Page 9 of Baby Daddy Protector

“Look. The more I think about this, the more my producing the next heir of Prylea seems to be the most expedient and effective solution to this problem. My loyal staff back home have been sending me regular updates on Silvester’s activities and with my father currently out of commission, he’s been even more blatant about his awful plans for when he claims the throne. I have to do something now rather than later. My only regret is that I didn’t act sooner.”

“I’ve been thinking about this a lot too, Es. And there’s one major issue I don’t think you’ve considered yet.”

“What’s that?”

“Say you do go through with this and get pregnant. There’s a fifty-fifty chance it’ll be a girl.” Z glanced over at the door then leaned closer. “A female child won’t put you any closer to the throne than you are now.”

“True. But Silvester can’t claim the throne until we know I’m not carrying a boy. That gives me nine months to try and get the laws changed. A lot of Silvester’s power comes from promises he’s made of what he’ll do once he’s on the throne. If there’s even a chance I’m carrying a son, I think there are a number of members of parliament who will cooperate with me so they can stay in my good graces if I end up in charge. It’s not a certainty that I’d be able to get the constitution amended, but I think there’s a decent chance.” I dunked my tea bag rhythmically into my cup rapidly to keep my shaking fingers occupied.

“Would you really have enough time, though? It wouldn’t be a whole nine months, right? People usually know what they’re having long before the baby is born.”

“It’spossibleto learn the gender in advance, but some people choose to be surprised. Parliament can’t force me to find out my unborn child’s gender. There’s no law stating that, thank goodness. This is still my best option at this point.” I exhaled slowly and sat back, choosing my next words carefully. “I’m sorry if I upset you the other night with my forward offer. You just seemed like such a perfect candidate. And I apologize for not making it clear that I would hold you to no obligations where this child is concerned. I realize now what a burden that would be for a man such as yourself—dedicated to your career and your service in the SEALs. I would never want to hold you back from returning to the lifestyle you love, nor would I seek anything beyond your original help with conception, and your continued cooperation until the child is born.”

“Es, I really want to help you. I just never expected for you to ask for something like this.”

“Would it help sweeten my offer if I told you I might be able to get you back on your SEAL team right away after the year of our marriage is up?” Technically, he’d committed to a three-year attachment to Prylea, but I could work around that—I had made major contacts with our allies over the last year. I’d provided many favors for the United States diplomats and politicians, all in the hopes of forging stronger bonds between our countries. If calling in repayment of a few of those favors now meant I could keep my throne, then I wasn’t above doing that. “I’ve got several contacts within the Pentagon. I could make some calls.”

“Are you trying to bribe me, Es?” Z asked, his tone quiet.

“Depends,” I said, watching him through my lashes. “Is it working?”

A small muscle ticked near his tense jaw and he swore under his breath, raking a hand through his hair. Tiny bubbles of hope fizzed inside me. I’d seen my father and his advisors wearing the same expression of resigned acceptance during difficult negotiations right before they conceded. It was the look of a man with his back to the wall and only one avenue of escape.

“I want it all in writing. Every detail explained and documented.”

“Of course.” I bit back a smile and pulled my phone from my pocket. “I’ll text them now.”

He looked at me then, his blue eyes warm and bright with determination. “You had this planned all along?”

“No. Not exactly. I had my staff draw up paperwork, just in case. All the personal details were left blank.” I thumbed in a quick message for my senior staffer to fax the contracts over to the townhouse. “Should be waiting for us when we get home.”

Z’s broad shoulders sagged slightly, and he blinked at me. “I’ve never been a fill-in-the-blank kind of guy before.”

I set my phone on the table, my hands trembling so badly that I didn’t dare attempt to drink my tea. It would slosh everywhere. “If it’s any consolation, this is my first time doing anything like this too.”

His eyes widened slightly. “You’re a virgin?”

“To political intrigue? Yes. Otherwise, no.” I laughed, genuine this time. Despite the awkward circumstances, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of me. To think such a tiny concession on my part had been the deciding factor for him. Getting back to the SEALs must be an all-consuming drive for him. I’d do well to remember that in the future, especially when those pesky emotions of mine threatened to get involved again. This was a business deal between us—nothing more, nothing less. “So, I guess we’re partners now?”

“Guess so.” He chuckled and sat back. “When do we get started?”

“With the marriage? That’ll have to wait until we’re back home. But as for the baby-making…” I gripped my cup tight and blew on the top to cool the tea, not missing the way his gaze tracked my movement, the blue of his eyes darkening slightly. The same tingle of sensual awareness zinged through me, making me bold. “How about we get started tonight?”

Z looked about as stunned as I felt by my words.

I wasn’t a forward sort of girl, but damn if he didn’t seem to bring it out in me.

“After you sign your contracts, of course.”

“Of course.” His full lips curved into a slow smile and my insides quivered. Maybe keeping things all business with him wouldn’t be so easy after all.

SEVEN

How about we get started tonight?

I walked through my bedroom in the townhouse later that evening, unable to get Es’s earlier question out of my mind. Now, as I stood before my closet—post-shower, clad in only the damp towel slung around my waist—I had no idea what to do.

Not with the baby-making stuff. I was well-versed in those techniques. No, it was the lead-up to the sex that had me stumped. I’d never been in this situation before—contracts signed and the woman waiting for me somewhere in the townhouse. It all seemed very cut and dried, and in all honesty, it should be. This was a business deal, a tit for tat—literally. And yet, I couldn’t seem to shake the niggle deep inside me that it…wasn’t.

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