“More than I ever thought possible,” she answered honestly.
LUKE HAD KNOWN Claire would be pissed that he’d talked to Sparks, but she’d just have to get over it. He had the woman he loved and their baby to protect, and he’d do whatever he had to do to make sure they stayed safe. He pulled the Jag in front of the construction trailer. He’d rather drive the Veyron but he knew she’d be primed to be pissed at him already. She thought the obscenely expensive French sports car was flashy and pretentious, which it was, but that wasn’t why he liked it. Still it seemed better not to poke the tiger.
The door to the trailer opened, and he hurried around to the passenger’s side to open the door for her.
“You look beautiful,” he said, brushing a kiss over her cheek as he helped her into the car.
He wondered if he’d ever be able to look at her and not want her. She wore a pretty dress covered with flowers, a lot like the one she wore when they’d visited the Statue of Liberty, and ballet flats that made her seem small and delicate beside him. There was nothing delicate about the green flash in her eyes, however, and he grinned. The woman he loved was made of fire and gave as good as she got.
“Thank you,” she said, smiling in spite of herself.
He grinned back. She couldn’t be too mad about him telling Sparks if she was willing to smile at him.
“I’m still mad,” she said as he pulled out of the lot. “You had no right to go behind my back and tell Sparks and no right to interfere with how I work with my crew.”
“I know, but considering my inclination at this point is to lock you away in a tower so nothing can hurt you or our baby, I’m pretty pleased with how I’m handling things. If it still bugs you, you need to remind yourself, it could always be worse.”
He thought he heard her murmur something that sounded a lot likecontrolling bastard, but when he glanced over at her, the corner of her mouth turned up slightly.
He could have had a private doctor come to the penthouse. He’d suggested it repeatedly but Claire wanted to see her regular doctor. Colin ran a check on the woman, and when he came back with a glowing report, Luke decided it was an easy compromise to make. As he sat in the pale peach waiting area surrounded by women in various states of gestation, he wished he’d insisted. He wasn’t used to waiting for anything, and he was already on edge about the baby.
Trying to avoid the gaze of a very pregnant woman who looked inclined to blame anyone of his gender for the evils of the world along with her discomfort, he glanced around the waiting area. His eyes landed on one of the pregnancy and women’s health magazines stacked on the table beside him. Scanning the covers, he saw one with a glowing woman showing off her smooth round belly. Her belly button seemed to be sticking out instead of in, and he made a mental note to ask Claire about that when she finished checking in.
He picked it up, more to keep his hands busy and his eyes averted, until he saw the title of one of the articles.Fifteen Best Sex Positions During Pregnancy. Flipping to the table of contents, he found the page number and thumbed through the magazine until he saw the black and white picture of the side view of a man standing behind his naked partner, his hands resting on her swollen belly while she covered her breasts with her hands.
It was a beautiful photograph, and for a moment he had an image of holding Claire, her body round with the weight of their child, and he felt the strongest combination of love and unadulterated lust he’d ever felt. He had to pause for a moment to catch his breath, the image was that clear and his longing for it, that strong. He was still staring at the photograph when Claire came back from the reception desk. She sat down beside him, glancing over his shoulder to see what he was looking at and arching an eyebrow when she read the title.
“Taking notes, Masters?”
He hadn’t been, but it might not be a bad idea. Not wanting to do anything to risk the baby’s health or Claire’s, he’d been so careful with their lovemaking since he found out they were pregnant. Although he’d happily take Claire any way he could get her, and he loved the way she fit against his body as he curled protectively over her and the way her full breasts moved when she rode him to her climax, he missed the raw passion. Sex had become something slower, sweet and tender. He’d been the one to change the tone, but he missed fucking her. Owning her. Mastering her body with his.
He glanced up into her hazel gone green eyes and saw the heat he was feeling reflected there. Maybe she missed it too.
“Claire English?” a pretty nurse called, jarring him back to the present.
Claire stood, and he followed, keeping his hand on the small of her back because he couldn’t be this close to her and not touch her.
“Looks like you’re here for an ultrasound today to pin down your due date.”
Claire nodded her agreement and then said something he couldn’t hear to the nurse while she recorded her vitals. She led them to a room and motioned Luke to a chair beside the exam table.
“According to your chart, you were on birth control pills and you’re not sure exactly when you got pregnant, but it looks like you and Doctor Andrews both thought it was around eight weeks ago?”
“Yes,” answered Claire. “I took a course of antibiotics, and apparently the effects lasted longer than I realized.”
“That happens more often than you’d think,” said the nurse smiling kindly at both of them before glancing discreetly at their bare left hands. “Are you the baby’s father, Mr…?”
“Masters,” said Luke, extending his hand.
In that moment, it hit him with the force of a train. He wanted to be a father, but he needed to be Claire’s husband. He didn’t want anyone questioning his commitment to her. He’d known since they reconciled that he’d marry her someday. In a moment of weakness he’d even bought a ring, but he’d held off saying anything because he knew she’d think it was too soon. And it might be for her. It wasn’t for him, and now with the baby on the way, there was no reason to wait any longer. Even she should be able to see that.
“This early, we may or may not be able to hear the baby’s heartbeat, but don’t worry if we can’t. That’s perfectly normal. We should definitely be able to give you a more accurate due date.” The nurse smiled at them both and then glanced at Claire’s clothes. “You could pull your dress up and out of the way, but you’d probably be more comfortable if you took it off. The gel seems to end up everywhere, and it’s so pretty. I’d hate to see it ruined.”
Claire nodded, looking nervous and Luke wondered if she was scared about what was happening. He’d become so used to her powering through whatever stood in front of her. But a baby wasn’t something to conquer. The desire to protect her, to keep her safe and carry as much of the weight as he could, roared to life, and he reached out to rest his hand on leg. She glanced over at him and smiled, and something passed wordlessly between them.
“You can put this on,” said the nurse, handing Claire a gown. “The curtain pulls closed, or if you’d rather, Mr. Masters, you can wait outside the door until she’s ready.”
“He can stay,” said Claire, sliding him a sideways grin.
