An Unexpected Scandal

When one late night

changes everything!

They work so well together

in so many ways...

Nick Campbell’s life has been upended. His hated rival is the father he never knew, and his top-notch architect, Silvia Lane, is having his baby. It’s time for the billionaire to regain control. First step: get Silvia to marry him. But she’s not having it. She has her own plans for how things should go, and she wants real love or nothing!

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Jules Bennett

USA TODAY bestselling author JULES BENNETT has published over sixty books and never tires of writing happy endings. Writing strong heroines and alpha heroes is Jules’ favourite way to spend her workdays. Jules hosts weekly contests on her Facebook fan page and loves chatting with readers on Twitter, Facebook and via email through her website. Stay up-to-date by signing up for her newsletter at julesbennett.com

Also by Jules Bennett

The Rancher’s Heirs

Twin Secrets

Claimed by the Rancher

Taming the Texan

A Texan for Christmas

Two Brothers

Montana Seduction

California Secrets

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

An Unexpected Scandal

Jules Bennett

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-0-008-90427-2

AN UNEXPECTED SCANDAL

© 2020 Jules Bennett

Published in Great Britain 2020

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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This book, and this entire series, is dedicated to the

other half of my brain, Jessica Lemmon.

I’m thankful for boat-ride plotting, FaceTime chats

when we look our absolute worst and a special

friendship that goes well beyond books.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

Dedication

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Fifteen

Sixteen

Seventeen

Eighteen

About the Publisher

One

The cool spring rain pelted Nick Campbell’s back. The unopened envelope in his hand held a secret he’d yet to discover...and part of him wanted to shred it and let the secret die with his mother.

Nick stood over Lori Campbell’s pearl-white casket and stared down at the spray of pink roses cascading in every direction. She had left him this letter and told him there were two more to be delivered to the others.

So many secrets, so many cryptic deathbed messages.

Honestly, he didn’t care about any of that right now. The yawning ache in his heart over losing his mother trumped all other emotions.

But he’d vowed he would read the letter once she was gone. She had passed five days ago, and he still hadn’t opened it. For days he’d carried the envelope around in his pocket, thinking he’d look at it, but one thing led to another. Arrangements were made, insurance dealt with, so many details for a funeral. Nick just hadn’t had the time or the energy.

Anticipation and worry gnawed at him, and he knew the moment had come. He had nothing else waiting on him, nothing pressing right this second...and he’d promised his mother.

Nick tore his eyes from the casket and gazed down at the wrinkled envelope in his hand. He tore the seal open and pulled out the letter. With a deep breath, he started to read.

Shock, anger, confusion...so many emotions rolled through him that he had nowhere to channel everything. Nick read through the letter once again, slower this time, hoping he’d read it wrong.

What the hell? How could he process her death and this, too? It was all too much to take in—and he didn’t want to accept any of it.

When he’d realized his mother was indeed going to pass only a few short weeks ago, he’d closed in on himself, not wanting to even think of a future without her...let alone finishing the resort she’d started renovating with his help.

The resort that had led him to Silvia.

For one night, Silvia Lane, lead architect on the resort project, had been more than an associate, more than an acquaintance.

She’d been passionate, giving, so damn sexy that he couldn’t stop thinking about every single detail. Her hair sliding over his body, that naughty grin she’d tossed him just before she’d let her pencil dress slide down her body. And he’d never forget the way she’d cried out his name as her pleasure took over.

That heated encounter had played over and over in his mind the last four weeks. The morning after, she’d slipped back into her dress, and they’d both agreed there would be nothing beyond that night. She was new in town and building her career. She couldn’t afford for anyone to know she’d slept with a client. And he sure as hell was in no position to add another complication to his life.

But she’d comforted him when grief had overtaken him. And part of him wished for more comfort from her now.

Nick’s eyes scanned back over the page until the handwritten words blurred together. He wanted to shred the letter, as if that would make this entire nightmare go away. If only things could be so easy...

Unfortunately, Nick knew his mother wouldn’t lie. The woman didn’t have a deceitful bone in her body, and she would never purposely hurt him, not even with the bombshell she’d left him with.

