Marc followed her glance and his hold on her fingers lessened. He released his grip but traced the veins on the back of her hand up to her wrist. The feel of his finger moving with such delicacy over her roughened skin was somehow compelling. As if she was moving into a dream. Cinderella beneath the fairy godmother’s wand. She was being drawn into fantasyland whether she willed it or no.
‘It would work,’ he told her, his voice growing more urgent. ‘You could even enjoy yourself.’
‘For how long?’ She was so stunned she could hardly speak.
‘For as long you want. For ever, if you wish it. Until Henry turns twenty-five and I’m no longer in charge.’
‘And if I change my mind? Once Henry’s in Broitenburg I’d never get him out.’ There was no disguising the bitterness in her voice. She didn’t trust him-why should she?
There was a long silence while he thought about it. He was still tracing the lines on her hand. He’d turned her hand over and was fingering the lifeline-as though he could read the future written there. As if he could read the decision hanging over them both.
‘I’ll make you a deal,’ he told her at last.
‘What sort of deal?’ Her tone was still laced with suspicion. She was trying to block out the sensation of his hand-the sensation of his touch. She was using suspicion to camouflage it but she wasn’t sure if she was fooling anyone. The way he made her feel…
But he seemed impervious to the ripples of warmth. The ripples of… In truth she didn’t know what they were. She hadn’t experienced anything like this-ever.
‘I’ll buy you both return tickets to Australia,’ he was saying. ‘First class. If I don’t make you happy then you can come home any time you want.’
If he didn’t make her happy? What sort of promise was that?
‘Over there you’ll have different laws,’ she managed. ‘You’ll have Henry where you want-’
‘I can give you solid assurances.’
‘How?’ She was being rude, but there was no option. She was fighting for Henry’s future and she was the only person to do it. Despite the way this man made her feel…
He watched her for a moment longer and then he sighed. ‘You won’t trust my word?’
‘No.’ That was blunt.
‘I guess in your circumstances neither would I.’ He grinned, and his grin was as unexpected as it was gorgeous. ‘Okay, then, Miss Doubter.’ He hauled out his wallet and produced a couple of cards.
‘I have legal contacts,’ he told her. ‘So far they’ve been useless for anything but telling me I wasn’t able to take Henry home without your permission. But this card is for Paule Tarome-he’s Broitenburg’s Chief Magistrate-and this card is for Angela Jefferson, an Australian expert in international law. I’ll get Paule to fax me an agreement, saying you have all necessary legal permissions to return Henry to Australia at any time you wish. Angela will witness it. Broitenburg is subject to international custody laws. If you’re assured that I’m legally bound to return Henry to Australia whenever you want, will that persuade you to give Broitenburg a trial? For all our sakes?’
For all their sakes.
The phrase hung and hung. Still he watched her, his eyes compelling.
Somehow she met that look. She gazed steadily back at Marc and tried to read his mind.
She still didn’t trust him. She couldn’t. She
‘Broitenburg depends on your decision,’ he said, lifting her hand again and holding it in his. His touch was feather-soft. Pressuring but not pressuring. ‘If you refuse then thousands of my people will end up in poverty. We need you.
Good grief. Tammy stared at the man before her and he gazed back as if he had all the time in the world for her to come to her decision.
Henry. Broitenburg.
This man.
Her life was about to change in the most momentous of ways. She had a child.
And Henry had a heritage, like it or not.
If she agreed…
If it didn’t work then she could return and bring Henry with her. Marc would allow her to trial it and see if it was workable.
Should she agree?
Her head was spinning. She felt so far out of her depth she was in danger of drowning, and the concern in this man’s dark eyes was her only lifeline.
She took a deep breath and made her decision.
‘Okay,’ she said, ‘I’ll come.’
He let his breath out in one long sigh of relief and there it was. The decision was made. ‘You won’t regret it.’
‘I’ll be the judge of that.’
‘You won’t regret it,’ he said again. ‘I promise.’ He released her hand and hesitated, already thinking of the consequences of her decision. ‘I’ll need to make a few phone calls.’
Strangely, he sounded as if what he really regretted was being called away right now, and Tammy knew how he felt. There was a part of her that wanted to stay exactly where she was-with her hand in this man’s.
Which was ridiculous. Already he was working through the host of things he had to do before they left, but as he walked to the door, and then turned and looked back, once more Tammy sensed real reluctance to go.
‘Goodnight,’ he said slowly, and she nodded-an absurdly formal nod.
‘Goodnight.’
‘It’ll be okay.’
‘Yes.’
There was a long silence. Why didn’t he go? Tammy thought. Why was he just standing there? He was looking at her with such a strange expression in his dark eyes that she felt her colour begin to mount.
Which was ridiculous.
She stared down at her bare toes peeking out from the frayed cuffs of her jeans. The silence went on and on.
And on.
And then, before she could guess what he intended, he swore softly and crossed to her side. In one swift movement he gripped her shoulders with his strong hands, bent his head to hers and kissed her.
It was a kiss to seal a bargain rather than anything else. That was what she told herself. What she assumed.
Or maybe she was so surprised she assumed nothing.
His mouth on hers was firm, yet it demanded no response. He was asking nothing. But…if it was meant to be an affirmation of the future and nothing more then why did it have the capacity to send a zillion electric shocks straight through her?
Maybe it was because it lasted too long, she thought through a haze of incredulity at what was happening to her. It lasted much longer than the intention of such a kiss should allow.
It had been meant as a seal on a contract and nothing more, but his hands were suddenly gripping harder, he was deepening the kiss, letting his body possess her for just these few short moments…
She was rigid in his hold, though her body was screaming to respond.
But disaster lay down that road. Tammy’s world had been turned upside down this day, and the last thing she needed was physical arousal.
The last thing she needed was to respond to this man.
Yet her body was screaming to do just that. Sense or nonsense, her lips were aching to open and deepen his kiss. Her arms wanted to hold him. To draw comfort from him. To seek security and warmth and a lessening of this awful confusion and loss in his nearness.
In his body.
He felt wonderful. She’d never felt anything like this. His size-his maleness-his tenderness and his strength…
She was so confused she was near collapse, and when he finally put her away from him, holding her still but
