Pregnant with the Tycoon's Heir (The Ladies of The Burling School Book 5)

by Elizabeth Lennox

  Naya knew that she’d never wear white shorts. They just weren’t practical. Plus, she’d most likely sit in something disgusting the first time she wore them out. That was just her life, so white shorts weren’t her thing.

  But she wasn’t sure there was any way around it. “Fine. But darker shorts,” she asserted firmly. Naya didn’t glance at Pierce. She wasn’t asking for his approval.

  The woman immediately pulled out a pair of navy shorts that also matched the tank top and led Naya over to the dressing rooms.

  Naya stepped inside and tried on the shorts. They fit her perfectly and she loved them, but she gasped at the price tag. “I can’t buy these!” she announced.

  “You’re not buying anything,” Pierce said when he opened the dressing room door. His eyes moved up and down her figure and she knew that he liked what he saw. “Take those off and try this on,” he ordered, handing her a tiny bathing suit.

  Naya looked at the miniscule triangles and burst out laughing, shaking her head as she stepped away. “No way! I need more material than that!”

  He must have anticipated her response because he immediately handed her another bikini, this one with much more material, but still smaller than anything she would have chosen herself.

  An hour later, Pierce had bought her four pairs of shorts with matching tops, three dresses, four bathing suits, three pairs of sandals in different colors, a beach bag, several hats, a pair of sunglasses and a matching bathing suit cover-up. “Stop!” she laughed, refusing to try on anything else.

  “Fine, but I’ve already bought you underwear,” he warned her. “I think we need food. Are you hungry?”

  At the mention of food, she nodded. “Starving,” she told him.

  They ate at a noisy restaurant that was right on the beach and had the best fried fish tacos she’d ever tasted. He ordered a beer for himself and a glass of wine for her, but she stuck to the water. He eyed her untouched glass of wine curiously, but didn’t say anything.

  By the time they walked back to the Jeep, Naya was exhausted. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the time zone change, her lack of sleep the night before, or her pregnancy, but she could barely keep her eyes open. She was wearing a pair of navy shorts, navy sandals and a pretty white tank top as well as the sunglasses he’d bought her. The sun on her bare arms and shoulders felt amazing!

  “You need a nap,” he announced and drove out of the parking lot. Naya was vaguely aware of the changing landscape. They’d gone from an urban setting to more trees and then almost complete jungle, although they were still driving along a street that paralleled the ocean and white beaches. Since the island was only twenty miles long, it didn’t take long before he pulled into a driveway. But by that point, with the warm, humid air and exhaustion pulling her down, she was half asleep. She revived herself long enough to walk into the beautiful house done in white with splashes of green and navy, but he led her up the stairs into a breezy room. “Go to sleep,” he said and kissed her on her forehead. “Come downstairs when you wake up.” And then he was gone.

  Naya thought about trying to stay awake so that she wasn’t so far off her sleep cycle, but the lure of the bed was too strong and she crawled under the beautiful white coverlet and was asleep almost instantly.

  Pierce came upstairs several hours later to check on her. She was curled up in the bed and she looked beautiful. There was a glow about her that he attributed to the sunshine.

  His housekeeper had come by and cooked a meal, which was now simmering on the stove. He’d told her not to bother to serve, that he’d take care of it and sent her on her way. Pierce knew from experience now that he didn’t want anyone in the house while he was alone with Naya. He finally had her alone for an extended period of time and he didn’t want her to feel inhibited by anyone’s presence. This was their time and he wanted to get to know her. He wanted to know more than where she liked to be touched or how long it took for her to climax in his arms.

  Even more intriguing, Pierce wanted to know her. He wanted to understand how she thought and hear about her past, what experiences made her the person she was today.

  Leaning his shoulder against the doorframe, he crossed his arms over his chest and just watched her. She really was stunning. Her legs were long and shapely, her breasts full as they pressed against the silky material of her top. She’d pushed her long, brown hair over the top of the pillow so that it draped off of the edge in a cascade of soft curls. His body had reacted to the sight of her, but he relished the throb of need that pounded in his veins as he watched her. She was a beauty but there was still something more to her. Something that drew him in and made him want to possess her. Perhaps it was the elusiveness of her. She’d disappeared after every sexual encounter except for the flight here. And now he had her in his house, in his bed.

  The need was too intense now and he moved over to the bed. She’d slept for hours and now it was dusk. She would be well rested and, perhaps over the next several hours, he could binge on her beauty, make love to her until they were both satisfied.

  Walking to stand next to the bed, he stripped off his clothes, then bent over her and started kissing along her bare arm, absorbing every gasp as she slowly came awake. Pierce no longer tried to figure out what it was about Naya that was different. He just accepted that she was as he made love to her. When she sighed and rolled over, wrapping her arms around his neck, he groaned with need. “You’re awake.”

  She laughed and wrapped her legs around his waist. “Wasn’t that your intention?”

  “Yes. But you were slower to wake up than I expected.” He rolled over so that she straddled him and quickly took her shirt and bra off, cupping her naked breasts with his hands while his fingers tweaked her nipples. “You were sleeping hard.”

  “Yes!” she hissed, throwing her head back as she arched into his touch. “How long did I sleep?”