That didn’t mean he understood why she’d kept the truth from him for so long. Or why she’d chosen to share it with him only after she was gone and he could no longer get answers. And what had she meant about two other letters?

Nick pulled in a shaky breath and shivered against the cold rain. He’d said his private goodbyes and it was time to go. He had to move on, to continue to honor his mother’s wishes, and carry out her plans.

The crunch of leaves had him jerking around, coming face-to-face with Silvia...the woman he hadn’t seen since their one-night stand.

Silvia had stood back beneath the covering of a lush tree and watched as Nick clearly had a private moment over his mother’s grave. He’d pulled an envelope from his pocket and studied it for some time.

Gripping her umbrella, Silvia decided she couldn’t stand here forever like some stalker. She had to approach him now before she lost her nerve.

For the past five days she had tried to contact him, but then she’d learned about the death of his mother, and she knew the timing of her news couldn’t be worse. She understood why he was not responding to her texts or calls.

It hadn’t been because she’d broken their promise to keep it to just one night.

He was grieving, just as he’d been that night everything had changed.

She wanted to go to him, to place a hand on his shoulder to comfort and console, but everything was different now.

They’d had a strong working relationship for the past few months, and then one night in his office, he’d broken down about his mother, and one thing led to another.

There had been attraction building since day one, when he’d hired her as the lead architect for the renovation of his mother’s resort.

Being the professional she was, she had kept her erotic fantasies to herself...until that night when she hadn’t.

Now look where that had landed her.

How had she fallen for his charms? It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been charmed by men before. Maybe it was Nick’s vulnerability that night. Perhaps coupled with the impossible-to-ignore sex appeal, she’d really been fighting a losing battle.

Silvia gripped the handle of her umbrella now and shoved her other hand into her jacket pocket. The spring rain and gray skies matched her mood as she took one courageous step and then another.

Nick jerked around, his bright eyes met hers and her mind instantly flashed back to that night they’d taken their business meeting from his leather office chairs to his oversize desk...

She hadn’t seen him since, but he’d always been in the forefront of her mind.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, his voice thick with emotion.

Silvia had never seen him so dressed up. He typically wore jeans and a button-down dress shirt, but now he wore a charcoal suit with matching shirt and tie. His dark blond hair perfectly styled, even in the rain, his usually scruffy jaw clean shaven.

And those glasses.

No matter the anguish he was going through, those glasses stopped her cold. She’d knocked those dark frames off his face when she’d jerked his shirt over his head that night.

Focus, Silvia. You’re not here for a reunion, and he’s hurting.

Neither of them could afford to get more involved than they’d been for those few hours.

He’d disappeared after, and Silvia’s heart ached for him during this loss. The timing of this little secret could not be worse. She’d never lied in her life and she certainly wasn’t about to start now, not even to save him from more shocking news.

“I’m checking on you,” she told him honestly. “I didn’t want to smother you during the service. I saw so many people, and I just... I don’t really belong here, but I had to come.”

Understatement.

“I called and texted,” she went on as the rain continued to pelt her umbrella. “I figured this was the only place we could talk.”

Droplets clung to his darkened hair, normally a dirty blond when dry. He seemed oblivious to the fact that he stood before her absolutely soaked, with raindrops dotting his lenses.

He still looked too damn good.

“Talk?” Nick shook his head and removed his glasses. He wiped a hand down his face, flinging the moisture aside. “Work is going to have to wait. I know I was pushing for this project to be done, but—”

“I’m not here about work.”

His eyes widened for a split second before his lips thinned. “We can talk in the car.”

Guilt tugged at her. He stood at his mother’s casket, saying his final goodbyes, and here she was, demanding they talk.

If her news weren’t so life changing, she wouldn’t be here.

“I can go wait in my car,” she told him, then nodded toward the casket. “You take your time.”

She turned and walked away, not giving him a chance to argue or ask questions. She’d told him they had to talk, and he’d agreed—now she and her bundle of nerves just had to go and keep each other company until he joined them.

