A Royal Baby Surprise (The Sherdana 2)

“Am I too heavy?” he murmured, lips moving against her shoulder as he spoke.

“A little, but I don’t want you to move just yet.” She was afraid any shift would disrupt this moment of perfect harmony.

“Good. I like it just where I am.”

They stayed that way for a long time. Legs entwined, his breath soft and steady on her neck, his fingers playing idly in her tangled curls. Brooke couldn’t recall if she’d ever enjoyed being so utterly still before. She didn’t want to talk or to think. Only to be.

But as with all things, change is inevitable. Nic heaved a mighty sigh and rolled away from her to dispose of the condom and pull a sheet over their cooling bodies. The breeze had shifted direction and the air that had seemed dense and sultry an hour earlier was swept away.

With her head pillowed on his shoulder and Nic’s fingers absently gliding across the small of her back, the lethargy she’d experienced earlier didn’t return.

“I can feel you thinking,” Nic said, his eyes closed, a half smile curving his lips.

“That’s illogical.”

His chest moved up and down with his sigh. “If I was in a logical frame of mind, I wouldn’t be lying naked with you in my arms.”

“I suppose not.”

“What’s on your mind?”

Not wanting to share her true thoughts, she said the first thing that popped into her head. “If you must know I was thinking about getting a cat when I get home.”

“Really?” He sounded genuinely surprised. “I thought Glen said you guys grew up with dogs.”

“We did, but dogs are so needy and some of my days can go really long with classes and office hours. I think a cat would be a wiser choice.”

“I like cats.”

“You do?” She couldn’t imagine Nic owning anything that needed regular feeding or care. “Wouldn’t a snake be a more suitable pet for you?”

“A snake?”

“Sure, something you only had to feed once a week.” She chuckled when he growled at her.

“No snakes.” He yawned. “A cat. Definitely.”

Brooke could tell by the sleepiness of his voice that she was losing him. “But a cat is going to jump on your worktable and knock things off. It’s going to wake you in the middle of the night wanting to be petted and yowling at you for attention. They ignore you when you give them commands and never come when they’re called.”

Nic cracked open one eye and smirked at her. “Yeah, a cat. They’re definitely my favorite kind of nuisance.”

It took Brooke a couple seconds to realize he had connected her behavior to what she’d just said about cats. In retaliation, she poked him hard in the ribs and he located the ticklish spot behind her knees that had her squirming. It didn’t take long for their good-natured tussling to spark another round of lovemaking.

Much later, while Nic’s breathing deepened into sleep, Brooke lay awake in the predawn stillness and tried to keep her thoughts from rushing into the future. The hours she had with him grew shorter every second. So instead of sleeping, as the sky grew lighter, Brooke lost herself in Nic’s snug embrace, savored the way his warmth seeped through her skin and awaited the day.

The nausea that had plagued her the day before began as the sun peeked over the horizon and gilded the window ledge. She breathed through the first wave and sagged with relief when her stomach settled down. Remembering how the previous morning had gone, Brooke knew she had to get back to her room. Nic might not be the most observant of men, but even he’d be hard-pressed not to notice if she was throwing up in his bathroom.

Last night while in the grip of insomnia, she’d decided not to tell him she was pregnant. If he hadn’t made love to her with such all-consuming emotion, she might have accepted that they could go back to being friends, affectionate but disconnected by distance and circumstances. But now she realized that they had to make a clean break of it. It would be best for both of them if he didn’t know the truth.

Before her stomach began to pitch and roll again, Brooke untangled herself from Nic’s embrace and eased from his bed. Her head spun sickeningly as she got to her feet and snatched up her pajamas. Naked, the soft cotton pressed to her mouth, she raced from the room and down the stairs.

If Elena was shocked to see her streak by, Brooke never knew because her focus was fixed on crossing the twenty feet of terrace to the guesthouse and reaching the bathroom in the nick of time. Panting in the aftermath, she splashed cold water on her face and waited to see if the nausea had passed. When it appeared the worst was over, Brooke climbed into the shower.

She was dressed and repacking her suitcase when a soft knock sounded. Heart jumping, she eased the door open, expecting to see Nic standing there, and was surprised to see Elena bearing a tray with a teapot and a plate of bread and assorted preserves.

“Ginger tea is good for nausea,” she anno

unced, slipping the tray onto the dresser. “I understand you are leaving for Sherdana today.”