by Kristi Gold
Daniel offered his hand for a shake. “And believe me, I’ll find a way to collect. I’ve been studying the markets—”
“You’re incorrigible, Daniel Barone,” Phoebe said with amusement as she walked into the kitchen.
“And you love me for it,” Daniel called out to his wife.
“I suppose you wouldn’t mind seeing yourselves out as I see to Karen.” Ash normally wouldn’t be such a poor host, especially in light of his friends’ assistance, but he wasn’t willing to wait another moment before he was at Karen’s side.
“Go ahead,” Daniel said. “I’m sure she’s eager to see you, too.”
If only that were true, Ash thought as he walked down the hallway toward the bedroom. He paused outside the door to gather his thoughts and muster his courage. Although he despised the thought of her being in pain, even if only a minor discomfort, perhaps the accident had bought him more time. She could not very well leave if she could not walk. At the moment he could probably use a miracle.
He slowly opened the door to find Karen reclining against a pillow, and another one bolstering her ankle that had been wrapped like a turban.
When she looked up, Ash noted the surprise in her hazel eyes, perhaps even joy. Or perhaps he only wanted to see that so badly he was imagining its existence.
He set the paper bag on the dresser and approached the bed, pausing to look upon her injured ankle. “Is there much discomfort?”
“A little,” she said. “I’m just thankful that I didn’t do more damage. I was afraid…”
When tears welled in her eyes, Ash sat on the edge of the bed at her side. He wanted to hold her, to assure her that everything would be all right, that he would make certain of it, but he did not want to do anything that she would not welcome. He settled for taking her hand.
“I am sorry for not being here for you, Karen,” he began. “I am also sorry that you felt you could not call me.”
She wiped her free hand over her damp eyes. “That wasn’t it. I didn’t want to worry you until I knew everything was okay. That’s why Daniel called you from the emergency room after the exam.”
“Then everything is all right?” He needed her personal pledge, despite Daniel and Phoebe’s assurances.
“Yes, everything is fine, as far as our baby is concerned.” She studied their joined hands. “But everything isn’t fine as far as we’re concerned.”
“You have decided to leave before our child’s birth.”
Her gaze came to rest on his, reflecting confusion. “Leave?”
“When I realized you’d left this morning without waking me, I assumed you were probably searching for a place to live.”
“Ash, you assumed wrong. I went shopping. I’d planned to have a nice dinner and, afterward, a chance for us to talk. To really talk. I have something I need to tell you.”
Ash experienced a momentary rush of relief then a good portion of concern when he considered that what she needed to tell him might not be what he wanted to hear. “I have something that I need to say to you as well.”
Her hand tensed in his. “Okay.”
“Perhaps you should go first,” he said.
“No, you go first.”
“All right, I will.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. “What I am about to say to you will probably be the most difficult message I have ever tried to convey, so I will ask for your patience.”
“I’m listening.”
He shifted on the bed to face her fully in an effort to gauge her reaction. “For many years, I believed I had a satisfying existence. I had my business, my friends, my freedom, my title. But I did not have the very thing that makes one truly feel alive, until you came into my life.”
He touched her face and wiped away a tear with his thumb. “You were everything I feared, a woman who had the means to tear away the wall I have built, unearthing emotions I have never welcomed. I saw it as a weakness, yet in you I have found a strength I never knew I possessed.”
He paused to say the words he had never thought to say again to any woman. “You asked me once about my dreams, my wishes. You are all those things, Karen. You have made me whole again.”
Her tears came full force now, tearing at Ash’s heart. “Oh, God.”
He let go of her hand, believing he would be forced to let her go as well. “I am sorry to cause you more pain, but this is how I feel. I respect your decision if you want to adhere to our original terms. If you still wish to leave, I will not stop you. I would rather spend my life alone than spend it with someone who is not with me of her own free will, even if I do love her with everything that I am.”
She sniffed and brought his palm to rest against her cheek. “You’re so wrong, Ash. I’m not having any pain, and I’m not going anywhere.”
He frowned. “I do not understand.”
