Rosanna hadn’t known about her father’s betrayal—that had been obvious as well. She’d been mortified. He understood the particular shame of having a parent who behaved badly. And a part of him also understood she wanted to protect and help her parents—that she was desperate enough to dress up in the hope of persuading someone. Leo could almost respect that, because he’d tried for years—doing all kinds of menial jobs to help his mother earn enough to keep them both. When it had got worse, when he’d screwed up, he’d been more desperate than to dress up, he’d literally begged for help. Only he’d failed. The difference here was Rosanna’s failure wasn’t going to kill her parents. No doubt they’d have another contract shortly, her father was too much of a salesman not to. It just wouldn’t be with Castle Holdings.
What to do with Rosanna now? Those memories assailed him yet again, muddying his mind. He remembered the consideration she’d given to the garden, the secret sensual side of her he’d glimpsed.
‘Did you grow a plant from that cutting?’ he asked before thinking better of it.
Her eyes widened. ‘Yes, as it happens. I did.’
It made him oddly angry. ‘So, you got what you wanted from me and then you went after the other Castle brother for something else?’
Her pupils dilated even more and her face suddenly paled, making her freckles stand out shockingly against the paleness of her skin. His adrenalin surged as she swayed before him. He moved instinctively, drawing a chair close, concern overriding any anger.
‘Sit down.’ He cursed and firmly pushed her head down.
* * *
Rosanna felt atrocious. She battled to remain conscious and not sink into the velvety darkness. She was not fainting in front of this man. She choked back a rising bitter tide in the back of her throat. A glass of water materialised on the desk beside her.
‘Drink,’ he snapped.
She sipped it carefully.
‘Most women swoon at my feet,’ he said after a moment. ‘They don’t tend to turn green and gag.’
She chuckled weakly. ‘I’ve insulted you.’
‘Indeed, you have,’ he said dryly.
She glanced up but there was no lopsided smile, certainly no dimple. And the mental image of all those women swooning at his feet worsened her head. But she had no right to be jealous.
He hunched down in front of her. ‘Better?’
Indigo eyes. Intensity. So near. So gorgeous. And she was so tempted to slide forward and hope that he’d catch her and pull her close.
She sat back instead. ‘I’d keep your distance. You don’t want this bug, it’s nasty. I can’t seem to shake it.’
‘Oh?’ He gazed into her eyes intently, that rich colour deepening. ‘How long have you been unwell?’
She shrugged.
‘Maybe you ought to see a doctor,’ he suggested.
‘Maybe I just need to go back to bed.’ She winced the second after she’d spoken.
That intensity, bigger than them both, flared. She desperately tried to ignore that summons deep inside—it was like a clanging of a bell in medieval magical times, calling supplicants close. But something else flickered in his eyes and he suddenly reached forward and pinched the skin on the back of her hand.
‘Ow! What are you doing?’ She tried to pull her hand away but he gripped it tightly, staring at it. ‘What is wrong with you?’
‘What’s wrong with you is the more important question,’ he muttered. ‘You’re dehydrated. You’ve lost weight. You suddenly look like hell—’ He abruptly stood. ‘Come on.’
She stared up at him, half shocked and a little hurt. And, no. She wasn’t going anywhere with him. ‘What—?’
‘Get up. We’re going to see a doctor.’
‘I am not—’
‘Either you get moving and come with me to a private clinic, or I call an ambulance and we create an almighty scene in front of everyone. Your choice.’
He was too tall, too implacable and far too calm, all things considered.
Control freak. Her mother had been right. He was serious and determined and he wasn’t going to waste time arguing with her.
‘Who do you think you are?’ she growled, but she stood anyway.
‘A concerned citizen.’
The fact was, she felt terrible. Worse now that she’d seen him. ‘This is ridiculous.’
She wanted to slink home alone all the way back to her tiny safe flat with her pretty plants and pet fish, far away from this overly bossy man who made dangerous feelings come alive in her traitorous body.
He wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her—as if she couldn’t walk by herself. Dreadfully, she realised she did need his support; she was as wobbly as a barely set panna cotta. She was vaguely aware of the wide-eyed stares of those receptionists as they waited for the lift. Once inside he swiped a security pass and the elevator smoothly dropped them to the basement.
His sleek silver sedan wasn’t like any car she’d been in. It was seriously low to the ground and the engine utterly silent.
‘This is electric?’
‘Yes.’
‘You like it?’ she asked. Distraction was good. She needed to stimulate the candy-floss-like capacity of her brain—it seemed to be dissolving as the seconds slipped by in his presence.
To her relief he actually took the hint and talked her through the specs, filling in the time with irrelevant facts. It felt like only moments later he swooped into a fifteen-minute car park. They were never going to be fifteen minutes or less at a walk-in medical clinic.
‘You’ll get a parking fine,’ she muttered.
‘I don’t care.’
