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‘You’re wrong. I didn’t come here to tell you about this. I understand your position, which is precisely why I intended to do this on my own. You don’t want to marry me. You don’t want to raise a child with me. Your people need you to do what’s best for them, and that includes marrying a woman who will secure the peace of your kingdom. I can’t do that.’ She was trembling, she realised belatedly. He squeezed her hands tighter. ‘I won’t marry you.’ Oh, no. Her teeth were chattering. Panic was setting in.
‘You must.’
‘No.’ Fear strangled her words. ‘I’ve already been married, and it was a disaster. I swore I’d never do that again. I can’t.’ Tears fell from her eyes. How angry they made her! How frustrated with herself she felt. This was not a time to cry!
She ripped her hands free and wiped at her face, hard, turning away from him and grabbing her handbag. She didn’t even remember discarding it but she must have placed it on the chair near the door when she’d entered this room, because it sat there, looking at her in a matter that felt accusatory.
‘I want you to forget I came here.’
‘I can’t do that.’
She spoke as though he hadn’t. ‘I want you to forget I’m pregnant. No, I want you to forget we ever met.’
‘You are not leaving here.’
‘Oh, yeah?’ She pushed the strap of her bag over her shoulder and whirled around to face him. She felt like a wild animal, all emotion, no civility. ‘Try and stop me.’
‘I do not need to try to stop you.’ He was so infuriatingly calm! It only flared her anger further. ‘Have you forgotten where you are, habibte?’
‘I’m in New York City. You might be King of all you survey in the RKH, but here in America we believe in the rule of law, which means no one, regardless of their position or station, has more legal rights than another.’
‘I know what the rule of law is.’ He crossed his arms over his chest. ‘I’m sorry to say it won’t help you here.’
It was like being hit with a sledgehammer. Cold, claw-like fingers began to wrap around her as the enormity of her own stupidity hit her like an anvil.
She wasn’t in America any more. Not really. She’d willingly stepped into his embassy, buried herself in the thick of dozens of his guards and surrendered her passport.
‘Oh, my God.’ She stared at him, her face heating to the point of boiling, her eyes showing her comprehension. ‘You...bastard.’
His head jerked a little, as though she’d slapped him.
‘You tricked me.’
His eyes flashed with impatience. ‘I did no such thing. I invited you here because I wanted to see you again—’
‘To proposition me,’ she corrected witheringly, but her voice shook, panic making it impossible to speak clearly, much less think straight. ‘That’s why you lured me here to your embassy?’
And despite the tension, he laughed, and it did something to her insides, reminding her of the warmth they’d shared, of his easy affection. Her stomach squeezed and she reached behind her, feeling for the chair that had, until a moment ago, held her handbag.
‘Do you think I have to resort to kidnap in order to get a woman into my bed?’
His eyes lanced her and she felt angry, stupid and jealous as all heck, all at once.
He softened his tone. ‘And I didn’t lure you here. This is where I live when I’m in the States. Up until a month ago, it was being renovated and wasn’t fit for habitation, hence I stayed at your hotel. As it’s now restored to its usual condition, I’m here. This was not a trap.’
‘It sure feels like it.’
He dipped his head forward in silent acceptance of that. ‘I’m sorry.’ His eyes pinned to hers and she was powerless to look away. He strode across the room, crouching before her, clasping her hands in her lap. ‘I am sorry.’ His expression showed the truth of his words. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t prevent you from falling pregnant. I’m sorry that my position makes our marriage a necessity. But I am sorriest of all for the fact that I cannot take the time to slowly convince you this is the right thing for us to do. I cannot risk letting you walk out of here because we must marry. It is imperative.’ He stroked her hand and her heart ached, because she wasn’t sure how she felt and what she wanted but she could see, so clearly, what this meant to him and his people.
But what about her and her needs? Memories of Max had her shaking her head from side to side, needing him to understand. ‘I don’t want to get married. I can’t.’
‘I understand that. Put that to one side for the moment and think about our child.’ His hand shifted, moving from her wrists to her stomach, pressing against it, and for a moment he appeared to lose his train of thought as he lost himself in the realisation that inside her belly was their own baby.
‘Don’t you think our child deserves this?’
She bit down on her lip. ‘Our child deserves us to love it,’ she said quietly. ‘To do the best for it, always.’
‘And raising him or her together is the best.’
