LITMIR.BIZ

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took only the necessary time for the girl behind the desk to buzz his secretary, only to have her offer her personal regrets that Nicos was engaged in an important meeting.

      ‘It’s a matter of urgency.’ Her urgency to discover the truth.

      ‘I’ve been instructed not to disturb Mr Kasoulis under any circumstances.’

      ‘I’ll take the blame,’ Katrina said coolly.

      The boss, or the boss’s wife? Each were irretrievably linked, and she sensed the secretary’s dilemma.

      ‘I’ll tell him you’re here,’ his secretary conceded after a few seconds’ silence, and crossing to the desk she picked up the phone and made the call. Seconds later she replaced the handset. Her expression was carefully composed as she turned back to her boss’s wife. ‘I’ll show you through to Mr Kasoulis’s office. He’ll join you in a few minutes.’

      It was a large corner office, with magnificent views of Port Jackson harbour. Antique furniture, leather buttoned chairs, genuine oil paintings on the walls.

      Katrina crossed to the tinted, floor-to-ceiling plate-glass window, and stood watching a passenger ferry as it headed towards the Manly terminal. A huge tanker lay anchored in the entrance, awaiting a tug-boat to guide it into a designated berth. A peaceful scene that was totally at variance with the turmoil seething beneath the surface of her control.

      The almost silent click of the door closing caused her to turn, and she wore Nicos’s raking appraisal as he closed the distance between them.

      ‘What is it?’

      Katrina felt the knot in her stomach tighten as he reached her side. Oh, hell, just cut to the chase. She slid the newspaper clipping from her jacket pocket, and handed it to him. ‘Read this.’

      He was good, she conceded. There was no change in his physical expression as he scanned the newsprint. Then he crunched it into a ball and tossed it in the direction of a waste-paper basket. ‘For that, you pulled me out of a meeting?’

      ‘I consider it important.’

      Nicos cast her a long, level look that was impossible to read. ‘Of such urgency it couldn’t wait until this evening?’

      ‘No.’

      ‘You want me to confirm it?’

      ‘Yes,’ she stated simply.

      ‘Let me guess,’ Nicos began with marked indolence. ‘Georgia confided in Enrique, who then sold the information to a newspaper contact?’

      ‘Yes,’ Katrina reiterated. Her eyes flashed with long withheld anger. ‘Dammit, you could have told me yourself instead of leaving me to discover facts from a newspaper!’

      ‘When would you have had me confide my intention to have Georgia provide tissue samples for DNA testing, Katrina?’ His voice was pure silk. ‘Should I have introduced it as idle conversation during the few social functions where we accidentally happened to attend at the same time? As Kevin lay dying in hospital? At his funeral?’

      Katrina’s gaze sharpened. ‘You knew Kevin had redrawn his will, incorporating the condition stipulating my control of Macbride.’ The anger began to build, gaining momentum. ‘So you waited. Both of you making the decision to take advantage of a bad situation.’

      ‘Yes.’

      Her eyes sparked green fire. ‘You didn’t have that right!’

      ‘The least I could do for him, and you, was to allow him your total focus, unclouded by other issues which could be resolved—’

      ‘At a later date.’ A cold hand closed around her heart. ‘And if Kevin’s health hadn’t been in jeopardy?’

      His gaze was hard, inflexible, almost dangerous. ‘You doubt I would have told you?’

      She couldn’t be sure. She wanted to be. Desperately, with all her heart.

      Nicos read the momentary indecision, the aching intensity of her emotions. Yet still he waited.

      ‘Do you know what I went through when Georgia confronted me with her pregnancy and named you as the father of her unborn child?’ she demanded.

      ‘At the time, I distinctly recall stating my relationship with Georgia was over long before I met you.’

      She’d chosen not to believe him. ‘You have to admit the evidence seemed weighted against you.’ Dear heaven, the barbs, the innuendo had been very cleverly orchestrated. ‘Georgia provided dates, places, that coincided with your absence.’

      ‘Even given there was any truth in it, do you think I would have been sufficiently foolish not to take precautions against a possible pregnancy?’ he continued relentlessly.

      ‘Prophylactic protection has been known to break.’

      Nicos wanted to wring her slender neck. ‘I gave you my word. It should have been enough.’

      Kevin had believed in him. Why hadn’t she?

      Because Georgia had pressed all the right buttons, she perceived silently. Shock, disbelief, anger had done the rest.

      Anger flared. ‘What did you expect, Nicos? That I’d turn a blind eye? Dammit, my heart felt as if it had been ripped from my body!’

      ‘Did you spare a thought for my reaction?’ His voice dropped to a dangerous softness. ‘Have you tried beating your head against a brick wall, yet make no impression?’

      She was temporarily bereft of speech.

      ‘Do you know how long it took for me to get proof of my innocence? How many legal battles I fought to have Georgia submit to DNA testing during her pregnancy? And failed?’ His features assumed an angry mask. ‘How the legal system forced me to wait until the child was born, and go through the process of a court order to have DNA tissue testing carried out on the child?’

      ‘Just how long have you known the result of the DNA test?’ she demanded.

      ‘Since late yesterday afternoon.’

      He thrust his fists into his trouser pockets in an attempt at control. ‘Georgia’s intention was to latch onto me for child support, and acquire a meal ticket for life. She didn’t care who got in the way. Or who she hurt.’ His eyes were hard, his expression inflexible. ‘It seems the father of the child is a charming playboy living far beyond his means. They set up the scenario together.’

      Her expressive features conveyed more than mere words, unaware he read every emotion.

      ‘You doubt I would leave any stone unturned?’ he queried hardily.

      Katrina stood silent for several seemingly long seconds.

      ‘I have copies of court documents, reports from private detectives, and now the DNA result,’ Nicos explained.

      Nine months of anguish, broken dreams, lonely nights. They had each experienced their own individual hell, caused by a woman whose wicked inability to let go of an ex-lover had damaged their lives and had almost wrecked their marriage.

      To think how close Georgia came to achieving her goal… It made Katrina shudder to even contemplate it.

      ‘I owe you an apology.’ Her voice was stiff, the words almost disjointed.

      His gaze held hers. ‘Are you offering one?’

      A whole gamut of emotions crowded for release. ‘Yes, dammit!’ Oh, hell, she wouldn’t cry. That would be the final humiliation. Her chin tilted as she fought for control. ‘You’re right. Here, now, isn’t the time or place for this.’

      She turned away from him and took two steps towards the door, only to have a hand close over her arm as he pulled her back towards him.

      ‘Oh, no,’ Nicos said with lethal softness. ‘You aren’t going to walk away this time.’

      Her

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