“You’ll forgive me if I don’t sign up to a life of parenthood based on your claims alone.”
She gasped, his scathing treatment of her so totally unwarranted she wanted to punch him. The instinct terrified her. Elodie took another step towards the door.
“It’s not a ‘claim’, but the truth. I’m pregnant. If you don’t believe me, then that’s fine. I’ve done what I set out to do and told you about our baby.”
His skin blanched once more, and now he strode across the foyer, his huge body dwarfing hers.
“We are going to go to a hospital, where a doctor will confirm this. Once I have that confirmation, and only then, we can discuss…the situation.”
“You can go to a hospital and speak to as many doctors as you’d like,” she muttered. “I’ve peed on three sticks already today, and I’m pretty confident I’d recall sleeping with anyone else.”
His jaw shifted as he ground his teeth. “Be that as it may, given the particulars of our situation, you’ll forgive me for wanting an outside confirmation.”
“I don’t think I will forgive you, actually,” she responded tautly. “You have been nothing but condescending and rude to me since I arrived here today. If you think I would go to the hospital with you now, you need your head read.”
Surprise shifted on his face, then, ever so briefly, something like regret. But it was gone away again so quickly, she wondered if she’d imagined it.
“Then a doctor will come here,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. “One way or another, I’m having this confirmed today.”
“You seem to be labouring under the misapprehension that you’re somehow in charge of me.”
“If you are indeed pregnant with my child, that’s exactly how I see things.”
She stared at him with disbelief.
“If you are pregnant, and the baby is mine, then that baby—and by extension, you—are very much my responsibility.”
“What does that even mean?”
His eyes bore into hers. “There’s no sense having that conversation until we’ve got confirmation. Are you ready?”
Her lips parted. “I just told you, I’m not going with you.”
“And I told you, a doctor can come here. So, which is it?”
She shook her head. “You’re crazy. You’re…this is…”
He pressed a finger to her lips then, and despite the tenor of their conversation, sparks burst through her body. “I’m the last man on earth you want as your enemy, Elodie. Far better that you do as I say for now. If you’re very, very lucky, this will turn out to be a mistake, and we never have to see each other again.Capisci?”
No, she didn’t understand. This was the very last way she could have predicted he would act. The very last way she’d imagined a man like Raf taking the news that he was going to be a father. “You sleep with women like sex is life. Are you really so surprised that this has happened?”
“I always, always take precautions, to make sure this outcome doesn’t eventuate.”
“Yeah, well, what can I tell you? Your precautions didn’t work, and neither did mine.” She felt his warm breath against her forehead and ignored the way a spark of desire ignited in her bloodstream. “We’re having a baby, Raf. But if you need proof, then fine. Let’s go get it for you.”
CHAPTER 4
HE HADN’T REALLY BELIEVED there’d been a mistake. He knew enough to know that modern pregnancy tests were generally considered infallible, and despite what he believed about women and trust, somehow, on some level, he did simply believe Elodie, when she told him she hadn’t slept with anyone else.
But was that by design?
Had she consented to coming home with him that second night because she had learned who he was, from one night to the next? Had she lied about being on the pill? Somehow sabotaged the condom?
No man in their right mind would believe that, based on the way she’d been with him—so open and artless—but then, Raf wasn’t in his right mind. How could he be? Everything about their conversation had been like a bullet in his gut, reminding him of the lengths Marcia had gone to in order to trap him into marriage, when he’d always sworn that wasn’t for him. Reminded him of the power a baby held over him—it was the one non-negotiable in his life. He wouldn’t ever ignore his responsibilities as a father. Something Marcia had known, all too well. They’d discussed it, when his cousin had woundup in a situation where a partner of his had fallen pregnant unexpectedly. Raf had made some off-the-cuff remark about the only right thing being to marry her—as Dante had insisted upon.
But Elodie Finch—whose full name he now knew, because of the hospital paperwork—had no idea about any of that. To the best of his understanding, she didn’t even know who he was. Or, if she was aware he was a member of the powerful Santoro family, she’d given no indication of that. While his wealth was obvious, she could have no concept of justhowwealthy he was, nor how many businesses his family owned, how widespread their influence.
And he had no reason to think she’d care, either.
