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Jules’s sexy lips curled into a sweet grin and Amber’s heart melted. God, he was stunning to behold. Her baby’s feet tickled the inside of her belly with some swift kicking movements just then. Butterflies also tickled her midsection.
“That’s not what I meant,” he answered in his richly deep voice, cocking a brow. “But, you look beautiful, Amber. Congratulations. I didn’t know you got married. How many months are you?”
He said she looked beautiful. What a thoughtful thing to say to a pregnant woman who felt as if she was growing like a gigantic watermelon. That thought was soon squashed by a painful reality. He was wrong about the being married part.
“Oh, I’m…six months.” Amber’s stomach lurched; she felt pain squeeze her heart. “But I…I’m not married.”
“Oh?” He seemed a bit caught off guard, which was unusual for Jules. She remembered how brave and take charge he was when his brother Carl had a hell of a fight running for mayor amid scandal and a dirty campaign by his rivals and then there was that whole mess with her friend Venus who ended up marrying Carl during the scandal—as a diversion at first but then it all worked out for them.
Well, talk about a swift kick in the gut. Jules could not believe his eyes or his ears. Amber was pregnant? And single? Despite the sad look in her eyes, her skin had a healthy glow to it. She stood wearing Lycra exercise pants and long-sleeved t-shirt. The air conditioning in the building was cold so he figured that was why she was dressed covering everywhere. But then again she was always conservatively clad, rarely revealing much skin. Always dressed in long sleeves and long pants or skirts.
Heck, she didn’t even let him go to second base. Which he respected. Though from her kisses, he could tell she was highly sensual and would make a great partner in bed.
God, he could kick himself for not holding on to Amber—for making sex a priority back then. He liked Amber a lot—possibly even loved her—but he just wasn’t into having a serious relationship at the time…and Amber wasn’t ready for sex at the time.
He could not control the heaviness that settled in his body.
“You’re not married?” Jules was stunned. It killed him inside that she’d chosen someone else to get “intimate” with. But the guy didn’t even have the decency to marry her. Call him a bit old-fashioned where babies were concerned, but he’d always been raised that a man should do the right thing and marry the mother of his child. Period. And from the time he’d known Amber, she didn’t seem like the reckless type. She appeared much too prim and proper to get herself knocked up outside of marriage. Heck, had he been wrong about her? He thought they’d had good chemistry for the brief period they were an unofficial couple. Amber was the first girl he couldn’t even get between his bed sheets and now she was with someone else? WTF! Jules was baffled as sin. He’d seen the way her body reacted to his when they were cuddling in the past. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. Yeah, he was baffled all right. But he suspected there could be more to the situation.
“No,” she said quietly, looking off into the distance. He thought he caught the look of pain flashing in her beautiful dark brown eyes. She was a pretty girl and soft spoken, yet hard working. He remembered the time she’d worked her butt off overtime to help his sister-in-law Venus when she was in a heap of trouble. Amber had worked at the embassy but got fired after breaking some rules for the sake of helping her friend. She was a girl with guts when it counted. A woman who put her neck on the line to save a friend. Talk about honor.
“So are you engaged?” Jules probed further. Something in his gut urged him on. He was damned curious. He didn’t see any ring. He really wanted to know if there was a guy in the picture. He hoped the dude that had the honor of impregnating her was at least around. Then a sinking feeling entered his body when he glanced at the door sign again. Why the heck was she going to a prenatal class seemingly alone?
“Why the twenty questions?” she zinged him, arching her brow playfully. He could tell she was trying to be brave but tried not to push it, but damn, he was so fascinated by her, always had been.
“Why the avoidance?” he shot back, a warm amusing smile on his face.
“I’m not with the father. I’m single. I…I have a class to go to.”
“Oh, sorry to hear that,” he said, instinctively. Regarding Amber’s delicate condition, he was really sorry to hear that she was alone in all of this. “Do I know the guy?” Jules couldn’t help but ask pointedly. “Your ex?”
“No. I doubt you’ve met Rex. It’s no one you know.”
