Page 12 of The Heir Affair

‘I should apologise,’ he added, the flags of colour on his cheeks returning. ‘For not pulling out fast enough.’

‘That’s okay,’ she replied, strangely touched he would think an apology was necessary when they’d both made the choice to go ahead. ‘When I found out I was pregnant, I wasn’t upset. I wanted to have the baby.’

She knew now, of course, the burst of euphoria she’d felt in that moment had had a lot to do with her feelings for him, or rather her feelings for the man she had thought she’d met on the beach that day. But once she’d found out who he really was, she’d already heard the baby’s heartbeat and seen it on the ultrasound monitor. However hard it had been to face the fact that what had happened that day was a lie, her excitement about becoming a mother would always be real.

She shrugged. ‘And anyway, we both made the choice to take that risk. So, we’re both responsible for the consequences.’

Unhooking his ankle, he leant forward and brushed his thumb down her face. She shuddered, the slight contact nothing short of electric. But somehow she couldn’t seem to pull away from his touch as he traced his finger across her cheek and hooked a curl of hair behind her ear.

She dropped her chin, disturbed by the fierce light in his eyes, which made her remember the way he had looked at her that day, as if she mattered. As if he cared.

She gulped down the ball of need.

He captured her chin between his thumb and forefinger and lifted her face back to his.

‘You must let me support you, and our child, Poppy,’ he said, the passion and purpose in his eyes unmistakeable. ‘I do not want you working in this condition.’

The words reverberated in her heart, as well as her head, but then he cradled her cheek and tugged her towards him, adding, ‘And I have never stopped wanting you.’

Her lips trembled, the yearning coming from nowhere, when he lowered his head to hers and captured her mouth in a searing kiss.

She sucked in a breath, knowing it was wrong, knowing she shouldn’t give in to the passion that made her heart race and pound between her thighs the second his mouth conquered hers. But then his tongue swept across her lips, demanding entry, and her mouth opened to let him in.

His tongue delved deep, exploring the recesses of her mouth, and she probed back, her tongue tangling with his, demanding, desperate to have more. His fingers thrust into her hair as he angled her head to take the kiss deeper. She clung to his shirt front, propelled back to that bright sunny day, when everything had been so wonderful, so exhilarating, so full of promise and possibilities. He’d been so strong, so perfect, so unknowable and yet so exciting—a man who saw her and wanted her.

He broke the kiss first, their ragged breaths a brutal reminder of that day five months before when they’d made their baby. He rested his forehead on hers, the delirious feeling of connection so intense she felt branded, as his thumb stroked her neck.

‘I could not forget you,’ he murmured against her lips.

The words brushed across her heart, but then the truth struck her. The way it had a month ago when she’d read about his upcoming engagement. And she reared back, dragging herself away from that possessive touch.

She leapt up from the seat and stood trembling, still far too aware of the throbbing sensation where his lips had devoured hers. And her instant, unstoppable reaction to that drugging kiss that had made her forget again who he really was.

‘Don’t say that, when you know it’s not true,’ she managed, brutally aware now of how easily she had succumbed again. All he’d had to do was say he wanted her, and she’d been putty in his hands. Even though everything about this situation was wrong.

He unfolded himself from the seat and walked towards her, his face flushed, the piercing blue gaze intense. ‘Of course it is true. We have such chemistry. Or you would not have kissed me as you just did,’ he replied, so close now she could feel the heat of his body. ‘And you would not now be pregnant with my child.’

She took another step back, and wrapped her arms around her waist where their baby grew. ‘But you love someone else,’ she said, her voice breaking on the words.

His frown deepened, but it was the blank confusion in his expression that shocked her more. As if he had no idea what she was talking about.

‘Princess Freya,’ she prompted. ‘The woman everyone says you’re planning to marry.’

The confusion cleared, and she almost felt sorry for the Princess. How could he have forgotten his soon-to-be fiancée so easily?

But then he swore and muttered something in Greek, before stalking across the lounge. He stood with his back to her, every muscle in his spine rigid, as he stared out into the night.

She lifted her coat from her seat. ‘I want to return to Galicos now,’ she said, hating the tremor in her voice. And the guilt and shame rising up her torso.

She had never intended to get pregnant by another woman’s boyfriend. And perhaps he hadn’t been dating the Princess when they’d met. But the fact he could kiss her with such fervour even now, when he was about to pledge himself to someone else, said a lot about him. Worse, though, was what that said about her.

He wasn’t wrong about the chemistry they shared. Unfortunately, it was as vivid and combustible as it had everbeen. But that was all it was, a physical attraction, a biological need. An animal instinct that they needed to control instead of encouraging.

‘She means nothing to me,’ he said, stopping her in her tracks as she made her way to the lift.

She had to force herself to clamp down on the awful rush of hope at his words, which were swiftly followed by another wave of shame. But before she could think of anything to say about his brutal revelation, he crossed the lounge towards her.

‘How…? How can she mean nothing if you are going to marry her?’ she forced herself to ask.