Tempting Danger

by Katie Reus

  At the woman’s words, Nathaniel broke away from the man he was talking to. He shook hands with Summer as he looked down at Alena. “You do look a little pale. Let’s step outside for a minute. They have a patio area with music and food and it’s right on the water.”

  Her instinct was to say she was fine but she nodded. And the thought of getting to breathe in the salty ocean air sounded like heaven. “I actually think that’s a good idea.” She’d taken one step with Nathaniel when one of her knees buckled. She had never fainted before in her life, and she wasn’t sure if she was about to. But she knew she needed to get out of here right now.

  Luckily Nathaniel caught her elbow and smoothly slid an arm around her so no one noticed anything—except the doctor.

  “Change of plans,” Summer said. “There are a couple private rooms here I’ve used before when guests needed to be checked out.”

  “Oh no, I don’t want to take you away from the party.” She clutched Nathaniel’s arm, using him to steady herself. And I don’t want you examining me.

  “Well I’m not asking. I’m telling you,” the woman said smoothly, her voice brisk but kind. “Let’s do this.”

  Nathaniel was clearly concerned but smiled warmly at Summer. “Thank you. We’ll just follow after you.”

  Alena had to force herself to take one step after the other as they moved through the throng of tables. They’d been there at least an hour and the crowd had definitely grown. Instead of the light ragtime music, a jazz band was performing, loud and boisterous. If she passed out or got sick here, someone with their stupid phone would take a picture. And it would somehow make its way online. She didn’t want to risk that.

  Just a few more minutes, she told herself. She simply needed to get out of the ballroom and somewhere private. If she threw up then, it would be embarrassing but it would be a lot better than hurling in the middle of a crowded dance floor.

  As she and Nathaniel pushed through a particularly large crowd of people, she froze as they neared one of the exits.

  Andre was standing by a full table, his hands shoved in the pockets of his slacks as he talked to an Asian man. As if he sensed her, Andre looked in her direction, pinning her with that icy blue stare.

  Oh no, she definitely couldn’t get sick now. Panic and nausea swirled inside her at the same time. What on earth was he doing here? She couldn’t see him now. She wasn’t prepared for this. No, no, no.

  Andre’s gaze swept over her and Nathaniel, no doubt taking in how close they were to each other. If anything, it probably appeared as if she was embracing him. Which she definitely was, but only because she couldn’t stand on her own.

  “We need to get out of here right now,” she murmured. “I can’t deal with talking to him or seeing him.” Not here and not now anyway.

  Nathaniel wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her close as he continued steering them toward the nearest exit doors.

  “It’s just this way,” Summer said, motioning down the hall and toward another set of double doors on the opposite side of the hallway.

  Heart racing, Alena stepped inside with the other two. Summer grabbed a chair from a stack, and set it in front of her as Nathaniel flipped on a panel of lights. She instantly winced at the sudden onslaught as she adjusted to the brightness.

  She already felt better being out of the loud atmosphere. Now she just needed to be alone for a bit. Sucking in a deep breath, she said, “I don’t know if I can stay for the whole party, Nathaniel. I’m so sorry.”

  He waved her words away as he crouched in front of her. “I don’t give a shit about that.”

  “How much alcohol have you had tonight?” Summer asked, pulling another chair up directly in front of her.

  “Ah, none. And…I know why I’m feeling exhausted. And woozy.” Sighing, she rubbed a hand over her clammy face. Right about now she wished she was back in her sister’s guest room, wearing her pajamas, and sleeping. Or at least resting and bingeing on television. This pregnancy thing was no joke. And she was only at sixteen weeks. “I know you’re not my doctor but—”

  “Anything you say to me is confidential. And…” The woman’s eyes flickered to Alena’s middle for a fraction of a moment before returning to hold her gaze. “I think you just need to get some water and something simple to eat. But you definitely don’t need to be here tonight if you’re feeling exhausted.”

