—suffering from Alzheimer’s, she specifically told me when she’s no longer able to make decisions, she wants to go into a home. And she wants to sell the house and have the land dedicated to the town so they can turn it into a rec center for needy kids.
    “Why didn’t she handle this when she was capable?” Jon asked.
    A logical question. “Because she was always busy with charity and other things, and she never got around to doing it while she was lucid. No attorney would say she’s in her right mind now and change her will. Apparently, Eric, my foster brother, has a deal in the works to sell the land the house is on to a corporation wants to turn it into an exclusive resort on the edge of town.”
    Jon took notes as she spoke. Beside her, Alex listened intently.
    “Go on,” Jon said.
    “Eric claims he wants to enhance the beauty of the land, but that’s not it. He had a drug problem as a teenager, and he’s always run with a fast crowd. Wealthy people, parties with cocaine hidden but available.” She shook her head in disgust. “Anyway, Eric needs the cash influx the resort would provide. He has an inheritance from his grandparents, but he tends to blow through money and likes get-rich-quick schemes with his wealthy friends. There’s no financial interest involved for me. It’s about fulfilling Franny’s wishes. That’s all.” She twisted her hands in her lap until Alex reached over, stilling her with his calming touch.
    Unfortunately, his touch also worked to arouse her, and she squirmed uncomfortably in her seat.
    Jon cleared his throat. “Okay. According to this, he’s accusing you of exerting undue influence on his mother. How so?”
    Anger grew once more at the unfair accusation. “I have no idea how his mind works. All I know is I spend more time with her than he does. I’m sure he’s going to claim I pressed her into making me her power of attorney. It’s just not true,” she said, getting worked up at the thought.
    Alex squeezed her hand harder in reassurance that he was there. Solid and beside her.
    She forced out a calming breath. “Eric has always resented the very air I breathed, from the minute I came into that house.”
    Jon glanced at the papers. “When was she diagnosed?”
    “About a year ago. Her husband was her power of attorney and health care proxy before me.”
    “She changed it after he died?”
    Madison nodded.
    “After she’d already been diagnosed,” Jon said grimly.
    “Yes.”
    Jon blew out a breath. “When did your foster brother find out?”
    “When Franny started talking about going into a care facility.”
    The other man made notes then asked, “Were you their only foster child?”
    She shook her head. “There were others in the past, but I was the only one who stayed on. Others were transferred out quickly.”
    “Hmm. I’d like to get my P.I. to do some digging. Maybe we can get something on him that’ll scare him enough to make this go away easily. Let me see what I can turn up.