Pregnant With the Sheik's Heir (The Abbot Sisters Book 2) Read online

  When it was all over, she felt the bed shift and cool air caress her skin. He walked away from her and Rayne curled up on her side, exhaustion hitting her hard and fast. She wasn’t aware of him coming back to look down at her because she was asleep by the time he returned. But her unconscious mind felt his strong arms pull her against his warmth and she snuggled closer, sighing with happy contentment.

  Chapter 12

  Rayne jerked out of a deep sleep, peering through the bright sunshine streaming in through the lone window of her tiny bedroom.

  “What time is it?” she whispered, looking around. But her phone wasn’t on her bedside table, where she normally put it.

  Pushing her hair out of her eyes, she looked around, trying to get her bearings. Unfortunately, nothing made sense, including the stretch of sore muscles.

  “Good morning,” a deep voice greeted her, and a moment later, Kular stepped through the doorway. “You look beautiful,” he told her when she gasped, pulling the sheet higher, surprised that she hadn’t already noticed her naked state. But she had been too focused on her muscles and the annoying sunshine.

  Then the events from the previous night came flooding back to her and she inhaled sharply, cringing as he handed her a cup of coffee.

  “We can’t do this!” she told him, trying to sound firm, but her voice quavered too much to sound convincing.

  “We can,” he countered, then sat down on the bed next to her so that he could brush his lips against hers. “And we did.”

  She clutched at the sheet, feeling vulnerable and awkward. “Um…would you mind giving me a little privacy? I need to…”

  “No,” he replied, then shifted so that he was facing her, his hip pressing against hers. “We’re going to talk.”

  She shifted slightly, trying to balance the cup of coffee with one hand, hold the sheet against her naked breasts with the other, and still not tip over.

  “Kular, I need to get…” she stopped, feeling a strange sensation. And this wasn’t a “happy-strange” like she felt when he touched her. Nope, this was “bad-strange”. Scary-strange. “Get out of my way!” she yelped, scrambling off the bed as she shoved the cup of coffee into his startled hands on her way to the bathroom. For long moments, she retched and emptied what little she had in her belly. Then it was just the dry heaves of a woman who hadn’t eaten in too long.

  Vaguely, she felt a warmth cover her shoulders, then a hand pulled her hair back out of the way. The nausea eased and she shifted, her knees hurting on the hard, tile floor. Then strong arms lifted her into his lap, but she resisted. “Mouthwash,” she pleaded, pushing against Kular’s shoulders. She realized that he’d gotten her robe out of the closet and draped it over her shoulders. Now she shoved her arms through the sleeves, belting the robe with weak fingers before swishing the mouthwash and rinsing her mouth out. Because she still felt strange, she did that again, needing to get rid of the foul taste in her mouth.

  A glass of water came into her line of vision and she lifted her gaze to find Kular standing behind her, his dark eyes looking both concerned and…angry? Why would he be angry with her?

  “Thank you,” she said, accepting the glass of water and sipping it slowly. “I’m fine now,” she told him.

  They moved out of the bathroom, but she still felt vulnerable wearing only the robe with nothing underneath. “I really need to get dressed,” she told him.

  Kular growled, taking her arms in his hands. “Are you pregnant?” he demanded.

  Rayne gripped the glass of water with both hands, not wanting to spill it. “Pregnant? No! I’m not…” she stopped, hesitating for a moment. With a shrug, she jerked out of his arms, setting the glass of water on her dresser.

  The pacing began. “I’m not…” but she couldn’t finish that sentence, walking back and forth from one end of her bedroom to the other, pushing her hair back with both hands as the reality of her situation hit her. “I’m not!”

  More pacing and she didn’t notice Kular standing by the bed, watching her with his arms crossed over his chest. As she walked, muttering under her breath, he realized that she genuinely didn’t realize that she could be pregnant.

  With impatient hands, which were gentler than before, he took her arms again, stopping her pacing as he forced her to look up at him. “When was your last period?” he asked, his voice a growl as his heart pounded in his chest.

  “Um…” she looked up at him, then away, as if she had to concentrate.

  “I can’t remember,” she finally admitted. The stunned, horror-filled look in those amazing blue eyes hit him. “Kular, I can’t…!” The tears were his undoing. He’d seen her last night when she’d cried tears of joy, but this was different. Right now, she was panicked, which told him that she wasn’t hiding anything. She genuinely didn’t know.

  “Think, Rayne. Have you had your period since the last time we were together?” he asked, his fingers tightening unconsciously around her arms.

  She opened her mouth, ready to give him a date, but her eyes fluttered away from him as she concentrated. “No,” she whispered, shock in her voice.

  Kular’s fingers went slack as the implications of that one word hit both of them. He almost released her, but then his mind took the next step. Rayne was…pregnant! Damn, she was carrying his child!

  With a groan, he pulled her into his arms, feeling her tremble. Even as he stood there, holding her, he felt the trembling increase. He scooped her into his arms, carrying her out of the bedroom, where the temptation of the bed was too intense, and into the living room where he sat down on the disgusting chair. For long moments, he simply held her in his lap, his arms wrapped around her as they both processed what had happened.

