Happy Mother's Day!

The interruption made her pause. ‘I don’t understand.’

‘Then let me spell it out for you.’ His silky smile was somehow infinitely more alarming than his raging anger had been. Now he was in control. A shiver of apprehension traced its way down Erin’s spine. ‘No separation, no divorce, not now, not ever!’

‘What do you mean?’ she asked in a small voice, even though his statement had been clear enough. This was her worst nightmare coming true.

‘You wish me to spell it out? My child will not be brought up not knowing his father, his family, not speaking his own language.’

Erin rushed to reassure him that this had never been her intention. ‘Look, of course he’ll learn about his heritage—there was never any question of—’

‘You will come back to Italy with me where our child will be born.’

Erin shook her head in a negative gesture at the casually autocratic decree. ‘You’re suggesting that for the sake of the baby.’

‘I’m not suggesting anything,’ he corrected. ‘This is not a discussion. I’m telling you what is going to happen.’

Erin tried to laugh, but all that emerged was a high-pitched squeaky sound. ‘You can’t force me …’ The reminder was as much for her own benefit as his.

‘I’m sure that won’t be necessary—not once you have considered the options.’

‘What options?’

Again he smiled and the hairs on the nape of her neck stood on end. ‘There are none.’

She struggled to inject some sanity into the conversation. ‘You’re not being reasonable, Francesco. Our marriage was a total disaster. We can’t stay married just because of the baby.’

His jaw tightened. ‘Perhaps you need reminding why you married me in the first instance.’

Her head came up with a jerk. As their eyes clashed there was a tension in the air that reminded Erin of the heavy heat that preceded a storm.

‘Come to bed with me.’

The colour flew to her parchment-pale cheeks. ‘You’re so manipulative! You think that you can make me agree to anything if you get me in bed, don’t you?’ Why wouldn’t he? So far it had worked pretty well!

‘Manipulation? You actually imagine that I am capable of such clarity of thought with you in the same room?’

Erin blinked, confused by the emotions that were rolling off him in waves.

‘I invite you into my bed because it is where you belong.’

The blunt pronouncement made her stomach dip and flutter.

‘I find it hard to function when all I can think about is sinking into you.’

For a moment their eyes clung. The raw need in his drove the air from her lungs. From some hidden well of reserve she discovered the strength to break that searing contact.

With a cry she ran from the room, not caring if her flight confirmed his accusation that she was too immature to confront her feelings.

CHAPTER NINE

ERIN went straight to her room. It took her less than five minutes to pack her bags, throwing things in a blind panic. She didn’t see another person in the apparently deserted house until she had reached the hallway.

‘Isn’t this becoming a habit with you, cara?’

Erin dropped her case as she spun around in time to see a tall, lithe figure peel away from the wall.

‘There is a problem you don’t want to confront. So you run away.’

‘I’m not running away.’