Free Know When to Hold Him by Lindsay Emory

Duncan were together for nearly two years. She believes the baby is his.”
    “Impossible.”
    Spencer’s eyes widened. “Because of a medical problem?”
    “No,” Liam answered in a clipped voice. “Because Mr. Duncan is a fine young man with strong morals who has decided to save himself for marriage.”
    “He claims to be a virgin.”
    Liam lifted a shoulder. “I can’t prove otherwise, can you?”
    A calculated curve spread over Spencer’s mouth.
    Magic , he thought. Pure magic.
    No other word described Spencer Hightower with such accuracy.
    “Actually, a paternity test can prove just that. So it’s settled. He’ll take the test and it’ll confirm what he already knows, and we’ll be done with this little situation.” Spencer’s voice was like hot melted honey. Sugary sweet, but dangerous. When a southern woman turned on “the sweet voice”, it should come with a warning. An evolutionary trick, a pretty flower that would snap tight as soon as an unsuspecting fly flew by.
    And something Liam wanted no part of. Especially on the receiving end.
    “When do we schedule the test?” Spencer reaffirmed her position.
    Poof. The magic just disappeared.
    Liam had been an agent long enough to know the old “baby daddy” routine inside and out. It was his policy to show 99.9% of the applicants for child subsidies to the door, unless one of two things happened: his client agreed or, even less likely, he was presented with indisputable evidence.
    Liam adopted a reasonable posture. “You’ll have to understand our position,” he said. “An athlete such as Mr. Duncan will have a significant number of these claims a year, the vast majority of which will prove to be false. Responding to each of them would be an undue burden on a busy professional, constantly on the road, training…”
    “It’s a cotton swab that he puts in his mouth,” Spencer conveyed in a tone that a kindergarten teacher might use. “We’ll ask the doctor to swab quickly so as not to waste any of Mr. Duncan’s valuable time.”
    Liam chuckled with no amusement. “I’m afraid the answer is going to be no.”
    “I don’t understand. If Mr. Duncan is, as you claim, a well-bred boy who has always kept his jock firmly in its strap, why would he refuse a paternity test? A quick test will confirm your assertion that he is, in fact, pure as the day his mama brought him into the world, and then he’ll be able to face the NFL Draft with no other distractions hanging out there putting an undue burden on him.”
    At the mention of the Draft, Liam’s jaw clenched. “We need evidence before we submit my client to…”
    “A sterilized cotton swab?” Spencer interrupted.
    Liam continued, pushing down his annoyance, trying to stay cool. “Unreasonable bodily searches for any extortionist that comes along…”
    “Extortion?” Spencer’s voice rose. “First you accuse Dr. White of being an arsonist, and now we’re extortionists? What next? Are we torturing poor Mr. Duncan? Depriving him of Doritos and his X-box? Poor Mr. Duncan.” She clucked her tongue.
    “What are—what?” Liam was exasperated. “What are you talking about? Arsonist? I never called her that!”
    Rainey piped up. “Your receptionist told me that I was an arsonist. I quote: ‘Mr. Duncan doesn’t negotiate with arsonists.’ End quote.”
    Liam sighed. Angii-with-two-I’s. He had used the word “extortionist”. And he hadn’t meant her to echo the exact words to the caller. He’d have to watch his f-bombs or they could have a real problem next time.
    “Let me be perfectly clear, Mr. Connelly.” Spencer stood, her associates following suit, ready to go. “There is no extortion going on here. My client is due to give birth any day now. For two years, she dated your client and believes he is the father of her child. So we can do this now, and do it easily, quickly, and quietly, or we can do it later, when there’s a big, bouncing bundle of joy that can make cute