Married Again to the Millionaire (7 page)

But then a doctor appeared and after examining Ethan thoroughly he said that no serious damage had been done. ‘He’ll need stitches, of course, but you’ll be able to take him home. Keep waking him every two hours throughout the night in case of concussion but otherwise you have very little to worry about.’

When they left hospital Adam’s car was waiting outside. Sienna didn’t bat an eyelid, she was too worried about Ethan to even think about how it had got there.

‘We’ll go back to my place,’ he said decisively. ‘I’m as worried about Ethan as you are. I feel totally responsible. And naturally you will stay until he is completely better. I’ll take some time off to help you look after him.’

Was she really hearing this? wondered Sienna. Was this what it had taken to convince Adam that being a husband and parent was equally as important as earning
a living? Wonders would never cease. But she wanted Ethan in his own bed.

‘Thanks for the offer, I appreciate it, really, but I’d prefer to go home,’ she told him firmly. ‘It will be better for Ethan. He’ll be more comfortable in familiar surroundings.’

Much to her surprise, Adam agreed. ‘You’re right, of course.’

But her comfort zone was shattered when they arrived at her flat and Adam calmly announced that he was going to stay the night. ‘You don’t think I’d leave you under the circumstances? I feel responsible, Sienna.’

Sienna began to panic. ‘It wasn’t your fault. We’ll be all right. He’s had cuts and bruises before.’

‘But nothing like this, I’m sure. And he is my son. I want to be there for him.’ The controlled look on Adam’s face told her that there was no point in arguing.

Fear skittered down her spine. Adam would take over. His presence would fill her tiny rooms. But more worrying still was where would he sleep. The couch wasn’t made for a six-foot-three hunk. And he certainly wasn’t sharing her bed. She did have a sleeping bag, though. He’d have to make do with that, on the floor if necessary. And maybe he might find it so uncomfortable that he’d go home.

And pigs might fly. She knew Adam’s gritty determination only too well. It entered into every facet of his life. It was what had made him the success he was. It was what would determine Ethan’s future, and maybe even her own.

A scary thought. When she had announced that he had a son she had somehow believed that he would be
a part-time father, seeing Ethan only when it suited him. Not for one second had she expected that he would want, demand even, that he play a big part in his son’s life. And incidentally in her own.

Ethan was in his element, being the centre of attention, and he insisted that his father put him to bed. Sienna hovered and supervised and then sat by Ethan’s side, holding his hand, while Adam read to him.

Adam had never, in the whole of his life, imagined himself taking part in such a cosy domestic scene. Seeing Ethan in bed in his own apartment was entirely different. This was Ethan’s room, it was filled with well-loved toys, it had his own personality stamped on it.

And what a little personality he was. Already Adam was proud of his son and he’d been devastated when he’d fallen and cut his head. It had been the worst moment in his entire life. He felt totally responsible.

At the hospital it had reminded him of the occasion when he had been admitted with a suspected broken ankle—although it had turned out to be nothing more than a bad sprain. His anxious parents had never left his side, though, and he could now understand their extreme concern.

‘The end.’ He closed the book and looked at Ethan, but he was already asleep.

They crept out of the room and Sienna went in to the kitchen to make coffee. Adam wanted to follow but space in there was at a premium, and he also guessed his presence wouldn’t be welcome. She still gave off very strong vibes that he wasn’t wanted there.

He ended up sitting on the couch. A distinctly uncomfortable couch.

It had been a turning point in his life when he had found out about Ethan. And this was yet another one. Who would ever have thought that he’d be spending the night in a cramped little flat? He’d worked for years to lift himself above the ordinary. He’d reached the pinnacle of his career. And yet he felt happier here than he had for a long time.

It was the strangest feeling.

But it was only because of Sienna and Ethan. He could never allow them to continue living here. For one thing this place wasn’t big enough, and he felt sure it wasn’t safe. He’d been entirely serious when he’d said that he would buy a house with a garden. He had even phoned an estate agent friend of his and set the ball rolling.

