The Taming of Xander Sterne(52)

                A nerve pulsed in Xander’s tightly clenched jaw at the thought of any man—any father!—ignoring his own daughter in that way.

                Although it certainly explained why it was Daisy never visited her father and why Samantha didn’t want her to now.

                It also explained the way Samantha had bristled with reaction to that list of rules Xander had come out with the evening she and Daisy arrived here.

                No way, absolutely no way, was Xander going to allow Samantha’s ex-husband to bully and blackmail her into doing what he wanted. Into forcing her to share his bed.

                ‘Exactly who is he, Samantha?’ he grated. ‘Well you’ve already told me his name isn’t Smith,’ he rasped as Samantha looked up at him questioningly.

                ‘Howard.’ She swallowed, her gaze now avoiding meeting his. ‘His name is Malcolm Howard.’

                Xander’s eyes narrowed. ‘Of Howard Electronics? That Malcolm Howard?’ He only knew the other man by reputation, mostly to do with business, although he seemed to recall hearing Howard had been married briefly a few years ago. He didn’t remember ever hearing mention of a child from that marriage, though. Obviously that was because Howard had chosen never to tell anyone about the daughter he had no interest in.

                Samantha drew in a deep breath. ‘You know him?’

                Xander shook his head. ‘Not personally. I seem to recall he has a membership to the Midas nightclub.’ A privilege Xander was now going to look into cancelling at the earliest opportunity! ‘Darius knows him far better than I do. Of course, that’s what Howard was doing at the hotel on Saturday; he was one of the evening guests invited to Darius and Miranda’s wedding.’

                ‘Yes.’

                ‘I’m pretty sure Darius has no idea what sort of man he is.’ Xander scowled. ‘Did you know he—? No,’ he answered his own question impatiently. ‘You had absolutely no idea your ex-husband was going to be at the wedding too. If you had you would have made sure to leave before he arrived. Or possibly you would not have gone to the wedding at all.’

                ‘No.’

                ‘What did he do to you when you were married to him, Samantha?’ Xander pressed softly.

                She looked up at him wordlessly for several long seconds, a frown creasing her creamy brow. And then that frown cleared as she glanced down at her bandaged wrist. ‘Emotional cruelty can be just as unpleasant as physical violence.’

                He knew that, had watched his father torment and control his mother and brother for years, by physically threatening Xander. Just as Malcolm Howard’s threats now, regarding Daisy, were designed to deliberately torment Samantha, to control her.

                To a point that she was actually thinking of giving in to Howard’s demands?

                Over Xander’s dead body was that going to happen.

                He gave a shake of his head.

                ‘Malcolm Howard is a very wealthy man, and yet you and Daisy—’ He hesitated, wincing his discomfort as he realised what he had been about to say.

                ‘And yet Daisy and I live in a one-bedroomed flat and I work at jobs like this one, and the one at Andy’s studio, to make ends meet.’ Samantha obviously felt no such reticence.

                ‘Yes.’ He frowned darkly.