CHAPTER ONE

ERINSTOODBY the cot, watching her one-year-old daughter finally—mercifully—fall into sleep, legs and arms splayed as if fighting to the very end. The small room was bathed in dim undulating lights that threw various shapes of unicorns, dogs, rabbits and birds across the ceiling, chasing each other on a loop.

Erin smiled as she looked at her. She was a sturdy, feisty little thing and she didn't resemble Erin at all. She was all her father. Dark skin...dark curly hair. The only thing she'd taken from Erin were her hazel eyes.

Erin had almost grown used to the ache near her heart whenever she looked at her and was reminded of Ajax Nikolau—which was far too often for comfort. The ache was fast turning into a kind of heartburn.

Her conscience pricked. Hard. Her father had been minding Ashling today and he'd said it to her again.

‘You can't keep putting it off. He needs to know. She's almost walking.'

Erin knew he was right. She'd made attempts to let Ajax know—she'd even written him a letter—but there had been no response and she'd not pushed it, partly because it had been a reminder of his rejection, but also because of unwelcome memories from far closer to home, within her own family.

She'd told herself she had more important things to get on with. Namely becoming a single parent to her daughter and searching for a new job.

In fairness, Ajax had pointed out that she wasn't under any pressure to leave, and that if she'd requested a transfer to a different office or department they wouldn't have to see each other again. She could stay working for the law firm his company used—it was vast.

She'd been tempted. It would have made things easier. But even without having to see him she knew that she would have been aware of him. And people talked. He was a dynamic, enigmatic man. Single. Available. She would have heard gossip about who he was with. And, as much as Erin would have liked to deny it to herself, and pretend that what had happened between them was just physical, he'd crept under her skin and got to her on an emotional level.

Which she knew was ridiculous. They'd had one conversation outside of the bedroom, that second night, and needless to say that hadn't strayed into anything personal.

Erin had known she was way out of Ajax Nikolau's league—that what had happened between them had been as out of character for him as it had been for her. That was why he'd dumped her so unceremoniously after that second night.

Erin's break-up with her college sweetheart hadn't sliced as deep as that rejection by Ajax. Even before the unanswered letter, it had called to mind the deep and abiding pain of her mother's rejection and abandonment, and its effect on her father, when Erin had been just a toddler. A pain that she had successfully managed to avoid all her life by not allowing anyone to get too close.

But Ajax had got too close. And that had terrified her. So she'd accepted his ending of their brief affair.

When she'd been head-hunted by a rival firm not long afterwards, she'd used the opportunity to leave. They'd been good to her, considering her pregnancy, and she'd been working part-time for them since returning from maternity leave recently.

So, to say things had changed drastically since her short-lived affair with Ajax Nikolau was putting it mildly.

Erin grimaced and moved silently out of the baby's room, half closing the door behind her.

Frankly, she was too exhausted to think about any of that now. She finally had a moment to heat up her dinner and—

The buzzing of her doorbell broke through Erin's thoughts. She assumed it was a mistaken delivery—drivers often pressed the wrong apartment number—but when she lifted the receiver and the camera came on she went cold all over.

It wasn't a delivery driver. It was a man. Too tall for his face to be visible on screen. All she could see were wide shoulders and a suit, but even through the grainy image she could appreciate the cut of the suit and the distinctive breadth of the chest and shoulders.

And then a face came into vision—devastatingly gorgeous, instantly recognisable. Ajax Nikolau. The fact that he was here, just a few floors down, as if manifested straight out of her guilty imagination, was unbelievable. So unbelievable that Erin found herself pushing the button to admit him before she'd even made the decision to let him in.

She heard the big door open and he said, ‘Apartment six, yes?'

Somehow Erin must have said something in return, because he disappeared from view and she heard the heavy clang of the door far below. He would be coming up in the elevator now—which immediately made Erin think of another elevator, vastly more luxurious, when they'd almost—

She heard the distinctive ping of the elevator's arrival and the doors opening.

He was literally outside her door now, probably wondering why she hadn't opened it yet.

There was a light knock. ‘Erin?'

