An Offer She Can't Refuse by Emma Darcy Read Free Book Online Page A

the day. As soon as they were out of earshot she flew into attack mode, determined on knowing what she had to handle.
    ‘You’ve told your father about Theo, haven’t you?’ she cried accusingly.
    ‘Yes, I have,’ he answered calmly. ‘He had the right to know, just as I had the right to know. Which you denied me for the past five years, Christina.’
    ‘You made it clear that you were finished with me, Ari.’
    ‘You could have found me. My family is not unknown. A simple search on the Internet.’
    ‘Oh, sure! I can just imagine how much you would have welcomed a cast-off woman running after you. Any contact from me via computer and you would have pressed the delete button.’
    ‘Not if you’d told me you were pregnant.’
    ‘Would you have believed me?’ she challenged.
    His hesitation gave her instant justification for keeping him in ignorance.
    ‘I thought I had taken care of contraception, Christina,’ he said, trying to justify himself. ‘I would certainly have checked. However, we now have a different situation—a connection that demands continuation. It’s best that you start getting used to that concept because I won’t be cut out of my son’s life any longer.’
    The edge of hard ruthlessness in his tone told her without a doubt that he was intent on making a legal claim. A down to the wire fight over Theo was inevitable. What she needed to do now was buy time. Quelling the threatening rise of panic, she tried bargaining with him.
    ‘You said in Athens we could do this the easy way or the hard way, Ari.’
    ‘Yes. I meant it. Is there something you’d like to suggest?’
    ‘You messed up my life once and I guess nothing is going to stop you from messing it up again. But please … don’t make a mess of my sister’s day in the sun as a bride. That would be absolutely rotten and selfish, which is typical of your behaviour, but … I’ll make it easy for you to get to know your son over the next few days if you hold back on telling everyone else you’re his father until after the wedding.’
    The silence that followed her offer was nerve-wracking. Tina gritted her teeth and laid out the hard way. ‘I’ll fight you on every front if you don’t agree, Ari.’
    ‘When was I ever rotten or selfish to you in our relationship?’ he demanded curtly, sounding as though his self-image was badly dented.
    ‘You made me believe what wasn’t true … for your own ends,’ she stated bitingly. ‘And may God damn you to hell if you do that to Theo.’
    ‘Enough! I agree to your deal. I shall meet you at the resort in one hour. We will spend the day happily together for our son’s pleasure.’
    He cut the connection before Tina could say another word. Her hand was shaking as she returned the telephone receiver to its cradle. At least Cass’s wedding wouldn’t be spoiled, she told herself. As for the rest … the only thing she could do was deal with one day at a time.
    It took Ari the full hour to get his head around Christina’s offensive reading of his character. Anger and resentment kept boiling through him. He wasn’t used to being so riled by any situation with a woman. It was because of Theo, he reasoned. It was only natural that his emotions were engaged where his son was concerned.
    As for Christina, her hostility towards him was totally unreasonable. He remembered romancing her beautifully, showering her with gifts, saying all the sweet words that women liked to hear, wining and dining her, not stinting on anything that could give her pleasure. No one could have been a better first lover for her.
    Was it his fault that the contraception he’d used had somehow failed to protect her from falling pregnant? He had never, never intended to mess up her life. He would have dealt honourably with the situation had he known about it. She could have been living in luxury all these years, enjoying being part of a family unit instead of struggling along with single parenthood.
    That was her