Prince's Love-Child

His deeper, inner, decent self took control at that moment, filling him with self-disgust for the way he was behaving. He had never treated a woman like this in his life before, but as he felt the shuddering sobs that shook Sapphie’s slender body he knew that he was both hurting and humiliating her. Not that she didn’t deserve that—and worse—for what she and her mother had done five years ago; he just didn’t intend lowering himself to her level.

He wrenched his mouth away from hers, taking hold of her upper arms to push her away from him, emotion blazing in his eyes as he saw the wretchedness of her expression, her eyes glittering with unshed tears, her lips puffy and obviously kissed.

An act. It was all an act, he assured himself determinedly; this woman, as much as Jerome Powers, had robbed him of Dee, of the love they had once shared—and he would never forgive her for it.

He drew in a harsh breath. ‘If you’re expecting an apology—’

‘I’m not!’ She wrenched out of his grasp, stepping away from him, the colour returning to her cheeks. ‘I don’t expect anything from you. I never have,’ she added bleakly.

Rik’s eyes narrowed. ‘And what the hell is that supposed to mean?’

She made a dismissive movement with her hand. ‘Nothing. Absolutely nothing.’

It wasn’t nothing. It had certainly been something, a slight undertone to that comment that he couldn’t quite put a name to…

But he could put a name to how he was feeling—and it wasn’t pretty. He had never had cause to feel ashamed of his actions before, but he certainly wasn’t proud of the way he had treated Sapphie just now. Even if she did deserve his contempt. She and her mother both.

Except…

Again he thought of the fact that Sapphie’s mother was also Dee’s mother, and that neither were the stepsister and stepmother Dee had claimed them to be. Why had she lied to him about those relationships? He—

‘Dee and Jerome will be waiting for us downstairs,’ Sapphie reminded him softly.

Rik frowned darkly at the way Sapphie avoided actually meeting his gaze, effectively making him feel more of a heel than ever.

Though he didn’t see why he should, he decided as his resolve returned. Not when this woman, along with her mother, were responsible for it not being ‘Dee and Rik’ who were waiting downstairs.

‘Then we had better go and join them, hadn’t we?’ he returned, his mouth twisting grimly as Sapphie stepped back to avoid the hand he would have placed beneath her elbow.

Fine. He didn’t want to touch her again, anyway. Still couldn’t be responsible for his actions where Sapphie Benedict was concerned!

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