CHAPTER SEVEN
‘YOU... WHAT?’ JACKmurmured, his voice rough with shock, and Katie watched his gaze drop to her belly.
Katie’s still tender stomach flipped over as his knees dropped to the bathroom tiles, his balance shot, as well as his usual cast-iron control.
‘It was an accident,’ she said. ‘I can take a DNA test once it’s born, if you don’t believe it’s yours,’ she added, expecting to see suspicion, even accusation, on his face.
When his gaze rose, though, he still looked dazed. But then two creases appeared between his brows.
She braced, ready for anger, but all he said was, ‘How long have you known?’
‘Since yesterday,’ she replied. ‘I’d been sick on and off for two weeks and it was affecting my work.’ She knew she was babbling, but she couldn’t seem to stop, wanting to fend off the accusations that were bound to come soon. He’d treated her with contempt as soon as she’d arrived. Which only made her more determined to hold her ground, to get what she needed before he found out how much she needed it.
But his expression remained oddly unreadable.
‘It’s not easy baking when even the scent of food makes you nauseous,’ she finished.
‘No doubt,’ he said, his gaze drifting back to her belly. ‘I thought you were on the pill.’
Oddly, the question lacked the cynicism she’d expected, but even so she went on the offensive.
‘I was on the pill. But it was low-dosage and I’d only been on it for a week. Even so, the doctor said it’s extremely rare.’ Feeling stronger, she added an edge to her voice. ‘It seems you have extremely fertile sperm.’
‘Who knew?’ His lips quirked, the hint of wry amusement surprising her even more. Did he think this was funny? But as he continued to study her in that unnerving way he had, as if he could see past every one of her defences, his brow furrowed again. ‘Why didn’t you tell me about the pregnancy as soon as you arrived?’
She cursed her pale skin as the tell-tale heat crawled up her neck.
‘Because I didn’t want to get the third degree about how it had happened. Or have you try to talk me into an abortion,’ she said, knowing she had been right not to blurt out the truth and give him even more power to hurt her.
Anger spread up her chest to disguise the hurt as she recalled the insulting way he’d treated her. Had he even really still wanted her? Or had he simply intended to humiliate her, get her to show him how much she still wanted him, before he slapped her down?
She’d put everything into that kiss, had lost herself in it seconds after he’d responded, but had he? She wasn’t even sure about that any more. Had it all been a game to him to make her go insane with lust just so he could humiliate her more when he rejected her?
‘What the hell makes you think I’d try to force you to have an abortion?’ he asked, surprising her again. Because he didn’t look superior or in control any more. He looked furious.
‘Because...’ She sputtered to a stop. He actually looked really offended. ‘Well, aren’t you?’ she managed, her righteousness faltering a little.
‘Do you want to have the child?’ he asked.
Emotion closed her throat. The baby felt so real to her now, even though, according to all the research she’d done in the last twenty-four hours, it was no bigger than a grain of rice.
‘Yes, I do want it, very much,’ she said without hesitation around the thickness in her throat.
‘Then I will support your choice,’ Jack answered without an ounce of sarcasm. Or even any apparent resentment.
Katie’s jaw went slack. To say she was surprised by the statement would be a massive understatement. She wasn’t just surprised—she was stunned speechless.
‘Really?’ she whispered at last. ‘You’re not angry?’ she asked, not sure she could believe him as she struggled to contain the painful hope pressing against her chest wall.
Was this just another trick? Surely it had to be? She would have expected a man as cynical as him to feel trapped, or at the very least suspicious. She certainly had not expected him to so readily believe not only that the baby was his, but that her pregnancy had genuinely been an accident.
‘I pay for my mistakes,’ Jack said. ‘And this is my fault, not yours. I should have worn protection and I didn’t.’
Our baby is not a mistake.
It was what she wanted to say. But as she opened her mouth to protest Jack stood up and, taking her elbow, pulled her to her feet.
‘I do have some conditions, though.’
‘What conditions?’ She stared at him, trying to decipher what was coming so she could ward it off... But as usual his expression gave nothing away.
How could he be so controlled when her emotions felt as if they were being squished through a meat grinder?
‘We need to be married—until after the baby’s born. No child of mine will grow up without my name.’
‘You don’t have to be married to me to give the baby your name,’ Katie began. ‘You can just put your name on the birth...’ He pressed his finger to her lips, silencing her.
‘You were happy to sleep with me for a hundred-thousand-pound investment in your company about ten minutes ago, Katherine. So why should marriage be a problem?’
‘I know, but...’
‘But nothing. We can separate in...’ He paused. ‘When is it due?’
‘I won’t know for sure until I’ve had the first scan,’ she countered, beginning to feel totally overwhelmed again, and not liking it.
‘Ball park,’ he said.
‘January.’ She huffed.
‘We can separate in February, then. I’ll have it written into the contract.’
‘What contract?’ she asked, her voice rising. He was trying to railroad her. Again.
‘The contract you’re going to sign before the wedding in four weeks’ time.’
‘What?’She actually squeaked. He wanted to get married in a month? ‘I haven’t even agreed to marry you yet.’
‘But you will. You know as well as I do, you’re all out of options, or you wouldn’t have come to me begging to prostitute yourself.’
‘I didn’t beg!’ she gasped, outraged. ‘You insisted.’