Not that he had told Sienna. But if he presented her with a
fait accompli
, there was nothing she could do about it. She undoubtedly deserved better than this.

‘You look tired,’ he said, when she came in with their drinks, setting them down on a coffee table in front of him.

Sienna nodded. She
was
tired, tired of this game that Adam was playing. He was beginning to act as though they had never been apart, and Ethan was unwittingly drawing them closer together.

She sat in the chair and he watched every movement she made. The way she crossed her legs, the way she tossed her hair back from her face, the way she reached out and took her cup, holding it as though it was a barrier between them.

Adam didn’t fit into this place. She had never for one moment thought that he would stay. And now there was no way she could get rid of him.

‘Ethan’s quite a little soldier, isn’t he?’

Sienna nodded. ‘He’s always been a battler. He shrugs off wounds in the same way that we shake raindrops off our clothes.’ And how she wished she could shrug Adam out of her life the same way.

In the confines of her living room the air had thickened until every breath she drew became painful. At least in his apartment there had been acres of breathing space. Here there was nothing. It was like being caught in a trap with him.

‘I don’t mind admitting that he scared the hell out of me when he fell. What if anything had happened to him, Sienna?’

She looked at him with wide, pain-filled eyes. ‘It doesn’t bear thinking about. Ethan’s my whole life. I love him so much that it hurts.’

‘You do know that if I’d known you were pregnant I would never have let you go?’

‘Perhaps not,’ answered Sienna. His words were soft and all the more plausible because of it. ‘It happened, though, and we can’t put back the clock.’

‘You shouldn’t have had to bring him up on your own. Every child deserves both of its parents. And you certainly shouldn’t have had to cope with him being seriously ill. I wish you had told me, Sienna.’

Sienna wasn’t sure that it would have helped matters, nevertheless she could see that Adam was seriously affected now by Ethan’s accident. It had given him a taste of what it had been like for her when he had been seriously ill. It was something she never wanted to go through again.

‘We’ve both grown up a lot since I left,’ she said. ‘I’m not sure bringing up a baby would have been a pleasure
as far as you’re concerned. We’d have probably had more rows than before.’

Adam groaned. He did not actually say that he agreed but she could see it in his eyes. ‘And now I need to make up. You’ve suffered enough on your own, Sienna. In future I’m going to take the weight off your shoulders.’

Quite how it happened she didn’t know, but her cup was taken from her and she was hauled to her feet and held in a powerful embrace. Unable to stop herself, Sienna buried her head in his chest, feeling the throb of his heart match her own. Tears filled her eyes, the events of the past few hours finally catching up with her.

When Adam lifted her chin to look into her eyes he gave a groan and held her even more tightly. ‘It’s all right, Sienna. It’s all right to cry. You’ve been strong for Ethan but you can let go now.’

He stroked her hair back from her face and kissed her brow—just as she did Ethan’s when he fell and bumped himself. Except that this didn’t feel like a mother’s kiss, or even a father’s. It felt like a lover’s…

And she had run out of strength. There was nothing that she could do to stop him. It actually felt good to be held against someone as strong as Adam. For the past five years she had had no one to support her. She had been the strong one, the capable one. Now, though, it felt as though all her trials had come together and she was unable to bear up any longer.

‘I think I’d like to go to bed,’ she said quietly, adding, when she realised exactly what she had said, ‘By myself.’ If she stayed in Adam’s arms any longer, she would melt. She would give in to the urges that were
already beginning to form. Dangerous urges that ought to have no place in her heart.

‘If that is your wish.’

‘You know it is, Adam.’

‘And I am to sleep—where?’

‘The couch, the floor, the choice is yours.’ She struggled out of his arms. ‘There are only two beds in this house. One is Ethan’s, the other is mine. I have a sleeping bag somewhere you can use.’

‘That should be fun!’

It was his tone of voice that made her smile. ‘You knew the set-up before you invited yourself. You’ve no one else to blame.’

‘Have you no heart, Sienna? Are you sure that I cannot persuade you to share your bed? After everything we’ve gone through today, can’t you take pity on me?’

His expression reminded her of Ethan’s when he was trying to wheedle something out of her. It made her laugh.

