The doctor looked from one to the other, looking awkward. “Yes. Pregnant,” he repeated to Kular. He glanced over at Rayne, not sure how to answer her question. “This is a prescription for prenatal vitamins. But if you will follow me, we can do a sonogram of the fetus to determine the size and ensure that there are no issues. I’d like to check the placement of the placenta and ascertain if the fetus is developing properly.” He stood there after that announcement, waiting. He adjusted his glasses higher onto his nose.
Then waited awkwardly for several more moments.
There was very little reaction from either Rayne or Kular as they both absorbed the news.
Finally, Rayne turned to look up at him. “Who the hell are you?” she demanded loudly enough to be heard in the waiting room down the hall.
Kular noticed her furious expression, and threw back his head, laughing at her outrage. He pulled her in for a hug, still laughing with delight. When she struggled to pull away from him, he didn’t let her, only pulling her closer as he glanced over at the doctor. “Would you give us a moment?” he asked.
Immediately, the good doctor nodded, and fled the exam room at top speed.
“We’re going to have a baby, Rayne,” he said, lifting her up and setting her back down on the exam table. It only lifted her a couple of inches, but it was enough to allow him to stand between her legs. His favorite place in the world!
“Stop it!” she snarled, shoving at his shoulders, but Kular didn’t move.
In fact, he leaned forward, holding her carefully. “Not gonna happen, love.”
“Who are you?”
He grinned, loving the fact that she had no idea. That meant that everything she was feeling was genuine and not based off of his title, position, power, or wealth. “Maybe I’m that con artist you accused me of being back in Monaco,” he whispered in her ear, nibbling at her neck.
She shuddered and he laughed again.
“Stop it, Kular!” she hissed, but he felt her fingers curl on his shoulders.
“Stop what, love?” he asked, his mouth moving lower, absorbing her shudder of enjoyment.
Rayne closed her eyes, trying to resist. But his mouth felt too good and he smelled amazing! She inhaled, trying to regain control, but that only brought his scent to her and made her a bit dizzy.
Pushing against his shoulders, she tried to fight the desire. She had to!
“Kular, we need to talk. You know that we do!” she demanded, desperation tingeing her voice.
Thankfully, he pulled back, but his hands remained on her hips. “I agree,” he purred as his fingers slid under her sweater. She shivered and grabbed his wrists. “First of all, I’m excited that we’re going to have a baby. Now, back to my original question. Will you marry me?” he asked, looking triumphant.
She shook her head. “No. First of all, you never asked me to marry you and just now doesn’t count.”
“Irrelevant,” he replied with another laugh. “Marry me, Rayne.”
She struggled and, finally, won against the pull of the lust. “No. We can’t marry. I don’t know who you are.”
He nodded. “Good point,” and he stepped back. “Let’s go take a peek at our baby.” He put a hand to her stomach, his large fingers and palm covering her whole stomach reverently. “After that, we’ll get something to eat and we can talk. Does that sound like a good plan?”
“Will you answer all of my questions? Will you explain why the doctor referred to you as Highness, and why you have armed guards surrounding you?”
He chuckled again. “I’ll answer all of your questions. And you will answer mine?”
She thought about that for a moment, and nodded. “Fine. I’ll answer your questions…if they are relevant.”
He kissed the top of her head again. “That answer is not a fortuitous beginning to our marriage, my dear.” And his hand slid lower, resting gently on her bottom.
She smiled, thinking that his voice was sexy when he was threatening her. “I suppose I’m not in a very ‘fortuitous’ mood, my dear.” She mocked and he laughed.
“Come, let us see our child,” and he took her hand, leading her out of the exam room. The doctor and a nurse were waiting in the hallway and they both smiled politely, and ushered her into another room. This one was darker, had the usual exam table along with that same, irritating paper that crinkled with even the smallest touch, but it also included a huge machine on the other side of the exam table.
“If you would lay down here,” the nurse said, his hands gently supporting her as she leaned back against the crinkling paper, “I’ll get the machine ready.” He pointed to her jeans. “Would you mind unzipping your jeans? The uterus is pretty low in your abdomen right now.”
