Читать книгу An Offer She Can't Refuse - Emma Darcy, Emma Darcy - Страница 6

CHAPTER TWO

THE rest of afternoon tea took on a nightmarish quality for Tina. It was difficult to focus on the delicacies they were served, even more difficult to appreciate the marvellous range of tastes. Her mind was in a hopelessly scattered state. She felt like Alice in Wonderland at the mad hatter’s tea party, with the red queen about to pounce and cut off her head.

Her mother demolished the fig tart and green-tea macaroon. Theo gobbled up the white chocolate cake. She forced herself to eat a caramel slice. They were then presented with another plate of wicked temptations: a strawberry dipped in white chocolate and decorated with a gold leaf, a meringue lemon tart, a passionfruit ball with an oozing liquid centre … more, more, more, and she had to pretend to enjoy it all while her stomach was in knots over Ari’s presence behind her.

She smiled at Theo. She smiled at her mother. Her face ached with the effort to keep smiling. She silently cursed Ari Zavros for spoiling what should have been a special experience. The fear that he could spoil a lot more kept jogging through her mind. Finally her mother called enough and suggested they return to the grand lobby and take another leisurely look at everything before leaving.

‘Yes, I want to see the fish again, Yiayia,’ Theo agreed enthusiastically. ‘And sit on the camel.’

Tina knew this was the moment when she had to take control. Every nerve in her body twanged at the vital importance of it. She had already planned what to say. It had to come out naturally, sound sensible. She forced her voice to deliver what was needed.

‘I think a toilet visit first might be a good idea. Will you take Theo, Mama? I want to get a few photographs from different windows up here. I’ll meet you at the elevator.’

‘Of course I’ll take him. Come, Theo.’

She stood up and took his hand and they went off happily together. Mission accomplished, Tina thought on a huge wave of relief. Now, if she could get past Ari without him taking any notice of her she was home free. If the worst happened and he chose to intercept her departure, she could deal with the situation on her own.

Having slung her travel bag over her shoulder, she picked up her camera, stood at the window, clicked off a few shots of the view, then, with her heart hammering, she turned, meaning to walk as quickly as she could past the danger table.

Ari Zavros was looking straight at her. She saw the jolt of recognition in his face, felt a jolt of shock run right through her, rooting her feet to the floor, leaving her standing like a mesmerised rabbit caught in headlights.

‘Christina …’ He spoke her name in a tone of pleasurable surprise, rising from his chair, obviously intent on renewing his fond memory of her.

No chance of escape from it. Her feet weren’t receiving any messages from her brain which was totally jammed with all the misery this man had given her.

He excused himself from his companion who turned in her chair to give Tina a miffed look—long, silky, blonde hair, big blue eyes, peaches and cream complexion, definitely one of the beautiful people. Another fond memory for him, or something more serious this time?

It didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was getting this totally unwelcome encounter over and done with. Ari was approaching her, hands outstretched in charming appeal, his mouth tilting in a wry little smile.

‘You’ve cut your beautiful hair,’ he said as though that was a wicked shame.

Never mind the shame he’d left her in.

Her tongue leapt into life. ‘I like it better short,’ she said tersely, hating the reminder of how he’d enjoyed playing with the long curly tresses, winding it around his fingers, stroking it, kissing it, smelling it.

‘What are you doing in Dubai?’ he asked, his amber eyes twinkling with interest.

‘Having a look at it. Why are you here?’ she returned.

He shrugged. ‘Business.’

‘Mixed with pleasure,’ she said dryly, with a nod at the blonde. ‘Please … don’t let me keep you from her, Ari. After all this time, what is there to say?’

‘Only that it feels good to see you again. Even with your cropped hair,’ he replied with one of his megawatt smiles which had once melted her knees.

They stiffened in sheer rebellion. How dared he flirt with her when he was obviously connected to another woman? How dared he flirt with her at all when he’d used her up and left her behind him?

And she hated him saying it felt good to see her again when it made her feel so bad. He had no idea of what he’d done to her and she hated him for that, too. She wanted to smack that smile off his face, wanted to smack him down for having the arrogance to even approach her again with his smarmy charm, but the more dignified course, the safer course was simply to dismiss him.

‘I’m a different person now to the one you knew,’ she said oddly. ‘If you’ll excuse me, I’m with my mother who’ll be waiting for me to catch up with her.’

Her feet obeyed the command to side-step, get moving To her intense frustration, Ari shot out a hand, clutching her arm, halting a swift escape from him. She glared at him, resentment burning deep from the touch of his fingers on her skin, from the power he still had to affect her physically. He was so close she could smell the cologne he used. It made her head swim with memories she didn’t want to have.

The amber eyes quizzed hers, as though he didn’t understand her cutting him off so abruptly. He wanted to know more. Never mind what she wanted.

‘Your mother. And the boy …’ he said slowly, obviously considering her family group and what it might mean. ‘You’re married now? He is your son?’

Tina seethed. That, of course, would be so nice and neat, dismissing the intimacy they had shared as nothing important in her life, just as it hadn’t been important to him.

She should say yes, have done with it. Let him think she was married and there was no possible place for him in her life. He would shut the door on his charming episode with her and let her go. She would be free of him forever.

Do it, do it! her mind screamed.

But her heart was being ripped apart by a violent tumult of emotions.

Another voice in her head was yelling smack him with the truth!

This man was Theo’s father. She could not bring herself to palm his fatherhood off on anyone else. He ought to be faced with it. A savage recklessness streaked through her, obliterating any caring over what might happen next.

