His Black Sheep Bride (Aristocratic Grooms 1)

“Really,” she insisted meaningfully.

He sighed and sat back in his chair. “I’ve met your mother, Tamara, and you two are hardly alike, except—” he paused meaningfully and swept her a look “—you’ve certainly inherited her model looks and figure.”

“Is that my appeal?”

He caught Tamara’s guarded expression, which belied her flippant words.

She was afraid of getting hurt.

There it was again—that damned vulnerability that had done him in last time.

Still, he felt strangely tender and protective. “You’re beautiful.”

And she was. Her green eyes were very expressive of her feelings, and her dark-red hair reflected her firecracker personality.

He’d been around many beautiful women in his life, but there was something special about Tamara.

There’d always been something special about Tamara, he thought, if he’d cared to acknowledge it.

Tamara looked at him, wide-eyed, her eyes like glistening pools. “Oh…”

“Do you want me to show you?” he asked, her emotional response making him want to push aside his laptop and breakfast, lay her down on the table and demonstrate how beautiful he found her. “You can look as artsy and antiestablishment as you want, but it won’t change that you’re a beautiful woman.”

The air between them became charged with meaning.

“It won’t change that you’re the daughter of a model from Texas who married a British viscount and media mogul,” he went on. “You’ve also inherited your mother’s features and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Tamara looked startled at his insight, almost as if she’d never admitted as much to herself.

But she recovered quickly. “Just like your title and hereditary obligations don’t change the fact that you’re in many ways as American as your name? You’re passionate as much as any headstrong American heiress.”

He nodded in self-deprecating acknowledgment. “Well said.”

She smiled reluctantly, sharing in his humor. “Thank you.”

He pushed back his chair and stood. “We’re mutts, you and I. Both British and American. In that way, we’re more alike than our parents ever were.”

“Where are you going?” she asked.

He walked to the door and flipped the lock, and then turned back to survey her.

“Since we’re done with breakfast,” he said, though neither of them had eaten much, “I thought I’d demonstrate my passionate side again—strictly for the purpose of confirming your assessment, of course.”

She looked startled, and then laughed. “Of course.”

He moved toward her, undoing the buttons at the top of his shirt.

Tamara pushed back her chair and stood, a small laugh escaping her. “Someone could—”

“—interrupt,” he finished for her. “Splendid. Let’s start the gossip mill going about what a wonderfully intimate relationship the Earl and Countess of Melton have. After all, that’s been the plan all along, hasn’t it?”

Frankly, he didn’t give a damn about the plan. His only thought right now was what they could do with a dining-room table.

The look he gave her was full of promise before he trapped her against the table, pushed a couple of dishes away with one arm, and bent her backward…

Tamara looked at the stick in her hand, trying to comprehend it.

Two little pink lines should be simple enough to interpret. And yet, her mind refused to grasp what her senses were telling her.

Fortunately, her test kit came with two more sticks. She tried them both, her hand betraying a slight tremor.

Minutes later, there was no mistaking the matter. There were two pink lines of equal intensity.

Emotions chased themselves through her and looped around again. Elation was followed by panic and both were pursued by uncertainty.

She stared at herself in the bathroom mirror.

Five weeks. It had been five weeks since her last period. She had always been regular.

Oh.

She’d only been intimate with Sawyer for three weeks, and this had happened.

Her hand covered her abdomen, over her brown floral print dress cinched by a wide belt.

She’d bought a pregnancy test kit on the way home from work at her SoHo loft. She’d meant to take the test tomorrow morning, after Sawyer departed for work. But once she’d arrived back at the town house, nervous curiosity had overwhelmed her.

She was stunned to realize she was thrilled at the thought of a child…hers and Sawyer’s.

These past three weeks had been idyllic. It had been a honeymoon without an official honeymoon. She and Sawyer had laughed, had fun together and grown closer than she’d ever expected. They’d fallen into some of the daily rituals of a married couple, waking together, getting ready for work and attending social functions in the evening.

Unsurprisingly, as the Earl of Melton and a high-profile media mogul, Sawyer received numerous invitations to galas, premieres and parties. And of course, since they were putting themselves forth as the newlywed earl and countess, they accepted many of the invites.

Stepping out as Sawyer’s wife had not been a hardship, and, in fact, if she was honest, had served her well. Sawyer’s social introductions had already brought more business to Pink Teddy than she would have ever expected.

Sawyer had repeatedly voiced an admiration for her artistic talent in a way that no one—and certainly no man—ever had before. And he’d acted as a sage business advisor—a sounding board who’d offered the services of his own hand-picked accountant. For someone who always prided herself on her independence, she was amazed to discover how pleasant it was to face challenges as a team.

And yet…and yet a part of her was terrified.

What would Sawyer’s reaction to her pregnancy be? Surprise? Shock? Withdrawal?

Her arrangement with Sawyer was supposed to get her business off the ground. A baby wasn’t part of the deal. She knew the reason why Sawyer had married her, and it wasn’t so the two of them could have a happily-ever-after.

These past weeks as Sawyer’s wife had been pleasurable—she couldn’t deny it. But Sawyer had never so much as hinted their sleeping together was anything more than a nice little dividend to their arrangement. He’d never said he loved her.

She felt a pang.

We’ll work it out.

Sawyer’s words came back to her.

Unexpectedly, he had a chance to make good on his promise. She prayed that his reaction would be all she hoped for and more.