The moment she slid behind the wheel, Silvia closed her eyes and willed herself to remain calm. Getting worked up would not change the circumstances, and she had to maintain control. Getting emotional or hysterical wouldn’t help and she prided herself on being professional. Now that her professional life had rolled into her personal life, she still had to maintain her composure.

Silvia had only been in her car a couple minutes when the passenger door opened and Nick leaned in.

“I’m soaking wet. Just follow me back to my place. I’ll change and we can talk.”

He slammed the door before she could say a word, and Silvia dropped her head back against the headrest. She’d followed him here in the rain for a number of reasons. She didn’t want to go to his house, didn’t want to be on his turf when she broke the news, and she didn’t want to wait.

So she didn’t.

Silvia opened her car door and stepped out, sans umbrella. She jerked the knot on her trench coat and marched toward Nick’s menacing black SUV. Nerves and fear swirled together, but she swallowed back the emotions to focus on the task.

“I need to talk now,” she demanded to his back.

He turned, clearly stunned that she had not obeyed his command to just follow him home. But she was done waiting and keeping this secret to herself. She always tackled issues head on, and she was ready to start planning the inevitable changes that were to come.

There was no right time to say it, so she just said it.

“I’m pregnant.”

Nick slowly turned all the way around to face her, his eyes never wavering. Silvia practically held her breath, waiting on him to say something or have some reaction other than a blank stare.

“Nick?” she finally said.

“Meet me at my house.”

And with that he turned, got into his truck and drove off. Looked like she would be following him to his house after all, but the first order of business would be teaching Nick Campbell that she didn’t take commands from anyone.

Two

If this day could get any worse, Nick sure as hell didn’t want to know how.

First, he laid his mother to rest.

Second, he’d read the final words of his mother in the form of a letter that had left him reeling and shaken.

And finally...this was the real kick in the gut. The lead architect on his mother’s multi-million-dollar resort and the only woman he’d ever had a one-night stand with informed him she was pregnant.

He pulled up the long, curvy drive leading to his private mountain home overlooking the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The tall red spruce and Fraser firs flanked each side of the drive and he’d been sure to leave as many untouched as possible when he’d cleared his lot for his three-story cabin.

This place had always been a tranquil escape from his hectic life and travel as a business mogul and investor. But now, even the sight of the cozy stone home that he’d had built only a few years ago didn’t calm him. His nerves were all over the place, coupled with guilt and pain.

A child.

He was going to be a father? Supposedly, anyway. He knew nothing about parenting. He’d never even wanted a family.

For nearly forty years, he’d wondered who his own father was, but his mother had always said he was better off not knowing. How ironic that now he was sliding into a role he knew absolutely nothing about.

And to become a parent with a woman he had only been intimate with once?

Oh, he’d fantasized about her plenty before that night. Her quick wit and smart business sense had been total turn-ons, not to mention they meshed perfectly together while working on the designs for the mountain resort he would be opening in the fall.

Even his mother had adored Silvia.

Those two had laughed and really seemed to be on the same page when it came to the minute details of the elite, yet cozy mountain getaway. Nick had loved seeing his mother so happy in her final days, but from his vantage point, having Silvia penetrate another layer of his life wasn’t smart. A quick fling was one thing, but getting too personal, too permanent, could be a disaster.

Clearly they were entering dangerous territory if he was indeed the father of her child. And, honestly, he didn’t believe she would lie about this. He trusted Silvia or she wouldn’t be on this project...and he wouldn’t have slept with her.

Nick pulled into his garage and left the door open for Silvia to follow. He had no clue what to say. Hell, on a good day he wouldn’t know how to react to the news that he was going to be a daddy, but today he was emotionally drained and had nothing left to give.

He stepped from his SUV and removed his suit jacket, then unbuttoned the top two buttons of his dress shirt before rolling up the sleeves. Damn thing was too confining. He certainly wasn’t a suit type of guy on a normal day.

His cell vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled the phone out, only to ignore the caller. Rusty Lockwood’s office. Of course they’d call now, when Nick’s world seemed to be falling apart.

He had been demanding a meeting for weeks.