‘I’m not married,’ she slung at him. ‘And yes, Theo is my son.’ He frowned.

Single motherhood did not sit so well with him. She was free but not free, tied to a child.

No ties for Ari Zavros.

That thought enraged Tina further. She fired bitter truth straight at him.

‘He’s also your son.’

It stunned him.

Totally stunned him.

No seductive smile.

No twinkly interest.

Blank shock.

With a sense of fiercely primitive satisfaction, Tina got her feet moving and strode past him, heading for the elevator where she hoped her mother and Theo would be waiting for her. She didn’t think Ari would follow her. Not only had she cut his feet out from under him, but he was with another woman and it was highly unlikely that he’d want to face her with the complication of an illegitimate son.

Though a fast getaway from this hotel was definitely needed. No loitering in the lobby. She’d tell her mother she didn’t feel well—too much rich food. It was true enough anyway. Her stomach was churning and she felt like throwing up.

She shouldn’t have told Ari he was Theo’s father. She hadn’t counted on how much he could still get to her—his eyes, his touch, the whole insidious charisma of his close presence. Hopefully telling his wouldn’t make any difference. For a start, he wouldn’t want to believe her. Men like him usually denied paternity claims. Not that she would ever make any official claim on him. All the same, it had been stupid of her to throw the truth in his face and give herself this panic attack, stupid and reckless to have opened a door for him into her life again when she wanted him out, out, out!

Please, God, let him not follow up on it.

Let him shrug it off as a put-down line.

Let him just go on with his life and leave her alone to go on with hers.

That boy … his son? His son?

Ari snapped out of the wave of shock rolling through his mind, swung on his heel, and stared after the woman who had just declared herself the mother of his child. Christina Savalas wasn’t waiting around to capitalise on her claim. Having delivered her bombshell she was fast making an exit from any fall-out.

Was it true?

He quickly calculated precisely when he had been in Australia. It was six years ago. The boy’s age would approximately fit that time-frame. He needed to know the actual birth date to be sure if it was possible. That could be checked. The name was Theo. Theo Savalas. Who looked very like himself as a child!

A chill ran down Ari’s spine. If Theo was his, it meant he had left Christina pregnant, abandoned a pregnant woman, left her to bring up his child alone. But how could that happen when he was always careful to sheath himself against such a consequence? Not once had he ever failed to use protection. Had there been a slip-up with her, one that he didn’t remember?

He did remember she’d been an innocent. Unexpectedly and delightfully so. He hadn’t felt guilty about taking her virginity. Desire had been mutual and he’d given her pleasure—a good start to her sexual life, which he’d reasoned would become quite active as time went by. Any man would see her as desirable and it was only natural that she would be attracted to some of them.

But if he had left her pregnant … That would have messed up her career, messed up her life—reason enough for those extremely expressive dark eyes of hers to shoot black bolts of hatred and contempt at him with her punishing exit line.

Impossible to ignore what she’d said. He had to check it out. If the boy was his son … Why hadn’t Christina told him about his existence before this? Why go it alone all these years? Why hit him with it now? There was a hell of a lot of questions to be considered.

‘Ari …’

His teeth automatically gritted. He hated that whiny tone in Felicity’s voice.

‘What are you standing there for? She’s gone.’

Gone but not forgotten.

‘I was remembering my time in Australia, which was where I’d met Christina,’ he said, forcing himself to return to his chair and be reasonably civil to the woman he had invited to be his companion.

‘What were you doing in Australia?’

‘Checking out the wine industry there. Seeing if any improvements could be made to the Santorini operation.’

‘Was this Christina connected to the wine industry?’

The tone had changed to a snipe.

He shrugged. ‘Not really. She was part of an advertising drive for the Jacob’s Creek label.’

One eyebrow arched in knowing mockery. ‘A model.’

‘She was then.’

‘And you had fun with her.’

He grimaced at her dig, which he found extremely distasteful in the circumstances. ‘Ancient history, Felicity. I was simply surprised to see her here in Dubai.’

‘Well, she’s loaded down with a child now,’ she said with snide satisfaction. ‘No fun at all.’

‘I can’t imagine it is much fun, being a single mother,’ he said, barely containing a wave of anger at Felicity’s opinion.

‘Oh, I don’t know. Quite a few movie stars have chosen that route and they seem to revel in it.’

Ari wanted this conversation finished. He heaved a sigh, then mockingly drawled, ‘What do I know? I’m a man.’

Felicity laughed, leaned over and stroked his thigh. ‘And a gorgeous one, darling. Which is why I don’t like you straying, even for a minute.’

The urge to stray to Christina Savalas had been instant.

He’d had his surfeit of self-centred women like Felicity Fullbright and the flash of memory—a sweet, charming time—had compelled him out of his seat. But it wasn’t the same Christina he’d known. How could it be, given the passage of years? A different person, she’d said. He would need to get to know her again if she was the mother of his child.

He would track her down in the very near future. Obviously she was on a tourist trip with her mother and would be on the move for a few weeks. Best to wait until she was back on home ground. In the meantime, he had to sever any further involvement with Felicity, attend his cousin’s wedding, then free himself up to pursue the big question.

Was Theo Savalas his son?

If the answer was a definitive yes, changes to his life had to be made.

And Christina Savalas would have to come to some accommodation with him, whether she liked it or not.

A father had rights to his child, and Ari had no qualms about enforcing them.

Family was family.