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“Anna, you know that’s not—”

“I gave you everything, and you brokeback tears as she looked down at her sleeping son “Go, Nikos Just leave That’s what you do best, isn’t it?”

He grabbed her shoulders, whirling her around “I can’t believe this That’s why you kidnapped my son and caused me four months of hell? Because of some damned lies Lindsey told you?”

His hands tightened painfully, and she was suddenly aware of his body close to hers His breath brushed her cheek, sending waves of heat up and down her body Her gaze fell to his mouth

She licked her own lips unconsciously “Lindsey is your lover Why won’t you just admit it? You didn’t hesitate to tell ht you said you were done protecting me!”

He pulled her close, wrapping his htly around her as he whispered in her ear, “Damn you, Anna”

He abruptly released her, striding for the door

“I’ll be back for dinner,” he tossed at her without a backward glance “I expect you to be waiting for me when I return”

She stared after hi She had no doubt as to what he expected of her To be waiting for hine, hot and ready for his seduction He thought she eak He thought that, even though she hated him, she would be powerless to resist

No, she thought No way

Resting one hand protectively on her son’s crib, Anna narrowed her eyes

Whether he was et Victor’s help so she could get out of this house She had no choice Because when Nikos had told her that Lindsey’s words were lies, she’d found herself wanting to believe hi to believe him

Being this close to Nikos was killing her

She’d go to Victor’s club tonight She’d beg for his help In exchange, she would pro she’d sworn she’d never do She’d do anything short of beco his lover And once she had Victor’s help Nikos would see as powerless and weak

She clenched her hands into fists, reant way he’d de, all right

Waiting to give him the shock of his life

Nikos poured himself a small bourbon from the crystal decanter in his office on the fourth floor of L’Here

He swished the glass and leaned back against the desk, staring out through the s overlooking the Las Vegas Strip The brilliant blue sky and desert sun were beating down on the palas Boulevard reflected waves of heat on the caamblers and the drunken, ecstatic needs

He took a sip of bourbon The nor at the alass and rested his head against his hands

At last he understood

He’d thought Anna had left because he’d tried to protect her during her pregnancy He’d fired her because he’d sworn he’d be damned if his child’s mother would ever have to work—not after he’d watched his own mother work herself to death He’d blocked Anna’s phone calls because he’d too often found her pacing while she solved proble site, or tried to solve the endless foolish proble on problems that other people should have handled for themselves Her first priority should have been her child, to the exclusion of all else Why had she not seen that? Why had she been unable to let the weight of responsibility rest on hiile new family safe and protected?

Perhaps he should have told her about her father’s initial request for an investment, but Alexander Rostoff had asked Nikos to keep it quiet Later, when Nikos had discovered the e her had been the last thing he’d wanted to do Anna already took too much on where her family was concerned

But he couldn’t believe that his realher bed

She’d been so beautiful in her final trimester, lush with curves and ripe with his child, that Nikos had known there was no way he could keep his hands off her He’d read in a pregnancy book that late-term sex could be a factor in early labor, so he’d forced hi to his newly finished penthouse at L’Here To an empty bed and a lonely apartment For her sake For their child’s sake

And she’d taken that as rejection?