it occurred to you that you are denying him his heritage?’
This change of tack increased her growing sense of unease. ‘You’re the one who denied him that. Besides, Nicky is per fectly happy where he is.’
‘He doesn’t even speak his own language.’
‘His language is English.’ She winced to hear both the defensiveness and doubt in her voice.
‘Nicky is half Greek. He will only have to look in the mirror to see that.’
‘I’m not trying to hide his heritage from him.’
‘Aren’t you?’
‘No, I’m not. I would never lie to my son.’
‘Our son.’
Gritting her teeth, Georgie refused to respond to the correction.
‘He will know when he goes to school that he does not look like the fair-skinned children in his class. What will you say when he asks you why he is different?’
‘You obviously know very little about the ethnic mix in most schools, if you think that Nicky will stand out. Have you never heard of a multicultural society?’
One dark brow angled. ‘So what will you do when he asks about me?’
‘I…I haven’t thought about it.’
‘Don’t you think it’s about time you did?’
She lifted her resentful eyes to his. ‘Nicky’s happy,’ she contended stubbornly.
Angolos studied her face. ‘You know I’m right, don’t you, Georgette?’ Before she had a chance to deny his assertion he added, ‘And I can see that Nicky is happy.’
Her hopes rose, only to be dashed.
‘However, I will not permit my son to be brought up not knowing who his father is…thinking that he is unwanted…’ He swallowed hard, the muscles of his throat contracting as he visibly struggled to control his feelings. ‘The boy is being brought up surrounded by women…’
‘And what’s wrong with women?’
His face relaxed briefly into a slow smile. ‘I like women…’
‘Tell me something I don’t know.’ And they liked him. Everywhere they had gone together women’s eyes had followed him—that he had seemed for the most part oblivious to the fact had been no comfort to her at the time.
‘But a boy needs a male role model?’
Feeling increasingly on the defensive because of his uncomfortable ability to come up with a reply for everything she said, Georgie set her chin on her steepled fingers. ‘There are plenty of men in Nicky’s life.’
The fire in his dark eyes provided a stark contrast to the icy expression of austere disdain that spread across his lean face.
‘I have no wish to be regaled with your romantic adventures. Nicky does not need men in the plural…’
The criticism struck her as the height of hypocrisy. ‘I’m not the one who has trouble forming stable relationships… And who did you have in mind as a role model?’ Her feathery brows lifted. ‘You? Don’t make me laugh,’ she pleaded with contempt.
Angolos’s expression was glacial as he responded. ‘You have someone you consider more suitable in mind?’
Her chin lifted. ‘And if I do?’ she challenged pugnaciously.
‘If you do, Georgette, I would advise you not to pursue that very dangerous course.’
Her chest swelled with outrage. ‘Is that a threat?’
His silky smile sent a shiver down her rigid spine, but it was the fluttery sensation low in her stomach that sent her several steps closer to outright panic.
‘Threats are for wimps.’
A hissing sound of disgust issued from her pursed lips. ‘That is exactly the sort of macho posturing I don’t want my son exposed to.’
‘Our son.’
Their combative stares locked and the seconds ticked by. Georgie was the first to break the lengthening silence.
‘You can’t just walk back into my life this way, Angolos…’ She turned away, her face scrunched up in anguish as the fight drained from her body. ‘It’s not fair.’
‘Only children expect life to be fair.’ The unexpected note of sympathy in his voice brought a lump to her aching throat.
‘It rather depends on their experience.’ Her lips curved upwards, but there was no smile in her eyes as she added, ‘You forget that my mother walked out when I was a baby.’
‘No, I remember.’ He dragged a hand through his hair. ‘Your grandmother will be pleased to see us reunited.’
‘Don’t talk like it’s a done deal, Angolos,’ she warned, managing a weak smile at his irony.
‘But you agree that a stable family environment is the best place to bring up a child.’
‘Of course I do; I’m not stupid.’ Georgie forced her clenched fists to relax. ‘I need time to think. This is just too much…too soon…’
‘We were good together…you must remember…’
Her eyes flew wide open as anger surged through her body—other things surged too, but she concentrated hard on the anger.
‘So good, in fact, that you threw me out.’
Unable to hold her accusing gaze, Angolos brought his dark lashes down in a concealing screen. ‘I am not proud…’
‘I don’t much care about your precious pride or regret or anything else!’ she declared hotly. ‘The fact is you rejected our baby…So you want to be a family now—’ her slender shoulders lifted ‘—big deal! Next year or next week even you’ll probably have changed your mind again. Do you think I’d put my future and that of my son in the hands of someone so…who can’t make up his mind what he wants?’
‘I know exactly what I want.’
His low, throaty declaration sent a jolt of sharp sexual awareness through her body. ‘Yes, you want your own way,’ she contended without looking at him. Looking at him would be a very bad idea just now.
‘I want us to be a family and I think you do too.’
She angled a narrow-eyed look at his face. ‘That was what I thought we were four years ago. Give me one reason why I should ever believe what you say to me? You’ve never even told me why! All I got was a shrug and a sneer and c…coldness.’ She stopped and bit her lip to control the quiver in her voice.
‘All
