AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Caitlyn stretched out like a cat. “It does. And our vacation was going so well, too. Aside from this and my incredible shrinking bras, everything was basically perfect.”
“Shrinking bras?” Melinda laughed.
Caitlyn cupped one of her breasts. “I don’t know what’s up with these things. They’ve been the same since I was sixteen, but now they aspire to be the size of my head.”
“You’re kidding.”
“I’m exaggerating. Can having too much sex make your tits swell?”
“No!” Melinda scoffed. “Well. Actually, they could if you were pregnant. Are you pregnant?”
“Of course I’m not pregnant! We always use condoms.” Well, almost always. Caitlyn licked her tongue in mock offense. “How rude.”
“I dunno, girl. It only takes once. Overly emotional, tired, swollen jubblies…”
“Don’t joke. That would be the worst thing that could happen right now. There are a million cameras on me.”
Caitlyn frowned and sat up to look at how her breasts fit into the top of her dress. It had been a long time since her last period, but she’d always been irregular, to the point where her doctor had told her she might have trouble getting pregnant. That knowledge had kept her from worrying about the occasional lack of protection.
“Maybe so. Sorry this is so rough on you. I guess getting whisked off to a European castle can’t be perfectly free of tension. Or if it is, you probably have to put up with singing rodents or something. I’m glad you’re okay, though. I was kind of worried that you’d disappeared for so long.”
“It’s just so hard to leave Emrys.”
“Because he wants you to stay?”
“Because I want to stay. I want to be with him, but…I don’t know if I can make this work.” Caitlyn rose and walked back into the bedroom. She stood in front of the full-length mirror, smoothing her hand over her dress and trying to determine if the curve of her stomach was curvier than it had been. She had been indulging a lot during their vacation, and it would be too early to see anything, even if it were true.
“What time is it there, Mel?” Caitlyn asked. “Can I call you back?”
“It’s almost five AM here. We’re nine hours behind you and I’m about to go out for a run. Any other time you called would be great.”
“Okay. Talk to you later.”
Caitlyn went to find underwear and shoes and headed out of the hotel on foot. She found a market where she could pick up a few things. Back in the hotel room, she stepped into the bathroom and ripped open the package. Used the test. Waited three minutes.
As she stared at the test, and it stared back at her, Caitlyn sucked in her lower lip and felt her heart pounding so hard that it shook the ruffle on the top of her dress a little.
“I don’t know if I can do this,” she murmured.
Chapter Ten
Tension shadowed them the remainder of their time in Greece. Emrys wanted to ask Caitlyn to stay, Caitlyn seemed to be stressed by their situation, and they spoke little of it. Sensing that she was feeling more than a little anxious about the potentially lurking cameras, Emrys planned their activities indoors—in their hotel room, clubs where he could ensure security would minimize photography, and private rooms when they went out to eat.
To make matters worse, Caitlyn seemed to be coming down with something. She would no longer take a drink of champagne with him, making the excuse that her stomach felt funny. He was beginning to think that she was just saying that to keep from letting her guard down with him. One morning he woke to hear her getting sick in the bathroom.
The water ran, and there was the sound of gargling and spitting, before Caitlyn emerged, one hand rubbing over her stomach, and slipped back into bed as though nothing had happened. When Emrys rolled over, she gasped, clearly startled.
“We should talk,” Emrys told her, stroking her cheek.
“We should?”
“I don’t like seeing you so upset. Tell me what I can do.”
“I don’t know if you can do anything, Em.” Caitlyn let him slip his arm around her back and pull her closer. She sighed and leaned her forehead into his shoulder.
He petted the back of her hair. “When I go on set, you should head back to the palace.”
“I should go home.”
“You don’t want to be on a long flight right now. You’re sick. And trust me, in the few weeks after a scandal, you don’t want to be spending any more time in the public eye than you have to.” Emrys lifted her chin with two fingers. He needed her to agree to this; the rest would follow. And his mother was expecting her. “Do as I say. Go to the palace. Rest. Spend some time catching up with your work with no eyes but those of the servants on you.”
