The Secret Child

Luke smiled back at her.

‘OK, Clare, thank you.’

Clare didn’t appear to have heard her, because she stood where she was, still smiling dreamily at Luke.

‘I said it was OK, Clare, tell whoever is on the phone that I’ll be along in a few minutes.’ Alison tried again, an edge of impatience in her tone. It had always been the same, women just seemed to fall at Luke’s feet, and it really irritated Alison. He was big-headed enough without more adoration.

‘Oh…right.’ Clare seemed to drag her gaze away from Luke with the utmost reluctance and left the room.

‘Well, it’s been nice seeing you again, Luke, but I really must get on with my work now.’

‘You have a son, I believe,’ Luke continued as if the break in the conversation had never taken place.

‘I’m flattered that you are so interested.’ Her voice was light but it was a tremendous effort to keep it that way. ‘Yes, I’m very lucky; I have a lovely baby boy and I’m very happy.’ She glanced again at her watch, but it was purely an excuse to be able to wrench her eyes away from the intensity of his. ‘I’d better go and take my call. Goodbye, Luke.’ She turned away from him, her heart thudding violently against her chest as she walked towards the door.

She could feel him watching her.

‘So…who is the father of this child?’ He asked the question quietly before she reached the door.

Her steps faltered and stopped. This was it, the moment she had dreaded, the moment she had tried to tell herself would never come.

It was a tremendous effort of will to turn again and look at him, but she forced herself to do it because she knew that everything hinged on her giving the acting performance of her life.

She raised one eyebrow in derision. ‘That’s really none of your business, Luke.’

‘Isn’t it?’

The cool composure of his tone sent an even greater tremor of disquiet racing through her. Back over the years there had been more than a few occasions when she had wanted to contact him, tell him about Nathan, and behind that impulse had always been the daydream of Luke flying to her side, saying, ‘Darling, how wonderful… I’m sorry I hurt you; I’m sorry about the past.’

But the day he got married that fantasy had died. And, looking at the cold disdain in his expression now, she realised just how ludicrously absurd it had been. Luke couldn’t care less about her. ‘No, it’s not. My private life is my own business.’ Her voice lifted, her tone stronger, clearer.

‘Correct me if I’m wrong but I’m informed he will be two years old very soon?’

‘That’s right.’ She met his eyes and then laughed, a tinkling, silvery sound in the tense silence. ‘You’re not thinking…?’

‘I don’t know what to think, Alison.’ He moved suddenly, walking towards her with a gleam of purpose in his eye that made her long to turn tail and run. ‘I only learnt of the child’s exact age last night, and my source of information…a highly reliable source, I might add, informed me that there was an air of mystery surrounding the boy’s parentage.’

‘There is no mystery; I just don’t want my private life bandied around the village, that’s all. I told you, my personal life is nobody’s concern except my own.’

‘And the boy’s father.’

‘Well, that goes without saying—’

‘Does it?’

‘I have no secrets from Nathan’s father.’

‘So this mystery man knows about me, then, does he?’ He asked the question with cold disdain. ‘Knows that there is a question mark over the parentage of this child?’

‘There is no question over the parentage of my son.’ Alison’s voice rose angrily. ‘And if you are trying to suggest that he might be yours, then just forget it because he most certainly is not. For your information, Nathan was born prematurely—’

‘Really?’ Luke didn’t sound fazed, and, more worryingly, he didn’t sound the slightest bit interested in her protestations. ‘So when can I come and see him?’

‘See him?’ She was so shocked by the request that it took a moment to gather her senses and in that time her mask dropped and her vulnerability showed all too clearly. ‘Why on earth would you want to see him?’

‘Why do you think?’ Luke asked calmly.

She shrugged. ‘Quite frankly I haven’t the foggiest. I wouldn’t have thought you were the slightest bit interested in babies. Doesn’t really go with your tough businessman image, Luke.’

‘Doesn’t it?’ He sounded unconcerned.

‘No. What’s the matter, is being back at home so boring that you feel compelled to visit the local baby population?’

‘Just this baby,’ Luke said with a grim determination. ‘And on the contrary, being back at home is turning out to be remarkably enthralling. So, shall I call at your house tonight…say, eight o’clock?’

‘Get lost, Luke.’ She made to turn away from him but he reached out and caught hold of her arm, pulling her back towards him and holding her against his body. The close contact sent a jolt of shock reverberating through her.

The subtle yet familiar scent of his cologne assailed her senses. She looked up at him and couldn’t help remembering that the last time she had been this close to Luke Davenport he had kissed her, stealing her senses from her and turning her on so much that she had been dizzy with need.

The strange thing was that he always seemed to have that effect on her; it was as if he put some kind of spell over her as soon as he came too close, exerted some fascination that made her long to be closer. She felt like a lemming drawn towards the edge of the cliff. Even now, the dangerous, wild side of her liked the familiar feel of his body just a whisper from hers.

‘You could be a little more welcoming, Alison,’ he drawled. His eyes moved over the softness of her lips and she felt herself tremble.

‘What do you want from me, Luke?’ she asked huskily, wrenching her eyes away from his in the vain hope of breaking the sudden weakness invading her body.

‘I’ve already told you. I want to see…Nathan.’

‘And I’ve told you, my life and my child are none of your business.’

Luke shook his head. ‘I really think you should reconsider…’ There was a dangerous warning hidden behind the softness of his tone and it wasn’t lost on her. ‘I’ve come here today in an act of friendship, to ask you politely about Nathan—’

‘And I’ve answered you politely.’

‘You’ve answered nothing.’ He ground the words out tersely. ‘And quite frankly, Alison, my patience is wearing thin. I wouldn’t advise you to mess me around any further.’

‘Is that some kind of threat?’

‘It’s more of a promise. I intend to see the boy and if you continue to obstruct me you will find that I can make life very difficult for you.’

‘I’m not frightened of you Luke,’ she said, jerking her head high, her eyes blazing into his now.

‘Well, maybe you should be,’ he said quietly. ‘Because when I want something I usually get it.’

‘Just go to hell.’ She pulled her arm away from his and he released her easily.

‘That’s not very polite.’

‘That’s because I don’t feel particularly polite.’