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Except that was weak of her. She’d glanced at that picture in the paper and known instantly.
‘The second I walked in the door just now, you were sure,’ he said. ‘But you hustled that child upstairs.’
‘Maybe that’s because I’m terrified.’ She glared at him, taking a step to widen her stance, wishing she could make a better barrier between him and that stairway.
‘Because I present danger to you? To him?’ He recoiled. ‘Based on what evidence? Was I violent?’
Her throat tightened but she forced the truth to whisper out. ‘No.’
‘Then what have I done to hurt you? If I remember correctly, you were the one who walked out without so much as a goodbye.’
The flash of reproach in his eyes deepened her guilt.
‘Why did you leave so early?’ he added. ‘Why not wake me to say goodbye? Were you that full of regret?’
‘No,’ she muttered, hoarse with burning embarrassment.
‘You could have left a note.’
‘What was the point? I thought you were a tourist and that we’d never see each other again.’ She gazed at him with a hot mix of anger and guilt and sadness. It had been a fantasy experience, she’d not wanted to shatter its perfect illusion with morning-after awkwardness. ‘It wasn’t like you were planning a second date either. You were passing through.’
‘So were you. Or so you led me to believe. You lied as much as I did that night.’
She shook her head. ‘I never lied.’
He tensed. ‘By omission, you definitely did.’
‘What about everything you forgot to mention? Like, your real name. Your true intentions for being there. You never said you were looking for something to tear apart.’
‘I’m not the one tearing apart valuable things. You’re the one who’s done that—keeping a child from his father.’ His voice rose. ‘There’s no reason you can give that excuses your failure to tell me once you knew who I was.’
‘You didn’t want me to know who you really were. I only discovered that by accident months afterwards. But you were so comfortable to lie, which told me all I needed to know about your integrity.’ She snapped at him. She didn’t really mean it but emotion had overruled her tongue. ‘I never would have said yes if I’d known who you were.’
‘You would have said it faster,’ he shot back.
‘Oh, wow.’ She drew in a shocked breath at his sheer arrogance. ‘You think you’re that amazing?’
He might be six feet three of muscled manly beauty, he might have a brilliant brain and he might have billions in the bank, but he had no integrity. And therefore, no true value.
‘The resources I have are amazing.’
‘You think I care about money?’ she scoffed. She worked as a volunteer, the last thing she was interested in was accumulating material wealth. ‘If I was a gold-digger, wouldn’t I have beaten down your door the second I discovered who you really were?’ She flushed angrily. ‘I thought you were some chilled-out surfer. I had no reason to suspect you were a billionaire bulldozer who buys whatever he wants and then destroys it.’
‘Destroys it?’ His eyes widened. ‘Are we talking about that dilapidated old hostel?’
‘It wasn’t dilapidated.’
‘You showed me a prime piece of land that was in dire need of investment.’
She rejected that notion. Lucero’s property had been perfect. Furthermore the old man had been unwaveringly kind to her. But now Javier was ripping apart his legacy. ‘And didn’t you take that information and use it well?’ she raged. ‘Well, you’re not buying me and you’re not buying my son.’
‘He’s my son too.’ His eyes glittered, revealing his own loss of temper. ‘It’s eighteen months since that night, Emmy. And I’ve only just discovered he even exists. Now he’s nine months old,’ he said. ‘I’ve missed out on almost the full first year of his life. That’s unforgivable and you can’t keep him from me. You owe me time.’ He inhaled sharply and whirled away, clearly struggling to regain his self-control.
Emmy was struck still as her worst fears were realised. Javier was going to fight. He was used to getting his way. Was he going to do whatever it took to get it now? He had everything on his side—resources, power, privilege. She had only intuition and resolve and the fiercest love imaginable.
‘Understand this,’ she breathed. ‘There’s nothing I won’t do to protect my son.’ She would be there at every step. She would never let Javier or anyone else sideline her.
‘Nothing? Good to know.’ He turned back to face her. His lips curved in a smile full of bring it on challenge that fired up that dangerous part of Emerald. ‘I consider myself warned. But somehow, I feel confident I can handle whatever you try to throw at me.’ He stepped closer. ‘You know I can handle you, Emerald.’