Erin felt slightly disembodied. Her brain had seized, as if protecting itself from thinking about the reality of what was happening.

She opened the door and had to adjust her gaze up. She'd forgotten how tall he was. And she was in bare feet, having kicked off her high heels as soon as she'd stepped through the door earlier. His impact hit her like a physical jolt through her body. Electricity crackled.

He frowned at her. ‘Your hair is short.'

Erin lifted a hand and touched her head self-consciously. She'd had it cut a few months ago, because the baby had kept grabbing it.

She went cold all over. The baby.

Her hand dropped. ‘Mr Nikolau...what are you doing here?'

He looked at her. ‘Mr Nikolau?'

Erin's hand gripped the door handle tight. She was beginning to recover some very necessary cognitive function. She realised she'd never actually referred to this man by his first name outside of the bedroom, because they'd gone straight from the boardroom to the bedroom with very little interaction in between.

She tried again. ‘How can I help you?'

She would have asked him how he knew where she lived, but for a man like Ajax Nikolau nothing was a barrier to information.

Erin Murphy looked different with short hair, but no less attractive. The minute she'd opened the door and Ajax had seen her his entire body had clenched with recognition and need. Hunger.

He still wanted her. He'd never stopped thinking about her.

Even after almost two years. As each week had gone by, and then months, he'd been sure she would fade in his memory. She hadn't. But neither had that sense of panic he'd felt that she'd got under his skin on an emotional level. It had been strong enough to stop him from giving in to the temptation to seek her out again.

Until now.

Much to his irritation, no woman had managed to come close to making him feel the way she had. The two nights they'd spent together were engraved on his brain like a brand he would never be able to remove. He'd had many a sleepless night enduring X-rated dreams, waking hard and aching.

He'd resisted the memories and dreams for as long as he could. And life had helped in that respect. He'd never been busier. In the aftermath of the business deal of the century, Ajax's time had been monopolised by consolidating his position, in case anyone had any doubts he could pull his family's business together.

In the past year and more he'd silenced any critics or doubters. So much so that in the past couple of months he'd finally had time to take a breath and take his foot off the accelerator, and he'd realised that in spite of the many challenges he faced day to day, and the vast responsibility he had as CEO of Nikolau Industries, he was a little...bored. Jaded.

And, as if it had just been waiting in the wings for the right moment, the tantalising possibility of seeing this woman again had filled his mind. He'd told himself that the impression he'd had of her getting too close had been brought on by their amazing chemistry, nothing more.

She'd lost weight. He didn't remember her looking so delicate. Her shorter hair drew attention to the fine bone structure of her face. Her huge eyes. The long slim neck. Elegant collarbones visible under the neck of her silk shirt.

His body tightened. ‘Can I come in?'

She didn't move. ‘What are you doing here?'

Ajax, a man used to people allowing him access to wherever he wanted to go, realised that this wasn't proceeding as he'd envisaged. His arrogance mocked him.

‘I'm here to see you.'

‘Why?'

The blunt question reminded him of how she'd been able to cut through a lot of waffle and point people towards what was important. She'd been good at her job. He missed that.

Before he could speak, voices became audible in the corridor behind him and Erin seemed to make a split-second decision.

She stood back. ‘You'd better come in.'

The offer was ungracious, but Ajax wouldn't object. She was flushed in the face, and that made him think of how she'd looked under him as he'd joined their bodies.

He looked away from her and around the apartment, to try and regain some control. It was airy and bright. Homely. Books on shelves. Throws on a well-loved couch. Something about it caught at him, in his chest, creating a kind of yearning. Disconcerting...

‘Mr Nikolau—'

He looked back at Erin, a little more in control of his faculties. ‘Really? You're going to stand on ceremony?'

Her mouth tightened. ‘It was almost two years ago, and a very brief...thing.'

Thing. That was one way of describing it. It had been a conflagration that had moved Ajax to cut it off, starve it of oxygen, for fear that it would run rampant. But if he'd let it do that then maybe he wouldn't be here now.

‘I think the time for ceremony has come and gone. Please call me Ajax.'

Erin's jaw gritted momentarily. Then she said tightly, ‘Very well, Ajax. What can I do for you?'