Rayne glanced nervously at Kular who was standing at the end of the exam table. Yes, she was fully aware that she’d been curled up, completely naked, in his arms only a few hours ago. But somehow, this seemed more intimate. It was one thing to expose her body when he was making her dizzy with desire. It was another to be in a clinical environment with her jeans unzipped. She told herself it was just her stomach and nothing really private, but as she tugged on the zipper and pulled her sweater up, Rayne saw his eyes flare with that desire that never failed to make her tingle.
Taking a deep breath, she looked away, unable to maintain eye contact when he made her feel all hot and bothered like that. Especially when they couldn’t do anything about those feelings.
“This will be warm,” the nurse warned, then a blob of warm goo was squeezed onto her stomach. “And now, let’s see this little person.” He moved a hand-held contraption over her stomach and everyone stared at the black screen. For several long moments, there was nothing there, just darkness. Suddenly, there was something! It was odd looking, a black and white figure, and it moved!
“Is that…?” she whispered.
The nurse smiled, nodding. “That’s your baby.” He moved the wand around a bit and did some measurements of the spine, legs, arms, head, and heart. Even the stomach!
For a long moment, Rayne simply stared, stunned by the proof that she was truly pregnant. A couple of hours ago, she hadn’t known that this tiny person existed, but suddenly, she felt an intense wave of love and protectiveness pour over her. It was so completely unexpected, it literally took her breath away. In that same moment, she felt Kular’s fingers slide around her hand and she tightened her grip, needing that connection. Neither of them spoke as the nurse continued to measure various body parts on the fetus.
Then the doctor smiled, nodding as he looked at the images. “The baby looks healthy,” he announced.
Rayne hadn’t realized how tense she was until the doctor said those words. But with the assurance that her little human being was not just real, but healthy and she hadn’t done any damage by not knowing about his…or her…existence, Rayne felt tears spring to her eyes.
“We’re done,” the nurse added with a grin, then handed her some tissues. “Congratulations.” And then the nurse and doctor both left.
Rayne cleaned the gel off her stomach quickly, then straightened her clothing. A moment later, she felt Kular’s arms around her, holding her gently, but firmly against him.
Rayne closed her eyes, as a sudden urge to cry, sob out her relief, surged up inside of her. In the end, she couldn’t stop herself from releasing the tension in the most embarrassing way and she clung to him as she cried. Thankfully, Kular seemed to understand and provided the safe sanctuary for her emotions, soothing her with his strength and soft, gentle kisses.
“You didn’t know,” he whispered.
She shook her head. “I didn’t even suspect anything, which is absolutely ridiculous,” she grumbled, pulling out of his arms as she wiped her tears with another tissue. “It makes no sense.” Except that it did. She’d been so overwhelmed with sadness and confusion that she hadn’t been able to move on and think about that night with anything other than humiliation.
Remembering that, she pulled back and
turned away from him. “Okay, so I’m pregnant. We’ll figure out…”
“Not here, love,” he said as he handed her the purse she’d forgotten about in her haste to walk from the exam room to the sonogram room. “You haven’t eaten breakfast and it is well past lunch now. You’re going to eat, then we’ll figure out the next step.”
“I’m not…” she started to tell him that she wasn’t very hungry, but realized that wasn’t true. Now that she’d thought about it, she was starving! “Actually, lunch sounds wonderful.”
He took her to a restaurant down the street, a place that she’d never go herself because she knew that the meals were too expensive for her frugal nature.
When the meal finally arrived, Rayne almost inhaled it. “Oh, this is delicious!” she sighed as she stabbed another grape and piece of cheese. She’d ordered a chicken salad that used avocados instead of mayonnaise, plus the chef had included grapes, cheese, and lots of interesting veggies.
“Your apartment doesn’t have any food. You’ll need to move in with me until we can get your citizenship changed.”
Rayne’s fork froze halfway to her mouth and she stared across the table at him. “Changed? Why would I change my citizenship?” she asked. Not be American? She couldn’t even fathom not being American!
