Cameron nodded. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to Jasmine’s forehead. “Feel better, babe.”
* * *
Cameron lost track of how many times he checked the wall clock as he waited for Jasmine to be examined. Picking up a magazine devoted to golf, he thumbed through a few articles before setting it aside to get a cup of coffee from the vending machine. The minutes ticked past an hour when he saw Dr. Benjamin’s approach.
He popped from the chair like a jack-in-the-box. “How is she?”
“There’s nothing wrong that should concern you. You can go and see her and she’ll give you the good news.”
Cameron offered his hand and wasn’t disappointed when the other man shook it vigorously. “Thank you.” He did what he hadn’t often enough—said a silent prayer of thanks. He found Jasmine sitting on the side of the bed, her hands cradled in her lap. Her eyes were slightly puffy indicating she had been crying. Reaching for her hands, he kissed her fingers. They were cold and trembling. “What’s the matter, darling?”
When she looked up at him, Cameron saw fear and panic in her eyes. “I’m pregnant.”
He mouthed the two words, and then shook his head in disbelief. She couldn’t be pregnant. They’d made love twice and each time he used a condom. “Are you sure?”
Jasmine nodded as her face crumpled like an accordion and she cried without making a sound. He pulled her to his chest and held her. Her slender body shook like a fragile leaf in the wind. Cameron knew it wasn’t the time or the place to talk about the tiny life growing inside her.
“Stay here, darling. I’ll be back after I settle the bill.”
Jasmine sniffled. “I have insurance.”
“That’s all right. I’ll take care of it.” Reaching into the pocket of his slacks, he took out a handkerchief and gently dabbed her face. He kissed the end of her nose. “Don’t run away.”
* * *
Jasmine waited for Cameron to leave to look for a restroom. The doctor had checked her heart, lungs, blood pressure, ears, nose, and throat, and then ordered the nurse to draw blood and get a urine sample from her. It was when he’d asked her for the first day of her last period she had to count backward to April. Her menses always came on time like clockwork and now it was late May and nothing. The doctor estimated that she was currently five or six weeks into her first trimester. What she couldn’t understand was that Cameron had used protection each time they had made love. And the condoms were his, and not the ones she’d taken from the yacht’s restroom.
She returned to the exam room to find a sheet of paper on the bed with her name written across the top. It was a listing of recommendations to avoid morning sickness. What she needed was a list of recommendations on how to avoid an unplanned pregnancy. Once she’d begun sleeping with Gregory she immediately took an oral contraceptive, and it was the same when she was married to Raymond. She’d stopped taking the pill once her marriage ended, and Jasmine knew if she was still on the pill she wouldn’t find herself carrying the child of a man who didn’t want children or marriage.
Jasmine detected the familiar scent of Cameron’s cologne before he reentered the room. “I’m ready.”
He draped an arm over her shoulders. She saw a gentleness in his eyes she’d never seen before. “You’re coming home with me so we can talk.”
“What is there to talk about?”
“You, me, and this baby you’re carrying.”
“You want it?”
“Of course I want it.”
“Why, Cameron? Weren’t you the one who said you didn’t want children?” As their eyes met Jasmine felt like someone had dropped ice down her back when she saw his eyes change from blue to a frosty gray.
“We will not talk about it here,” he said, barely moving his lips. “Let’s go—please.”
Jasmine picked up her bag and brushed past him. It was only when she stepped out into the smothering heat that she thought about how she was going to assist in managing an inn, decorate Cameron’s house,andtake care of a baby.
She shook off Cameron’s hand when he attempted to help her into the low-slung sports car. “I told you I’m okay.”
He opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it. “Suit yourself.”
Chapter 14
Jasmine stared at Cameron when he parked in a reserved space in the rear of a hotel. “You live here?” He nodded. “For how long?”
Cameron shut off the engine and released his seatbelt. “Ten years. Don’t move, and if you dare tell me you’re all right I’ll go ape-shit, Jasmine.”
She stared, wordlessly, unable to form the words to come back at him. He’d shown her another side of the soft-spoken man who had managed to tear down her defenses.
