‘I always wondered what my dad looked like.’
‘And do you approve?’ asked Adam.
Ethan nodded, suddenly losing his voice again—until suddenly a thought struck him. ‘Do you have lots of money?’
Adam glanced at Sienna and she frowned fiercely, wishing that Ethan had not overheard their conversation.
‘I’m all the richer for knowing you, Ethan.’ And he held out his arms.
With only a moment’s hesitation Ethan walked into them, taking Adam at face value and clearly liking what he saw. Sienna guessed that whoever his father had been he would have approved.
All she could hope and pray for now was that Adam wouldn’t let Ethan down. That he wouldn’t disappoint his son by carrying on his exhaustive work lifestyle, leaving no time at all to spend time with him. That he wouldn’t believe buying his son’s love with expensive gifts would compensate for his absence.
‘Mummy, can we?’
Sienna realised that while she had been deep in thought Adam and Ethan had been having a conversation. ‘Can we what, sweetheart?’
‘Can we go and see Daddy’s house?’
‘I didn’t mean tonight,’ said Adam quickly as he saw Sienna’s swift frown. ‘But perhaps the weekend?’
‘It’s too soon,’ she retorted swiftly. ‘Getting to know each other is far more important. You can visit here, or we’ll go for walks, the three of us.’
Adam’s frown gave away the fact that he thought she was being deliberately awkward. But Sienna stood her ground. ‘You need to get to know your son before you impress him with your living standards.’
‘But he’s only a child, he would not understand the difference.’
Sienna’s brows shot upwards. ‘Really? I think it might be best if we talked about this some other time.’
He finally got the message and for the next half-hour Adam played with Ethan, who dragged him into his bedroom to show him his toys. Sienna was actually surprised by how good Adam was with his son. She had expected awkwardness, an inability to come down to Ethan’s level, and yet he lay sprawled on the floor, letting his son climb all over him. They played battles, and had races with his cars, until Sienna decided enough was enough.
‘Much as I hate to interrupt your fun, it’s past Ethan’s bedtime.’ She stood in the doorway, her arms folded, but she was not feeling as tense as she had earlier. Her fears that Adam would let his son down had been unfounded, although she knew that there was still a long way to go.
Adam ruffled Ethan’s hair. ‘Time for bed, I guess. It’s been fun, Ethan. We’ll do it again.’
‘Can’t you stay and put me to bed?’ he asked plaintively.
Adam looked at Sienna and saw the mutinous set of her face. It looked as though he had already outstayed his welcome. ‘Not tonight, but another time perhaps.’
‘Will you come again tomorrow?’
This time Adam did not look at Sienna but he sensed her objection. It was telling him loud and clear not to overstep the mark. ‘Maybe, if Mummy agrees, we could go out somewhere at the weekend?’
‘Yes, please,’ said Ethan immediately. ‘We could go to the park. You can push me on the swings.’
‘We’ll see,’ declared Sienna. ‘Now, tidy your room before bed.’
‘Can Daddy help?’
‘Daddy is leaving,’ she said pointedly.
‘But I’ll be back,’ Adam called. ‘Goodnight, son.’
‘Night-night, Daddy.’ Ethan darted across the room and wrapped his arms around his father’s legs, and Adam felt a curious sensation that he had never felt before. Pride and love. It welled in his throat and threatened to choke him, and at the same time he felt a resurgence of anger towards Sienna for keeping him in ignorance of his son for all these years.
When Ethan was safely back in his room with the door closed, Adam turned to Sienna. ‘I’ve missed out on so much. I have a lot of making up to do.’ He did not tell her that when he had first seen his son, when he had seen the strong family likeness, he had felt a pang of guilt for thinking that Sienna had been lying.
It had been wrong to doubt her. He should have known that Sienna was too honest and decent to do anything like that.
‘Which you can’t do all at once,’ she said softly. ‘No matter what you’re thinking, you need to take things slowly. You can’t overwhelm him.’
