“I’m his father. I’ve got every right to take Thomas with me.”“We’re responsible for him, Mr.. Harper. His mother left him with us for the day and…”“His mother took him from me. He’s my son!” “You need to sort this out with your wife.”“She won’t let me have him but she dumps him with you people who are nothing to him. Nothing! I’m his father!”“We’ll have to call the police if you take Thomas.”“Mr.. Harper, this is not a good move. If you end up in jail, you’ll never see your son.” That was Erin’s voice, gently pleading reason.A high crazed laugh derided any reasonableness.”There’s justice for you. I do nothing wrong but I lose my son and my cheating bitch of a wife just gets him given to her.”“You have to take this to the family court,” Erin pressed.”You’ll get a fair hearing.”“Nothing’s fair!” The exploding anger cracked into spurts of tears as grief and despair poured from him.”She’s told a stack of lies about me to her big-shot lawyer. I’ve got no chance except this. No cha
What a man!Part of Erin’s mind kept buzzing over him even as she carried through his suggestion of concentrating the children’s attention on another story.A big man in every sense, she decided—strength, compassion, authority, as well as having a fabulous physique emitting so much male power, her female hormones were leaping around in a frenzy of interest. Definitely a prince of a man, and I’d just love to be his princess, she thought dizzily.She’d caught a glimpse of him strolling through the park earlier and instantly liked what she saw—very impressive. When he’d settled on the bench seat in easy earshot of her storytelling, it had been impossible to resist the impulse to show off to him, pouring much more vitality into her performance than she usually did. Which was really silly because he was an absolute stranger with no chance of their meeting, given that she was caught up with a group of children.Then had come his amazing intrusion when Thomas’s father had been about to make
“Peter Ramsey,” her aunt said with almost breathless awe. Her eyes were goggling when she looked up at Erin. I should have recognized him. But why on earth would he be in that park?”Erin honed in on the most pertinent point. “Why should you have recognized him?”“Because of who he is, of course,” her aunt brushed off impatiently, then caught Erin’s grimace of frustration. “Don’t tell me you haven’t heard of him.He’s Lloyd Ramsey’s son and heir.”This stunning revelation was a blow to the fantasy that had been building up in her mind. “You mean the multibillionaire, Lloyd Ramsey ?”“The one and only,” her aunt confirmed.Lloyd Ramsey was virtually an Australian legend, making so many headlines over so many years, even Erin who’d always lived in the world of books, was not ignorant of the man’s power and how he wielded his wealth. He’d been nicknamed “the shark” because he went after a bite of just about every big business enterprise going. From Sarah’s reaction to Peter’s name, appar
“Peter Ramsey,” her aunt said with almost breathless awe. Her eyes were goggling when she looked up at Erin. I should have recognized him. But why on earth would he be in that park?”Erin honed in on the most pertinent point. “Why should you have recognized him?”“Because of who he is, of course,” her aunt brushed off impatiently, then caught Erin’s grimace of frustration. “Don’t tell me you haven’t heard of him.He’s Lloyd Ramsey’s son and heir.”This stunning revelation was a blow to the fantasy that had been building up in her mind. “You mean the multibillionaire, Lloyd Ramsey ?”“The one and only,” her aunt confirmed.Lloyd Ramsey was virtually an Australian legend, making so many headlines over so many years, even Erin who’d always lived in the world of books, was not ignorant of the man’s power and how he wielded his wealth. He’d been nicknamed “the shark” because he went after a bite of just about every big business enterprise going. From Sarah’s reaction to Peter’s name, appar
Her fluttering heart closed its wings and shrunk inside itself. Her mind cringed with embarrassment. She’d misread his invitation to dinner. The attraction she felt towards him wasn’t mutual and she’d just made a gigantic fool of herself.Defense instincts sprang into action. The fertile creativity in her mind was fast-tracked into finding a scenario that would wipe out his impression of availability signals being flaunted.“Hi!” she said brightly, quickening her step towards him, holding out her hand, fixing a wry little smile on her mouth. “Excuse the glad rags. A bit out of place here. But I’m going on to a party afterwards and it was easier not to have to do a change of clothes later.”“Please don’t apologies. No man could look at you tonight without feeling a sense of pleasure,” he rolled out, politely intent on putting her at ease, though the hand holding hers made that impossible. It gripped hard, almost possessively, sending a charge of heat into her bloodstream. “Meeting up w
She had that look of curious wonder in her lovely green eyes again—almost childlike in its wishful search for understanding.It tugged at Peter. He barely resisted the urge to tell her,” You’re my adventure, Erin Lavelle.”That truth could very well offend her, make her withdraw from him, halt his progress in finding out more about her. So far, it was all good. No boyfriend.What family she had—divorced parents—had no strong claim on her. She was free to do whatever she chose, and tonight she’d chosen to have dinner with him before going off to a party.Not that she would get to that party.Peter was determined on holding her with him.“Today has not been my usual scene,” he conceded, aware she wanted to be given a reasonable explanation for his actions. But it has felt surprisingly good and I guess I want to finish it up still feeling good.”“Why were you in the park?” she asked, pinning him down to detail. Because you were there.Would she be flattered to hear that? Or frightened?H
“Sounds like she cared more about making him pay for his infidelity than she cared about you, Erin. Is that how it was?” Peter asked sympathetically.She shrugged, her mind instinctively sheering away from the lonely steps of learning how to cope by herself, preferring not to ask anything of her parents than suffer more rejection from her father or a harangue from her mother about how difficult it was, being a single parent.“I guess I learnt to detach myself from both of them. I think a lot of children become victims of the emotional crossfire that divorce invariably triggers.” She heaved another sigh, which drifted into an appreciative smile for his concern.“I hope Thomas gets to feel good with his father. And I hope his mother comes around to understanding that he needs both parents to love him.”“I hope so, too.”“So what about you, Peter ?”The question caught him by surprise. She could see he was still sifting through her personal experience of divorce, perhaps applying it to h
Erin’s heart was galloping. The light brush of his lips against hers caused an electric buzz. She ceased to think. The tip of her tongue darted out to sweep over the acute sensation. He sucked it into his mouth, instantly turning the kiss into a deeply intimate connection.She felt him lift her hand to his shoulder, felt the fingers that had been stroking her face slide into her hair, felt his arm slide around her waist. Then her body was being pressed against his and it felt so good to be held there, her soft femininity revelling in his hard strength, her breasts swelling ecstatically across the hot, muscular wall of his chest, a wild excitement coursing through her stomach at the unmistakable evidence of his desire, her thighs quivering at the tension in his, the sense of melting into him spreading right through her as the kiss went on and on, erotically gathering an urgent passion that was totally beyond any experience she’d ever had of kissing.She wasn’t aware of thrusting her ow