  “Maybe we should take her to see one of the doctors on staff, Summer,” Nathaniel said. “I know you’re good at what you do, but you’re an OB. Maybe she should see—”

  “I’m pregnant, Nathaniel.” She hadn’t planned to tell him like this, but she wasn’t going to go see anyone else. She just wanted to leave. She would be asking for Summer’s card though, since she was an OB. But the anxiety threading through her was starting to make her nauseous again. She needed to be gone right now. Far away from Andre.

  “Pregnant?” Andre’s familiar voice made her freeze before turning to look over her shoulder. Fear and a little mortification added to her anxiety. How was this happening?

  Sure enough, he stood in the entryway, his expression darker than she’d ever seen it.

  Oh, hell.

  Chapter 3

  Andre stared at Alena, sitting in that chair, her dark eyes wide. “You’re pregnant,” he repeated. He felt almost numb as he watched her. She was pregnant.

  She glanced around, as if looking for an answer, but he knew what he’d heard. When she met his gaze again, she nodded and whispered, “Yes.”

  He knew without a doubt that it was his. He’d been keeping tabs on her, knew that she hadn’t been with anyone else. “Everyone else out,” he ordered without looking at the others.

  He knew the woman, Dr. Summer Freeman. Her reputation was solid. The man with her, Nathaniel Johnson, was a successful businessman. He dealt in real estate and architecture. He was also a pretty decent guy, and from Andre’s research, he knew that Nathaniel and Alena were friends. He didn’t think they’d ever been romantically involved but he also didn’t like the possessive way Johnson was hovering over her.

  “You’re the one who needs to get out,” Johnson snapped.

  Alena laid a gentle hand on the man’s arm as she stood. When she did, Andre watched the way her dress shifted slightly. Because of the tiers, it was difficult to see any change in her body, though her breasts did look bigger. He frowned as Johnson turned toward her. “Get your hand off her.” Technically Alena was touching Nathaniel and not the other way around, but seeing her with another man had him acting a little crazy. Not to mention the very important detail of her pregnancy.

  Alena was having his child.

  Looking almost exasperated, Alena dropped her hand and turned to the other man. “Nathaniel, Summer, it’s okay. I need to talk to him.”

  Johnson looked at her, frowning. “I’ll stay with you.”

  She shook her head before Andre could protest. “It’s not necessary. Please wait in the hall if you would like. I really do need to talk to him. And Summer…I might call you next week.”

  “Please do. I’ll probably get your number from Nathaniel and call you tomorrow just to check in. Are you sure you want to be alone with him?” she asked quietly but loud enough that Andre could hear.

  He could respect that.

  “I’m sure. He would never hurt me,” Alena said quietly.

  He internally recoiled at her words. Even when he’d been his angriest at her, he never could have hurt her. He could never hurt any woman.

  “All right.” The doctor squeezed Alena’s hands once before turning and heading toward the doors. When she reached Andre, she paused, her gaze narrowed. “Don’t upset her,” she said tightly.

  “I won’t,” he murmured. But he would get answers.

  Then she was gone, leaving only Johnson. Andre could see it was against the man’s instinct to leave but eventually he nodded at Alena. Then he looked at Andre, his expression hard. “I’ll be out in the hallway. You’ve got five m
inutes.”

  Andre gritted his teeth but didn’t respond. He didn’t give a shit about this guy. All his focus was on Alena. He still hadn’t wrapped his head around her being pregnant. Once the door shut behind Johnson, Andre crossed the distance to her. “Do you need to sit down?” he asked softly. Even if he had a whole lot of anger at her, he wasn’t going to take it out on her now. She was vulnerable and he wasn’t a monster. He wasn’t like his father.

  She looked vaguely surprised and nodded. “Actually yes, I will sit. I don’t think I was ready for the big crowd and all those smells tonight. I got a little nauseous.”

  “How far along are you?” He knew she hadn’t been with anyone for a long time before him—he’d checked that too. He didn’t care if that made him a fucking stalker.

  She glanced down at her clasped hands. “Sixteen weeks almost exactly.”