“It’s very simple, really. I’ve been the same as you, closing myself off out of fear of losing control of my life. But the truth is, with you I’m finally starting to feel that my life makes perfect sense. In other words, I love you, too.”
She might as well have offered him the key to heaven considering the lightness in his heart. “You do?”
“Yes, and I’ve probably loved you since the moment I found you sitting naked in the hotel. Maybe even from that first moment you kissed me. I was too afraid to tell you. But I’m not afraid anymore.”
He brushed a kiss across her lips, finding them warm and inviting. “It seems we have both been living in a house built on pride.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. “Yes, we have, but I think it’s time we tear that house down.”
“As do I.” He kissed her fully then, with the love he had fought so hard not to claim. He could not deny the fire the kiss incited within him, but he had to consider her current condition, and that he had more to offer beyond making love to her.
Pulling away, he said, “I have something for you. A special gift. Actually, three gifts.”
“I don’t know how you’re going to top what you’ve already given me, a baby and a future.”
“I would hope that you would allow me to try.” He came to his feet and walked to the dresser to retrieve the bag he’d discarded upon entering the room.
When he returned to Karen’s side, she eyed the sack with blatant curiosity. “Did you bring me a bagel? I’ve really been wanting a bagel.”
He pulled the jar from the bag. “Olives. But I see you have changed cravings without my knowledge.”
She laughed. “I still want the olives and the bagel.”
“I will see to the bagels later.” He set the jar on the nightstand and fished the key from his pocket then placed it in her hand. “And this is for you as well.”
She held the key up to the light. “Did you buy another house?”
“Not a house. A building near Baronessa. I’ve purchased it for you.”
“What would I need with a building?”
He reclaimed his seat on the bed. “You will probably need only part of the building; the remaining offices can be leased out. But I believe the bottom floor will suit your interior design establishment quite well. If it is not to your liking, then I will sell it and buy you another.”
Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. “You’ve bought me my own business?”
“I have bought you the location. It will be up to you to develop it. With your permission, I would like to handle the financial aspects.”
“Of course. Math is definitely not my thing. But I’m not sure I should even try this until after the baby is born. Maybe not until the baby’s older.”
“You will have access to many rooms. One you can prepare as an on-site nursery so you will have our child with you. If you so desire, we can hire an au pair, as long as you choose a female. I do not like the thought of my wife spending time with a houseboy.”
She pulled him into another embrace before pulling away to say, “I don’t need a houseboy when I have
you.”
He stood again and reached deeper into his pocket to retrieve the final purchase. “I have saved the most important gift for last, to prove that you will always have me.”
He handed Karen the gold band and she held it up much the same as she had the key. “Ash, I’m not sure about this one. It looks too big. Besides, I already have a ring. A beautiful ring.”
“It is for me, Karen. A symbol that I am truly your husband and that this marriage is real in every sense. If that is how you wish it to be.”
“That’s the only way I want it to be.” With another rush of tears, Karen lifted his hand and slipped the ring on his finger. She looked up at him with a love that he, too, felt soul-deep. “This means so very much to me. And you know what else I would like?”
“Anything.”
She nodded toward the journal she kept at her bedside. “It took too many years for me to know my true heritage. Don’t let that happen to our child. Forgive your father and ask him to be a part of our baby’s life. Our lives.”
So much she was asking of him, but for Karen he would put aside his past. “I will call him first thing in the morning, but I make no guarantees he will speak to me.”
She pulled him back down beside her. “Maria told me recently that people change, Ash. She was right.”
How well he knew. “You have most definitely changed me with your love.”
Her eyes misted again. “We’ve changed each other, for the better. Which leads me to another bit of unfinished business.”
She reached around him, opened the drawer in the nightstand and handed him a bundle of papers. “Here.”
He unfolded the document, discovering it to be the original agreement they had signed prior to their wedding. “What do you wish me to do with these?”
“I want to rip them up in little pieces.”
“I would like nothing better.”
Yet before Ash could make even the slightest tear, Karen said, “Wait.”
“You have changed your mind?”
“No.” She worked her way off the bed, sliding her feet to the floor. “I want you to throw them into the ocean, and I want to watch.”
“You should not be walking on your injured ankle.”
