But only the one, now she thought about it. And it had been oddly light even for her. And since then she’d been so busy at work, she’d lost track of time…
She stared at him in mounting horror. ‘We used protection.’
The rise and fall of his chest quickened. ‘Protection that you provided.’
‘It was a gift. You know that.’ She vented. ‘And like I’d…’
She trailed off because his hand was still on her lower belly and he possessively spread his palm wider—ignoring her outrage, which now faded anyway, because she was desperately trying to justthink. Couldhefeel those flutterings? Surely they weren’t anything. Surely this was all just in her head.
‘No other possibilities since?’ he asked hoarsely. ‘Don’t tell me that’s not relevant to this situation.’
There were these flutterings again.
Nerves. Just nerves. But there was the maths that wasn’t adding up—the dates weren’t working out the way they should.
His face paled. Then he pulled a box out of his pocket. ‘Why not find out for sure.’
Her face felt like it was on fire. ‘You’ve already bought a pregnancy test?’ She quietly died inside. ‘When did you do that?’
‘At the pharmacy downstairs about five minutes ago. I saw you at the pool. I’d had the same idea to burn off some energy.’
He needed to burn energy too?
She took the box from him with shaking hands. ‘Two lines is trouble, right?’ Her mouth was so dry.
‘Will you let me see the result?’ he asked.
She was stunned he’d asked that. And it just showed how little they really knew each other. ‘Of course.’
She’d barely left the bathroom a few minutes later when the result began to appear. She put the test on the table between them and stared down at it.
Pregnant.
‘How could you not haveknown?’ He released a rush of air. ‘Is it mine?’
Sudden and absolute rage consumed her. She whirled to get away from him before she did something violent only he stepped forward and spun her back, pulling her close to him.
‘Phoebe!’He growled. ‘Is. It. Mine?’
She was so stunned to be pressed against him she couldn’t speak. Couldn’t stand the surge of desire that literally stopped her heart. She stared up at him, outraged and overwhelmed. Emotion leeched her brain power. She was tempted to lie. To deny him. But she was too out of control to have a hope of deception.
‘Of course it is,’ she answered angrily—wounded. She put her hands on his chest and pushed him hard in the hope he would release her. He did. So quickly that she almost stumbled back.
He stared after her.Appalled. He couldn’t make his horror any more apparent. Well, ditto.
She marched to the door. ‘You need to leave.’ She needed time alone to think, respond, plan.
‘I’m not going anywhere.’
She spun back to face him. ‘Yeah, well I don’t want to talk about this right now.’
‘Then what do you want to talk about?’ He stalked towards her. ‘Work?’
All the frustration that had coalesced over the week morphed into a rush of primal force that couldn’t be denied. ‘I don’t want to talk at all,’ she snapped. ‘I’m not in the mood.’
The ferocious energy coiling inside her needed an out. She was furious. It was more than four months since they’d been together in Italy. Which meant she must be more than four months’ pregnant, and her baby would come sooner rather than later and that was—
No.She slammed on the brakes. She couldn’t think about it. At all. Not all the ramifications or complications of the total nightmare that was this situation.Everyemotion overwhelmed her. It was too much. She wouldn’tthinkat all. She just wanted to forget. To feel better for just five minutes.