“Rex? There must be a thousand Rexes around here. What’s his last name?” he asked nicely, arching a brow. He tilted his head to the side.
“It’s not important for you to know, Jules.” Amber grinned and rolled her eyes.
Okay, he wasn’t getting anywhere with this. Amber probably knew Jules well enough to know he could find out if he really wanted to and then he’d give the guy a piece of his mind, leaving Amber pregnant and alone like that.
“Well, I don’t want to keep you. Though, I’m sure they won’t mind you being late this week. You have a good excuse, being with child and all.”
“Well, it’s my first time going to this class. They had a space free up. I’m surprised to see you here.”
“I have a business meeting. I’m in the process of acquiring this place.”
“You are? Congratulations.”
“Thanks but the deal’s not done yet.” A gnawing ache entered Jules’s gut.
What had he missed out on? He could have been the father of Amber’s child. He was foolish for not wanting to commit to her before. Now she’d gone and gotten pregnant by some other dude. He wondered if Rex was really the guy’s first name. Amber seemed so protective about his identity.
“Well, it was nice running into you again, Jules. You’re looking well, as usual.” Amber smiled appreciatively then opened the glass door to the classroom.
And that was that. Door closed. Conversation closed. For now, anyway.
Just as Jules turned to go back to the boardroom across the hall, something pulled his eyes back to the classroom. He swung around, curiosity getting the best of him, and peeked inside the glass door.
Amber still looked hot as hell. He hadn’t been lying about that. And man, it took all the will power he had not to gaze at her voluptuous breasts. Holy! Was it him, or did they swell three times their normal size from what he could remember about her?
Jealousy zapped through him again regarding this mysterious man who got Amber pregnant. Why the hell wouldn’t she tell him the father’s last name? Why was she protecting his identity? Why couldn’t Jules have been the father? When he could produce kids? Oh well, missed opportunity.
He should be grateful at least he was still considered a stud in bed by the girls he’d dated since breaking up with Amber. Nothing since the accident affected his sex. Gracias A Dios! In fact, he felt his erection tingling just now that was very bad timing.
As he peeked through the glass, he saw Amber introduce herself to the class. He surreptitiously glanced inside through the doors, though not standing directly behind the door so anyone could see him.
He noticed that everybody in that class had a partner—except Amber. It looked as if they were about to perform some breathing exercises. He often sponsored classes offered at the fitness facility he ran with his brother Carl, before he became mayor. He was focusing on acquiring new facilities, while his deputy ran the fitness center. There must have been about a dozen couples in the classroom, Jules assessed, still glancing in. One woman had a motherly figure beside her; the rest had what looked to be the baby daddies at their sides, holding their waists as they sat on the carpet. But Amber was alone. Gazes around the room seem to penetrate her.
Jules’s heart muscle tugged just then. He felt deeply sorry for her. Amber looked a bit sheepish in her facial expression. It looked as if the color had drained from her face. Not good. Not good at all. He even caught a pregnant woman whispering to her partner and then gazing back at Amber. The class must have encouraged women to bring their partners. It appeared to him that Amber was trying to put up a brave face or a brave front, by the way she tilted her head up slightly and hugged her chest. And that expression on her face? Oh, he knew it all too well. He had studied her like a charm back when they had dated for that brief period of time.
He turned his face to the boardroom and agonized over what to do. His heart burned in his chest. He pulled his smartphone from his breast jacket pocket and dialed his assistant. “Take over for me. I’ll be gone for a little while. Remember, we’re not going all in without the daycare center. That’s part of the deal.”
“Sure thing, boss.” It was a good thing he’d trained Brenda, his executive assistant and coordinator in this merger, to handle his affairs while he was busy with other projects. She was a gem.
It looked as if Amber could do with a friend. Not like he was busy or anything, he grinned to himself and rolled his eyes.
Jules opened the door and strode inside to the surprised stares of the group. Did they recognize him? Probably not. It was probably the way he was dressed, not exactly ready to do floor exercises in a room with pregnant ladies and their partners.