‘I understand why you might have felt the need to resign from the law firm, but you didn't have to.'

Erin went pale. ‘You...want me to work for you again?'

Ajax's conscience pricked. His motive for coming here was far more ulterior and earthier. ‘I hear you're doing well at your new firm. Certainly your old boss misses you.'

‘You've come all the way here to tell me I was a valued employee?'

Now his skin prickled with a sense of exposure. He wasn't used to people questioning his motives. He wasn't used to questioning his own motives. But he'd made this journey without really thinking it through—not like him. He was behaving like some sort of homing pigeon, guided by forces beyond its comprehension or control.

Erin was looking at him, waiting for a response, once again reminding him of how forthright she was. Her eyes were beautiful, brown and green, ringed with long dark lashes.

It struck him then that he was here because he was looking for some sort of connection—something he hadn't felt since he'd been with this woman.

Erin still couldn't believe Ajax Nikolau was standing in her small one-and-a-half-bedroom apartment talking to her. Saying...nonsense. She needed him to be gone. This situation was too dangerous. She wasn't ready to let him know he was a father right now. She had intended to go to him and be cool and collected. Calm. Not in her stockinged feet with her baby—their baby!—just feet away.

Before she could think of something appropriate to get him to leave, he asked, ‘Why did you leave the law firm? Because of what happened between us?'

Erin swallowed. She wasn't about to explain her emotional vulnerabilities to the man who had been responsible for them.

She managed to force out, ‘Don't be ridiculous. I took my new job because it offered better prospects.'

Then he said, ‘I haven't had a lover since you.'

He sounded almost accusing. He was looking at her intensely, the same way he had in that elevator. Blood rushed to her skin, making it tingle. Between her legs she pulsed with awareness and it shocked her. She hadn't felt so much as a blip of desire since the baby.

Since Ajax.

She was confused. She was afraid to think too much about what it meant that he hadn't had a lover since her. Or how that made her feel. Slightly giddy...

Erin tried to ground this rapidly evolving situation in some reality again. ‘Why are you here?' She was confused. Did he want her to work for him?

Ajax shook his head slightly, as if clearing it. ‘I think I came here because I haven't forgotten what it was like... Have you?'

As if to help her, a memory flashed back of how it had felt to have Ajax's body moving in and out of hers, skin slick with sweat, hearts pounding, straining to reach the building pinnacle of—

‘Yes,' Erin lied desperately. ‘I've had other things to think about.'

Like his daughter.

Her guts churned as memories of finding out about the pregnancy flooded her brain.

She'd thrown herself so completely into her new job, to try and put what had happened between her and Ajax Nikolau behind her, that three months had almost gone by before she'd acknowledged the bouts of morning sickness that had lasted for about a month, and noticed that her already irregular periods had actually stopped.

And that the bloating wasn't going away. In fact, it was getting worse. She could barely fit into some of her clothes any more.

And when yet another male client's gaze had gone to her bigger than usual chest she'd had to face the fact that she ought to take a moment out of her schedule to get her symptoms checked.

Until the doctor had said those fateful words—‘You're pregnant, almost thirteen weeks along'—she'd literally not even contemplated that possibility. Or maybe she'd been too scared to let the possibility exist.

She had a mild form of endometriosis, so whenever she was irregular or there were strange symptoms she put it down to that. And stress had always had a big effect on her periods, too, so to say finishing an affair—even short-lived—and starting a new job was stressful was an understatement.

The doctor had looked at her incredulously. ‘You really had no clue?'

Erin had shaken her head, feeling stupid.

Pregnant.

She'd been in a daze for days.

Ajax's voice cut through the memories as he said, ‘You're not married or engaged?'

Erin covered her hand. ‘That doesn't mean anything. I could be in a relationship.'

‘Are you?'

She'd forgotten how blunt he was. ‘Just so we're clear, I want you, Erin.'

She shook her head. ‘No...but are you really suggesting that there's still something between us?'

He didn't have to answer that. It sizzled between them, as much as Erin would like to deny it.

Desperately she tried to pretend it wasn't happening. ‘Do I need to remind you that you were the one who cut things off?'

