Page 13 of Billion-Dollar Baby Shock

‘Yes, yes, I am…’ It wasn’t such a big deal, was it?Their not exchanging names had been a gimmick, a rare moment of anonymity indulged in, but he’d suspected that she’d had to know.He might be relatively reclusive compared to his peers but he was certainly not unknown.

‘Why does it matter?’

A cynical voice answered him,Because now she knows you’re a billionaire and she’ll inevitably want to foster some sort of intimacy.

She swallowed.‘It matters because you were the man I was looking for last night…at the party.’

Dion had a vague memory of her saying something about finding someone—he’d even offered to help her.A sense of unease prickled down his neck.He frowned.‘Why were you looking for me?’

She looked stricken.‘There’s something I need to tell you.’

‘What?’

‘I…’ she started and then stopped.‘It’s hard to just come out with… It’s a lot.’

Dion was growing frustrated.The helicopter was so close now that it was hovering over the villa, making conversation all but inaudible.Dion spoke over the din.‘Can this conversation wait till we get back to Athens?’

She shook her head.Dion cursed silently.What on earth could she possibly have to say to him?He’d never met her before.

But now you know her intimately.

A flash of heat went through his body at the reminder and a sense of exposure made his skin prickle.

He said, ‘Wait here, I’ll tell Antonio to stand by.’He went outside and spoke to the pilot when he’d landed.Then he went back inside.All was silent again.It felt ominous.

She was pacing back and forth and stopped when he appeared.She said, ‘My name is Tara.Tara Simons.’

‘Okay.Now we know each other’s names.’

‘You know I’m from Dublin.’

Dion thought of his son, Niko, who would undoubtedly be waking up now.He wanted to be home to see him before work took over.‘Yes…look, I have meetings and things to—’

But Tara interrupted him.‘The thing is that I’m themother of your baby, or at least I’m pretty sure I am.Your son.He’s my son too.’

Dion looked at her.Something cold in his gut started to spread outwards, turning his blood to ice.‘It’s not common knowledge yet that I even have a son.How do you know?’Protective hackles he hadn’t felt before rose to the surface.

‘Because it wasmyegg that was used.’

Dion shook his head as if he might be able to clear it.‘But you’re not… I chose someone who was as close a match to me as possible.’

She gestured at herself.Pale skin.Red hair.‘I’m aware that’s not me.’

Dion thought of his son’s eyes.Light.Blue-green.Someone had told him they changed colour after a few months but he was six months old now and they were still light.

But she’d been a virgin.

His mind couldn’t compute what she was saying.Of course, she hadn’t given birth to the baby, his surrogate had.It had been an egg donor.Chosen by him.

As if hearing his thoughts, she said, ‘There was a mix-up.My egg was used instead of the one you’d chosen.’

Dion scrambled to try and find meaning in this.And he seized on something.‘You knew who I was all along, didn’t you?’

She shook her head, those bright copper strands moving over her shoulders distracting him.Dion cursed his weakness.He should have known last night was too good to be true.That such a woman couldn’t exist.

‘This was all a set-up, wasn’t it?You knew who I wasand you set out to trap me and, lucky for you, I found you attractive.’

Now she looked green.Dion had to applaud her acting skills, because he was certain now that she’d somehow found out about his son and was using the opportunity to feather her nest.It was what his own mother had done.