Modern Romance Collection: August 2017 Books 5 -8. Jennie Lucas

baby clothes. ‘Where’s Harry?’

      ‘Cortez took him downstairs.’ Barbara seemed unaware of Elin’s tension. ‘He keeps the pram in his study so that he can be near to Harry while he is working.’ She looked closely at Elin. ‘I told Cortez that you were feeling much better this morning and he asked me to give you a message that he wants you to meet him in his study at eleven o’clock.’

      Elin was desperate to immediately go and find her son. She had been ill for a week but it felt like a lifetime since she had held Harry in her arms and smelled his delicious baby scent. But she acknowledged that she could not walk around Cortez’s house wearing her nightdress. When she met him in an hour from now she was determined to appear calm and in control, even though her insides were churning as she wondered what, if any, input he intended to have in his son’s life now he must have proof from the paternity test clinic that he was Harry’s father.

      Although she was feeling better, the effort of showering and getting dressed sapped her energy. She was grateful to Barbara for packing some clothes for her before they’d left London. It was unfortunate that the new outfits she’d bought to take to Rhodes for Virginia’s wedding were designed to be worn at beach or pool parties, and the short skirts and skimpy tops were more daring than she usually wore.

      She chose a pale blue chiffon dress that did at least have sleeves, but when she checked her appearance in the mirror she was dismayed that the floaty skirt was almost see-through. There was no time to change her outfit when a maid came to her room to escort her to Cortez’s study, but Elin reminded herself that he would not be interested in how she looked. He’d had sex with her once and had disappeared immediately afterwards. She was just another notch on his bedpost.

      As she followed the maid downstairs she could not help but admire the design and décor of the house. The white marble floors and neutral-coloured walls could have made the rooms feel cold, but patterned rugs and brightly coloured cushions and artwork lent interest and a homely feel to the elegant villa. She walked into the study and her eyes were immediately drawn to the large and very regal-looking pram. With a low cry she sped across the room. Her arms were literally aching to hold her baby.

      ‘Harry has just dropped off to sleep and it would be best if you did not disturb him.’

      Cortez’s peremptory voice made her halt, and she turned her head to see him leaning against his desk. He was wearing a superbly tailored grey suit, a crisp white shirt and dark grey tie and the formality of his clothes made Elin conscious of her insubstantial summer dress. She lifted her eyes up to his face and felt her heart crash against her ribs as she absorbed the perfection of his sculpted features. His lips were curved in a cynical expression but nothing could detract from the sensual impact of his mouth, and she hated herself for the quiver that ran through her.

      Anger was her only defence against her awareness of him. ‘You had no right to abduct me and my son. It’s outrageous that you brought us to Spain without my agreement,’ she said heatedly.

      ‘You were not in a fit state to agree or disagree to coming here,’ he responded coolly. ‘And you are forgetting that Harry is my son too.’

      Elin cast a yearning look at her baby sleeping peacefully in the pram before she marched over to the desk, determined to show that she was not intimidated by Cortez. ‘I have never forgotten that Harry was conceived as a result of the most shameful night of my life.’

      Her attention had been riveted on Cortez, but she was suddenly aware that there was someone else in the room and a frisson of unease ran down her spine as she saw an older man with grey hair and a stern face standing by the window.

      ‘This is Señor Fernandez,’ Cortez introduced the man. ‘He is a lawyer specialising in family law, particularly in cases when there is a dispute between parents over custody of a child.’

      Custody! Elin’s legs almost gave way but she fought against the dizzy sensation that swept over her, determined she wouldn’t faint. ‘There is no dispute.’ She was pleased she sounded forceful rather than scared. ‘I am going to take Harry back home to England as soon as possible. I’ve already told you that I don’t intend to ask you for financial help towards the cost of his upbringing.’

      ‘Harry does not have a home with you in England. If you think I would allow you to take him to live in a partly derelict cottage which, under the terms of Ralph Saunderson’s will, is your only asset, think again,’ Cortez said in a hard tone.

      ‘You can’t keep me a prisoner here.’ Panic gripped her as she remembered that he was in possession of her and Harry’s passports.

      ‘I prefer the term guest to prisoner,’ he drawled. ‘You can leave whenever you wish.’ His meaning was sickeningly clear; she could leave, but he would not allow her to take her baby. Elin was tempted to grab Harry and run out of the study with him, but her common sense reminded her that she had nowhere to run to.

      ‘Sit down,’ Cortez ordered.

      Tension coiled in her stomach as she sank down onto the chair he pulled out for her. Cortez waited until the lawyer was also seated, before he took his place behind his desk. ‘Señor Fernandez has prepared a document for you to read.’

      The chill in his voice sent an ice cube slithering down Elin’s spine. She picked up the piece of paper Cortez pushed across the desk and as she read down the printed page her heart thudded painfully fast in her chest.

      ‘What the hell is this?’ she said thickly when she had finished reading.

      His dark brows lifted. ‘I believe it is self-explanatory. I am offering to give you Cuckmere Hall: the house and entire estate, including the vineyards and winery. The current value of the Cuckmere estate is twenty-five million pounds, and I am prepared to offer you an additional ten million pounds which you could invest and use the interest to pay for the running costs of the house and estate. Alternatively, if you decide to sell Cuckmere for its market value, you will still receive the additional ten million pounds, which will be transferred directly into your bank account.

      ‘In return,’ he continued smoothly, ‘you will sign sole custody of Harry over to me with a legally binding guarantee that you will not seek to change or reverse this decision at any future date.’ He ignored her sharply indrawn breath. ‘The agreement will take effect immediately when you have signed the document that you have in your hand. My private jet will be available to take you to England, and you will leave here with the deeds of the Cuckmere estate in your possession.’

      ‘This is a joke, right?’ Elin moistened her dry lips with the tip of her tongue and saw Cortez’s eyes narrow on her mouth. He couldn’t be serious, she assured herself. Obviously he had a warped sense of humour. ‘You can’t really think I would agree to your disgusting offer.’

      The lawyer spoke. ‘Señor Ramos’s offer is extremely generous. I am certain that you would not receive any more from a court judgement.’

      Cortez leaned back in his chair and gave her a hard stare. ‘Is there something more that you want?’

      ‘Yes, there is.’ She was proud that her voice sounded calm while inside she was a seething cauldron of emotions ranging from anger through to a deep sense of hurt that was inexplicable. Why should she care that Cortez believed she would sell her son in a deal that would shame the devil? ‘I want you to rot in hell.’

      Her control was hanging by a thread. Tears stung her eyes but she would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. Carefully she tore the piece of paper she was holding in half and then tore the two halves into quarters and then eighths, her movements jerky with suppressed violence.

      ‘There is nothing you could offer me. All the riches in the world would not tempt me for a nanosecond to give my son away. And especially—especially—’ her voice rose, sharp with revulsion ‘—to a man such as you, who treats women like objects, like dirt. If Ralph had not made you his heir you would not have gone to Cuckmere Hall and discovered that you have a son. Harry would have grown up never knowing who his father was.’

      She stood up and dragged in a ragged