Helen Bianchin - His Pregnancy Ultimatum

‘Goodnight. I’ll be in touch.’

Mia cast Cris a desperate glance, and received a faintly raised eyebrow indicating a silent What’s the fuss?

If he only knew!

‘This isn’t necessary,’ Mia said quietly minutes later as Nikolos opened the passenger door and stood waiting for her to slip into the front seat.

‘You want to cause my mother distress by beginning an argument on her doorstep?’

She flung him a dark glance as she slid into the car, and the door closed with a refined click before he crossed to the driver’s side.

The instinct to get out and run was uppermost, and she banked it down.

‘I’ll accept a ride to the nearest cab-stand,’ she indicated stiffly as Nikolos eased the vehicle towards the gated entrance.

‘Afraid, Mia?’ he posed as the Mercedes gained the leafy avenue and gathered speed.

Sheer bravado was responsible for her answer. ‘No.’

‘You should be.’

‘I don’t see why.’

He spared her a brief glance. ‘No?’ She looked so delightfully petite seated against the opulent leather. ‘You’d have me believe what we shared was of little consequence? A one-night stand between two consenting adults?’

Her heart thudded in her chest, then kicked to a faster beat. ‘Something like that.’

‘The hell it was.’

She wanted to hit him, and would have if he hadn’t been in control of a car. ‘There’s a cab-stand at Double Bay. You can drop me there.’

Nikolos’ hands tightened on the steering wheel as a knot tightened in his gut. Something primeval stirred deep within in the knowledge he’d been her first and only lover. He tamped down the need that rose so swiftly, and stifled a husky oath in self-castigation.

He was far beyond the ready lust of a teenager. Yet this woman had the power to test his control, and it irritated him. Worse…thoughts of her kept him awake nights, and ruined him for any other woman he could easily have bedded. Heaven knew there were a number from whom he could choose.

Except it was Mia’s features he wanted to see, the warmth of her smile…and he gently extricated willing fingers, made a seemingly reasonable but regretful excuse and went home alone.

‘When we’ve talked,’ Nikolos declared. ‘I’ll take you home.’

‘We have nothing to discuss.’

He brought the vehicle to a halt at a set of traffic lights and turned towards her briefly. ‘Yes,’ he reiterated hardily. ‘We do.’

‘Do you insist on a post-mortem with every woman with whom you’ve had sex?’

The lights changed, and he moved the vehicle forward with the flow of traffic. Minutes later he entered Double Bay and after finding no convenient parking space he swung the car into the entrance of the Ritz-Carlton hotel, requested valet parking, then led her into the hotel lounge.

Refined elegance, she perceived as a waiter hurried forward to usher them to a table, took an order for tea, then unobtrusively retreated.

Mia schooled her features as she deliberately met Nikolos’ dark gaze. ‘Can we get this over with?’

Was that her voice? She sounded so calm, when inside her nerves were shredding into a tangled mess.

‘Why did you leave?’

Her eyes widened slightly, then became shadowed. Twelve weeks had passed since that fateful night, yet every detail was etched in her mind. The magic of his touch, the unleashing of emotions she hadn’t known she possessed…

Dear God, how could she have stayed and faced him in the morning? Calmly risen from the bed, showered, dressed, shared breakfast, then walked away as if the night had meant nothing more than the sharing of good sex?

Instead of an earth-shattering experience that had changed her perspective, her life?

‘There was no reason to stay.’

‘No name, no contact number,’ Nikolos pursued silkily. ‘No means by which I could get in touch with you. Why?’

‘I was unaware there was any protocol involved. What would you have had me write on a note? “You were great?”’ She was on a roll. “‘Call me some time and we’ll do it again?” Would that have fed your ego? Salved your conscience?’

He didn’t move, but she had the sensation his body coiled like a tightly wound spring.

‘You gifted me your virginity. That had to mean something.’

His words were silky smooth and dangerous, and Mia barely repressed a shiver as sensation unfurled deep within at the memory…his disbelief, the husky curse, and his gentleness as he’d led her through the threshold of pain to pleasure beyond her wildest imagination.

And afterwards…dear heaven, afterwards he’d held her all night long as she’d become a willing wanton eager for his touch. Again and again.

‘It wasn’t such a big deal.’ And knew she lied…big time.

‘No?’ His gaze didn’t shift.

‘The prophylactic broke, remember?’

One of them.

The waiter arrived and laid out their tea, then took his leave.

‘If you weren’t taking precautions prior to intimacy,’ Nikolos continued, ‘I imagine you covered any possibility of pregnancy with a prescription for the morning-after pill?’

‘I considered it unnecessary.’ Foolishly, she accorded in silent self-castigation. What on earth had she been thinking of? Yet when she had thought, she’d rationalised her cycle hadn’t been in the fertile zone.

So much for the norm, the majority!

She became aware of Nikolos’ intent gaze, and held it with difficulty.

‘And was it unnecessary?’ he pursued quietly.

Oh, dear Lord, how did she answer that?

His eyes darkened and assumed a ruthless intensity as her silence stretched too long. ‘Mia?’

‘My body, my responsibility,’ she managed quietly, aware she was just barely holding it together.

‘Dammit, you weren’t alone in that bed.’

‘What do you want me to say? “Was it as good for you as it was for me?” Or are you afraid I’ll slap you with a paternity suit, demand a large financial settlement, or run to the media and besmirch the Karedes name?’ She was like a runaway train that couldn’t stop. ‘Or maybe all three?’

‘The truth will do for a start.’

She held his gaze fearlessly. The truth? ‘I took a pregnancy test three weeks ago, and had the positive result confirmed by a doctor the following day.’

He waited a beat as he attempted some measure of control. ‘Tell me, was I never to know?’

Her hand shook a little as she took time out to add milk to her cup. ‘Reality check, Nikolos. Just as you didn’t know my name, you hadn’t given me yours.’

The breath hissed from his mouth. ‘Have you had—?’

‘An abortion? No.’ The foetus inside her was a living entity. The thought of having it forcibly removed from her body made her feel ill. ‘This child is my responsibility.’

‘Mine, also. I’ll ensure you have specialist obstetrical care, and take care of all medical expenses.’

‘I don’t want anything from you.’

‘If you think I’ll walk away from this, you’re mistaken.’

‘You have no rights—’

‘Yes, I do.’

The thought of sharing the child hadn’t entered her head. Now that it did, it began to assume gigantic proportion.

‘I intend bringing up the child alone.’

‘No.’

‘What do you mean…no? The decision isn’t yours to make.’

‘The child will bear the Karedes name.’

Mia replaced the cup carefully down onto its saucer, then sank back in her chair. ‘Fredrickson,’ she corrected.

‘Karedes,’ Nikolos declared with chilling softness.

‘As I don’t intend changing my surname, Fredrickson will appear on the birth certificate.’ She rose to her feet and caught up her bag. ‘It’s been some evening. Your grandmother suspects I’ve snatched Cris for a toy boy and showed no mercy in her interrogation.’ She glared at him, and barely restrained herself from picking up the ashtray and throwing it at him. ‘As if that’s not enough, you shanghai me and take up where they left off.’