“When we marry, you will become a citizen of Contirra.”
She blinked, and slowly shook her head. “Um…I’m not changing my citizenship, Kular,” she told him firmly. “And I’m not moving to Contirra!” Move to a foreign country? No way! Contirra was too far away from her sisters and everything she knew, everything that was familiar to her. It was definitely too far for her to commute to her job!
He shot her an odd look, and chuckled. “After years of women trying to trick me into marriage, I finally find you. The one woman in the world who had no idea who I am.”
Rayne’s shoulders straightened and she put her fork down. “Perhaps this is a good time to clear that up,” she suggested lightly, folding her hands on the table. “I’m Rayne Abbot,” she said in a mock serious voice. “And you are?” extending her hand as if to shake his.
He took her hand and shook it as he said, “Kular bin Faris,” he replied, then added, “Sheik of Contirra.”
Rayne heard the words, but her mind refused to make the connection. Sheik. Contirra. Sheik of Contirra?!
Jerking her hand away, she stared at him. “No!”
“Yes,” he countered with another chuckle. “And that child you are protecting inside of you is the future heir to the throne of Contirra, my dear.”
Rayne felt as if he’d slapped her. “Stop it!” she whispered, her lips numb. “You’re lying!”
He shook his head. “No. And you will be my wife, which makes you royalty too.”
“But…!” She froze, not sure what to say. For several moments, she looked at him across the table, her mind buzzing. “But…I don’t want to be royalty,” she finally stammered.
He smiled ruefully. “Unfortunately, that is not an option. We must be married. We’ll travel to Contirra this afternoon. My people are already working on a press release to announce our marriage. We won’t reveal that you are pregnant, but that will have to be announced eventually as well. And the sooner the better. Already, we are in a weak position because our child was conceived out of wedlock, but I can get around that with a proclamation.”
Rayne felt as if her world was spinning out of control. She was pregnant. Okay, yeah, she could wrap her mind around that easily enough. Hmm…no, not so easily, but yeah, she would eventually get there. But marriage? And moving to Contirra? What was happening?
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, rubbing her forehead. “But this is all too much to take in. I just…I don’t understand. If you’re the ruler of Contirra, what…?” she stopped, too many questions zinging through her mind. “Why me?” she finally asked, revealing the one question that was paramount.
“Why you…what?”
She blinked, her tongue darting out to wet her dry lips as she tried very hard to absorb everything he was telling her.
When she finally looked back at him, her eyes revealed all of the confusion and chaos that was swirling through her mind. “Why me? Why are you attracted to me?” she asked him in a strangled voice.
He looked directly into her eyes. “You are an extraordinarily beautiful woman, Rayne. Your red hair caught my eye, but it was more than just your red hair and beautiful skin, my love.”
“What was it?” she pleaded, needing to understand.
Kular watched her as she tried to apply logic to a situation that wasn’t logical. His feelings ranged from exultant that he’d finally found her, elation that the chemistry between them was still powerfully strong, and amazement that she was pregnant. He was going to be a father! Damn, that was such a stunning revelation, he was still having trouble wrapping his mind around it.
And yet, Rayne, this beautiful woman that had captured him from the first moment he’d seen her, was confused and looked terrified. He couldn’t relate to her terror, because he’d grown up in this world that demanded adherence to many rules. He understood what had to happen and simply accepted. Correction. He wasn’t simply accepting anything. He’d wanted to marry Rayne from the first moment he’d seen her across the casino. And that sensation, that desire to possess her, to connect with her in the most primal ways, had only grown stronger as he learned more about her.
Watching her as she sat across from him at the table, he wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her, reassure her that everything would be okay. Unfortunately, he sensed that she needed space right now. Space and time. Unfortunately, time wasn’t something they had a great deal of at the moment. He needed to get her somewhere safe. He needed her back in Contirra. He needed her safely in his palace so that she could be protected from his enemies.
