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“Shoot!” I look at the clock and realize I am late for the first time ever. “No. No. No.” I call out when I hit another red light. Oh my God. I can’t believe this. Hurriedly, I turn the corner and hand my keys to the valet. Sprinting to the elevator, I hit the button for the top floor over and over like that is going to make a difference. Never mind that there are two of everything because I ran to the building, and now I am dizzier than ever. “Not now. Mama needs a break for a few hours.” I whisper to my belly, hoping like hell the baby understands me.
The elevator opens, and I power walk to my desk. Five minutes late is not so bad. Right? “Miss Moonblood. My office.” Okay. I guess I was wrong. I cringe at the use of my last name so loudly, and with the tone he is currently using. Sagging my shoulders, I drop my purse at my desk and walk into his office. “Shut the door, please.” Turning, I try to discreetly wipe my face before turning back around. “You are five minutes late.” Yep. I know.
“Yes, Sir. I am so sorry. I was… I was..” I am trying to explain when I feel like I am going to faint. I feel myself teeter a bit; then, suddenly, he is at my side. I feel myself moving, but I can only focus on not hitting the floor. Then, he sits, and I realize I am on his lap. Wiggling, I try to get down, but he tightens his hold.
“Please stop moving.” He demands in his grouchy voice. But there is something else in it. I stop, not sure what the hell to do right now. “Thank you. Now tell me, are you ill?” I nod my head slowly, not looking at him. “May I ask why you came here then? You should have told me you were not feeling well so I could have taken care of you.” He says the last part so low I think I misheard him. I turn to look into his eyes, and they are soft. Softer than normal, but the clinching of his jaw says something else entirely.
“I have never missed work and you have a busy schedule. I didn’t want to...”
“You need to go home and rest. You keep clutching your stomach. Are you nauseous?”
“Yeah. I think it is something I ate.” His gaze narrows on me, but then it clears.
“I will call for Benjamin.” His driver? Why?
“No, I drove here. I can…”
“I will be escorting you home, Scarlett. It is obvious you need someone to take care of you.”
I nod, unsure what to say, but seriously, what the heck is going on?
CHAPTER 2
SAMUEL
The grim look on her beautiful face makes me worried. I get her up to her apartment and help her to bed. Not two seconds later, she’s running for the bathroom. I hold her hair back while she casts up what seems like everything she’s ever eaten. She rests back on her knees by the toilet while I hurriedly wet a washcloth from the basket on the counter with cool water.
“Those are decorative,” she says.
“I apologize,” I say, looking around for another.
“I’m just kidding, Mr. Rawlins.”
“I think, considering the circumstances, that you should call me Sam.”
“Sam?” she questions.
“Yeah. That is my name.”
“Right. Of course,” she says, taking the washcloth from my hands and putting it on her forehead. “Thank you, Sam.”
“You think you are good for now?” I ask, helping her to her feet.
“I think so,” she replies.
I lead her back to her bed. When we arrived here, I took a cursory look around her kitchen and found nothing suitable for her nausea. After a quick text to Benjamin, ordering supplies, I went back into her bedroom. She’s lying with the cloth over her eyes, and her bare feet crossed at her ankles. She managed to change into some pajamas. Nothing scandalous, but they appear to be silk Hello Kitty shorts and a short sleeve pajama top. Fuck, I am too far gone for this girl if I think her Hello Kitty pj's are sexy as hell.
I drag a chair from the corner of her room over to her bedside. She’s sleeping, but I can’t bring myself to leave her. Other than my Aunt Penelope, there hasn’t been anyone in my life. My parents died over twenty years ago, leaving me in my aunt’s care. I used the money I inherited upon their deaths to start my company, but there hasn’t been a day where I haven’t felt their loss. I reminded every day that life is short, and at thirty-one, I am ready to settle down and start a family, but only with Scarlett.
Scarlett groans in her sleep, and then she’s suddenly awake, rushing to the bathroom again. When she emerges again, she’s paler than usual, and I feel terrible for her.