And Adam jumped in.

With one swift movement she was back in his arms and he was carrying her through to the bedroom. Their coffees sat congealing on the table. She thought of nothing except the heat of Adam’s body next to hers.

‘A
DAM
, we shouldn’t be doing this,’ insisted Sienna. ‘Not while Ethan’s so poorly.’

He merely grinned. ‘You can’t get out of it that easily, Sienna. And since we have to keep waking him, there’s no point in us going to sleep. We have to fill in our time somehow.’

His kisses became more demanding, more urgent, as though he had been waiting all day for this very moment. Not that he could have expected they would end up here, and neither had she!

With a sigh she gave herself up to Adam’s kisses, his magical, heart-stopping kisses. Kisses that had more fire in them than ever before.

Feelings that had been buried rose as swiftly as a bird in flight and when Adam began to remove her clothes she made no attempt to stop him. With each inch of flesh that was exposed Adam covered it with kisses, her arms and shoulders, his tongue finding the pulse at the base of her throat, resting on it, feeling its frantic beat.

In fact, every one of her pulses throbbed. Sienna felt as though her whole body had been taken over by this
man. He was making it his own and there was nothing that she could do to stop him.

She felt uplifted. As though something had been missing from her life and now she had found it again.

And this was only the beginning!

When Adam turned his attention to her breasts, when he cupped them in his capable hands, when he took her nipples between his teeth, nipping gently at first but then biting and sucking each one in turn into his mouth, her whole body was in danger of igniting.

Unaware that tiny groans kept escaping the back of her throat, Sienna gripped Adam’s shoulders. A smile softened his eyes but his mouth never left her nipple.

Sienna wanted to smile herself but was feeling too much going on inside her body to do anything other than grip Adam’s shoulders and dig her nails deep into his firm flesh. She wanted more of this man who had once been her whole life, who could arouse her more magnificently than any other man she knew.

A trail of kisses to her belly button had her squirming and writhing, and when he flicked the button on her jeans and dragged them off in one swift economical movement, her tiny black lace briefs following suit, she felt freedom as never before.

She lay back and closed her eyes, her legs parting involuntarily. Adam’s mouth continued its course, his fingers twirling and gently pulling the dark hairs that covered her femininity.

She heard the groan of satisfaction in his voice, a groan that continued as his tongue replaced his fingers, as it sought and reached the very part of her that was hot with need.

Involuntarily she lifted her hips, offering her now throbbing and parted core. It was her ultimate gift, born of desperation. Adam had reached deep into her emotions, he had brought them back to vigorous life, and she could not go on unless he made love to her.

At first it was his tongue and expert fingers that brought her to the edge, and it was almost more than she could bear. ‘Don’t do this to me, Adam,’ she cried, her nails clawing his back. ‘Don’t torment me like this. Make love to me.’

She was hardly aware of uttering the words, she knew only that she would be the one taking the initiative if he didn’t hurry up.

But in seconds he was out of his clothes, obeying her command, and Sienna’s world exploded. Making love in the past had been good but never this magnificent. She had thought it was, she had been eminently satisfied, but time apart had taught her that Adam was even more knowledgeable now in what women wanted.

When they were both fully sated, when their bodies lay limp, he held her closely to him, stroking her hair, letting her know without words that he too had experienced something uplifting and wonderful.

It was not until their bodies cooled and her breathing returned to normal that Sienna began to have doubts about her sanity. Their love-making had been intense and fantastic, she could not deny that, but how could she have let this happen? What had got into her? They hadn’t even used protection. And why was Adam a better lover now than he had been before?

Because of all the other women he had bedded in her absence!

It was a bitter pill to swallow.

Or had she been more receptive, forgetting the bad times, conscious only that Adam had the power to turn her into someone she hardly recognized?

Already she could feel her body springing back to life, ready for another assault on her senses. But it would be wrong to allow it. She had let herself down. It must never happen again, good though it had been. More than good actually. Remarkable, incredible, out of this world!

