Pregnant with the Tycoon's Heir Read online

  Chapter 1

  “I’m not frigid!” the lovely woman mumbled, sliding her adorable, tweed-clad bottom onto the leather barstool.

  Pierce Danilov watched with fascination as the woman whipped her brown tweed jacket off, bundled it into a ball and stuffed it into her enormous leather tote bag. He almost laughed at the way she was trembling with anger. She was cute, but…also a distraction. He wasn’t here in this bar to watch lovely ladies, even if the lady in question was adorable with a very sexy, very enticing derriere.

  Unfortunately, the conversation at his table was much less interesting.

  “A dirty martini,” the beautiful woman snapped to the bartender. Pierce thought about that, glancing at her profile once again. He would have thought she was more of a sedate, white wine woman, but the fact that she’d ordered such a strong drink made him more intrigued. Her profile was stunning, he thought. Her cute chin looked like it could be stubborn but the effect was diminished by her adorable nose. It was small and cute with almost a curl at the tip. He wanted her to look over at him, needing to see her eyes. He’d wager she had incredible eyes.

  “I’m not frigid,” she asserted again in a furious whisper. “I’m cautious! With my history, caution is important! Smart people learn from their past! Smart people are cautious!”

  He could hear her words, but they didn’t make a lot of sense, although, obviously, someone had told her that she was frigid. With that body? He doubted it!

  Unfortunately, she only stared down at the drink the bartender placed in front of her so he didn’t get a glimpse of her eyes. He watched, amazed and intrigued. The woman didn’t take a sip of her martini. For long moments she simply stared at the vodka filled glass. If looks could kill, that martini glass would shatter.

  All that trembling energy, he thought, his body reacting and his eyes unable to focus on the conversation going on around him. Thankfully, his executive vice president was sitting next to him, doing a capable job of handling the discussion, so Pierce leaned back, sipping his own scotch, and watching the woman at the bar.

  She looked out of place, he thought. She definitely wasn’t a bar-fly. The women who regularly hung out in bars had a harder edge to them, a look that revealed their disappointment with the world but a desperate hope that things weren’t as bad as their past experience might indicate.

  No, this woman didn’t have any hard edges. She was all soft curves, cute nose and full, enticing breasts pressing against the conservative, cream silk blouse. Her outfit didn’t match the bar-fly persona either. Brown tweed and cream silk screamed “teacher” or something along those lines. It was the kind of suit that every woman wore to a job interview. The look was conservative, implying that the person was steady and dependable. Nothing that screamed daring and adventurous. Everything about the woman was polished and conservative but with no style, nothing to draw the eye.

  Except for her figure. It was glorious. Tiny waist, slender legs, full hips and full breasts. She was amazing.

  And she still wasn’t drinking her martini.

  Why this particular woman fascinated him so deeply, he couldn’t define, but she did. She was enticing and entrancing.

  But damn it, he wanted to see her eyes!

  Shifting slightly, the movement caught her eye and her head swiveled towards him. What’s when he froze!

  Damn! Her eyes were more amazing than he could have imagined! They were a shocking, crystal green. No, not crystal. Crystal sounded too hard for this woman’s eyes. They were soft, clear and amazing. Like wet moss.

  She was beautiful. Not in an actress or model type of beautiful. But in a refreshing, natural type of beautiful. She was like springtime. Her eyes reminded him of that first warm day after a miserable, brutally-cold winter, when all of the windows were thrown open and the soft breeze wafted through one’s house, cleaning out all of the dust and mustiness that developed over the harsh winter months.

  Pierce blinked, wondering where the hell he’d gotten all of that romantic poetry. Describing a woman’s eyes as a “fresh breeze”?

  He tried to shake the feeling off, to pull his eyes away from her. He needed to focus on the meeting, not on her stunning, green eyes surrounded by dark, thick lashes.

  Instead, he allowed his eyes to move lower, to take in every luscious, delectable detail about her figure, moving down to her conservative, brown shoes with tiny, two inch heels before moving back up, memorizing every aspect of her figure, including the way her nipples were now pressing against that silk, revealing so much to his hungry eyes.

  He knew he’d rattled her when he looked back at her features. Those red lips were open, forming a small “o” and her eyes were softer, as if his gazing caress had affected her as much as it had affected himself. He wanted to look at her breasts, to rip away the silk, discard the lace bra holding her breasts captive. Pierce wanted to know this woman with a surge of lust so strong and powerful, he was almost reeling with his need.

  Never had lust for a woman hit him so hard and so fast. He wanted her. He wanted to know everything there was about her. The business discussion swirled around him but he ignored all of it. For the first time in his life, business took second place.

  He might have resented the woman for being such a distraction, but at this moment, he couldn’t build up a steam for any kind of resentment. His mind and body were completely focused on the lust, the desire to lift her into his arms and carry her to a private place where he could make love to her for the next twelve hours. Maybe longer.

  Naya had come to the bar to meet with her friends, get over the harsh words of her now-ex-boyfriend. She’d needed a break, a moment out of the craziness that her life had become. Unfortunately, this entire day had gotten out of her control.

