a daddy, will be the most exciting thing that has ever happened to him. You can’t buy his love, Adam. Kids need companionship and love and caring. Doing little things together. And if you can’t get your head round that then it might be better if he never finds out about you.’
‘It’s too late for that.’ Adam’s eyes glittered into hers. Hard eyes, cold eyes, that told her she couldn’t back out now. That he would demand access to his son whether she liked it or not.
‘Nevertheless, we need to set out some ground rules,’ she declared sharply. ‘I don’t want you trying to impress him with your wealth. He needs to get to know you properly first.’
‘I agree,’ he answered with surprising quietness, ‘and the sooner the better.’
The subject of their son drew them closer by an invisible thread. Adam’s eyes had never seemed bluer. Or more fierce. Or more direct. They burned through into the very heart of her, making her wriggle uncomfortably on her seat.
‘Do I have to come knocking on the door and announce myself? I could do that, you know.’
And he would, thought Sienna. He would turn up without warning and she would be left quivering with apprehension. What if the two of them didn’t get on? Adam clearly knew nothing about children and their needs. He would overwhelm his son, maybe even frighten him.
‘I’ll tell him tomorrow,’ she promised. ‘But he’ll need a few days to get used to the idea. I’ll ring you.’
Adam threw her a look of disbelief. ‘And how long will I have to wait? Maybe I should come back with you tonight and—’
‘No!’ yelped Sienna, then looked around swiftly to see if anyone had heard her panicked cry. Fortunately not. ‘He’ll be in bed, for one thing. I’ll tell him tomorrow, I promise, and then I’ll leave it up to Ethan.’
‘What if he doesn’t want to meet me?’
Sienna shrugged. ‘That’s something you’ll have to deal with.’ Though she couldn’t see it happening. Ethan would be so excited he’d want to see his daddy immediately.
‘If you think that I’m going to ignore my son now that you’ve told me about him, you’re wrong.’ Hard eyes met hers. ‘Very wrong. But I appreciate that he’ll need a little time. I’ll give you two days then if I haven’t heard from you I shall turn up on your doorstep.’ He whisked a card out of his pocket. ‘Here’s my personal phone number. Use it.’
The rest of the evening passed in relative harmony. They had both chosen turbot for their main course, which was cooked to perfection, as were the accompanying vegetables. Sienna had never eaten such delicious food and she felt slightly sad that she didn’t have room for dessert.
By the time Adam suggested they leave Sienna felt more relaxed than she had expected. He had regaled her with stories about his work life, some amusing, some deadly serious, and she had finished the whole bottle of wine.
Consequently she felt mellow and sleepy and when they left the restaurant she didn’t even flinch when he put his arm about her waist.
‘Have I told you how stunning you look tonight, Sienna?’
His voice rumbled from somewhere low in his throat, vibrating along her nerves, making her pull suddenly out of his embrace. What had she been thinking, letting him touch her like this?
Without warning his head bent down towards hers and eyes that were the colour of a sun-kissed ocean took her prisoner. And lips that she had sworn would never touch hers again captured her mouth in a kiss that revealed with devastating thoroughness that none of her feelings had gone away.
They had simply lain dormant, waiting like Sleeping Beauty for her prince to kiss her and bring her back to life. Her body felt on fire, electric sensations fizzing through veins and arteries. Emotions she had thought dead rose up and embraced the kiss, responded to it, filling her body with a hunger she had not felt for a very long time.
But it was madness. Allowing these feelings to surface was sheer madness. Adam would gain the impression that she was willing to enter into a sexual relationship and that was most definitely not the case. He had caught her unawares; it was not going to happen again. Not ever! That part of their life was over. They would be civil with each other for their son’s sake, but that was all. She was not going to share his life or his bed ever again.
She jerked away, her eyes wide and fiercely angry. ‘What did you do that for?’
Adam’s smile was smug. ‘How could I help myself? You’re more beautiful than ever, Sienna. How could any man resist you? I bet they queue at your door. Is there someone special in your life at the moment?’
Sienna thought about lying and saying that there was. Except this was Adam, and no matter what had happened between them she found it impossible to lie to him. ‘There is no one,’ she said quietly.
‘Has there been?’
‘I hardly think it’s any of your business. We’ve both been free agents these last few years.’
‘We are still married,’ he reminded her.
‘And has that stopped you going out with other women?’ she riposted, her blue eyes hard and challenging.
‘Touché,’ came the unblinking answer.
‘So I suggest we stop asking each other invasive questions and go home.’ Actually, she would have liked to know how many other women there had been in his life but since she didn’t want him questioning her about her own love life, finding out that it had been non-existent, it was best they kept quiet on the subject.
‘And home is?’
‘If you’re thinking it’s back to your place, you’d better think again.’
‘So I’m coming back to yours, is that it?’
Sienna shook her head, her eyes very blue and wide with horror. ‘You know that’s not going to happen. Where’s your driver? He can take me.’
Adam grinned. ‘I’ve given him the rest of the night off. I’ll be driving you home myself.’
Sienna closed her eyes and gave an inward groan. ‘That will not be necessary. I don’t want you turning up at my house until I’ve told Ethan about you.’ The very thought sent a chill through her veins. It was her worst nightmare come true. She could just imagine what would happen if Adam followed her in.
He would insist on seeing his son. And even though Ethan would probably be able to cope with finding out that he had a father after all these years, she certainly would not.
‘I won’t come in if you don’t want me to.’
Sienna glared at Adam as he led the way towards his waiting car. Not the one she had been chauffeured in. Something small and snazzy, intimate. Not her idea of an easy ride. She would be sitting close and personal and her heart would inevitably play a tune of its own, maybe even loud enough for Adam to hear, make him aware of her plight.
When he opened the door for her and stood back, she slid silently and reluctantly into the seat. The fact that he was smiling made her even angrier, which in turn made his smile wider. It became a self-satisfied grin and she wanted to slap his face. Only good manners prevented her.
He leaned too close for comfort before he closed the door. ‘Have you any idea how beautiful you look when you’re angry? It makes me want to kiss you again, Sienna, feel some of that fire.’
‘I don’t think so,’ she slammed back. ‘The fire I feel is of a very different kind to how it used to be.’
‘Really?’ His brows lifted and he made no attempt to move out of her space. In fact, he was so close that Sienna could clearly see the outer dark ring around the incredible blue of his eyes, feel the heat emanating from him, but more poignant still was the citrus scent of his cologne, the musk of his skin. It wafted over her like a drug and she knew that if he did