Page 26 of The Heir Affair

‘Do you think so little of me?’ he demanded, using his temper to cover the hurt. ‘That I would consider marriage to one woman, while another is pregnant with my child?’

Why did he care that she believed he was not a man of honour, when he did not care what anyone thought of him? And she would certainly not have been the first to believe a street rat like him had no integrity.

She turned to face him, her arms still wrapped around her waist, trembling despite the sun’s warmth shining through the glass.

‘Honestly, I don’t know what to think. How can I, when I don’t know you…?’

‘How can you say this?’ he asked, baffled now. Were they speaking a different language? He had always considered his English fluent, but now he was not so sure. ‘When we have made a child together…and not five minutes ago, I was so deep inside you I could feel your heart beating?’

The blush on her cheeks exploded, the mottled colour spreading across her collarbone.

‘Th-that’s… That’s just sex,’ she said, but her gaze skipped away from his.

‘Just sex!’He swore in Greek, dumbfounded, even as he struggled to control the wave of jealousy. Clasping her chin between his thumb and forefinger, he dragged her gaze back to his. ‘Have you responded to other men with such passion, then?’

She tugged her chin from his grasp. But as her brows shot up her forehead, and the flush burned, the twist of jealousy released its death grip. Because he could see the answer written on that expressive face.

No, she had not reacted to other men the way she had always reacted to him.

The sex had been as mind-blowing for her. And as extraordinary. His relief was quickly followed by a new surge of need, the yearning to taste her again, to lick her to orgasm, making his insides twist with something far more exhilarating.

‘That’s not the point,’ she finally managed. But she did not look so sure.

‘Then whatisthe point?’ he said, trying to be reasonable, while hot blood was coursing back into his boxers, threatening to derail his caution all over again.

Why on earth did you sleep with him again? What is wrong with you?

She looked at Xander’s furious scowl, making it clear he had no clue what Poppy was talking about. And he was also not happy with her answer.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t really blame him for that incredulous look… Or the temper swirling in his eyes and turning them to a stormy sea-blue. She was sending him so many mixed messages even she felt dizzy. And she wasn’t entirely sure either what the point was she was trying to make.

The truth was, when he’d told her his marriage was off, she’d felt the leap of joy in her chest—and immediately hated herself for it.

Because it made her feel like that naïve girl again, who had fallen for him so easily five months ago. The naïve girl who had been so captivated by his attention, so enchanted by his interestin her, so intoxicated by his lovemaking, she’d thrown away all her common sense.

That her body was still far too susceptible to him was bad enough. She really did not want to fall down that rabbit hole again—of believing their chemistry and that livewire attraction, the incendiary way she responded to his no doubt practised moves, meant more than it did.

‘The point is…’ She huffed, trying to figure out what to say without making herself look even more clueless. ‘Just because we have chemistry, it doesn’t mean that we’re in a relationship.’

His scowl deepened and his jaw tightened. ‘You are having my child,’ he said, his exasperation edging out his fury. ‘Therefore, we are in a relationship.’

‘You have to care about someone to be in a relationship with them, Xander,’ she countered softly.

He blinked, the dumbfounded expression so telling she felt foolish. The man was a stranger. They’d met precisely once before, spent four hours together full of lies and half-truths, and made a baby. Why would she even expect him to care for her when he hardly knew her, too?

‘I should return to my own cabin… My breakfast is getting cold,’ she murmured when he stood, apparently lost for words, his brow furrowing.

But as she stepped past him, he snagged her wrist. Sensation sprinted up her arm, but she couldn’t find the energy to tug her arm free when her gaze met his. Instead of the indomitable, demanding man she had encountered since he had all but dragged her out of the restaurant in Galicos, he looked confused and, for once, less guarded.

‘I want you more than I have ever wanted any woman… And you want me, too.’ His voice dropped to a husky murmur that brushed over her skin, even as his thumb caressed the pulsepoint in her wrist. ‘The hunger has not died. And I see no reason not to indulge it.’

She wanted to disagree with him, even though her hormones were doing a happy dance at his blunt offer. But before she could utter a word, he pressed his hand to her mouth, trapping the not entirely truthful denial inside her.

‘But this we can discuss another time,’ he continued. ‘More important to me is that I keep you and our baby safe. Why must you fight me on this?’ His tone was strained, but from his expression she could see it was a genuine question.

The fact that he didn’t know the answer spoke volumes. But maybe communication was key.

She eased her hand from his grasp, because his touch made it hard for her to think clearly. And she didn’t want to mess up the chance to explainwhyshe was so averse to having him make decisions for her without her consent.