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She couldn’t deny it. Nor could she stop the treacherous heat that confirmed his words. ‘Well, calling it your child doesn’t make it so.’
He gave a slow, eloquent shrug that emphasised every step he was taking to stake his claim. And in that shrug, she learned something else.
Seve Valente wasn’t about to budge an iota.
He surged forward when she threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, but he didn’t touch her. He watched her like a hawk however. And she realised he’d stayed close long enough to ensure she wouldn’t topple over again.
It shouldn’t have chipped at a small fraction of her fury. That it did bewildered her even more. This man was making declarations about her life while keeping her prisoner on his airborne palace. Every cell in her body should be incandescent.
Yet several of those cells strained towards him as she passed him. Even more infuriating, a significant portion of her senses delighted in his scent, the aura emanating from him, as she noted that the delicious stubble had grown even more. Wondered how deliciously it would chafe if she—
No!
She was absolutely not going down that unhinged path. It was what had landed her here after all.
One night. It was only meant to be one night.
She realised she’d said it out loud when his whole body tightened, turning even more marble-like than before.
‘But a night with consequences, evidently.’
‘Why are you doing this? You don’t even want a child. You said as much.’
His eyes glinted, his incisive gaze tracking her as she paced the small cabin. ‘What I felt a few weeks ago no longer matters.’
‘That’s absurd. Of course it does.’
He gritted his teeth. ‘Let me rephrase. The child you’re carrying...my child, is now my number one priority. I’m not taking eyes off you until he or she is born.’
Something inside her cracked against her will, and without her permissions started to melt. Since she couldn’t fathom what it was, she immediately took steps to shore it up. To separate it from clear, logical thinking. She couldn’t afford anything else.
Couldn’t afford to wonder how her life’s trajectory would’ve changed if only her parents had made her their number one priority.
They hadn’t. They’d put her last on their list every time.
Until she’d taken herself off it completely. Until she’d emotionally emancipated herself from the two people who should’ve given her unconditional love and support but had only zealously loved her bank balance.
They’d helped themselves to her millions, citing that they’d given their lives and livelihood for her dream and therefore were entitled to it.
‘And what happens after that? Your end goal currently seems to be delivery.’
‘That will be a matter for later discussion.’ Although he didn’t break their stare, Genie got the singular feeling he’d already made up his mind. That he was several steps ahead of her and was keeping that vital move to himself. ‘For now all you need to know is that you’re going to be in a place where you’re provided with a healthy diet and strict monitoring that doesn’t include living in an underground tech dungeon where you ignore the existence of sunlight and human interaction for weeks on end.’
The wave of desolation and hurt that swept through her took her literal breath away. She managed to snatch it back, as she whirled around and headed for the door.
‘Where are you going? We’re not done talking, Genie.’
She grasped the door handle and rapidly blinked away stupid tears. ‘Logic tells me that if I find your words hurtful and disrespectful then we shouldn’t engage in conversation.’
‘Or, contrarily, we should keep talking until there’s no room for doubt.’
His deep voice right over her shoulder indicated he’d followed her. And really? There was nowhere to go. Her only option was to have this conversation within earshot of the attendants.
When Genie turned he was, as expected, only three feet away. She grasped at the last tendrils of composure and went to the nearest seat set next to the window. ‘I don’t owe you explanation on how I live my life but, if you must know, I exercise three times a week and have been exceptionally prudent with my diet the last few weeks.’
Perhaps she was mistaken but his shoulders relaxed a tiniest fraction at her words. ‘Bueno.But you fainted a little while ago. This baby is already making demands on your body, so I need to know how you feel. And not just physically. Emotionally too.’
‘I could tell you that. I could also shout and ask where you get the nerve to ask me that. But why would I hand you the advantage of any of that? You said unapologetically that you’re not above using my feelings to manipulate me into giving you what you want.’
