The Valentine Child

She caught a glimpse of shocked horror on his handsome face, but she didn't care if she hurt him. 'You're a lawyer.' Her mouth twisted in a bitter grimace. 'If you insist I'll agree to a DNA test to confirm the parenting, but it will have to be quick.'

He was caught and he knew it, but he was obviously not ecstatic at the thought of a child; his granite-hard features showed no flicker of emotion. She briefly closed her eyes, her head drooping on the slender column of her neck, her son, her ever present worry, swamping her mind.

'You knew you were pregnant when you left me,' Justin prompted stonily, and, pulling out a chair, sat down opposite her.

Zoe, her head bent, studying her clasped hands, either didn't hear or ignored his comment. 'He was born the following February—Valentine's day—hence his name.'

She was back in the past, a reminiscent smile softening her blue eyes. 'He was a beautiful baby, and it's stupid, I know, but I remember hearing this country and western singer on the radio. It was a song about a boy called Sue. He had given his son that name because he wasn't going to be around to look after him, and I thought, what with the day and all, Val was really very appropriate.'

Long fingers caught her chin, their pressure hard as Justin forced her head back until he could look into her face. She recoiled at the blistering fury leaping in his eyes.

'You knew—if not in England, in California.' The words came out harsh and clipped.

'Knew what?' She had not been listening to him.

His thumb and finger dug into her throat and she gasped at the pain. 'You knew you were pregnant the last time I saw you. Didn't you. . . ? Didn't you?' he demanded harshly, his rugged face livid with rage. 'You could have told me, you cruel little bitch,' he snarled.

She forced herself to stay cool, though inside she was trembling in fear at the force of his rage. He got to his feet and she could sense the threat of violence in his hard body as he leant over the table, breathing down on her hapless head. 'You're hurting my neck.' She gulped.

His hand fell away and he was around the table in seconds. 'Tell me. . . I need to know.' His long fingers gripped her shoulders, digging into her flesh. 'What did I ever do to make you hate me?' he demanded tautly, his iron self-control slowly reasserting itself. 'Why? Why do you hate me so much you would deny me my own child?'

She was puzzled, not so much by his anger—she had expected that—but by the hesitation, the hint of pain in his usually authoritarian tone. 'I was going to tell you, but you said you never wanted to see me again. There didn't seem much point,' she said brittlely.

Justin briefly closed his eyes, and she could have sworn that she saw his wide shoulders shudder. His hands squeezed her shoulders; she glanced up at his face and their eyes met.

'God forgive you, Zoe, because I don't think I ever will,' he said with a finality that was chilling. But, worse, she recognised a look of such torment in the depth of his deep brown eyes that she was struck dumb.

'Where is he now? I want to see him. Does he know I'm his father? Thank God I didn't give you the divorce you wanted. He is legally my child, and you've cheated me out of three years of his life. Well, not any more, Zoe.'

He was making her head spin with his questions, his comments, and she couldn't think straight. But he never let up.

'I intend to fight you for him. I'll challenge you through every court both here and in the States. I want my son, Zoe. I will have him.' His lips twisted in a Satanic smile. 'I will win, I promise you, and once I get him I intend to keep him. . .'

His words were cutting into her heart like a knife, and she couldn't stand any more. She had been battling to control her tumultuous emotions for far too long.

'Keep him? Keep him?' she cried. 'You fool, you don't understand. I would gladly give him to you this very second if only it would make him well.' Her eyes wild, she screamed, 'Val is ill—very, very ill. Why the hell do you think I'm here now? Do you think I enjoy leaving him with Margy while I trek halfway around the world seeking his father?' She was blinded by fury and fear, and, shrugging off his restraining hands, she leapt to her feet.

He was towering over her, large and intimidating, but she was beyond worrying about his threat. 'I would never have set foot in your home in a million years if it weren't for my son. But he needs you; you are almost his last chance, and I would sup with the devil if I had to, to save him.'

The tears filled her eyes but she dashed them away with the back of her hand. 'In this case, that happens to be you.'

She spun on her heel, not sure where she was going, but she was pulled back roughly into his arms and lifted completely off her feet.

'What the hell do you mean?' He looked down into her tempestuous little face. 'I?'

That was how Jess found them.

'My God! Justin, you didn't spend the night with her? How could you?'

Zoe felt his sudden tension as he slowly lowered her down the length of his hard body until her feet found the floor. She pushed herself out of his arms, red with embarrassment. His mistress was back. . . Her glance went to the tall, elegant woman and then to Justin's harsh face.

'You don't understand, Jess.'

The tender light in his eyes as he spoke to the other woman was enough for Zoe. She had to get out of there and fast.

'Understand? You're a fool, Justin.' She cast a disparaging glance at Zoe's tiny, disheveled figure. 'You've always been a pushover for her. Will you never learn?'

'Not now, Jess,' he said tersely. 'Just leave. Please.'