To her mortification Leo took over. It wasn’t a drop-in clinic, it was private and they were happy to attend to her immediately. She was taken to a screening room with a nurse who documented her symptoms and took a few tests. It was ridiculous and unnecessary and she was mortified because now that Leo Castle—she was still getting used to that idea—wasn’t in the room, she was breathing easier and feeling better. Now, she was embarrassed that he’d dragged her in here and caused such a scene, demanding that she be examined immediately. Not long after the nurse had left, the doctor appeared, closing the door behind him. The expression in his eyes made Rosanna’s heart seize. The wariness about him scared her.
‘Is something wrong?’ She leaned forward.
‘I have some results already.’
That was quick. The nurse had left the room only a few minutes ago.
‘HCG was detected in your urine sample,’ he added without further preamble. ‘The blood test will indicate the exact levels and give us concrete confirmation, but it looks like you’re pregnant. And that does explain your symptoms.’
Rosanna just stared at the man.
‘Rosanna?’ He spoke again. ‘Did you hear what I said? You’re pregnant.’
His voice faded as comprehension sank in. Pregnant? That wasn’t possible.
‘There’s been a mistake,’ she muttered.
The doctor sat in front of her and smiled. ‘Have you missed a period recently?’
She didn’t know—it was unlike her not to notice, but she’d been preoccupied with trying not to be distracted by memories of the man out in the waiting room!
‘If you like we can do an ultrasound now,’ the doctor added. ‘That would confirm the pregnancy and give us a clearer idea of your gestation. Would that be helpful?’
She was coming across as an idiot. Shock did that to a person. And the thing was, if she was pregnant she knew exactly how far along she must be—she’d only had sex the once in her life!
‘Would you like me to invite your partner in for the procedure?’ the doctor asked.
Her partner? That dizzy feeling swarmed again.
Next second there was a cool damp towel on her forehead and the nurse was w
atching her. ‘You’re a little overwhelmed?’
Rosanna drew a deep breath. ‘Can I have a moment alone with Leo, please?’
The door opened again only a second after she left. He must’ve been lingering near.
‘What did the doctor say?’ Leo asked calmly as he closed the door. ‘Or do you want me to guess?’
She stared at him, picking up on something in his tone. He couldn’t possibly have known already?
But he was staring at her fixedly. ‘I’m right, aren’t I?’
She was reeling from that test result while he looked like...an automaton. He couldn’t know everything. No one did. He scared her. Not just how wealthy and powerful he was. But how different from the man she’d thought him to be that night on the terrace.
‘What makes you so sure this baby is even yours?’ she blustered, desperately needing some kind of defence from him.
He hunched down in front of her once more. ‘Tell me it’s not mine, then.’
She stilled because this time there was burning cold rage in the backs of his eyes.
‘Will you lie to my face, Rosanna?’ That relentless gaze was laser-like—stripping through her layers to seek the truth. ‘Not just a white lie, not just an omission,’ he added softly. ‘Will you tell a life-changing, damaging lie?’
It wasn’t just the shocking question or his masculine beauty. It was the seriousness and will emanating from him. He compelled her honesty by sheer force of personality. He wasn’t someone to mess with and his honour called to her own sense of responsibility. He who she knew had been denied for so long in his life.
She couldn’t lie. Not to him. Not to their child. Not to herself. Not ever.
‘You can’t possibly be so certain,’ she said huskily.
‘Why would you want to lie?’ His expression was taut.
‘Because you frighten me.’
He visibly paled. ‘Why? You think I’m going to make you do something you don’t want to?’
‘I don’t know.’ She didn’t know anything about him.
And yet she also realised that it wasn’t him who frightened her. It was how she felt around him. Her response, her whole-body reactions were purely instinctive. Around him she behaved in a way that was so unlike herself. That was what was scary.
‘We’ll work this out, Rosanna,’ he said. ‘You invited me in here just now. You had a reason for that. A good one.’
‘They want to do a scan.’ She swallowed. ‘They asked if you would like to be present.’
She stared at him, but he was so hard to read. How did he feel about it? His chiselled expression was stonier than ever. No lopsided smile. No dimple. But now no fury either.
‘Of course,’ he said briefly. ‘If you’re happy for me to remain, then I would like to.’
He was so polite, yet she was sure emotion simmered within him. But he was so controlled he wasn’t going to let it out.
Somehow she survived the embarrassment of having the scan with him beside her. She stared at the enormous screen unable to see much in the swirling grey.
‘Okay.’ The doctor sent them a bracing smile, pointing at the screen. ‘You see that?’
‘Is that...?’ Finally it appeared even highly competent Leo Castle was lost for words.
‘There are two, yes.’ The doctor drew a breath. ‘Congratulations, you’re having twins.’
‘That’s...amazing.’ Leo turned from the screen to her. ‘Isn’t it, darling?’
Darling?
‘You’re about eight weeks pregnant,’ the doctor added.
‘Yes.’ Leo cupped the side of her face and gazed right into her eyes. ‘How wonderful.’
When he looked at her like that, the oxygen level in the room dropped and every brain cell slithered into hibernation, leaving her with nothing but the desire to lean into his touch. She was that clueless creature seeking heat from the sun.
‘It’s just incredible,’ he breathed.
‘Incredible’ was correct. How could this have happened? And why was he looking at her as if—?
