Rachel Bailey - Return of the Secret Heir

The heat of her mouth made all the blood in his body head south. The scent of her skin filled his head, her name resounded in his mind. Everything was Pia. And Pia was everything. Her hips swayed infinitesimally from side to side, setting every inch of him alight.

He couldn’t get enough. He’d thought after making love to her three weeks ago that she’d be out of his system by now, but instead she’d been on his mind every waking moment. Thoughts of her lush curves in his hands-the same curves that were pressed against him now. There were too many clothes in the way.

As he reached for her shoulder strap, her kisses became gradually lighter. He groaned his protest, then she pressed a hand to his chest. His head began to clear from the fog of desire and he was thankful for her presence of mind-he’d been in danger of forgetting they were in a public place and someone could walk into the greenhouse at any time. Taking his cue from her, he moved to kiss the edge of her jaw, then he leaned his forehead on hers, breathing heavily.

“JT,” she murmured.

He loved the way she said his name. “Yeah, princess?”

“I’m not feeling that well,” she said, voice weak.

It might not be the best reaction he’d ever had to his kiss, but he was suddenly alert. Lifting her chin, he peered into her eyes. Her pupils were dilated, although that was probably from her arousal. He stroked her back, trying to bring some comfort, then almost as if in slow motion, her face was leached of its color and she went limp in his arms. He caught her as alarm flared in his chest.

Sweeping her up, he carried her to a nearby bench before laying her carefully along its length. He shrugged out of his jacket and rolled it for a pillow. Her skin was so pale normally that now it was almost translucent. He could see the tiny blue veins beneath the surface, and a fine sheen of perspiration beginning to coat her forehead. His gut clenched tight and twisted.

“Pia, wake up,” he said urgently, stroking the sides of her face.

Her eyelids fluttered for agonizing seconds, then they opened revealing darkened eyes looking up at him. He said a silent prayer of thanks and let out a long breath.

“JT.” Her voice was dreamy and trembled a little, but it was enough to show him she was fine. Then her eyes drifted shut once more.

No, not again. “Pia, open your eyes,” he said in a harsh whisper.

“I’m okay,” she whispered. “Just give me a moment.”

He sat back on his haunches, his pulse slowing to its normal speed.

Any minute now, she was going to be embarrassed and probably come out swinging-he’d witnessed a momentary lapse of control. The decent thing to do would be to give her a target to swing at.

Her eyes slowly opened and she looked around before her unfocused gaze landed on him.

“You know,” he said with a smile, “it’s not every day I have a woman swoon in my arms.”

She blinked up at him, then frowned. “I didn’t swoon.”

Under other circumstances he might have laughed. Even before Pia had become oh-so-proper, she would have hated seeing herself as the swooning type-he’d chosen the word purposefully. He pushed a little further, wanting to see her fighting spirit back. “Do you prefer faint, perhaps?”

She scowled and put her hands to her temples as she swung her legs down and gingerly sat up.

“Then what word would you use to describe kissing me one moment like your life depended on it, and then next you’re limp and unconscious in my arms?”

She tucked the strands of fire-red hair that had come loose from her braid behind her ears. “I had a bit too much sun. It’s called sunstroke.”

“Of course. That’s it.” He inclined his head, attempting an expression of reasonableness. “Except for that one minor detail-we’re not in the sun.”

“We were earlier.” She waved a hand in the air. “Delayed sunstroke.”

“Is that an actual condition?” He bent to pick up her bright blue hat and handed it to her.

She took the hat and shoved it on her head with a little too much force. “You think it was your kiss, JT?” she accused, eyes flashing.

There. Her fighting spirit, her passion, was back. His chest released the tension that had been cramping it tight. He folded his arms and rocked back on his heels, happy to tease her now for its own sake.

“Well,” he drawled, “I’m not buying your delayed sunstroke theory. Although now I think about it, you fainted in my arms once before. Remember?” He’d taken her for a ride down by the river on a bike he’d just finished rebuilding, and they were walking along the river’s edge. Luckily he’d had an arm around her waist and had been able to catch her. Especially because she’d been pregnant.

The blood in his veins froze.

She’d been pregnant.

All traces of humor gone, he dropped his arms to his sides. “Pia, tell me you’re not pregnant with my child.”

Her eyes became large and round. “I’m not. I can’t be.” But her huge eyes reflected that same concern, then slid away. She’d wondered the same thing, too. And she was just as horrified by the prospect.

His head pounded. He stroked his fingers across his scalp to try to relieve some of the pressure building there. He had to do something, use the adrenaline coursing through his body. Find out the facts so they could make a plan.

He looked down at her, sitting on the bench. So vulnerable despite her reluctance to admit it. This situation needed to be addressed as soon as possible for both their sakes. “Are you okay to walk?”

“Yes,” she said, her voice wavering on the one word. Tentatively, she stood and smoothed down her dress before facing him with a falsely bright smile.

“Good.” He nodded once. “We’re leaving. I’ll bring my car to the side entrance so you don’t have to walk far.”

She stood a little straighter, seeming to have found her strength again. “We didn’t come together.”

“No, but we’re leaving together.” With a hand at the small of her back, he guided her out into the sunlight, back to the real world. “Don’t worry, you won’t be seen with me-my car has tinted windows and you won’t need to get out.”

She allowed him to lead her, but she held her chin high, not capitulating completely. “Where are you proposing we go?”

“To the nearest drugstore.” He looked down into her anguished eyes and felt that same emotion coursing through his body. “To buy a pregnancy test.”

They pulled up outside her apartment in JT’s silver coupe, but Pia didn’t move. She sat, gripping the pregnancy test, stomach churning, wishing she were anywhere but here, about to do this test. Why had she thought she was safe? She’d been taking her daily protection, but hadn’t considered that her cold might reduce the pill’s effectiveness.

JT had been silent on the trip, probably as lost in his own thoughts and memories as she’d been in hers. The first time they’d taken a pregnancy test together, they’d been scared, but so full of love for each other and the life they’d created that anything had seemed possible. Both so certain they’d be together forever, starting a family had seemed natural and thrilling, if earlier than they’d planned.

What had they known? Her heart spiraled low. They’d been two clueless teenagers with rose-tinted glasses. The family they’d planned had become a train wreck-their little girl gone before she’d lived, and her parents not seeing each other again until now.

She glanced over at JT’s profile as he stared out the windshield, his hands clutched tight to the steering wheel of his stationary car. This was an even less auspicious start for a child than Brianna’s had been.