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Pregnant? Julianna swung her startled gaze toward Boston and wondered if she’d somehow dropped down a rabbit hole into an alternate universe where doctors spouted impossible scenarios and enjoyed tea parties with people ere mad as fuck “I’ past Boston to the doctor as atteetaway but her near panicked tone stopped hinant You’ve made a mistake”

“There is no nant nonetheless I take it this is not a planned pregnancy?” the doctor surlower as answer enough “Well, you can look into alternatives if you’re not interested in carrying the pregnancy to term”

“Thank you doctor, I’ll take it fro her a quick look that proain She was te worth hefting at his head When the doctor had exited, Julianna swung her legs over the side of the bed, ready to do the same She needed some space to think Her head was ju to make heads or tails of this new development with Boston in her bubble

“I will have my private physician attend to your needs as soon as we determine paternity,” he saidshe decided to do She ignored hio back to her apartment “In the meantime, I want you to rest”

“You o fuck yourself,” she retorted sweetly, incensed that he would even presume that he was allowed an opinion in this situation “I think you knocked ive a rat’s ass what you think I should do Right now, I have two things on et so to cave in And newsflash neither of those options include you”

He chuckled as if her outburst ahter didn’t reach his eyes and she fought a shudder at the ruthlessness she saw there “Have you forgotten? I own you And thus, I ohatever’s in your belly For the ti anyway” He took a step forward and she tree in his eyes Did he truly believe she’d cheated on hiiven her to run around? She’d been in his constant coned her life away in a devil’s deal that now, more than ever, she realized had been the worst decision of her life “Nothing has changed,” he said in a hard tone “You belong to me”

“Everything has changed,” she hissed, not backing down even though her sto in her body A baby! She wasn’t ready to be a mother But worse, she didn’t want to be tied to Boston for the rest of her life Sudden tears blurred her eyesight and she cursed the onslaught of hor hockey with her eall to look at nant and you assured rily to her belly “joke’s on ot a bun in my oven!”

“I assure you, I’ve been tolda child was so sliivethe assumption that we’ve created a miracl

e together because the alternative is far easier to iine”

“The alternative being I cheated on you,” she supplied in an angry whisper “Well, when could I have pulled off this feat? You never give me a damn moment alone I’ve been with you for the past six weeks nearly every second of the day”

“And that was a terrible hardship for you, wasn’t it?” he sneered

She wanted to screech at hi tied to hie the words, no matter how much it burned The fact was, she’d becoainst hers, and the way he turned her inside out with asms that were a brand of pleasure that she was sure wasn’t natural But there was no way in hell she was going to adht her, hauling her against hiainst hi “Don’t touch me”

“If that baby is mine…”

“Quit saying that, you know it’s yours!”

His gaze roaht she saw desperate hope gli in his dark eyes that caused a traitorous leap in her heart No, don’t do that, she told herself, horrified that she would care about his feelings He’d done this to her on purpose He’d tricked her That was the only answer But even as she cursed him silently for what he’d done, she wasn’t prepared for the soft touch of his lips brushing against hers as he said, “If what you say is true…then we truly created awill keep me from my child” He deepened the kiss and her knees threatened to buckle, damn him “Not even if its mother hates me,” he o “Richard will take you home I have calls to make”

And then he left her to stare after hiround the tears frorab a cab and screw Boston with his dictates but even as the defiant thought blazed across her thoughts, she sank back down on the bed and knew she’d await Richard to ferry her back to Boston’s house because in a way, his place had becoold-plated bathroom fixtures that she hated

Why? Ah crap, because as ht, Boston crawled into bed with her and they slept entwined with one another, as if they were carved froether Dumb bad luck

Julianna glanced down at her belly and her breath hitched in her throat as the sobering thought of hed on her shoulders

She squeezed her eyes shut and a tentacle of fear reached froiving birth It was rare — but it happened It was a worst-case scenario…and it’d happened to someone she’d loved very much

It ht be irrational to fear the same fate but by the ti the urge to lose whatever food remained in her stomach

Bottom line? She was afraid of this baby