Adam frowned. ‘He didn’t seem overwhelmed. He accepted me instantly.’ What was Sienna trying to say? That she was going to regulate his visits? Once a week only? Once a month perhaps? This was his son they were talking about, his own flesh and blood. He would see him whenever he wanted to.
Sienna looked totally gorgeous with her face aflame and her eyes shooting sparks. He was so angry with her and yet at the same time he wanted to kiss her. He marched across the room and the intent in his eyes must have been clear because she moved away, heading for the door instead, her hand on the handle.
‘Dammit, Sienna, I’m not going yet. We need to talk.’
‘And I need to put Ethan to bed.’ Her eyes flashed beautiful outrage.
‘He’s a fine boy, Sienna. You’ve done well. But he needs a man in his life.
‘I think you should both move in with me, as soon as it can be arranged.’ It was the best solution. He hated the thought of them living here. He wanted to take them away, give them a lifestyle more suited to his wife and child.
Sienna’s eyes widened into enormous orbs of disbelief. ‘If we did that, Adam, I’m afraid Ethan would be disappointed by the amount of time you spend at work.’
‘I would change.’
Sienna sniffed her disbelief. ‘With your track record? Don’t forget I had a father like you. He was always at work, I rarely saw him as I was growing up. It’s why my mother divorced him. I don’t want that for Ethan. I’d rather he had no father than one who neglected him.’
Adam felt Sienna’s anger. It shot over him in hot waves and he had never seen her look more beautiful. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless. Dared he try it? Would it work? Or would it make things worse? He guessed the latter.
‘I could learn to delegate.’
‘And I’m expected to believe that?’ Sienna’s beautifully shaped eyebrows rose dismissively. ‘You never took time off for me, no matter how I begged or complained. Why should I believe that you’d do it for Ethan?’
‘Because circumstances are different now.’ He drew in a steadying breath. He wanted to fight anger with anger but knew that it would get him nowhere, so forced himself to remain calm. ‘I’m established now, I can afford to take time off.’
Sienna tossed her head, her blue eyes flashing. ‘You didn’t think it important enough to save our marriage. And yet you’d do it for Ethan. Have you any idea how that makes me feel, Adam?’
Adam kept his temper—just, but his fingers curled into fists. ‘Sienna, Ethan is a great boy and I want to get to know him better, but I want you to be a part of my life as well.’
A flash of blue was Sienna’s response. He had hoped she would say yes, he had hoped she would realise that it would benefit both of them. But her answer was clearly negative. She was telling him that he didn’t stand a chance. Well, he would see about that. There were always ways and means.
‘Goodnight, Adam.’
It was the definite way she said it that made him kiss her. He hadn’t meant to act so soon but how dared she dismiss him just like that? And once he had the taste of her on his lips, once he felt the soft warmth of her body, he could not contain himself.
He tightened his arms around her and deepened the kiss, feeling a surge of raw hunger. Sienna was all and more than he remembered. She smelled divine, like a breath of spring, and his heart began a manic beat.
Sienna felt as though every atom of air had been drawn out of her body. What was she doing, allowing Adam to kiss her when she was so angry? Why hadn’t she opened the door and pushed him out? Now she was in danger of responding, and what a fatal mistake that would
be.
But could she help herself? Heck, no. Her body had a mind of its own and her lips parted beneath his. Memories returned of kisses in the honeymoon stage of their marriage, deep passionate kisses that had led to hectic love-making.
Whoa! She forced herself to stop there. Would allowing this kiss lead back to the same place? She dared not let it. It was too dangerous. She did not want a repeat of the unhappiness she had felt when Adam had been absent. And she did not want Ethan to experience it either.
At this very moment his father was his new idol, but if Adam let him down then there would be tears and arguments, and it would be the same old thing all over again.
With a strength born of desperation, she pushed Adam away. ‘This isn’t part of the deal.’
‘You can deny yourself what you so clearly want?’ he questioned softly, though she saw something hard in his eyes, something that scared the hell out of her.
‘I don’t want it,’ she claimed loudly. ‘I want only my son to get to know his father. I want nothing for myself.’
