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And more than his damning indictment it was the mocking endearment that threatened to flatten her. Because where it was all cynical now, he’d meant it once upon a time. Or had he? Had he, even back then, been skilfully adept at this level of hypnotic charm? Had she been so starved of care and affection that she’d seen only what he’d wanted her to see?
That cold wave of possibility made her stare harder, desperate to find the truth, or at the very least an inkling that she was wrong in her fears. She refused to be drawn back to the past. Not when this remarkable present demanded every atom of her concentration.
‘I’ll take your silence as an admission of guilt, shall I?’ he asked.
She shook her head. ‘No, it’s not. I made a mistake. But whatever you think about me, I never misled you.’
Surprise flashed in his eyes, but again it was gone a nanosecond later.
This man’s ability to master his emotions was almost fascinating to watch. Almost. Because Odessa would have given her eye teeth for a glimpse of lasting emotion. For some hope that the future he painted for her wasn’t as terrifyingly bleak as it sounded. Not having his children. Oh, no. That had formed a big chunk of her teenage daydreams—the deep yearning to lovingly craft the antithesis of the family she’d been born into, always with Ares as the husband and father figure.
Hell, she’d foolishly confessed those dreams to him once, as they’d lazed under a lemon tree in one of those stolen summer nights when she’d sneaked out to meet him. That was why she wasn’t surprised he wanted more than one child. He’d confessed that back then too, and they’d shared their antipathy to the loneliness of growing up without siblings. It was something they didn’t wish on their children—especially Ares, who’d known what it was like to have a sibling only to be robbed of her in the cruellest way possible.
God, had she supplied him with the very weapons to destroy her?
Sucking in a shaky breath, she opened her mouth to demand an answer to that horrifying possibility.
But he was exiting the car, his towering frame blotting out the light and throwing him into shadow as he came around, opened her door.
‘Delving into our innermost feelings isn’t why we’re here. The clock is ticking, Odessa. What’s it going to be?’
One night.
She’d insisted on one night to grapple with the most profound decision of her life, and already the hours were slipping through her fingers like wispy clouds burning in the sunlight.
Ares hadn’t been happy with her unwavering demand. But she’d stood her ground, the stubborn defiance that had got her into trouble with her father more often than she cared to count asserting itself.
And holding firm had been bolstering. Perhaps even exhilarating.
Now, as she tossed and turned, the sheets twisting around her legs almost as tangled as her thoughts, her mind wasn’t firm at all. Her thoughts veered from an outright no to his insane proposal to skirting the very edge of Ares’s demands.
Could she...?
Her instinct shrieked a resounding no.
But the alternative...
She shivered at the thought of Ares throwing her back to the wolves. One wolf in particular—Vincenzo—who wouldn’t hesitate to make her pay for the trick she’d pulled.
She could run. Get up, grab her small case and just...run.
And prove Ares correct in his denigration of her character? He already thought the worst of her. For unfathomable reasons, proving him right made her chest tighten unbearably.
She’d given her word.
And, yes, she’d landed herself in this situation with that ‘I’ll do anything’ she’d stupidly blurted out.
Because she’d never thought he’d ask her for this!
But the alternative...
The shiver that gripped her now was colder, more ominous in a way that she couldn’t overlook. Going back to Alghero would be akin to a death sentence, with her uncle choosing to look the other way despite being fully aware of Vincenzo’s intended treatment of her. The alternative—walking away from Ares and striking out on her own—would mean her looking over her shoulder for the rest of her life. Maybe even worse. Because no amount of defiance would keep her safe from Uncle Flávio or Vincenzo. And once she was caught, Vincenzo, like all men of his ilk, would force her to breed, just to prove his manhood.
Wouldn’t she be better off staying here? Bearing Ares’s children?
The very idea that she was even considering it made her squeeze her eyes shut, smashing her face into the pillow until the scream trapped in her throat ripped free.
The picture that formed in the aftermath of that tiny catharsis didn’t repulse her, like thoughts of Vincenzo did. Hell, it was the opposite. She’d dreamed of bearing Ares’s children once upon a time.
