A Family Affair - First Born by Marilyn McPherson Page A

staring back with an equally shocked sort of expression on his face. Something was going on here which he did not understand. The two of them seemed to be silently communicating with each other, and Tom was excluded from the conversation. It didn’t feel right, and he didn’t like it. “Do the two of you know each other already?” he asked, unsure what else to think.
     
     

Chapter 15
    Kane’s day had just gone from interesting to very interesting.
    He had come to this lunch with low expectations. There was little chance of having anything in common with his half-brother or biological father. After all, this was the family who didn’t want him as a baby. He had supposed the three of them would make polite conversation and completely avoid the topic of his abandonment. To learn that his father didn’t even know he existed was a surprise, to say the least. It changed everything. Perhaps a relationship with his father would be possible.
    During the days leading up to this meeting, Kane and his new brother had spoken numerous times on the phone. The man had seemed friendly and Kane had been looking forward to meeting him, if nothing else. The fact that Tom suggested the three of them meet at a private golf club was worrying though. Kane would have nothing in common with two rich golf enthusiasts. But he had decided to come to the meeting out of sheer curiosity in the end. It was just a ‘meet and greet’ after all. Before he had arrived, there had been no obvious reason to think he would see either of them again, unless he wanted to.
    When he had first arrived and seen Tom wave him over, he’d thought the man looked vaguely familiar, but hadn’t joined the dots until Ellen walked in. It was Ellen’s Tom. Tom Bradley, Chief Executive and owner of Satinol Cosmetics. His half-brother was famous and very rich, and his father wealthy too. Wasn’t Jack Bradley some sort of property tycoon in Melbourne who owned vast numbers of houses and apartments? Things were starting to click into place. Suddenly, an ongoing relationship with these people seemed more probable. But money was not the most important thing on Kane’s mind.
    He stared at Ellen like a blind man whose vision had just returned. She was soft and beautiful, and more engaging than he remembered. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. As attractive as she was, the girl was also a mystery. Her eyes and face were angelic, yet her long dark hair hung low on her womanly curves, hinting at another hidden side to her personality - one that enjoyed and craved male intimacy.  She wore a loose-fitting low cut top which he couldn’t take his eyes away from. He could stare at her for hours like an addict without getting bored. In fact, it was difficult to breathe and act normally in her presence; he didn’t know how he had managed for so many months as her trainer. Her absence from his life had only made his desire stronger.
    It had been over a month now since their encounter in his bedroom, but the memories of her plagued him. He relived each moment in his mind, but always changed the way it ended. He could imagine one hundred different ways she could have reacted the next morning. Ellen stayed for breakfast in most of them, and she never wore that empty, expression that haunted his recollection.
    Kane studied Ellen standing there with an odd expression on her face. She appeared to be speechless, and he realised that she still hadn’t answered Tom’s question. Was she having a similar reaction to seeing him as he was to her?
    “I’m Ellen’s personal trainer, Tom,” Kane said, diverting the attention away from the girl he loved.
    “Oh, is that right?” Tom said, looking back to Ellen for confirmation.
    Kane laughed. “What a small world it is, Ellen. Come to think of it, I do remember you saying something about a fiancé.” Of course Kane remembered every word she’d ever said.
    The colour returned to Ellen’s face and she started moving again. “Sorry,”