It’s for show. This is for show. He doesn’t mean it.
She belatedly realised he didn’t want the medical staff thinking this was the shock that it truly was. He didn’t want them to think this was a mistake.
Rosanna’s blush burned because this was nothing but a pretence and for a second she’d made the mistake of believing in that look, in that intent. But this wasn’t real interest. This was duty and responsibility and honour. Everything he’d fought for before.
Leo covered her hand with his and squeezed as if willing his strength to transmit through the contact. But it didn’t stop the panic seeping into her. This was happening too fast. She hadn’t even known his name a couple of hours ago, and now they were acting as if they were starry-eyed lovers celebrating the most longed-for pregnancy ever. The falsity of it was appalling. And the reality?
Terrifying.
CHAPTER SEVEN
ROSANNA COULDN’T THINK. Her not getting that job, finding out her parents’ business was falling apart and learning her one-night lover was a total liar—wasn’t that enough? But to find out she was pregnant—with twins—in front of him? That life as she’d known it had just disintegrated for ever?
She didn’t listen as the doctor made suggestions for follow-up appointments. Leo agreed to something and then something else while she was too shocked even to pretend she was listening. Leo held her hand as he smiled and thanked the staff.
Somehow they were back outside. Somehow he hadn’t got a parking fine even though they’d been more than an hour. Somehow she was in the car, her safety belt on, and he’d pulled out into the traffic, driving with a certainty she couldn’t comprehend.
But in seconds she realised his fancy car was too small. She felt trapped in a myriad ways—on a journey, moving too fast with no idea of the destination or even when she might get a chance to take a breath. There was no way to slow this down.
‘Where are we going?’ she muttered.
‘Somewhere we can talk.’
He’d dropped the facade of the deliriously happy partner the second they’d got into the car and she wasn’t ready to talk about this yet.
‘I want to go home.’ She winced at her breathiness.
‘Where’s home?’ he asked.
‘Newcastle.’
‘Fine.’ He kept driving.
Rosanna stared at him. That was hours on the road. Hours in this too-confined space. ‘I’m not driving all the way there with you.’
His jaw clenched. ‘Can you just trust me to work this out?’
Rosanna wasn’t sure she could or should. She should be assertive and take control of her own life but she was so shocked by the news they’d just received that she was almost catatonic. Whereas Leo was all ‘action man’—decisive and fast, making it all too easy just to let him. Twenty minutes later they pulled up outside a charter helicopter business.
‘It’s a forty-five-minute flight.’ He glanced at her. ‘Give me a moment to arrange it.’
Less than a quarter of an hour later she was strapped in beside Leo while the pilot worked out the flight plan. She should have been excited, given this was her first helicopter ride, but she was too preoccupied to even feel nervous. Headphones muted the engine noise but she still couldn’t think. She was so inwardly focused she saw nothing of the view. When they landed in Newcastle there was a car waiting. Leo ushered Rosanna in and took his place behind the driving wheel.
‘What’s your address?’ he asked.
She gave it to him.
He plugged it into the navigation system, then frowned. ‘That’s the university?’
‘I live in a campus flat there.’
‘Alone?’
Her heart pounded. ‘Yes.’
His hands tightened on the wheel as he pul
led out into the traffic. ‘What do you do?’
This was how little they knew each other. He didn’t even know what she did for a job. ‘I did my science degree here and never left. I work as a teaching lab technician at the school of Biological Sciences.’
‘What does that entail?’
‘As a lab tech I prep experiments for the students, do demonstrations for them. Make sure the equipment and supplies are maintained. I help the senior researchers run their experiments and record data. I also take tutor groups—mostly first year students, drilling into them lab rules and etiquette.’
‘Biological sciences is what, plants?’
‘More like petri dishes. I mostly work with the microbiologists.’
He asked a few more questions—more details of her duties. And then the kicker. ‘Do you enjoy it?’
She hesitated but they pulled up outside her university flat before she had to answer. Rosanna was stunned by his efficiency, but felt no relief at arriving home—in fact she was struggling with having him in her small space. As she watched him assess her lounge with a single swift glance she knew she wasn’t going to be able to stay here. It wasn’t a place to raise one, let alone two babies. And she wasn’t going to be able to hold down her lab tech job either. She was in real trouble.
‘How long will it take you to pack enough for a week or so?’ Leo asked bluntly. ‘Because you can’t stay here.’
‘I can’t leave,’ she immediately argued. ‘I have work, for one thing.’
‘You can’t work, you keep half fainting. Besides, you can’t work around those chemicals any more, can you?’
She felt control slipping from her—she’d not even thought about that. There were protocols but she sensed Leo was a zero-risk kind of control freak. ‘Then where do you expect me to go?’
‘Seriously?’ He stared at her. ‘You know we need to sort this out.’
So the answer was obvious.
‘You’ve not been taking care of yourself,’ he added. ‘You’ve had symptoms for days and haven’t been to the doctor.’
Doctors cost money and she’d needed to work. She’d not wanted to put a foot wrong before that position was announced.
Nine Months to Claim Her Page 6