Dear Reader,

      Have you ever made a doozy of a mistake? One that impacted you and perhaps others for months, maybe years to come? Most of us make mistakes every now and then – if not every day. But I wanted to write about a heroine who had made a huge mistake by getting involved with and becoming pregnant by the wrong kind of guy. What I love about my heroine Lilli is that she decides to make the very best of the situation, and be the best mother possible.

      What kind of man would be a match for her? I was inspired by the idea of writing about a man of steel with a deep sense of responsibility, but no heart. A billionaire who does not believe in romantic love, who guards his heart because the men in his family have a history of being ruined by scheming women who use them. Max DeLuca is determined never to be played the fool by a woman. So what happens when it looks like his worst nightmare has come true? Is it possible that the man of steel could actually have a heart of gold?

      Enjoy the ride of this passionate story and stay tuned for more billionaires coming your way in the near future.

      I wish you love…

       Leanne Banks

      Special thanks to Cindy Gerard, Rhonda Pollero

      and all my wonderful, supportive writing friends

      and the great Melissa Jeglinski, who continues

      to make my work better!

      This book is dedicated to the comeback

      kid in all of us.

      One

      “Iunderstand you’re pregnant with my brother’s child.”

      Lilli McCall instinctively put her hand over her swollen belly and studied Maximillian De Luca. She’d reluctantly allowed him and his associate into her small suburban Las Vegas apartment. Heaven knew, she’d had several unwelcome visitors since Tony De Luca had died two weeks ago.

      She’d spotted the family resemblance between Tony and Max through the peephole of her door—the natural tanned complexion, similar bone structure. Only this man wasn’t as pretty as Tony. Tony had been full of easy smiles and charm, and ultimately lies. This man’s face was so hard she wondered if it would break into pieces if he smiled.

      Tony had told her about his brother, Max. He’d frequently complained that his brother was cutthroat, even with his own family. He’d called him the man of steel, a steel mind and a steel heart.

      Lilli had detached herself from Tony for good reasons. She wanted nothing to do with him, his friends or his family.

      “Miss McCall?” Max prompted.

      Taking a quick breath, she gave a slow nod, willing herself not to be intimidated by the tall man. “Yes, we got involved after my mother died, but things didn’t work out between us,” she said in a voice she knew was stilted, but she couldn’t smooth it for the life of her.

      “The details aren’t necessary. As you know, my brother died in an automobile accident. He had no will and no provision for children, so—”

      “I didn’t expect anything from him,” she interjected.

      He paused, his gaze flickering over her in a considering way again. “Really,” he said in a doubtful voice.

      His tone jabbed at her. “Really,” she said. “Tony was kind to me after my mother died, but it became clear to me that I didn’t belong in his world.”

      “Why is that?”

      “I—” She hesitated, her chest tightening as she remembered the fateful night that had made her break up with him for good. “We had different values. I wanted the baby brought up in a different environment.”

      His gaze fell to her pregnant belly. “You came to that decision a little late, didn’t you?”

      In more ways than he could know, she thought. “Yes, but I can focus on the baby or on my failures. Focusing on my failures isn’t going to help me. So,” she said, more than ready for him to leave, “since I wasn’t expecting anything from Tony, you don’t need to—”

      “That’s where we disagree,” he said and nodded toward the man standing behind him. “Jim, could you give me the paperwork? Lilli, this is Jim Gregory. You may recognize him as someone who has knocked on your door a few times recently.”

      Lilli tore her gaze away from Max long enough to look at the older man and recognized him. “I apologize,” she said. “I live by myself, so I’m not really comfortable opening the door to men I don’t know.”

      “I understand,” Jim said and she thought she saw a hint of compassion in the older man’s eyes. “Here it is, Max,” he said, producing some papers from a manila envelope, along with a pen.

      Max took the papers and pen and handed them to Lilli. “It’s a simple document. In exchange for one million dollars now and another million dollars if and