She smiled. “I know that. You’ll have to carry me.”
“Gladly.” After slipping the document into his pocket, he picked Karen up and carried her onto the porch.
When he set her on the wall’s ledge, she said, “Hold on to me, Ash. The last thing I need is to take another fall.”
Ash had taken his own fall into love with her, a fall he would never regret. He tightened his arms around her and softly kissed her lips. “You may rest assured that I will never let you go.”
“And you may rest assured that I’m not going to let you let me go. You’re stuck with me.” To prove that fact, Karen took the papers from his shirt pocket and shredded them into tiny little pieces, tossing them over her shoulder the way her mother had tossed the salt when she’d spilled it from the shaker, for luck. Who needed luck in the presence of love?
After she was finished, Karen wiped her palms together then placed her hands on Ash’s wide shoulders. “Now you know what else I need?”
“A bath?”
She grinned. “You’re on the right track.” She opened her robe and held it out like wings, letting the cold ocean breeze ride over her bare skin, her laughter floating out to sea along with all of her former fears of letting go.
“You are not playing fair,” Ash said, his eyes darkened to the color of night. “My hands are not free.”
Karen felt remarkably free, totally liberated. “You don’t have to use your hands, you know.”
“An astute observation.” He rested his lips in the valley between her breasts, but before he could work his wonders on her, he lifted his head and met her gaze. “You know where this will lead. In light of your injury—”
“I feel great, so stop worrying.” Karen framed his beautiful face in her palms. “Ash, I want to make love with you knowing that’s what we’re doing, really making love.” She painted kisses over his cheek. “Besides, I’m sure a creative guy like yourself can manage it. After all, you’ve said there are many ways to make love. I want you to show me.”
“I would be happy to show you, but I believe we best do so in our bed. As I recall, we have yet to make love there.”
Karen thought a minute. “You know, you’re right. In fact, we haven’t made love in several places, including your office. That should be next on our list. Do you think your desk will work?”
Ash laughed then, a low, deep laugh that resounded with joy. “I fear I may never be gainfully employed again.”
“I fear you may be right.”
When Ash hoisted Karen from the ledge, she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck as he carried her inside.
Ash set Karen in the middle of the bed, removed her robe and panties and gingerly propped her leg back on the pillow. As he undressed, she looked at him with wonder, studying every detail as if seeing him for the first time. In many ways it was a first, loving him so openly. She felt so very glad that she had given herself to him, as he had given himself to her.
Once he’d removed all his clothing, he came to her and took one pillow to place underneath her knees and another beneath her hips, careful not to disturb her ailing foot. For the longest moment he simply stared into her eyes before touching his lips to her ankle then moving between her parted legs to do the same to her belly, where he paused to say, “Our child is a testament to our love.”
Karen laid a hand on his dark hair. “I couldn’t agree more.”
He whisked his hands over her flushed body and invited her to do the same with his. They spent lingering moments only touching, caressing, learning the intimate territories as if they had all the time in the world.
After Ash sent Karen spiraling into pleasure with a sweep of his hand and again with his persuasive mouth, he slid inside her so gracefully, so tenderly that Karen wanted to cry. And she did, shedding joyful tears as she realized she would never again be alone. She had her baby and the man who had made it all possible. The man who had so effectively captured her heart.
After they lay spent in each other’s arms, Karen felt completely connected to Ash, not only through their joined bodies, not only through the child they had made, but also through a love she had never imagined.
Ash laid his head against her breast and told her, “If there is anything I have failed to give you, you need only ask.”
Karen took his palm and laid it against her abdomen. “You’ve given me this.” Then she lifted his hand and placed it over his heart. “And this. What more could I need?”
He showed her his love through his perfect smile and another perfect kiss. “You will always have my love.”
Karen trusted his words to be true. She finally trusted herself. And most important, she trusted him. The father of her child. Her lover and partner in life.
Her husband—in the sweetest, truest sense of the word.
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to
Kristi Gold for her contribution to the
DYNASTIES: THE BARONES series.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-8279-1
EXPECTING THE SHEIKH’S BABY
Copyright © 2003 by Harlequin Books S. A.
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*Marrying an M.D.