Rusty had been the proverbial thorn in Nick’s side for far too long, and today was not the day to deal with that mess. The moonshine mogul and CEO of Lockwood Lightning ruled the resorts and bars of this upscale area with an iron fist. You served Lockwood moonshine or you served nothing at all. Anyone who refused to bow down to Rusty didn’t receive a liquor license. And since the grade-A bastard had refused the liquor license for Nick’s mom’s resort, Rusty was also Nick’s main nemesis.

One crisis at a time.

He turned back to Silvia to take care of the current, more pressing crisis.

“I tell you I am pregnant and you just drive off?” Silvia stated as she stepped into the garage and smoothed her wet hair from her face.

“Did you want to get into this at the cemetery?” he countered, the fear and uncertainty raging inside of him.

When she only stared, Nick turned and headed inside—again, he left the door open for her to follow. He heard the most unladylike growl behind him and cursed beneath his breath. He was being an ass, and she didn’t deserve it. His emotions were all over the place and he had to take a deep breath and get himself under control.

It wasn’t until she’d stepped into the kitchen that Nick realized she’d gotten completely soaked from the downpour. He was soaked, too, but he’d been numb most of the day anyway. She shouldn’t have to be miserable.

“I’ll grab us some towels,” he muttered as he headed down the short hallway toward one of the guest baths.

Nick also grabbed the thick white robe off the back of the door and turned to find Silvia standing in the doorway.

“Are you running from me?” she asked, blocking his exit and holding his gaze.

He handed over the towel and the robe. “I’m not running,” he corrected. “I’m trying to get us dry.”

And maybe he needed to stay busy to ignore all the emotions he wasn’t ready to face.

Silvia clutched the items in her hands and continued to stare at him. Even with her hair hanging in ropelike dark crimson strands, her wet clothes plastered to her shapely form and her face void of most makeup, she was still a damn knockout.

He’d often wondered how he would feel when he saw her again after that night. Now he knew. Even with everything going on, he wanted her. Apparently, nothing could diminish the pull between them.

“I’m not purposely being a jerk,” he started as he raked the towel over his head. “I’m just... Hell, I don’t even know what to say.”

“I’m not sure what can be said at this point.” Silvia patted her face and squeezed her hair with the towel. “I tried getting in touch with you, but you were busy with your mother. I hated showing up at the cemetery, but I knew I would find you there. I purposely waited until everyone else was gone.”

In the pouring rain, she’d waited. He’d never met anyone as determined as she was.

“I just want you to know that I don’t expect anything of you,” she went on. “I mean, if you want to be part of our lives, that’s up to you, but I’m not trapping you and I’m not—”

“Stop.”

Nick dropped his towel to the floor and reached for hers. She had draped the robe over her arm, but water still dripped from her hair, droplets clinging to her light lashes. Those bright blue eyes remained locked on him as he took her towel and dried her hair. His body reacted, as it always did when she was around, but somehow, knowing she was carrying his child only made him crave her more.

He stepped back because his emotions were too raw, too intense.

“My mother raised me by herself.” Nick handed her the towel and watched her slide it down the darkened red strands. “She struggled, sometimes working two jobs, but she never missed my ball games and was always my biggest cheerleader. I never felt like I lacked a father. She was an amazing woman.”

Speaking of her in the past tense seemed so strange, so painful...so foreign. She should still be here, alive and vibrant, and finalizing plans on the Smoky Mountains resort she’d always dreamed of opening. And how would she have reacted to the possibility of being a grandmother?

Nick swallowed and went on. “As I got older, I appreciated her drive and determination. That’s why I’m so successful today.”

“Are you bragging?” Silvia asked, her mouth kicking up in a slight grin.

“Stating facts,” he corrected. “What I’m saying is that my mother was a kick-ass woman, and I believe you’re just as stubborn and driven.”

Silvia blinked. “Um...thanks?”

“Listen, you won’t be doing this alone.” Nick stepped closer again and gripped her shoulders. “I know what it’s like to grow up without a father, but this child will not.”

He waited for her to say something, to argue or thank him...hell, he didn’t know what to expect. None of this was familiar territory, but he never backed down from a responsibility, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to start now with the most important role of his life.