Adam’s hold on her relaxed. He had fallen asleep! With a grunt of satisfaction he settled more comfortably. Was he dreaming about what had just happened? she wondered. Did he feel as fulfilled as she did, but without the self-recrimination?

Adam would never blame himself for anything he did, she knew that for a fact. His actions were always calculated and deliberate, whether he was making love or finalising a business deal.

It was herself she had let down. She had given in too easily. Without words she had told him that she was his for the taking whenever he felt like it.

Heat of a very different kind flooded her body now and she rolled away from him in disgust, giving a little huff as she curled her knees up to her chin, vowing never to let him touch her again.

‘Sienna? What’s wrong?’

So he was not asleep!

‘This is wrong,’ she hissed fiercely, pushing herself up. ‘Me and you. After everything that has happened between us. You never loved me, did you, Adam?’ At last she asked the question that had troubled her ever since she’d walked out.

Adam sat up too and looked at her for several long seconds, seeming to be reflecting on her words, wondering how to answer, and when he did it was not what she expected.

‘It’s true, I didn’t love you.’

Shock waves rippled through her. Agonising waves! So she was right! It wasn’t good hearing it but before she could respond he spoke again.

‘I liked you, Sienna, a lot. I was very fond of you. But…’ He fought for the right words. ‘I don’t know how to say this, but…I’m afraid to love. I made a promise to myself many years ago never to do so.’

His words made no sense and Sienna shot him a sharply suspicious glance. ‘So why did you ask me to marry you? Why did you let me think our marriage was a love match? No wonder it fell apart. What’s there to be afraid of?’ The situation was getting more bizarre by the second.

Adam drew in a long, slow breath and let it out again even more slowly. Sienna began to think he was not going to answer until he finally said, ‘My father loved my mother very much. So much that when she died he lost control of his life, couldn’t focus. He became a broken man and went from being someone I respected to someone I could hardly recognise. He turned to drink and eventually that became his crutch, his reason for living.’

Sienna’s fingers fluttered to her mouth, her eyes widening. She had met Adam’s father and had known of his drinking problem, but had never thought about the cause of it until now. The news that it had followed the death if his wife shocked Sienna terribly and she understood now why Adam had never talked about the issues before.

‘Is that why
you
never touch alcohol?’

Adam nodded, his eyes dull and sad, making her wish that she had not asked the question. ‘I did not want the same thing to happen to me. If losing the person you love causes such pain that you lose control of your life, change beyond recognition and feel the need to blot it out with drink, then it is better to never love at all.’

So Adam had never loved her and never would! It was a sickening, saddening thought. He was a strong man and it was ironic that he could make such spectacular love, and yet not be
in
love with her. And more incredulous still was the fact that she still loved him.

And Adam would never let her go now because of Ethan!

‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered, her heart aching for him. ‘Sorry for you and sorry for your father. I didn’t know that that was why he drank.’

‘And why would you?’ he asked sharply, swinging his legs off the bed and standing up. ‘It’s not something I shout from the rooftops. My father became a liability. A sad, drunken old man. His death was a merciful release.’

‘And your grandfather, how did he take it?’ She knew that Adam and his grandfather weren’t on the best of terms. She had heard them having a terrible row just before their wedding and Adam hadn’t spoken his name again.

Adam’s eyes grew icily remote. ‘I’d really rather not talk about him.’

Sienna nodded, she could see how painful his memories were. ‘Perhaps you’d like to go and wake Ethan? Check that he’s OK?’ She felt that he needed something to do to take his mind off their unfortunate conversation.
She dearly wanted to check on her son herself, but Adam’s need at this moment was greater than hers.

Immediately his face softened into a ghost of a smile and he pulled on his pants before swiftly disappearing from the room.

Sienna struggled with the information Adam had given her about his father. She had only met him a couple of times and his drink problem had been strongly evident then. She had often wondered why Adam had not persuaded him to seek help but had never dared ask, as it had seemed such a touchy subject. Now she realised that he must have tried, he’d probably been in despair, but his parent had been beyond help.

And all because of love!

