“Why are you shocked?” he asked me. “Did you really think they’d leave the Breeder on her own? It’s for your own safety. What if I turned out to be abusive? They couldn’t risk their most precious asset.”
I put my palms flat on his chest and leaned my cheek to his skin. “It makes sense. I guess I felt private here. Special. Like we were the only two people in the world. I know everyone saw us during yesterday’s big show, but today I don’t like knowing strangers are watching us. It was one thing to allow it yesterday for the world, but that was ceremonial. This month belongs to us.”
His strong arms came around my body, squeezing me in a warm hug. Hot water sluiced down, getting caught where our bodies connected. “When this is over and you’re pregnant with my child, I’ll take you to my farm where we’ll have as much privacy as we want.”
I couldn’t imagine it. I hadn’t been truly private since getting my period six years ago. Living on a rural farm sounded like heaven, and I knew if anyone had the resources to make it happen it was him. But not even Ethan Green could change the laws of succession if I didn’t get pregnant by him. I smiled up at his compelling face. When I was fourteen, I’d been positive he was the most handsome boy in the universe. Now I wasn’t sure if he was handsome. I didn’t have enough experience or data to make a judgment, but to me, Ethan’s face was beyond appealing. “I’d like that,” I said and leaned up to kiss him.
He caught me in a tight embrace, backing me up against the shower wall. My legs came around him and I guessed we were about to make love again. I guessed correctly.
Chapter Five
Two weeks later
I sat on the edge of the bed waiting for my vitals to be taken. I’d learned the female doctor’s name was Doctor Judith and the man was Doctor Brown. “Hmm.” Judith stared intently at her tablet then back at me.
“What is it?” Ethan asked sharply.
She didn’t answer him. She walked to me and reached for my arm, syringe in hand. My skin was bared to her. We were naked, as usual. I didn’t think we’d been dressed for more than a few hours in the past weeks, and then only to host a visit from Zoe, who’d given birth and was pushing for the freedom to move to her own apartment near mine in Windy City. I’d asked Ethan to see if he could pull strings. I had complete faith he could.
Despite our frequent sex schedule, he spent much of his day working and making calls to run his farm or investments. He never said anything, but I could tell he was antsy to get out of the apartment and get back to his real life. His only stumbling block was his refusal to leave without me, but it couldn’t happen unless...
Doctor Judith painlessly drew some blood and placed it on a slide for analysis on her tablet. I held my breath and reached for Ethan’s hand. We didn’t have long to wait. After a few minutes, Judith shook her head at Doctor Brown.
“I’m... I’m not pregnant?”
She didn’t need words to tell me. It was all detailed in her sour look. My fingers went bloodless as I squeezed Ethan’s hand. He tugged it out of my death grip and stood.
“But her ovulation is scheduled to start today,” Doctor Judith said quickly in a meager attempt to offer assurances.
“Good to know, but you need to leave now,” Ethan said, a military general firing orders at a cadet. Even naked, he radiated power and the doctors yielded to his authority. They may have been government representatives, but in this apartment, he was king. He followed them out the door then returned to the bedroom where I huddled under the comforter in a tight ball.
“Jane, look at me.” He sat, then picked me up and plunked me on his lap. His strength overwhelmed me. “I’m going to take care of this,” he said. “I promise.”
“How? We only have two weeks left, and then I’m scheduled for my week off between candidates while I menstruate.”
“Two weeks is a long time. I’m not worried. And she said you’re ovulating.” His large hand rubbed circles on my back and I curled into him.
He might not have been worried, but I was panicking. “Ethan, you’re a wealthy man, but you can’t change laws. At least not in two weeks. Either I get pregnant or you go back to the farm and candidate number two moves in.” I could feel a sob welling up, threatening to burst. The skin on my chest was red and blotchy.
“Jane, we’ll figure something out. I swear.”
I wanted to believe him, but I had twenty years of living in this country. The Breeder ceremony and laws were sacred. One man, even one as rich and powerful as Ethan, couldn’t change the laws. Could he?
Two weeks later
He hadn’t packed. I stepped out of the shower and eyed the razor on the glossy white tiled counter. The doctors would show up any minute along with a government representative to make the changeover to candidate number two if today’s pregnancy test was negative. I knew Ethan had a plan, not that he’d shared it with me. His confidence impressed me, but I had my doubts.
His face appeared in the mirror behind me. I smiled at his reflection. “Good morning.”
He leaned down to plant a row of kisses on the side of my damp neck. “You’re still worried. Don’t be.”
I turned, getting the damp blue terry-cloth towel caught between our bodies. “How can I not be? You might leave today.”
He cradled my face in his large palms. “I’m not going anywhere without you.” Our stares remained locked, each trying to convey something silently to the other. Finally I broke away and went in search of my clothes. Ethan went to the living room to await our unwanted visitors. We’d agreed to hold negotiations on neutral territory outside the intimacy of our bedroom. We’d also agreed to not be naked. Which meant I had to hurry.
Despite my rush, Ethan was already talking to two unfamiliar government representatives when I emerged into the living room. Doctors Judith and Brown huddled behind the couch trying not to look as though they were eavesdropping on Ethan’s intent discussion. They frowned slightly when I walked in the room, because now they’d have to go to work. There was no reason for them to examine Ethan today. I was their target.
I held out my arm, walking toward them, ready for the pinprick of pain when they took their sample of blood. As soon as they had what they needed, I walked to the front of the sofa and sat next to Ethan. He was dressed in business attire, the first day I’d seen him dressed in such. I rather liked it and felt bad for dampening and wrinkling the shirt when I’d hugged him straight from the towel. The clothes gave him armor. He wasn’tmyEthan dressed in them. He was farm owner and successful investor Ethan Green.