  “It’s mine.” A wave of possessiveness swept through him. And he wasn’t going to analyze it right now. This woman simply brought out his protective instincts. Especially since he knew what his father had done to her family, how Yasha had left her and her sister orphans.

  “Yes, it is. I was going to tell you, I swear.”

  He snorted at her words because he didn’t believe anything she said. It was like a sucker punch to his solar plexus when she flinched, as if hurt.

  But then her expression went completely neutral. “I deserved that. I assumed you would want to do a paternity test. I’m far enough along now that we can do a non-invasive one.”

  He shot to his feet and took a step back, reeling under the impact of her words. “Are you saying the baby might not be mine?”

  She rolled her eyes, the picture of haughtiness—something he’d loved about her. “Of course it’s yours,” she snapped. “I just figured that you would want to do a test.”

  Relief rushed through him. “We’ll do a test if you want, but I know that baby is mine.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “How could you know that?”

  “Are you denying it?”

  “No! I just assumed you’d want a paternity test, to make sure.” She paused, gave him an uncertain look. “Have you been spying on me?”

  “Yes.” No need to deny it. He was who he was and didn’t make apologies for it.

  She blinked, clearly surprised by his bluntness. “Why?” she demanded.

  “Because I fucking can.” He wasn’t going to give her a reason. Because he wasn’t certain he actually had one. What was he going to say, that he was obsessed with her? That he couldn’t get her out of his head? That even though she’d lied to him and literally tried to kill his father, he still wanted her more than his next breath.

  She stared at him for a long moment, as if unsure what to say. Yeah, well, the feeling was mutual because he had no idea what to say either. He’d thought he’d known what he wanted to say to her tonight, but learning that she was pregnant had tilted his world on its axis. “If you’re ready to leave, I can take you to your sister’s house.”

  Nodding, she stood. Then she frowned, her spine stiffening. “How do you know I’m staying at my sister’s?”

  “Where else would you be staying? Because you’re sure as hell not staying with Johnson. And you’re definitely not going home with him.”

  Her back went even straighter as she took a step toward him. “You don’t tell me what to do.”

  He gritted his teeth. He was used to giving orders and having things done immediately. He knew she wasn’t one of his subordinates. And when they’d been together he hadn’t treated her like one. But the thought of her going home with Nathaniel Johnson made him see red. Hell, the thought of her with any man made him crazy. Be civil, he ordered himself. He knew she wasn’t with Johnson anyway. And he needed to stop acting like a jackass. “I would like to take you home and have a chance to speak with you in the privacy of my car.” There, that sounded civil.

  Her shoulders relaxed slightly and she nodded. God, in that shimmery dress, with her breasts all plumped up, he was having a hard time keeping his eyes on her face. Not when he wanted to bury his face between the mounds, tease her nipples until she was writhing underneath him, begging him to— Nope.

  “I’ll need to speak to Nathaniel,” Alena said, “but yes, I would appreciate a ride home. I’d hate for him to have to miss this party because of me.”

  “May I…” He stopped at the last second, not sure how to ask the question.

  “What?”

  “It’s hard to tell in your dress. I simply wanted to know if I could feel your stomach. But I don’t want to overstep.”

  More than a touch of surprise flickered across her flawless features. As always, she was the vision of perfection and elegance. Dark eyes that missed nothing and a full mouth he had dreams about. She paused before nodding. “Yes, of course you can.”

  Even as he crossed the distance to her, he ached inside. He’d completely fallen for this woman. This beautiful little liar. And now she was carrying his baby. He wasn’t sure how to digest that information, or what the hell he was going to do about it.

  Slowly he reached out and cupped her belly, which was indeed a small bump. She must have chosen this dress specifically. Obviously. It covered the curve he felt, the roundness, but he imagined that when she was naked, the bump would be quite prominent. He immediately locked down thoughts of her naked, not wanting to go there. Now definitely wasn’t the time. When he pulled his hand back, he felt…hell, he wasn’t sure what he felt. Empty, lonely. Who the fuck knew?