  Now she was staring at a man, a man that impacted her on a purely elemental, primal kind of way. Her ex-boyfriend’s harsh, demeaning words were gone from her mind while the dark haired man at the table next to the bar moved his dark eyes down her body, then back up again. With every inch that his eyes traveled, her body reacted more strongly. It was like his eyes had a string and they were pulling her closer, her body tightening, responding. His eyes were a caress. A naughty, wicked caress. In the past, men had looked at her with lust, but they’d been boys. Obnoxious, disgusting humans with no respect for personal boundaries.

  This man wasn’t a boy. His broad shoulders and the innate aura of power surrounding him differentiated this man. He was like a ferocious, teeth-gnashing wolf. The kind of beast one watched with increasing terror while searching for a tree to climb up into for protection. All the other men she’d ever met in her life were more like cocker spaniel puppies who needed their bellies rubbed.

  Naya couldn’t imagine rubbing this man’s belly.

  Well, she could, actually. It would be dangerous. It could be lethal!

  But she’d like to try!

  Naya blinked, gasping as she realized where her mind had gone. She wasn’t the kind of woman who fantasized about having wicked sexual encounters with strangers! She was the conservative type. The kind of woman who flirted with a guy for months before she would even go out on a date with him!

  Good grief, Mike had just broken up with her earlier today because she wouldn’t have sex with him! He’d called her frigid and yet, she was sitting here in a fancy hotel bar, ogling a feral, dangerous stranger. And worse, she was heating up because he was ogling her back!

  With extreme effort, Naya pulled her eyes away from the man and glanced down at her phone. Where were her friends? Ella and Cassy should be here! They should be right here next to her. The three of them should be talking, laughing about their day and moving off to a safe, isolated corner of the
bar to discuss each of their days. If they were here, she wouldn’t be ogling a stranger and she definitely wouldn’t be feeling this strange heat surging through her.

  Naya looked in front of her, surprised to find the martini she’d ordered. Why had she ordered a martini? Oh yeah, because Mike had said she was frigid and she was trying to break out of her uber conservative demeanor. No more white wine for her, she reminded herself.

  She lifted her hand, surprised to find that her fingers were shaking. She glanced over at the man again, stuffing her hand back onto her lap, not wanting him to know how much his gaze had affected her.

  But he was still staring at her!

  She pulled her eyes away again and glanced at her cell phone, praying that Ella and Cassy would arrive quickly. She needed them!

  Unfortunately, the screen revealed no messages. Nothing! No text, no e-mail from either of her tardy friends. Nothing!

  She was going to tear into them when she finally talked to them. They never should have left her here alone.

  Well, if she were being perfectly honest, she hadn’t anticipated a terrifying wolf to be staring at her as if she would most likely be his next dinner.

  The idea perked up her interest and she looked over at the man again. Sure enough, he was still watching her. His eyes barely blinked as he looked at her and she wasn’t sure how to handle a man like that. Especially when he looked at her with…interest. Naya didn’t think of herself as the kind of woman who would attract the interest of a man like that! But…her body warmed at this man’s look.

  Now, why did the idea of this man doing things to her…wicked, naughty, lusty things...not make her run away or cringe with revulsion? Just the opposite, in fact. Her whole body was tingling with awareness as her mind remembered all of those wicked, naughty and lusty options she’d read about in her books over the years.

  Goodness, was it hot in here?

  She looked around, wondering if the air conditioning was broken. Where were her friends?!

  Of course, if she hadn’t told them to meet her here and if they weren’t probably still in transit, then she would just pay for her drink and get out of here. That man scared her in ways that she didn’t fully understand. He was so completely out of her league, they were probably not even playing the same game!

  Why hadn’t she suggested their usual hangout?

  Oh yeah, the “grumpy leprechauns” were there now. Her company had hired five new college hires and Naya had been assigned to train them on the marketing systems. As a junior member of the marketing team, she’d initially been excited about the assignment, thinking it would be a good way to showcase her skills, get a good raise this year. Or maybe even a promotion!

  But she hadn’t anticipated the new batch of college hires to be short, obnoxious men masquerading in adult bodies. The group of new marketing “experts” were annoying men who thought they had all of the answers, preferred leaning back in their chairs during marketing meetings so that they could scoff at everyone else’s ideas, but not offering any ideas themselves.

  Her eyes glanced over at the man, then she shivered when she found him still watching her. Naya could tell that the man over at that table wouldn’t be short. No, his long, muscular legs were stretched out in front of him, indicating that he was a tall man. With broad shoulders and eyes that conveyed silent, delicious messages.

  She definitely wasn’t going to translate those messages, she told herself.

  Glancing down at her phone, there still weren’t messages from either Ella or Cassy. She wasn’t surprised. Ella was a reporter that tended to get lost in her world of mysterious wrong-doings who normally traveled the globe, ferreting out breaking news and conveying everything to her loyal readership. She was a bouncy, energetic woman with short, dark curls and eyes that seemed to see everything. Cassy was the opposite. She was a serious lawyer with long, dark, straight hair and could sit still for hours, listening to people drone on about complicated legal issues, always with a stern expression on her beautiful features. Naya knew her own personality was sort of in between the two of her friends. She wasn’t tall or short. She wasn’t fat or skinny. She was just an average woman working at an average job. All she wanted from life was a cozy house, a gentle husband and a house filled with kids and laughter. Things she hadn’t had growing up.

