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York?’ Emma asked. The waiter came forward to take their order, and she gazed blindly at the menu. She had no appetite at all. Finally she picked a relatively plain chicken dish, and Larenzo ordered for himself, before they were left alone again and he answered her question.
‘I wanted a new start. Cavelli Enterprises had no holdings in America.’
‘What’s happened to Cavelli Enterprises?’
‘Its assets were seized by the government. Everything’s frozen while the investigation continues.’
‘So even though there was evidence...?’
Larenzo’s mouth hardened into a flat line. ‘Bertrano is claiming he is innocent, but the evidence is incontrovertible.’ His mouth twisted. ‘In the meantime the company will most likely be liquidated, and its remaining assets distributed to shareholders.’ He spoke dispassionately, as if it was a matter of indifference to him. Emma searched his face, saw a hardness underneath his bland expression that she didn’t think had been there before.
‘Were you close to him? This Raguso?’
Larenzo hesitated, one hand resting flat on the tabletop. ‘A bit,’ he finally said.
‘And do you think he did it?’
‘I know he did.’ He shifted in his chair, his gaze arrowing in on her. ‘While I was in prison, my staff investigated and found proof of his guilt. But enough talk of what is past. It’s the future that concerns me.’
‘The past is important, Larenzo—’
‘I’ve told you all you need to know,’ he cut across her. ‘I want to talk about Ava.’
She knew it was coming, and yet she still resisted. ‘What about her?’
For a second his face softened, his mouth curving into something almost like a smile and just that little look made Emma start to melt. ‘What is she like? From the little I saw of her already, it seems like she knows her own mind.’
‘She does. She’s a force to be reckoned with, that’s for sure.’
‘Her strength will serve her well later in life.’
‘So I keep telling myself.’ To her shock Emma realised she was smiling, and Larenzo was actually smiling back.
‘I want to see her,’ Larenzo said firmly, and Emma took a deep breath.
‘There’s a playground near the house—’
Larenzo’s expression darkened, his eyes flashing silver fire. ‘A playground? Do you think you can fob me off with an hour or two at a local park?’
‘It’s a start, Larenzo—’
‘I’ve missed the first ten months of my daughter’s life. I want to spend time with her, Emma. Real time. Not be introduced to her as if I’m some stranger in a park playground.’
Emma stared down at the table, conscious of how quickly Larenzo had torn apart her suggestion. She’d wanted to stage-manage his entrance into Ava’s life, to exert some control over the proceedings, and hopefully to limit them. She should have known Larenzo wouldn’t let her do that. He was a man who was in control. Always.
‘Very well.’ She took a deep, even breath and let it out slowly. ‘What do you suggest?’
‘I’ve taken an apartment in New York, and it has plenty of room. I suggest you and Ava move there with me.’
Emma gaped at him, stunned into silence for a few seconds. ‘You want me to move in with you?’ she finally managed, her voice ending in something close to a squeak.
‘I’m not suggesting we have some sort of relationship,’ Larenzo clarified coolly. ‘I have no interest in that. But I want to see my daughter as much as possible, and be a real presence in her life. Your current living arrangements are neither sustainable nor suitable.’ He lifted one powerful shoulder in a shrug. ‘The answer seems obvious.’
‘To you, maybe.’ Emma nearly choked. She shook her head and reached for her glass of water. She’d never expected Larenzo to suggest something like this. To live with him...to be that near to temptation...
‘I don’t see an alternative,’ Larenzo answered. ‘I want unlimited access to my daughter—’
‘Unlimited? Larenzo, be reasonable—’ At the very most she’d thought she’d have to have some kind of joint custody arrangement with Larenzo. But this?
This was dangerous. Impossible. Tempting...
‘I don’t really see what the problem is,’ Larenzo replied calmly. ‘Surely you agree it’s better for Ava to have two interested and loving parents in her life?’
Emma swallowed. ‘Yes, but that doesn’t mean we have to live together—’
‘What, precisely, do you object to?’ Larenzo asked. His voice had gone quiet, dangerously so. ‘You’ll have your own room, your own bathroom, and your quarters will be far more comfortable than they are currently.’
Emma stared at him helplessly. He made it all sound so simple, and yet it wasn’t. It couldn’t be. ‘Everything’s changed so quickly,’ she finally said. ‘I can’t process it all—’
‘Then take your time,’ Larenzo answered. ‘You have until tomorrow.’
‘Tomorrow—’
‘I want to see my daughter, Emma.’
‘I know you do.’ Except she hadn’t expected Larenzo to feel this strongly, this fiercely, about his role as a father. That he did surprised her, but she realised she couldn’t resent it. She knew what it was like to have a parent who chose a life without you. Who walked away from her child. Despite all the obstacles, all the unknowns, she realised she was, amazingly, glad Larenzo wanted to be involved...even if she was scared about what it meant.
‘I can’t just live with you,’ she finally burst out.
Larenzo arched an eyebrow, all arrogant assurance. ‘Why not?’
‘Because...because...’ Because she was afraid of this man, and it had nothing to do with any criminal connections. She was afraid of his power over her, her need for him. ‘I need to have my own life, Larenzo. I was planning on moving out of my sister’s house for that reason. I’m twenty-seven years old and I’m not going to freeload off people for ever.’
‘So this is a question of money?’
‘Not just money,’ she returned. ‘It’s about independence and autonomy. I need to be my own person—’
‘And you can’t do that living in my apartment?’ He made her feel ridiculous, and yet she couldn’t just fall in with his plans, fit into his life without having one of her own.
‘I can’t believe I’m even thinking of moving in with you,’ she said, shaking her head slowly.
‘It makes sense.’
Emma didn’t answer. It did make a certain kind of bizarre sense, which both aggravated and alarmed her. Three days ago she’d thought Larenzo Cavelli would spend his life in prison. Two days ago she would have fought tooth and nail to keep him out of her daughter’s life.
And now she was thinking of living with him? She pressed her fingers to her temples and closed her eyes. ‘This is so crazy.’
‘Maybe so,’ Larenzo agreed with a shrug, ‘but it’s our reality. I won’t take no for an answer, Emma.’
She opened her eyes and stared at him, saw that coldness in his eyes, the hint of how hard he could be. ‘What would you do if I did say no, Larenzo?’
‘It won’t come to that.’
‘But if it did?’
He