Page 39 of Impossible Heir for the King

His chuckle made her glance up. He had the oddest expression in his eyes.

‘What?’ she asked, then almost cut herself again.

‘No one’s going to be surprised to learn you’re pregnant.’

‘What? Why?’ She put her hand to her belly but it seemed as not-quite-flat as it had been the day before.

‘Anyone who sees you is going to know how thoroughly you’ve been...’

She glanced back up at him sharply. ‘Been?’

The word was crude but appallingly it turned her on anyway.

‘You look like you’ve spent hours in bed yet not slept a wink,’ he elaborated lazily. Leaning close he brushed her hair back over her shoulder. ‘Your hair is wild, you have a kiss-swollen mouth, two love bites on your neck and yet your nipples are still screaming at me through that bikini top. You look ravished and ready for more.’

He sat back looking too smug. The flare of lust that had shot through her suddenly iced. Wasthatwhy he’d slept with her—why he’d been so passionate? So people would take one look at her and know she’d been his sexual plaything?

His gaze narrowed. ‘For the record, the look suits you. Very much. You have colour in your cheeks and sparkle in your eyes and you look ten times more alive than you did the morning I took you from that tinpot boat.’

‘Gosh. I’m flattered,’ she said coldly. ‘Isn’t that a marvellously convenient side effect of your sexual skills? To make it look convincing to the world that yes, you’ve seduced this woman and oh look, now she’s pregnant,’ she groused. ‘But I’m so sorry you felt youhadto do that.’

‘Maia.’ He gaped at her.

Yes, she was grumpy. She was unaccountably, incredibly grumpy and yes, she was kicking off. But she needed to push this because she’d suddenly realised this isolated lust-fest wasn’t necessarilyreal. At least, not for him.

‘Did you sleep with me so you can sell your paternity story? Was it all about proving your virility?’

‘Are you serious right now?’

Yes, she was. It suddenly all made sense. He’d only bought her to the island to create a narrative about their ‘love’ story. To have the world believe in them as a couple. It was calculating and she felt so naive. He was probably desperate to get back to his city life and not have to spend all these hours entertaining her. He’d probably beenbored.

Butshehadn’t been. She’d laughed—she’d loved those long hours in bed when he’d taken so much time with her. But she’d read all of that wrong. He was only doing what he had to do, to get what he wanted. And when would she ever learn that people didn’t stick around for her for long?

‘You don’t want anyone to know the truth about the conception,’ she said.

‘Well, I don’t particularly want our child growing up believing they were a sheer fluke thanks to fate.’

‘No one should ever know,’ she said.

‘Hopefully they won’t.’

‘But if they did, it shouldn’t matter.’

‘But itwould. This child’s paternity would be open to question. But that’s not really an issue now, is it? Given wearelovers, Maia.’

‘You seduced me only so you can say that.’ This was all a cover for the baby.

‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ He glared at her. ‘And maybe we ought to clarify who seduced who, Maia.’

‘As if I had any control over you?’ she said. ‘But now you’ve gotten that mundane task out of the way, perhaps we can move on.’

‘Maia—’

‘What? There’s no need for us to remain here now you’ve had me every way you want.’

‘I haven’t actually,’ he purred. ‘There are lots of positions we’ve yet to explore with each other and there is no way I’vetaughtyou everything you need to know in bed.’

She was not being derailed by that thought. She was calling a halt to it now. ‘Tough. We’re done.’

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