And I have. I’ve created life. You can’t put a price on that.” Her voice suddenly cracked, and she looked away, her lower lip caught between her teeth.

He studied her beautiful profile, saw a hint of moisture in her eyes and wondered if they were real tears or if this was perhaps part of a game. He didn’t trust tears, and it crossed his mind that she could be trying to manipulate him. It was possible. Elsa had taught him that.

“And you have no qualms about giving this precious life up?” he asked, unable to mask the ruthless edge in his voice. He was not the same man he’d been before Elsa. He doubted he’d ever be that man again.

Georgia made a soft, rough sound, and when she spoke again, her voice was husky. “It’s your son, not mine.”

“Your egg. Your womb.”

Her lips curved faintly, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I am little more than a fertile garden. The soil doesn’t weep when you sow or reap.”

An interesting answer, he thought. She was an interesting woman. “The soil isn’t a young female, either. Nurturing...maternal—”

“I’m not maternal,” she said, cutting him off, her tone almost icy.

“And yet you’re doing this to help provide for your sister.”

“That’s different. She is my family. She is already my responsibility. But I have no desire to ever have children of my own. No desire to add to that family, or assume more responsibilities.”

“You may feel differently later.”

She leaned forward, her expression intent. “Do you want me to feel differently later?”

He was shocked, not just by her words but by the way she moved in toward him. No one invaded his space. No one wanted to be near him. He intimidated women. He made people uncomfortable. And yet she leaned in, she challenged him, and after the shock faded, he understood why.

She wasn’t timid. She wasn’t weak. She was strong, and she was going to give him as good as he gave her.

He admired her boldness and her confidence. He admired strength and courage, but what she didn’t realize was that her challenge just whetted his appetite.

He wasn’t about to move back and give her distance and breathing room. He was going to move in. Get closer.