“Rayne,” he began, pulling her eyes back to him. He waited until the dazed look cleared. “What was it that I saw in you? I saw a beautiful woman with lovely, blue eyes that sparkled with intelligence and humor. I saw a woman who walked through a room filled with women dripping in diamonds and men in tuxedos, both of which were turning to stare at you, and yet, you were completely oblivious. I’d watched you for almost an hour, enjoying the way you calculated the odds at the blackjack table before moving on to the craps table. At the blackjack table, you were in control. You understood the game and brilliantly played the cards and the other players, winning almost every hand dealt to you. When your sister urged you to move on to another adventure, you didn’t want to go, did you?”
She thought back to that night, tilting her head as her eyes narrowed. “No. I preferred the blackjack table. How did you know?”
“Because at the blackjack table, you could evaluate the odds. You were more comfortable there.” He could see the truth in her eyes and continued. “You didn’t like the craps table. You weren’t in control. There was no way to gauge a bet with any sort of logic.” He smiled slightly. “I was intrigued by your approach, which is so different from other people’s way of gambling.”
She rubbed her forehead. “So, you were attracted to my logical brain?’ she asked with disbelief.
He shook his head, giving her a self-deprecating smile. “No. I’d love to say that was the case, but I was initially attracted to your physical appearance, Rayne,” he explained. “My body was attracted to your beauty. My mind soon became inflamed by your intelligence.” He paused, looking at her to ensure that she was listening. And yes, those beautiful, blue eyes were waiting for him to continue. “Rayne, I knew I wanted to marry you, not from the first moment I saw you, but from the first moment we connected.” He waited, seeing the look of recognition in her eyes. “You knew it too, didn’t you?”
She stiffened, and shook her head. “NO!”
He smiled, taking her hand gently in his larger one. “You’re lying.”
She shifted in her chair. “Kular, you’re…a bit much to take in.”
He laughed and stood
up. “And you, my dear,” he took her other hand, pulling her out of the chair and into his arms, “are a beautiful, intelligent woman who is lying to herself and to me. You felt it,” he insisted before she could argue. “You felt it from the first moment our hands touched in greeting. I saw that recognition in your eyes. So, you can lie to yourself all you want, but I know the truth. Eventually, you’ll acknowledge that as well.”
With that, he took her hand and led her out of the restaurant. “Where are we going?” she asked, skipping to keep up with him.
“We’re going shopping. You need maternity clothes. The jeans you are currently wearing aren’t comfortable enough for you.”
Rayne tugged slightly and when he looked back at her, he could see the fear in her eyes. “Trust me, Rayne. I don’t know what you are thinking right now, but trust in me and trust in us.”
She bit her lip and he couldn’t hold back. Despite the possibility of others taking a picture of him kissing her, he couldn’t resist and lightly brushed his lips against hers.
“I can buy my own clothes,” she argued when he pulled back.
He laughed, shaking his head again. “You don’t understand. But you will.”
He heard her huff slightly and wanted to kiss her again, but he knew that one public display of affection was his limit. Everything he did eventually ended up in the news. And he wanted a ring on Rayne’s finger before she had to endure the torture of public scrutiny.
The rest of the afternoon went by in a whirl of activity. Kular escorted her from one store to another, each more amazing than the last. There were no prices on the clothing she tried on, which was a good thing. She suspected that the clothes cost more than her monthly rent and Rayne knew that she was too frugal to handle wearing clothes that expensive. In this situation, ignorance was bliss.
One good thing about releasing control was that she could mentally separate herself from the activities. While the sales people brought her clothes, if she liked them, she put them on and showed them off to Kular who either approved or rejected each piece. During this time, Rayne thought about what he’d said. Thinking back to that first encounter, Rayne couldn’t deny that there had been a spark. No, not really a spark. That was too tame for what she’d felt. It was more along the lines of…an explosion, she thought with a secret smile as she stepped out in a blue dress that perfectly matched her eyes. She spun around for Kular’s inspection, but her mind was still on that night. The way he’d touched her. After his gentle touch and his sexy smile, she’d been lost that first night.
Pregnant With the Sheik's Heir (The Abbot Sisters Book 2) Page 11