Page 7 of Playboy Billionaire's Secret Baby

Defensiveness curls up in my chest and I have to work really hard to push it to one side. I don’t have any ownership over Lexi and her beauty even if I do want to keep my brother a million miles away from her. Luckily, she probably isn’t in the country anymore.

“The maid of honor, Lexi.” I try to sound bored and completely unbothered but I don’t think I pull it off as well as I would have liked. “Allegra’s best friend.”

“I wish I’d been invited now. I would have had somefunwith her.”

My chest tightens. God damn it, is Elio doing this on purpose? Trying to wind me up? I know he’s always like this but it feels like he’s going in extra hard today. Almost as if he wants me to confess that I’m the one who bedded her last night.

But I’m not going to cave. I won’t give him what he wants. No way. I promised myself that I would keep things to myself and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

“I don’t think she’d want a perv like you looming over her,” I chuckle, trying to make a joke out of it. “She’s Allegra’s friend. Classy, you know? Too good for you.”

Elio laughs good naturedly and shoves me. “I take it she turned you down? You can’t imagine any woman not wanting to bed you, can you? It’d be different for me.”

I shove my phone away because this is too much. I’m done with talking to Elio. “Aren’t we supposed to be working? Keep out of it, will you?”

“You’re the one sitting around doing nothing because of your stinking hangover.” He lifts his hands in surrender. “Whatever… you want to get off your high horse now.”

Vicenzo tuts and rolls his eyes at the pair of us. “You both need to get back to work. If we allow things to slip now, it’ll put us behind and we’rewaytoo busy to get behind.”

Both Elio and I nod in agreement. That’s true, we pride ourselves on always being on time so we don’t want to let that go. Especially not because I’m all caught up over some woman I spent the night with…

Chapter 5

Lexi

Threemonthslater…

Oh my God,I can’t believe what I’m looking at. I can’t believe my suspicions are correct. I only took the test really to try and rule out the possibility but here it is… positive.I’m pregnant, I tell myself as I stare at the thin blue lines confirming as much. It shouldn’t be such a shock, but it is. It really stuns me to the core, even though my menstrual cycle hasn’t been right since I got back from Italy.I’m having a baby…

I sink down on my bathroom floor trying my hardest to work out what it means for me. Having a baby with the man I lost my virginity to, a man I had a one night stand with and haven’t spoken to since, is absolutely insane. Especially when I’m right at the start of my career. It’s so hard to get into the architecture game. I don’t want something to pull me out of it before I can create a reputation for myself.

I haven’t got a clue and that’s what’s really terrifying.

“I’m having a baby,” I whisper to myself again. “Oh, my God.”

My heart thunders so hard against my rib cage, I fear it might break free. It might explode, ending all my problems right here and now. Fuck, what am I going to do? I rake my fingers through my hair as I try to process the news, but it isn’t sinking in…

Ring, ring… Ring, ring… Ring, ring…

“Allegra?” I answer the phone rapidly, needing something to drag me out of this nightmare. My chest is so damn tight that I need my friend to loosen it. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good. I just wanted to let you know that I’m in town tomorrow.”

“You’re going to be here?” Oh, my God, it’s like an angel has been sent from heaven. If anyone knows what to do, it’ll be her. “Thank goodness, I can’t wait to see you.”

“Well, I do have work to do but we’ll definitely be having lunch… and dinner…”

I try to laugh but the sound comes out too strangled to be believable. Luckily, Allegra is not paying too much attention to me because she doesn’t pick up on it. Probably she’s still enthralled with the throes of being a new wife.

“Sounds good. I can’t wait to see you, Allegra. I’m looking forward to it already.”

Allegra is just about the only person in the world I would trust with this information; she’s the only friend I can really rely on with something so heavy and life changing. It really is a miracle that she’s visiting from Italy right now when I need her the most.

Although… do I tell her about Frederico? I feared he might tell Adam and Allegra when they were back from their honeymoon but clearly, he hasn’t said a thing. There’s no way my best friend would be able to keep this all inside if she knew I’d ignored her subtle warnings about the playboy at her wedding.

Urgh, who knows? I’m just grateful that I get to see her tomorrow because I’m not doing well with this on my own. I’m already a mess…

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