  Glancing down at her phone, she prayed for some indication that her friends were on the way. Unfortunately, there was still no text from either of them!

  Ugh! She should just leave, she thought.

  Glancing over at the man, she placed her hands on the bar, prepared to stand up and leave, but then she caught his eyes. The silent message was there in his dark eyes and her body automatically reacted to it.

  Don’t leave, his eyes told her.

  Naya ignored his silent command and told herself that she should leave. She should run out of this bar and go home, put the entire night behind her and grab the special carton of cherry vanilla ice cream that was stashed in the back of her freezer, behind the smaller cartons of theoretically-healthier frozen yogurt that she’d bought so that she would eat that instead of the more fattening ice cream.

  Shaking her head, she pushed the man’s silent order out of her mind. He might be handsome and powerful looking, but he didn’t control her! She’d leave when she wanted to! No man was going to give her orders. She didn’t care how much his eyes promised bliss, she wasn’t controlled by a man! Ever!

  Ignoring the tingling sensations that told her that he was still watching her, she lifted her martini to her lips and took a long sip, needing the liquid courage. She would just…

  Die! The burning sensation going down her throat was singeing all of the mucous membranes out of her throat. She was going to die! Coughing and gripping the edges of the bar, she gasped for breath as the heat of the martini hit her hard. It took several moments for her to get her breath back. When she could once again open her eyes, wiping the tears from her lashes, she looked around, refusing to look at the man at the table. She was certain he was laughing at her.

  She wasn’t going to look. No way was she looking! She was finished with men judging her, finding her lacking. She wasn’t frigid and she was fully capable of drinking the sophisticated martini.

  With a gulp of air and a defiant lift of her chin, Naya lifted the glass to her lips again. This time, she took a smaller sip. Thankfully, this time the burning from the alcohol was only painful, not death-inducing.

  She could do this! She could manage drinking the martini and be sophisticated!

  No man was going to laugh at her!

  The bartender placed a glass of white wine in front of her and she blinked. It took her a moment to realize that the wine was for her and she glanced up, her eyes searching the kind, gentle eyes of the bartender.

  “I didn’t order that,” she told him, suspecting that the wine was of a much better quality than anything she was used to. Just the color of the wine looked expensive.

  “The gentleman at the table ordered it for you, ma’am,” the bartender explained and walked away.

  Naya looked over at the man, her shoulders relaxing when she noticed no amusement in his handsome, rugged features.

  Defiantly, she lifted the martini glass to her lips and took another sip. She wanted to cough again, but refused to give him the satisfaction. And when he simply lifted a dark eyebrow higher, questioning her stubbornness, she felt a small, silly victory.

  Once again, she turned away from him and glanced down at her phone. Still no word from either of her friends. Boy they were going to get an earful from her about tonight!

  She should just leave, she thought.

  At that moment, her phone buzzed and she looked down. “On my way! Almost there. It will be nice to try out a different place.”

  Naya’s shoulders slumped. So much for her speedy escape. If Ella was on her way, she couldn’t leave now. She typed out a reply. “Let me know when you are close and I’ll order you a drink.”

  Sh
e set her phone on the bar beside her martini and took another sip. This time it wasn’t as bad. Smooth, she thought with surprise. She wouldn’t look at him, she ordered herself, placing the glass down on the granite countertop carefully, as if all of her focus was required to get the bottom of the glass perfectly centered on the small, white napkin.

  Ella would arrive any minute and they would laugh over this, she told herself. They would make up silly stories about who the man was and why he was watching them. They would…

  A message from Cassy came in and she looked at her phone eagerly, hoping for additional reinforcements. Alas, Cassy needed to work late. She wouldn’t be here.

  That’s okay, she thought. She and Ella would have a good time. Everything would be okay.

  She took another long sip of her martini, still ignoring the subtle call of the refined white wine. She wasn’t giving in. She was going to be sophisticated and casual. Like she drank martinis all the time. And choked on the first sip. Yep, that was her. It was just her normal routine.

  The men at the table were standing up, the participants of the very serious table dispersing.

  Unfortunately, the one man she wanted, needed, to stand up and go away didn’t stand up and he definitely didn’t go away. He continued to sit there. Watching her. Now that the others had walked away, The Wolf wasn’t even trying to be subtle about watching her!

  In fact, he was being horribly rude!

  She looked over at him, the martini giving her courage, warming her body. She stared right back, accepting the silent challenge in his eyes. She could handle this because Ella was close by, ready to save her and they would walk away, go have a burger somewhere and Naya could tell her friend the whole story. Ella would clap her hands enthusiastically, because Ella did everything with an exuberance that would exhaust a normal human being, and Ella would tell Naya that she handled the situation perfectly.

  In the meantime, Naya would simply stare at the man and convey that she wasn’t intimidated by him. Not any more, at least.

  She watched as his lips curled ever so slightly. Amusement?