Married Again to the Millionaire. Margaret Mayo
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‘As a matter of fact, yes, I was running away. It was a waste of time going there. Adam didn’t want to know. He actually accused me of trying to get money out of him. He suggested Ethan wasn’t his.’
Jo drew in a swift breath. ‘He didn’t! What did you say?’
‘I suggested DNA.’
‘And?’
‘He backed down a bit.’
‘And the outcome is?’
‘I’m meeting him tomorrow night—for dinner.’
Jo raised her brows.
‘He was in shock,’ declared Sienna with a wry grimace. ‘We didn’t talk much, he needed time to get used to the idea. Can you babysit Ethan?’
‘Of course.’
‘You should see his place, Jo. It’s out of this world. In fact, it’s on top of the world. He lives in a penthouse suite overlooking the Thames. His driver brought me home—in a Bentley no less.’
‘Then you should grab him with both hands,’ said her friend with a wide grin. ‘Why did you ever let him go?’
‘It’s a long story. Do you want a cup of tea?’
Sienna dressed carefully for her dinner date with Adam. She hadn’t many good clothes; as a matter of fact, the trousers and top she had worn to face him were the best things she had, bought a few months ago to attend a wedding. But she couldn’t wear them again or he would think she had nothing else to wear, so she matched a black strappy top—one she sometimes used to sunbathe in, but he wouldn’t know that—with a black floaty skirt that was years old but nevertheless still looked good. She fastened a silver belt around her waist, added a silver necklace and slipped into black sandals. Her hair had been brushed until it shone, and with a slick of lipstick and a dusting of eye-shadow she pronounced herself ready.
Just in time. The car arrived. The impassive driver knocked on her door. Sienna slid into the back seat, inhaling appreciatively the rich smell of leather. And almost immediately wished that she was going anywhere but to meet Adam again. It was going to be an uncomfortable encounter. There would be more recriminations and almost certainly the suggestion that he wanted to meet Ethan.
But she wanted to feel comfortable with Adam first. She wanted Adam to feel at ease as well. Otherwise when father and son eventually met there would be an undercurrent and she didn’t want that. It needed to be a happy meeting. She wanted Ethan to be ready, but even more than that she wanted Adam to treat his son in the way that a father should, with warmth and humour—neither of which were Adam’s strong points.
She wished for the hundredth time that she hadn’t gone to see him. It had been a huge mistake. One she might live to regret.
‘Here we are, madam.’ The driver jumped smartly out of the car and opened her door. Sienna felt almost like royalty. ‘Mr Bannerman is waiting inside.’
Oh, he was, was he? Sienna felt like telling the driver to take her back home. Except just at that moment Adam appeared in the doorway of the restaurant. They were in Mayfair, in the heart of London’s most exclusive district. Shopping, dining, living, all for the very rich.
Sienna felt distinctly out of place. Nevertheless, she kept her head high and her eyes firmly on Adam’s. He wore a grey suit and a white shirt with a grey and red tie and he looked the epitome of the successful businessman. While she felt like the poor relation!
‘Sienna, you look good. I’m glad you made it.’
Liar! On both counts. She didn’t look good, she didn’t feel good. At least, not right now. She had when she had set out, but she hadn’t expected to be wined and dined at one of London’s most elite restaurants. She had thought, she had hoped, that it would be at one of the eating places she had seen near where he lived.
Nothing had prepared her for this.
However, she smiled her acknowledgement of his compliment and when he took her arm to lead her inside she felt a crazy awareness of the man she had once been so madly in love with.
It was insanity. They were here to talk about Ethan. Adam wanted to know more about him. She had brought photographs. But here she was experiencing a reincarnation of the feelings that had once totally consumed her.
With an effort she dashed them away, relegated them to some safe place deep in her body. Hopefully they would never be restored. She was prepared to be civil with Adam, for their son’s sake, but as for anything else—she would fight it every inch of the way. He had hurt her once, and she had no intention of letting him do so again.
Chapter Three
ADAM had half expected Sienna not to turn up that evening. He had thought she would despatch his driver, telling him that she had changed her mind. Her revelation that he had a four-year-old son had stunned him, sent his whole world out of kilter, made a mockery of every thought he’d ever had about not wanting children to interfere with his lifestyle.
After a night lying awake, thinking about its implications, he had not even gone in to work today—which was unheard of. His PA had had the shock of her life when he’d phoned to tell her. Without a doubt his life was going to be disrupted, changed for ever, and it would take a hell of a lot of getting used to.
After Sienna had walked out on their marriage he had buried himself ever more deeply into his work. He had been fiercely angry that she couldn’t accept his need to create a good life for them. In a fit of rage after she had left him, he’d taken out other women to try to get over her.
It hadn’t worked.
Despite what he saw as her failings, and despite the reason he had married her in the first place, he had missed Sienna more than he had ever thought possible, and he’d eventually felt guilty because he’d known that he hadn’t given her the attention that she deserved. In equal parts he had experienced relief. Nevertheless, it had allowed him the space and time to build up his business without Sienna constantly complaining that she never saw him.
Now, though, he found it hard to believe that she had kept something of such monumental importance from him. A son! It did not make sense. It was a nightmare. How could she have done that?
His fingers curled and he wanted to wring her pretty neck.
Being a father would make a marked difference to his life. In the years since Sienna had walked out his business affairs had grown beyond even his own wildest dreams. Success had come to him and he’d embraced it with open arms. He needed no one. He was master of his own universe.
Or at least he had been.
Looking at her now, seeing how nervous she was, he realised that it must have taken a lot of courage to approach him yesterday. He had not thought of that at the time, he’d been too intensely angry to feel anything else. In fact, he was still angry, but he knew that he must hide those feelings if he was to come to any sort of an agreement with her.
‘Would you like a drink before dinner?’ he asked. Sienna not only looked gorgeous in black, she smelled divine too, and Adam felt a swift surge of hunger. The skinny straps of her top revealed velvety smooth, lightly tanned shoulders and the rapidly beating pulse in the long line of her throat gave away the fact that she was incredibly nervous. The swell of her breasts peeping over the top of her camisole made his fingers itch to touch, to feel their weight in his palms, to tease her nipples into tight, hard buds. As hard as he was feeling!
The crazy thing was that she was still his wife. He would be perfectly within his rights making love to her, and yet he knew that she was forbidden fruit. The sweetest fruit, the most tempting fruit.
Damn! It had been a mistake inviting her here tonight. They should have met somewhere far more austere, like in a solicitor’s office, and let a third party work out the best way forward.
‘No, thank you.’
Adam had