‘Maybe I was a little too...hasty.'

The memory of how close she'd allowed him to get made Erin say tartly, ‘It's been almost two years—the opposite of hasty, I would say.'

His gaze met hers, and the intensity of his unusually light eyes made Erin quiver inwardly.

He said, ‘I've been a little busy.'

‘Well, so have I.'

Birthing his daughter.

Tell him.

But her mouth wouldn't form the words. Guilt was like acid in her stomach.

Ajax took a step closer to Erin. She knew she should step back, but her limbs were like lead.

He said, ‘How can you deny it when it's running like electricity between us right now?'

His scent washed over her and she breathed it in—distinctive and achingly, instantly familiar, musky and woody with something spicy underneath. It hurtled her back in time and all Erin could see was Ajax. She was engulfed in memories and, treacherously, lust. The stresses and strains of the past months dissolved. She was just a woman again, standing in front of the man who had seared himself onto her psyche in more ways than one.

She'd really felt as if she'd been reconfigured after those two nights in his bed. Her cells realigned. Even though she hadn't been an innocent, she'd felt as if he'd transformed her into a woman. A sexual woman. With a sense of her own sensual power. He'd given something to her—something she couldn't even name—but it had felt precious.

She'd forgotten about it until now. Or maybe she'd blocked it out. But here, under his avid gaze, she was feeling all those things again. Sensual. Powerful. Desired.

He reached out and touched her hair lightly. ‘It suits you.'

Erin felt self-conscious. ‘I... Thank you.'

Ajax kept his hand lifted, said, ‘May I?'

Erin wasn't sure what he was asking, but everything in her body had her nodding her head.

His fingertips traced the line of her jaw, down to her chin. He lifted it slightly, looked at her mouth. ‘I've dreamed of you...'

Erin had been too exhausted to dream much, but there had been nights when she'd known she'd had torrid dreams. She'd just been relieved not to remember much about them. She'd felt them lingering in her body, though, because she'd woken aching, feeling unsatisfied.

Ajax moved closer. Erin didn't step away, even though she knew she should. Right now she couldn't quite remember why. She was caught up in the intensity of Ajax's proximity and the way he was looking at her, and so when his head lowered towards her and his mouth touched hers she felt nothing but a wild surge of desire.

Yes, please.

Had he asked if he could kiss her? She didn't care. She'd given her assent just by accepting it. His mouth moved over hers, more insistent. Asking a question. Erin answered without hesitation, her mouth opening under his, allowing him to deepen the contact.

He moved closer, wound an arm around her back and pulled her into him, so she could feel the hard thrust of his desire for her. It sent arrows of need right to her core, where she was melting, and—

Ajax pulled his head back abruptly. ‘What's that sound?'

It took a second for Erin to register the cry of her baby. She reacted instantly, pushing free of Ajax's arms, and ran to the bedroom.

Ashling had pulled herself up and was standing in her cot, crying. She stopped as soon as Erin appeared, giving a gummy smile with glimpses of her newly formed teeth—undoubtedly the cause of her distress.

Erin went in and picked her up. Her cheeks were hot—a classic sign of teething pain. She'd almost forgotten about Ajax, so she was startled when she turned around and he was in the doorway.

Ashling saw him and went still in Erin's arms.

He was looking at the baby, his face like stone. Then he stepped back from the doorway so Erin could come out. She had no choice. She went into the sitting room.

Ajax looked at Ashling again. And then, after a long moment, at Erin. ‘You said you weren't with anyone.'

‘I'm not.' She clutched Ashling to her like a shield.

He looked at the baby again. ‘Who...? What?'

Reaction was starting to set into Erin's body. She felt herself trembling. ‘Her name is Ashling.'

Ajax was transfixed. The resemblance between father and daughter was almost laughable as they studied one another. Olive skin...dark hair.

He dragged his gaze away from the baby to look at Erin. He said, ‘She's mine.'

It was emphatic. But even though Erin knew this was her opportunity to admit that he was right, she heard herself blurting out, ‘How can you be so sure?'

Ajax was grim. ‘Because she's the image of my son.'