Adam’s brows rose slowly, sceptically. ‘Doesn’t Ethan’s happiness coincide with your own? Don’t the two come together?’
‘That was not my intention when I sought you out.’ But heaven help her, something was going on inside her body over which she had no control.
When she had first met and fallen in love with Adam she had found herself thrown into a kaleidoscope of feelings from which there had been no escape. Even when she had walked out on him, it had been tough love. And it had taken almost all of the time they’d been apart for her to reach the decision that she was no longer in love with him.
And now this! The heat in her body was overwhelming. Adam’s kisses had re-ignited the flame that had once burned so brightly that it hurt, and it was going to take every ounce of her willpower not to give herself to him again.
‘Then it remains to be seen.’ There was a glint in Adam’s eye as he spoke, as he opened the door and headed outside.
Sienna closed it quickly, holding a hand over her thudding heart, but she could not help a covert glance through the window.
Adam was laughing and joking with the youths who had guarded his car. He handed them another note.
Sienna shook her head. He earned big money but it meant nothing to him. It had definitely been a wrong move going to see him. Her own life and Ethan’s would never be the same again.
Chapter Five
SIENNA’S dream was disturbed by Ethan jumping on her bed. ‘Wake up, Mummy, wake up.’
She opened her eyes sleepily. She had been dreaming about Adam, about the row they’d had that had ended their marriage. It was so vivid in her mind that she could recall it word for word…
‘It’s absurd the hours you put in at work.’ Sienna had been virtually dancing on the balls of her feet. ‘I’ve had enough. You never listen to what I say. If you don’t change I’m going to leave you, it’s as simple as that.’
Adam’s anger had risen as quickly as hers. ‘Don’t you dare criticise me when I’m only doing it because of you.’
‘Because of me?’ Sienna had echoed, her eyes widening. ‘Adam, I couldn’t care less if we didn’t have a penny. It’s a simple excuse but it doesn’t work. You’re doing it for yourself and no one else.’ Her body had been stiff with rage, her eyes almost spitting bursts of fire. They’d had this same argument over and over and it hadn’t made one iota of difference.
‘It doesn’t become you, Sienna, screaming at me like this.’
‘And neglecting me doesn’t become you either,’ she’d snapped. ‘Anyone would think you didn’t love me any more.’
When he hadn’t answered, when he hadn’t even looked at her, Sienna had turned and stormed out of the room. And the next morning she had packed her bags.
‘Ethan, Mummy’s tired. Go back to bed.’ She had been disturbed by her dream and wanted a few moments to herself. Their marriage had indeed been stormy and she had congratulated herself on getting out of it.
But now Adam was back in her life, threatening to turn it upside down again. And unhappily she had brought it all on herself.
What if Adam was an absentee father, the same as he’d been an absentee husband? The thought stayed with Sienna and she was not surprised when a few days went by and she heard nothing more from him.
Ethan kept asking where he was. ‘Your father’s a very busy man,’ she told him. ‘He has a big business to run.’
‘But I want to see him again.’
‘And you shall, but we must wait for him to find the time.’ What a thing to have to tell her son, but it was true. This was typical Adam. He couldn’t even spare a few minutes to pick up the phone.
It was totally unexpected, therefore, when he turned up on Friday evening and invited them to spend the weekend with him. Sienna was furious. Hadn’t she already told him that it was far too soon for anything like that?
‘I don’t think so,’ she said. ‘We can go out tomorrow if you like, just for the day, for a walk somewhere, a picnic perhaps, but—’
‘Oh, Mummy. I want to see Daddy’s house.’
Sienna hadn’t realised that Ethan was behind her, she had thought he was playing in his room, and although every instinct told her to refuse, she took one look at her son’s face and knew that she could not disappoint him.
If Adam had phoned first she could have told him that it was a no-starter, but, no, he had to come in person, knowing that she would be unable to let Ethan down when they were standing face to face.
