Brazen and Breathless (Untouchable #6) - Heather Long Page 0,57

on those?”

I turned them around so he could see them. Honestly, there wasn’t enough information on there to make out anything.

Maddy’s name and information was in the report’s “requested by” field. She was also listed as a maternal match to the sample that had to be me, unless she had some hidden fucking kid out there. Hey, maybe that was what she wanted to talk to me about…

“Think Maddy had a kid she didn’t know she had?”

“Yeah,” Jake said flatly. “You.”

Okay. So, not really a joke. All the playfulness in the day kind of deflated.

“…then get someone on the phone who possesses enough of a clue to answer the question,” Archie snapped, and I winced at the frosty level of his tone. “No, I don’t want your apology or a call back. I want to speak to someone in authority about unauthorized samples and their analysis. You can find someone to answer those questions in five minutes, or you can expect to hear from my lawyer and government inspectors. Tick. Tock.”

“How long before Archie tries to buy the lab?” Coop asked, and my gut bottomed out.

“He won’t.” Ian rubbed a slow circle against my abdomen. The gentle, rhythmic action soothed some of the disquiet looking at the tests triggered.

I mean, you didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to recognize paternity tests or at least DNA matches that suggested paternity.

Four tests.

Four candidates for my father.

Gentlemen, come on down. You’re the next contestants on Who’s Your Daddy?

Wow, Maddy needed tests to figure it out, because what? She’d been with them too close together to know for sure?

My stomach sank all over again, and I reached up to tug on my ponytail.

“Good,” Archie snapped suddenly. “Then you can answer my questions. I have a test here with the following sample numbers… I need the identities to go with the numbers, as well as when these tests were requested.”

A beat of silence then.

“You absolutely can if you’re authorized by one of those who was tested. Or are you in the business of invading someone’s privacy at the whim of another? Because I can assure you, she did not consent to have you analyze her DNA.”

“You know,” Jake mused. “I really kind of like it when he gets all arrogant and issues orders in his obey me or else tone.”

“Me too,” I exhaled. That was much nicer to think about over the actual content of the call or even the reasons behind it.

Three sets of eyes focused on me with such intensity, I had to smile. “I think you’re all sexy as hell, too. Don’t be hating.”

They all laughed, and Coop’s eyes warmed as he covered one of my hands with his and squeezed. Beneath his amusement—well, all of theirs really—was a thread of relief and tension. Ian’s arms tightened where he held me, and Jake cupped the back of my neck and I tilted my head obediently for another kiss.

“I’ll get the coffee. You still want it, right?”

“I’d kill for it right now,” I admitted.

“You want to go with me?” The offer was light, but I saw it for exactly what it was—a lifeline to get out of the conversation if I wanted it.

I had thought I couldn’t love him more.

I was wrong.

“I’ll always want to go with you,” I told him. “But I want and need to stay here too. Especially if Archie needs me to tell someone that I didn’t spit in a cup or give any samples for this.”

“Could have been hair,” Coop speculated. “Could have been—”

“Let’s not.” The sharpness in Ian’s tone silenced Coop, and I found myself wanting to soothe them.

“Yeah,” Coop agreed. “For now.” But he didn’t seem remotely bothered by it.

“I’ll be back,” Jake said, but I didn’t miss the way he glanced at me and then gave Coop a hard look. I would assume he did the same to Ian, but I got it. They were worried.

Me too. The door closed behind Jake, and I chewed on my thumbnail, staring at Archie as he paced. Tiddles sat right in the middle of the coffee table, tracking his motions as his tail lashed. I wanted to be on that call and nowhere near it.

I wished we’d never opened the stupid letters.

And I wish I’d never let them sit there for months.

Did she not care about them? I mean…they’d come in when she was still semi-around. Technically speaking. So, why not do something with them? Why keep them…?

“When were the first results sent?” Archie’s question had me