Cassie's head was spinning. 'And what is that?' she asked shakily. 'Sex?'
His face remained stony. 'Among other things.'
'What other things?'
'My son, for starters. And not on any part-time, neighbourly basis. I want him here, in my home, all the time.'
'But I don't want ‑'
'I don't give a damn what you want!' he slammed at her, jumping to his feet and banging his fist down on the desk. 'You've lost all chance of my considering your wishes. I will not be treated like some vermin that's just crawled out from under a stone!'
Cassie quaked under the force of his fury. Dan had said he could be ruthless, but even she had not envisaged something like this.
'No matter what you thought of me,' he went on brutally, 'you should not have kept me in ignorance of my son. Maybe there was some excuse nine years ago, but yesterday, when I told you my wife was dead, when I showed I still cared about you, you should have told me the truth. That would have been the decent thing to do!'
'But, Dan, I ‑'
'Enough! You wouldn't listen to my explanations then. I'm not interested in yours now.'
Cassie didn't know what to do, what to say. She was totally confused, frantically upset. 'I...I wanted to tell you,' she blurted out. 'When Jason was born it nearly killed me not to contact you.'
'Then why didn't you?' His voice was cold, unmoved. 'My name is listed in the phone book.'
'I...we... Mum and I hadn't told my father that you were responsible. He was so angry about my pregnancy. Mum thought it better he think it was some boy at a party one night. If he'd found out I'd had an affair with a...a married man...God knows what he would have done.'
'Come now, Cassie, you don't expect me to believe you were protecting me all this time?'
His derision brought utter frustration. 'No, of course not! It was to protect my father! He had a heart condition. Not that my keeping my affair with you a secret was any benefit in the end,' she said bitterly. 'Shortly after Jason was born Dad had an attack and died. And it was all my fault. Mine and yours! I hated you then, don't you see? And when you came back yesterday, smiling at me as though the past was nothing, I...I...' She fumbled for words. Everything was so mixed up in her head. She did still hate him, didn't she?
'You hated me even more,' Dan finished for her in a matter-of-fact tone. 'Yes, Cassie, I do see. Love turning to hate is a common enough occurrence. But it doesn't change a thing, because, love me or hate me, you're going to marry me.'
All the breath was punched from Cassie's body. 'Marry you?' she gasped.
Dan's smile was dry. 'I can see my proposal has come as a shock. Perhaps I should give you some time to consider it.'
Cassie swallowed. 'How...how much time?'
'Twenty-four hours.'
'Twenty-four hours?' she repeated blankly.
'Must you repeat everything I say?' Dan ground out irritably. 'When you come to pick Jason up tomorrow, you can give me your answer.' He sat back down, then glanced up, eyes and face hard. 'Of course, I should explain what will happen if you refuse.'
Cassie said nothing. She was incapable of speaking.
'Jason is my son. A simple DNA test will prove that. What's more, I am a father willing and able to support his son very well. Oddly enough, courts these days don't favour the woman in custody cases as much as they used to. I have no doubt that I will get a fair hearing, which is more than I got from you.'
'You'd try to take my son away from me?' Cassie cried in a choked voice. Her throat was dry, her heartbeat suspended from fear.
Was that a trace of pity she saw pass across his face?
'Only if you force me, Cassie,' he said evenly.
Cassie whirled away, her hands coming up to cradle her cheeks. 'If I force you?' she cried. 'Oh, God...'
She whirled back, tears pricking her eyes, but renewed defiance in her heart. She strode over to the desk and leant on it, her face flushed and angry. 'You would have to be the most heartless man in the world, Dan McKay, not to mention the most stupid! Do you honestly think any court in the world would award you custody of my son? Even if the unthinkable happened, even if you somehow bribed your way to a favourable decision, you wouldn't win in the end. Jason would hate you for taking his mother away from him. Hate you, do you hear me? Almost as much as I hate you!'
Dan's knuckles showed white as he clenched the edge of the desk and pushed himself slowly to his feet. He loomed over her, his face and stance intimidating, but Cassie was too angry to be afraid.
'I'll fight you, Dan,' she threatened, glaring up into his blazing eyes. 'I'll fight you every inch of the way, with every weapon I have. Even if you get Jason, you won't win!'
An electric silence enveloped them as they glowered at each other.
Surprisingly Dan was the first to look away. He turned and walked over to the window where he stood and stared into the night, his shoulders stiff, his whole stance incredibly tense. After several excruciating seconds, he turned to face Cassie, the set of his mouth tight and grim. 'I take your point,' he conceded grudgingly. 'That is not what I want. Not at all. I want Jason to love me.'