  “I need to speak to Nathaniel in the hallway without you being all, well, Andre. Do not threaten him.” She gave him an annoyed look as he held the door open for her.

  “Fine.”

  In the hallway he stood off to the side as Alena talked to the good-looking bastard in hushed tones. Johnson gave her a purse. Must have gone back to their table to get it for her. He didn’t like what Alena was telling him, that much was clear in his tense body language, but he finally nodded and gave her a brief kiss on the forehead.

  Andre hated it, but he let it go. Arguing or acting like a caveman wouldn’t get him anywhere right now. Except… As a thought occurred to him, he pulled out his cell phone and texted his driver and his security for the night. He’d already told his security to stand down while he went to follow Alena—much to their annoyance. But he didn’t care. Once he got a response, he turned back to see Johnson stalking away down the hallway, back to the party. Alena was going to be pissed about what he planned to do in the next few minutes but too damn bad.

  “My car is waiting out front,” he said, moving to Alena’s side.

  When she nodded, it was clear how tired she was. Not that anything took away from her beauty, but she seemed almost fragile. On instinct he wrapped his arm around her, wanting to make sure she was protected from any partygoers. He really must be a fool. He shouldn’t be touching her. It was stupid. But he had this innate urge to keep her safe. “Use me to lean on if you need help walking.”

  “I think I’m fine now, but…thank you.” She didn’t wrap her arm around him, but even so, she fit perfectly against him as they headed toward the nearest set of doors.

  Inside the ballroom, a man he’d done business with immediately started toward him, but Andre waved him off. Right now he simply wanted to get Alena to his car. The fastest way was straight through the gala.

  Appearing as if from nowhere, his two security men for the evening moved in, one standing in front of them and another behind. He didn’t think Alena was even aware of the men as they slowly made their way around the outskirts of the tables.

  He hadn’t thought about it before but the place was loud and there were a lot of rich scents filling the air.

  He was aware of more than a few curious looks tossed their way, but he ignored all of them. Before Alena, he hadn’t brought anyone to events. Just as he hadn’t been seen in public with another woman for anything other than business. She was the first woman he’d been linked with since his wife’s de
ath a couple years ago.

  And Alena had cut his heart out.

  When they finally stepped outside, he was glad to see his limo parked right at the bottom of the red-carpeted stairs, his driver standing next to the back door.

  “This is us,” he murmured to her, holding her firmly as they descended the stairs. He was going to be making a very public claim on her soon.

  As they reached the bottom, his driver opened the door. At the open door, she half turned into him, clearly ready to say something. He took the opportunity to lean down and brush his lips over hers. He knew it was a dick move, but he did everything with a purpose.

  Even so, he should have been prepared for the reaction that jolted through him at the feel of her lips against his. She swayed into him for a fraction of a moment before pulling back, her expression shocked.

  Her lips tightened with anger as she quickly ducked into the car. He slid in next to her. One of his security men got into the front seat with the driver and the other would be following behind them in another vehicle at a discreet distance. Now that his father was dead, security wasn’t as intense. He’d been a target simply because of his criminal father, by people who hadn’t particularly hated him, but who would have targeted Andre because of Yasha. He still kept some security though, because he did run a billion-dollar business.

  “What the hell was that?” Her voice was breathy as the door shut behind them.

  Lifting a shoulder and feigning a casualness he didn’t feel, he said, “A picture of us should hit some kind of media site by tomorrow. Maybe even tonight. So when we get married, it won’t be such a surprise. After all, we were linked together over four months ago.”

  “Married?”

  Nodding, he pulled out his cell phone. No way would he be apart from the mother of his child. My child. This was happening. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

  “Did you hit your freaking head? We’re not getting married.”

  Turning to look at her, he wasn’t surprised to see anger and hurt flicker across her face. “I’m going to be involved with my child’s life every step of the way.” Which meant he would live in the same damn house and be able to protect what was his.