Uncertain Destiny

‘But the things you said,’ she reminded in a pained voice. ‘The baby—–’

‘I don’t think anything can be gained by discussing that any more tonight.’ His gaze was cold, his mouth a taut line as he pulled her effortlessly to her feet.

‘But’

‘Let’s go to bed, Caroline,’ he prompted impatiently. ‘Perhaps things will look—different, in the morning,’ he added in a hard voice.

If they went to bed together tonight, would he want to make love to her? He was furious at the idea of the child she carried, but the flame she could see in the depths of his gaze told her it hadn’t changed his desire for her.

But nothing would have changed in the morning; she would still be pregnant and, from the hardness of his expression, Justin would still be denying the child was his.

She shook her head, several tendrils of fiery hair escaping the loose upsweep on to the crown of her head. ‘The baby isn’t going to disappear overnight,’ she told him.

‘Are you refusing to share a bed with me, Caroline?’ He spoke softly.

She never had, not from the beginning, unable to fight the truth of his claim at their first meeting. They always wanted each other to the point of desperation; just a look from her or the murmur of her name from Justin and the two of them would be making love. It had been that way since she first went out with him.

But they couldn’t make love tonight, not with the baby’s existence standing so solidly between them. She would never be able to forget that Justin had accused her of carrying Tony’s child; not even the mindless pleasure she could always find in Justin’s arms could make her forget that.

She heaved a ragged sigh. ‘I have to, Justin,’ she told him emotionally. ‘We have to settle the matter of the baby before I—–’

He stiffened, and suddenly Caroline had a feeling much like a person in a courtroom must do just before Justin began to cross-examine them.

‘The matter is settled, Caroline,’ he bit out. ‘The child inside you is not mine. It is a medical impossibility for it to be so.’

‘But—–’

‘Medically impossible, Caroline,’ he repeated harshly.

‘Doctors make mistakes—–’

‘Not this time.’ His voice was a cold rasp.

‘But they have to have done,’ she insisted desperately. ‘I was a virgin that first night we were together, you know that!’ She looked up at him appealingly.

He gave an acknowledging inclination of his head. ‘But you did insist on seeing Tony—alone—after that, to explain that you intended marrying me,’ he reminded her calmly.

Caroline felt the colour leave her cheeks, staring at him as if she couldn’t believe what he was suggesting. ‘Justin, you can’t think, believe—–’

‘What other explanation can there be for your pregnancy?’ He shrugged dismissively.

‘You prefer to believe I went to bed with Tony just before we were married rather than that the doctor who told you you’re sterile made a mistake?’ she gasped in a pained voice.

His gaze was narrowed. ‘Yes.’

She sat down suddenly. ‘Then you’re right, discussing this any further wouldn’t help at all,’ she said dully, blinking back the tears.

He nodded abruptly. ‘I’ll sleep in the spare bedroom tonight,’ he told her harshly. ‘We’ll have to decide tomorrow what’s to be done about the baby.’

That roused her from the sea of pain she had been drowning in. ‘What’s to be done?’ she repeated slowly, reluctantly, watching him warily.

‘I don’t want children, Caroline,’ he stated abruptly. ‘I never have.’

What did that mean? That he wanted her to leave and take the baby with her, or that he just didn’t want the baby?

CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_70a513fd-a2bd-5c96-aae6-1f7497c4fa3a)

CAROLINE awoke with a groan, pushing the hair out of her face as she rolled over to look at the bedside clock. Nine-thirty; Justin would already have left for the day.

She sat up in the bed, staring down at her still-flat stomach, already feeling an affinity with the child that nestled inside her.

How could Justin deny that child, refuse to even acknowledge its existence other than as an unwelcome intrusion into their marriage?

When she had pressed him last night to explain exactly what he meant by his remark about ‘not wanting children’, he had told her he thought it would be better if they slept on it and came to a decision in the morning. She hadn’t wanted to wait until then, had demanded he answer her. He had completely withdrawn from her then, leaving her standing beside the table that was still set for their celebration, and when she had desperately followed him up the stairs it was to find the spare bedroom door locked against her.

He couldn’t mean for her to choose between him or their baby, could he? Even if he didn’t believe it was his child, he couldn’t really expect her to—no! She wouldn’t even acknowledge him demanding that possibility. To her it wasn’t a possibility.

She had to persuade him to see another doctor, knowing beyond a shadow of doubt that the child she carried was Justin’s. There had been no one else for her, not before or since him. How could there have been, when he fulfilled her completely, possessed her like a drug that made her body feverish and her senses so attuned to him that the mere sight of him drove her wild with need?

Their first night together, here in this very house, she had submitted herself to a far greater power than any she possessed, had known herself lost from Justin’s first caress …

Even Caroline hadn’t been prepared for his call the night they met. She was on the point of going to bed shortly after Tony had left when the telephone began to ring. Envisaging another unexpected night on duty when one of the night-staff had let them down, she picked the receiver up with a groan.

‘So you and Shepherd don’t sleep together,’ came the husky greeting.

Caroline stiffened, instantly alert, moistening suddenly dry lips. ‘Justin?’ she said uncertainly.

‘Unless some other man questioned you tonight about your relationship with Shepherd,’ he acknowledged drily.

She gave an irritated frown; she had expected to hear from him, but this! ‘I don’t know anyone else that arrogant,’ she admitted abruptly, somehow knowing that amusement had darkened his gaze. ‘How did you get my number?’ she prompted waspishly.

‘I telephoned Paula first and asked her,’ he revealed calmly.

‘You—–’ She gasped, closing her eyes as she imagined what the other woman had made of that, the answer not a pleasant one.

‘Would you like to add “bastard” after the “arrogant"?’ he mused.

‘Yes!’ she snapped. ‘And how do you know Tony isn’t waiting in the bedroom for me right now?’ she demanded angrily.

‘Paula was only too eager to tell me that you and her brother don’t sleep together,’ Justin mocked. ‘I believe she imagined it would deter my interest.’

Caroline gripped the receiver tightly, ashamed of how much she hoped that hadn’t happened. ‘And did it?’ She waited breathlessly for his answer.

‘Not in the least,’ he answered confidently. ‘I like a woman who can be a little choosy about who she goes to bed with.’

Did he also like a woman who hadn’t been to bed with anyone? she wondered a little dazedly. Really, the man had no scruples at all, telephoning her in this way!

‘How do you know that choice will include you?’ she snapped, annoyed at the awkward situation he had put her in with Tony and his sister.