snapped together. 'You are nothing of the sort,' he said. 'I have apologised for what I thought back then.'
'But you still think it, don't you?' she asked. 'Deep down inside there's still a part of you that won't accept I was just your father's carer. You see me as the conniving slut who stole half your inheritance, and nothing is going to change that, is it?'
'I do not think anything of the sort,' he clipped back. 'Emma, for God's sake, I am in absolutely no doubt I was your first lover. What sort of man do you think I am to doubt you after that?'
'You don't love me. You make love to me, but you don't love me.'
'I do not want to continue this discussion,' he said stiffly. 'You are not being reasonable.'
'I'll show you how reasonable I can be,' she said with another fiery glare as she pushed back from the table. 'I'm not going to wait around holding my breath for you to pull the rug from under my feet. I'm going to pack my bags and leave right now.'
The nerve flickered at his mouth again as he got to his feet. 'If you do I will make you regret it,' he said through clenched teeth. 'The press will hound you, I can guarantee it. What the Bennett family said about you in Australia will be nothing to what I will reveal about your activities here. I have contacts. One word from me and your reputation will be unsalvageable in any country.'
Emma stopped mid-stride, her stomach dropping in alarm. 'You would do it, wouldn't you?' she said. 'You heartless, selfish bastard, you would do it and think nothing of it, wouldn't you?'
His eyes glittered with steely purpose. 'If you walk out on me you will regret it, I guarantee it. Don't make me do it, Emma. I don't want to hurt you.'
She looked at him in disdain. 'Don't lie to me,' she bit out. 'You would take great pleasure in hurting me. I know you would.'
He put his hands on her shoulders and brought her towards him. 'Emma, listen to me,' he said, his tone now gentle. 'I do not want things to get ugly between us. We have been thrown together by the machinations of my father. That is not your fault and neither is it mine. It is fortunate we enjoy each other's company so that we can see this through in order to get what we both want.'
'But I can't have what I want, can I?' she asked with tears stinging her eyes. 'You don't love me...you're never going to love me...'
He let out a heavy sigh. 'I care for you, Emma,' he said. 'I know it is not quite the same as the three magic words you crave, but it is more than I have felt for any other woman I have been involved with before.'
'It's not enough,' Emma said. 'I thought it would be but it's not. I want to be loved. I want to feel secure. I can't live with this shadow of uncertainty hanging over me. I never know from one day to the next if it's going to be my last with you. You hold all the power in our relationship, which means you have the least to lose if the relationship fails.'
'I cannot give you what you want,' he said. 'I don't want the same things in life.'
'Only because you're afraid of being let down like you were before,' she said. 'You lost your mother when you were young. That is enough to shatter anyone's sense of security. Then you lost your brother in the most tragic of circumstances, leaving you with a father who was unable to function as a mature adult. Everyone you have ever loved has deserted you one way or the other. Can't you see how that has impacted on how you view all of your relationships?'
He dropped his hands from her shoulders as if she had burned him. 'I do not need you to psychoanalyse me, Emma,' he said tersely. 'I am well aware of my shortcomings. Now stop this nonsense and sit back down and eat your dinner.'
Emma resumed her seat and began to pick at her food, but her stomach churned as she forced each mouthful down. She wondered if this was what people described as lovesickness. The gnawing ache was almost unbearable; it made her feel clammy and faint. Eventually she gave up and, pushing the plate away, got to her