‘I would have appreciated some warning.’ Anger flared in her eyes and she felt like pushing him out and slamming the door on him. Instead, for Ethan’s sake, she tried to keep some semblance of sanity.
‘There was always the chance that you’d say no.’
‘Exactly.’
‘But now the matter’s settled, I suggest you pack a few things and we’ll be on our way.’
Again her eyes flashed, especially when he was looking so smug and satisfied. Without another word she marched through to her bedroom, throwing clothes into a holdall, doing the same for Ethan, then returning to stand in front of Adam.
Her eyes were filled with resentment and anger but he chose not to notice, smiling broadly instead. Ethan, too, was jigging up and down with excitement.
Adam’s Bentley was waiting outside, his chauffeur standing beside it. Ethan’s jaw dropped but he said nothing. It was so unusual for him to be at a loss for words that Sienna knew he was overwhelmed, and sitting between them his eyes were everywhere.
She was actually glad that Ethan shielded her from Adam. Despite her anger, she was very much aware of him. There was some infinitesimal spark inside her that refused to die out. She had sworn to herself after her dream, the dream that had reminded her of all that had happened, all the bad times, that she would not let herself get aroused by him again.
But how impossible was that?
He was still incredibly handsome and sexy. The first moment she had ever clapped eyes on him she had known that this was the man she had wanted to marry.
And she had never fallen out of love with him!
Oh, God, was that really true? Was she still in love with him? The answer was a miserable yes, though she would never admit it to Adam. It scared her to admit it to herself. He would never change. He might try, he might even succeed for a few weeks, but he would inevitably go back to his old ways and where would that leave her and Ethan?
He would strive to persuade them to move in with him, and it really would be tempting. But wise? She did not think so. All he wanted was his son. And if she was a means to an end then…
She must keep a level head on her shoulders, not let Ethan’s enthusiasm or Adam’s sweet-talking change her mind.
Watching her son’s reaction as they approached Adam’s home, seeing the way his eyes widened as they passed through the gates, watching the expression on his face as they were whisked smoothly up in the high-speed lift, she knew that these first impress
ions were what she had feared.
But Adam was heedless of the long-term effect this might have on his son. He smiled each time he saw Ethan’s changing expression and over the top of his head he smiled even more complacently at Sienna.
And Sienna was yet further dismayed when she saw the toys that were piled up for Ethan in one of the bedrooms. It looked as if Adam had bought the entire shop.
‘What are you doing, Adam?’ she asked fiercely when Ethan was out of earshot. ‘Are you trying to buy his love? You could have given him a drum or a football and he’d have been just as happy.’
‘I have a lot of making up to do.’
‘If you think spending money on him is the answer, think again. It’s stupid. He wants you, not your money. Haven’t we already discussed this?’ She had been afraid that he would splash his money around to impress his son and she’d been right.
‘You’re incredibly sexy when you’re angry, do you know that, Sienna?’
Her eyes flashed her displeasure, her whole body stiffening and rejecting him. ‘This isn’t about you and me.’
It was like water off a duck’s back. Adam smiled, completely unperturbed by her words. ‘You have the most amazing eyes. They tell me what your voice doesn’t, do you know that? And at this moment they’re telling me that you’re wondering whether I’m going to kiss you again.’
Sienna shot him a blast of anger. ‘Trying to butter me up will not change my mind about how I think your relationship with Ethan should go. I want you to stop believing that you can buy his love. It has to be earned. He wants a father. Not presents, not fancy cars, not houses that look as though no child would ever dare play in them, but a father’s companionship. Can you give him that?’
By the time she had finished Sienna’s breathing was all over the place but she didn’t care.
But he either hadn’t been listening or he chose to ignore what she was saying. He had edged closer without her even realising it, his eyes darkening and narrowing, and if she didn’t move now all would be lost. For how could she not succumb to his kisses when her body was betraying her harsh thoughts? It knew only that this man could take her on an emotional roller-coaster ride, a ride that would tilt her into a world where nothing mattered except feeding her senses.
Married Again to the Millionaire Page 5