In an odd sort of way she could understand Adam’s reasoning about not wanting to fall in love. Understand it, yes. But not agree with it.

‘Mummy.’ Ethan seemed none the worse for wear as Adam carried him into her room. In fact, he seemed proud of his injury. ‘Daddy says I’m a brave little soldier.’

‘And so you are, sweetheart,’ she said, smiling. ‘And so you are.’

‘And Daddy says we can go on his boat tomorrow.’

Sienna frowned and looked at Adam, who simply shrugged and tried to look innocent. ‘Oh, Daddy did, did he?’ she asked. ‘And what about school?’

Adam answered for him. ‘I thought Ethan deserved a treat for being so brave.’

It sounded as though she had no say in the matter and although she was cross and intended telling Adam when they were alone, Sienna nodded briefly. ‘I wasn’t going
to send him anyway, so perhaps yes. I’m sure Ethan will enjoy it. So long as he’s careful.’

‘And how about his mother? Will she enjoy it too?’

Sienna did not know how to answer. Travelling the Thames on a private cruiser had never been within her range. She had done the occasional river cruise but always with dozens of other passengers. This would be a totally new experience. And if Ethan hadn’t hurt himself she would not have agreed to it, at least not this early in Adam’s relationship with his son.

‘Won’t you be going to work?’

Adam shrugged. ‘I can afford to take a few more days off.’

Which he had never done for her!

Because he didn’t love her!

So why had he married her in the first place? Why had he needed a wife? Sienna wanted to ask him but now didn’t seem the right time. ‘I think Ethan should go back to bed. In fact, we should all try to get some sleep.’

‘I want to sleep with you and Daddy, Mummy.’

Sienna hadn’t the heart to say no and actually it would be easier as they had to wake him frequently. So Ethan snuggled down between them, a smile on his face, and although Sienna had thought she would not sleep, not after what had happened between her and Adam, and certainly not with Ethan sharing their bed, she somehow managed it, and when she awoke she had the bed to herself.

She had dreamt that they were making love again, desperate, uninhibited love. Her heart was still racing, her body bathed in sweat. She was a fool. She was setting her own fate by letting Adam get close. It was giving out the wrong impression.

Ethan deserved to get to know his father, yes, he deserved to spend time with him, but she knew that Adam wanted them to live together and she didn’t see how that scenario could ever work—not again. Her mind would constantly dwell on the fact that it was a loveless marriage. Always had been and always would be.

Hearing Adam and Ethan talking in the kitchen, she silently slipped through to the bathroom. After showering, she dragged on clean jeans and a white T-shirt with a broken red heart on it. There were no words but she guessed that Adam would get the message.

When she joined them in the kitchen, though, Sienna couldn’t help smiling. Ethan was busy laying the table while Adam whisked eggs. It was a perfect domestic scene. When had he become a dab hand at cooking? she asked herself when he presented her with perfectly cooked scrambled eggs on toast. It was not something she could ever imagine him doing. His eyes rested on the message on her T-shirt, and he looked at her questioningly but said nothing.

After breakfast she washed up while Adam took his shower, and after she had got an excited Ethan ready, Adam’s driver appeared as if by magic. When they arrived at where his boat was moored Ethan jumped up and down with glee.

Sienna was a little concerned that his over-excitement might have a detrimental effect. The stitches didn’t seem to be worrying him, though. He never even mentioned them.

She did her best to keep him calm while silently admiring the cruiser’s sleek lines. There was nothing modest about it and she had expected no less.

Adam was very much the man of the moment, taking charge with smooth efficiency, letting Ethan sit between his legs and pretend to steer.

But he never ignored Sienna. He included her in their conversation, looked across at her constantly with promise in his beautiful blue eyes, managing to keep her in a constant state of arousal—much to her annoyance.

She didn’t want to feel. She didn’t want this man back in her life, not like this, not when he was behaving as though it was a foregone conclusion that they would become one happy family.

He was undoubtedly doing his best to achieve that status but it was not so simple. Adam was hard to resist, as last night’s love-making had proved. Nevertheless, his confession that he had never loved her really had knocked the ground from beneath her feet.