Her Secret, His Love-Child. Tina Duncan

first time, she appreciated just how much Alex didn’t want it to be true.

      She frowned. Surely this was more than just the normal reaction of a playboy who didn’t want to be tied down? She could practically feel the anxiety seeping out of his pores into the air surrounding them.

      Something else was going on here, although she didn’t have a clue what it was.

      ‘Yes, Alex. It is.’

      ‘It’s not. It can’t be.’ Alex couldn’t hide the desperation in his voice. It was clear he was in some form of denial, which meant he was in for a rude awakening.

      ‘I’m afraid it is.’ She paused for a moment before playing the ace she’d hoped wouldn’t be required. ‘And I can prove it.’

      He raised a dark eyebrow. ‘And just how do you plan on doing that?’

      ‘A DNA test will prove Sam’s paternity.’

      Alex was such a logical, facts-and-figures kind of guy. He would have no choice but to believe scientific evidence.

      The suggestion had clearly shocked Alex. He was staring at her as if she’d just grown three heads.

      While she waited for him to say something, Katrina couldn’t stop her eyes from running over him.

      There wasn’t a man alive who looked as good in a suit as Alex did. All of his clothes were handmade and fitted him like a glove. He was tall and lean, with broad shoulders, a muscled chest and long, powerful legs. The dark fabric accentuated his black hair and piercing blue eyes.

      He looked elegant and sophisticated and very, very male.

      Heat stirred low in her pelvis. She was nowhere near as immune to him as she liked to think she was. He’d been right when he said her eyes had eaten him up as soon as she’d burst into the boardroom. They were eating him up again now. She couldn’t seem to help herself.

      And she didn’t understand why.

      The way he’d treated her should have killed all of the feelings she had for him. And it had—at least on an emotional level. She hadn’t been lying when she’d told Alex she didn’t love him any more.

      Because she didn’t. If anything, the reverse was true.

      But, on a physical level, it was a different matter entirely.

      Physically, she was as attracted to him as the day they’d first met.

      She’d pushed open the boardroom door, taken one look at Alex and now the burn was back.

      Just like that.

      ‘Are you serious about this?’ Alex asked, interrupting her thoughts.

      Katrina dragged her eyes back to his face, hoping he hadn’t noticed the way she’d been staring at him. ‘Frankly, I’d rather not have to go through the humiliation of everyone knowing that you think I sleep around. But if it’s the only way you’ll accept the truth then I’m more than willing to go through with it.’

      ‘In that case, I’ll arrange the test.’ His expression gave nothing away. If he had doubts, he wasn’t showing them. He glanced at his watch. ‘There’s no time like the present. The sooner we get this farce over with, the better.’

      Alex didn’t say a word as the doctor swabbed the inside of the baby’s cheek then put the spatula in a thin glass testtube and marked the outside with a bar-coded sticker.

      ‘How soon can we have the results?’ he demanded as Dr Kershew extracted a fresh applicator.

      ‘It will take forty-eight hours,’ Doctor Kershew replied. ‘Open up.’

      Alex opened his mouth. The doctor repeated the process on the inside of his mouth.

      ‘Can’t you get it done any faster?’ Alex asked with a frown as soon as the doctor was finished.

      Doctor Kershew placed the two samples side by side on his cluttered desk then looked back and forth between them. He was obviously aware of the tension that had been simmering between them since they’d entered the surgery ten minutes ago. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’

      ‘You’ll call me as soon as you know?’ Alex pressed.

      Doctor Kershew shook his head. ‘They don’t call with the results. They send a written report. Would you like it sent to your home or office?’

      ‘My home. The less people who know about this, the better,’ he stated grimly, with a sharp glance in Katrina’s direction.

      Katrina’s response was to jut her chin into the air, and her cat-like green eyes glinted with challenge again.

      ‘And you, Ms Ashby? Where would you like your copy sent?’

      She turned to the doctor. ‘I don’t need it.’ She flung Alex a look that he was sure could strip paint. ‘I already know what the results will be. I don’t need some silly test to tell me something I already know.’

      Alex stared at her, his scalp contracting. He’d been discomfited when she’d suggested the DNA testing. Hell, he’d been more than uncomfortable. He’d felt as though she’d smacked him around the head with a plank of wood.

      If she’d had any doubts about the child’s parentage, then surely she’d have avoided the suggestion like the plague?

      Now she was acting supremely confident of the results, so much so that the back of his neck began to prickle and a restless sensation attacked the base of his spine.

      What if she was right?

      What if the child was his?

      Alex let his eyes stray to the baby’s cot, which so far he’d avoided looking at.

      The baby had fallen into a peaceful sleep, her tiny fist pressed against her flushed cheek, her bow-like mouth softly parted, her little chest rising and falling with each breath.

      He’d decided many years ago never to get married or have children. With his family history, he’d considered it his only option.

      It was a decision he’d never regretted.

      He’d never even thought about what it would be like to have a child. What was the point when he’d already decided not to?

      Now he had to consider it.

      He stared at the sleeping infant. She was cute, he had to admit that. But then so was a newborn kitten. But if she was his…

      The breath caught in the back of his throat.

      If she was his then it was a different matter entirely.

      Alex sucked in a deep breath and dragged his gaze away from the cot. His eyes locked with Katrina’s. She’d noticed him watching the child. She had a very assessing look on her face, as if she was trying to figure out what he was thinking.

      She’d be surprised if she could look inside his head, Alex acknowledged wryly, because his thoughts had just jumped to another aspect of their situation.

      If the child was his, then it meant Katrina hadn’t betrayed him.

      There had been no other man.

      No other lover.

      And no intention to scam him.

      It also meant that what they’d shared was real.

      He wasn’t quite sure why that was so important to him but it was.

      ‘It’s standard procedure,’ the doctor said gently. ‘Both parents receive a copy.’

      Katrina looked back at the doctor and shrugged. ‘I don’t care where you send it.’

      ‘Oh, for goodness’ sake!’ Alex rattled off the address.

      The doctor made a note on the file before shutting it closed. ‘There, all done. Now, if that’s all, I’d better see to my next