  When she shifted, her eyes wide and tear stained as she looked at him. “I didn’t know. And I didn’t do it on purpose, Kular. I swear, I didn’t know!”

  He smiled, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “I know, love,” he said softly, his voice rougher because…hell, because this woman who had driven him wild from the first moment he’d seen her, was now carrying his child. “I know.”

  “But…Kular, if I’m pregnant,” she blinked and did that sexy lip-biting thing again, “then…?”

  “Then we must marry.” He laughed softly at her surprised expression. “Love, I told you from the first moment that we met that we would marry. Why are you so surprised?”

  She slid off his lap, shaking her head. “Because I thought you were nuts that first night,” she told him in complete seriousness. “Either nuts or that it was an incredibly odd pick-up line.”

  “I’ve never said that to a woman in my life,” he vowed, leaning back as he watched her start pacing again. He was starting to realize that his Rayne had a great deal of nervous energy. And when she was nervous, she paced. He supposed many people paced when they were nervous or working something out in their minds. But with Rayne, it was more endearing than he’d ever thought possible. Perhaps because she was such a logical person, he’d expected her to sit and carefully consider the options. So this pacing seemed a bit counter to her normal personality.

  But it boded well for their future. At least he would know when she was nervous about anything. It was a simple thing, but knowing something personal about Rayne helped him stay focused. Because if he didn’t have that, he might just lose his control and carry her away to his country where he could protect her better.

  He couldn’t do that, he knew. It would terrify her, first of all. But also because he wanted, needed, her to choose to come with him on her own. It seemed, somehow, more important at the moment.

  Of course, if she didn’t want to come with him, there would be some pretty major problems. He couldn’t even consider that though. Not having her in his life was…unacceptable.

  “Rayne,” he began, bringing her attention back to him. When she looked up, he took her hand, trying to give her some reassurance. “Why don’t we get the pregnancy confirmed?” he offered. “Just to be sure.”


  She shifted, blinking like a soft, sweet kitten. “I…I don’t have a doctor here yet. I’ve only lived here for a few months and…” she paused and swallowed hard. “What if I’ve hurt our baby?” she whispered, beginning to slide down the rabbit hole of concerns. “I didn’t know, Kular. What if I’ve done something horrible?”

  He pulled her into his arms, relieved when she came willingly, even leaning into him and wrapping her arms around his waist. “One step at a time, love,” he told her softly. “Go get dressed and we’ll see a doctor. Once we know for sure, then we’ll figure out the next step together, okay?”

  Her arms tightened around his waist and she pressed her face against his chest. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head before releasing her. “Go get dressed, love.”

  Rayne moved slowly into the bedroom and he watched her go, thinking that the weight gain he’d noticed yesterday was because of her pregnancy. Damn, his body grew taut with arousal at the idea of her being pregnant with his child. Well, their child, he corrected. He could be pretty possessive and needed to restrain his natural instincts. Rayne wasn’t the kind of woman who would appreciate his instinctive need to protect her and their child. Although, if she really was pregnant, they’d need to be married quickly. There were other legal issues he’d have to deal with too, but as he’d told her moments ago, one step at a time.

  He heard the shower turn on and pulled his phone out of his pocket. Several phone calls later, he heard the shower turn off and he pictured her skin all soft and pink from the warmth of the water. Damn, his body reacted to just that image! It seemed that everything about this woman caused his body to react that way. Would he ever be able to think of her and not feel this overwhelming desire to make love to her?

  “Probably not,” he muttered into the quiet of her apartment.

  That was another thing. Looking around, he wondered why she hadn’t decorated her living space more. There was only the one chair in the living room, no dining table and, when he peered into a few of the cabinets, there was only one plate and a couple of glasses. One pot. What did she eat?

  He didn’t like this state of affairs, so when she came out of the bedroom, looking fresh and vital, he could barely contain his anger. “What’s going on here, Rayne?”

  She pulled back, startled by his unexpected attack. “Going on?” she asked, blinking at him as if he’d grown a second head. “I’m not sure I understand the question.”

  He was slightly distracted when her hand smoothed down over her sweater-covered stomach, but he rallied quickly. “You have almost no furniture and your cabinets are basically bare. I know your salary and it’s very good. I also know that you paid off all of your student debts with your casino winnings in Monaco.” He took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “So, why do you live like this?”

  “Like what?” she demanded, crossing her arms and glaring up at him. “What’s wrong with my apartment?”

  He suddenly realized that she was defensive. Of her apartment? She lived like a hermit!

  “Why are you living in a Spartan environment? You have no creature comforts. Your clothes are stunningly beautiful, but there isn’t any good furniture or…”

  “I don’t need those things, Kular,” she told him firmly, her hand slicing through the air.

  He recognized the look in her eyes. It was one of desperation and…shame? But she was a brilliant scientist with a good job and an excellent salary. What was going on?

  He took a different tact, suppressing his anger. Moving closer, he kissed the top of her head. “You’re a mystery, my love. And I intend to learn all of your secrets.”

