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‘Of course I wouldn’t I can’t believe that you would want that either In fact I’s since yesterday’

‘Obviously’ Leonidas leant back against the edge of her desk and stretched out his long powerful legs, aher by the corner next to theThe office was no bigger than a large broom cupboard and it contained a second desk because it was a shared facility He surveyed her with assessing cool Even tiredness could not dim the crystal clarity of those violet eyes As for the outfit, it looked drab at first glance, but the snug fit of the shirt and the trousers at breast and hip enhanced the proud curves and intriguing valleys of her fabulously abundant figure She oh to make many of her sex seem as flat and one-dihly erotic recollection of Maribel all rosy, warroin almost made him smile, for it was some time since he had reacted to a woman with that much enthusiasm

Subjected to one sensual flash of his bold, dark golden gaze, Maribel went rigid She was aghast at the languorous warh her and at the swollen feel of her breasts within the confinehtened she folded her arht seriously…’

‘I still want answers At least, be realistic’ His brilliant eyes now screened to a discreet glimmer below lush black lashes, his draas as smooth as silk ‘What man would not, in this situation?’

Maribel didn’t want to be realistic She just wanted hi the peace of mind that she had worked so hard to achieve ‘What do I have to do to make you understand?’

‘See both sides of the equation Be the logical woman I know you to be To askwhether or not the child is mine is absurd’ The complete calm and quiet of his voice had an almost hypnotic effect on her

‘Yes, but…’ Maribel pinned her lips closed on the temptation to speak hasty words ‘…it’s not that simple’

‘Isn’t it?’ Leonidas countered ‘Clearly you believe that Elias is my son If you didn’t believe that, you would have swiftly disabused me of the idea’

Maribel stiffened, her eyes reflecting her indecision ‘Leonidas…’

‘Every child has the right to knoho his father is Until I was seven years old, I believed my father was ed that so about Are you planning to lie to Elias?’

‘Yes…no! Oh, for goodness’ sake!’ Maribel gasped, raking her chestnut hair off her troubled broith an anxious hand, as his candour had disarmed her ‘I will do whatever is best for Elias’

‘One day Elias will be an adult, and you will lose hie’ Leonidas dealt her a cool dark appraisal ‘You hadn’t thought of that aspect, had you? Or about the fact that Elias has rights, too’

Maribel blenched at that unwelcome reminder

‘And what if so happens to you while he is still a child? Who will take care of him then?’

‘That’s dealt with in my will’

Any pretence of relaxation abandoned at that ad ‘Do I figure in it?’

Tense as a bow string, Maribel slowly shook her head

The silence folded in as thick and heavy as a fog

With reluctance, Maribel looked back at hi condemnation that cut her to the bone It was obvious that he had already reached his own conclusions as to her son’s parentage Her heart sank, since she had no way of convincing hi back ti that he did not find out what she had believed he would have been perfectly happy not to know ‘All right,’ she said gruffly, her slione ten rounds with a heavyweight boxer ‘You got nant’

Leonidas was startled by the strong sense of satisfaction that gripped him and relieved that he had not had to exert pressure As he had anticipated, Maribel had listened to her conscience So, the boy was his The boy was a Pallis: the next generation of the fareat-aunts would be overjoyed at the continuation of the Pallis bloodline, while hiscut out in the inheritance stakes Although Leonidas had long since decided that he would neither marry nor reproduce, it had not until that ht father a son and heir with so little personal inconvenience