  She pulled back, and the anger was gone, but in its place was worry. What was she hiding? What could be so bad that she couldn’t tell him? “Come, my dear. The doctor awaits us.” He took her hand, leading her out of her apartment.

  Chapter 13

  Rayne sat on the uncomfortable chair, feeling ridiculous. And confused. And angry! Mostly confused.

  Who was Kular? They’d stepped out of her apartment and were immediately surrounded by big men with scary looking bulges under their suit jackets. She didn’t know what they were hiding and Rayne wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

  They’d driven to the doctor’s office in a limousine. But apparently, that ostentatious vehicle wasn’t enough! Oh no! There was a big, black SUV in front of the limousine and another behind it. Both were filled with more of those scary men. They’d arrived at the hospital…not a doctor’s office! The freaking hospital! Even crazier, they’d been greeted by the director of the hospital! Who was Kular that he could command this kind of attention?

  She fidgeted on the crinkly paper in the miserable, cotton gown feeling…weird. Weird and vulnerable. And angry! Confused. Yeah, she couldn’t forget that horrible sensation. The confusion was a bit like everyone knowing a huge secret except her. She wanted to get up and call her sister, but Rayne didn’t want to admit that she was pregnant. Of course, Sloane was also pregnant, but that was okay since she was getting married to a man she’d been in love with for years!

  Sloane had warned her and Pepper repeatedly over the years to use two forms of contraception. It had been a chant in their house even before her mother’s funeral. While some women struggled to get pregnant, the Abbot women could get pregnant by winking at a man! Why? It would be one of the odd medical mysteries that history never figured out. Rayne was absolutely sure that she and Kular had used a condom that one night back in Monaco. Plus, she’d been a day, maybe two days, away from her period. The only time that would have been safer to have sex than that would be while she was actually on her period and…well, ewww. No, that wasn’t going to happen.

  So yep! Back to the freakish aspect of the Abbot uteruses. Uteri? What was the plural of uterus? Did it really matter? Sloane, Rayne, and Pepper were all freakishly fertile. Hopefully, Pepper wasn’t dealing with any pregnancy related issues. Rayne had spoken with her younger sister a few days ago and knew that she was thriving in New York City. Pepper was thinking about starting her own company, wanting to do what she’d done all through high school and college to make money. Pepper had ingeniously bought up clothes at the donations stores, items that had cost maybe three or four dollars, and altered the pieces until they were works of art. Even during her high school years, Pepper’s designs had become so in-demand that she’d started an online store and could sometimes sell her pieces for a couple hundred dollars each.

  Rayne loved the clothes that her sister sent her and thought that Pepper’s idea of expanding the idea to something more marketable was a great idea.

  So Sloane and now Rayne were pregnant. Rayne glanced over at her purse, where her phone rested on a chair. Her fingers itched to reach for it, to call her sister and find out if, somehow, Pepper might also be pregnant. That would be crazy, wouldn’t it?

  Rayne sighed impatiently.

  “I’m not sitting here any longer!” she muttered, then stood up and grabbed her jeans, pulling them on quickly. “This is ridiculous!” A moment later, she was completely dressed and ready to leave the room when a knock sounded on the door, which opened.

  Rayne was startled for perhaps half a second, but the doctor stepped into the exam room with Kular right behind him. Rayne noticed that the guards were standing outside of the room. Would they stop her if she walked out? She could just get a taxi and head home. She wanted to be home where she was surrounded by familiar things.

  “What are you doing?” Kular asked. Demanded, actually, his eyebrows furrowing over his dark eyes.

  “I’m done here,” she told him, ignoring the uncomfortable look coming from the doctor. “I’ve been sitting in this room for the past twenty minutes while everyone else was outside the room doing…whatever it was that you were doing. But the point is, I was left in here. Alone. Alone and wondering what everyone was doing while feeling left out of the mystery.”

  Kular’s eyes softened and he reached for her, his wonderful arms pulled her in against his chest. �
�I’m sorry, love,” he said gently, kissing the top of her head. “I was trying to give you privacy. It wasn’t my intention to make you feel left out.”

  She didn’t want to be mollified, but his words soothed her. She was still a bit miffed, but she didn’t storm out of the exam room.

  “Fine. You were trying to be nice.” She pulled back and glared up at him. “Next time, please talk to me before you assume what I want.”

  He chuckled and kissed her. After that, her lips were tingling and her mind had short circuited. So she stood there complacently when he wrapped his arm around her waist and turned back to the doctor.

  “You have some news?” he prompted.

  The doctor looked at both of them, seeming to be startled by the warm connection between them. At Kular’s prompting though, he jerked upright and nodded. “Yes. Yes, of course!” and he opened the file folder, looking down at the information.

  Rayne wondered why he needed to look at the test results. It seemed simple enough to her, but she shifted impatiently.

  “Right,” the man cleared his throat. “Your Highness, Ms. Abbot is indeed pregnant. And since there is little doubt as to the date of conception, her due date is approximately March fifteenth of next year.” He pulled a piece of paper out of the folder and extended it to Kular, unaware of the bombshell he’d just delivered.

  “Pregnant!” Kular smiled.

  “Your Highness?” Rayne echoed, wide eyed with shock.