  “A few hours,” he replied, sitting up and taking first one, then the other nipple into his mouth. “Dinner is ready.” Then he flipped her over again and pulled back to take her shorts and panties off. “I’m hungry.” With firm hands, he pressed her legs further apart and smiled in anticipation.

  Naya laughed, but the sound changed to a gasp when his mouth closed over that sensitive nub, sucking it in gently at first, but with increasing pressure as his tongue darted out to tease and his finger slid into her wet heat. “Pierce!” she screamed and yelled, her hips writhing as she climaxed almost immediately. He took all of it, teasing and extending her pleasure until she relaxed against the bed.

  After that, he took the condom and rolled it down his length before pressing into her body, reveling in how her body tightened around him. “Chert, Naya! You feel so good!” Pierce tried to move slowly, to take his time. But feeling her like this, her body drawing his deeply into her heat, he couldn’t do it. With every thrust, the need to claim her, to imprint himself on her, grew stronger. He was only able to hold back long enough to feel her climax again before his control snapped. The pleasure was blindingly intense.

  Afterwards, he cradled her in his arms, his fingers caressing her spine. This, he thought with satisfaction, was bliss.

  Chapter 15

  Naya felt as if her whole being was drenched in pleasure. She’d never known this kind of happiness before. All her life, every day had seemed like a struggle. A struggle to finish her homework, to pass the next test, to write the best essay so that she wouldn’t be kicked out of boarding school and sent back into the foster care system. During her college years, she’d earned a scholarship, but that had required a high grade average, so she’d pushed herself harder and harder to meet those requirements. After college, she’d put pressure on herself to be the best at her job and ensuring that she paid her bills ahead of time, earning the next promotion at work and creating the best marketing campaign. Even seeing her mother had been a struggle, worrying if she would be good enough, worthy enough, to keep her mother from leaving again.

  Never before had
she simply…enjoyed life.

  Being with Pierce over the past two days…every moment had been amazing. He kept her up into the early hours of the morning making love. Over and over again, he’d brought her to the peak of pleasure, and held her in his arms with such tenderness, it had almost brought her to tears. He cooked amazing meals, taught her to body surf in the ocean waves and sail, laughing with her when she’d tipped the small sailboat over. Naya had had the pleasure of watching his muscles flex enticingly as he pulled the sailboat upright. Her punishment? Sailing naked. He’d ordered her bathing suit off. But that had only lasted for five minutes before he’d packed up the sail and made love to her on the tiny boat.

  Just swimming with him in the surf had been mind-blowing. His strong arms carried her along in the waves, their bodies rubbing and sliding against each other and…yep, making love in the sunshine again.

  Pierce seemed to have unending stamina. He could go on forever. They’d laughed and talked and played all weekend. Now it was Sunday and she didn’t want to leave this oasis of happiness.

  Especially since she still hadn’t told him that she was pregnant. Naya wished that she could say that there hadn’t been an opportunity. She wished that she could say that he’d filled her mind with so much activity that she simply hadn’t been able to get a word in.

  But that would be a lie. There had been many times when she could have told him. Naya had been selfish. She hadn’t wanted to shatter the cocoon of happiness that had formed around them over the weekend. But she’d have to tell him. It was his right to know, plus, she’d start showing soon. She was about ten weeks pregnant and, although her clothes still fit her pretty well, she could tell that the waistbands on her clothes were becoming a bit more snug.

  Although, that might be from the amount of food he’d fed her. But she’d suspected that the near constant activity had burned off most of the calories.

  Rolling over, she stared up at the ceiling. She needed to shower and change into her old clothes. He’d mentioned flying back in a few hours and she didn’t want to keep him waiting.

  With another sigh, she pushed off of the bed and went into the bathroom. The morning sickness hadn’t been an issue this weekend. For some reason, she hadn’t felt nauseous, but she knew that it would be back. She’d felt a bit…uneasy this morning, but no throwing up.

  Stepping into the shower, she shampooed her hair and soaped her body, finally stepping out of the amazing shower area and drying off. Padding barefoot into the bedroom, she pulled out one of the summer dresses and pulled it on, along with a pair of panties. She didn’t bother with a bra today, wanting to torment him a bit. With a smile, she lingered over her makeup, and let her hair air dry so that the curls tightened around her shoulders. She knew that Pierce preferred her hair down so she hadn’t bothered with styling it all weekend.

  Tomorrow when she got ready for work would be soon enough to try and look a bit less…bohemian.

  She packed up her clothes in the suitcase that had magically appeared in the closet yesterday and carried it down the stairs, finding Pierce in the kitchen making something that smelled delicious. But he was also on the phone, speaking a language she didn’t understand. He winked at her as he placed a plate in front of her that was filled with fruit and eggs, but continued to talk. She suspected it was a business call and felt the bubble of happiness pop. Reality was coming for them. It had been inevitable, but she’d hoped to stave off that moment for a bit longer.

  She nibbled at her breakfast, focusing on the fruit since she suspected that she needed the vitamins. But then ate the eggs, wondering if her baby needed protein as well. Naya promised that she would get to the doctor as soon as she got back home. There were probably other things she should be doing. Maybe drinking more milk? Didn’t babies need calcium?

  Pierce finished his call and came to her. “You doing okay?” he asked, kissing her forehead.

  “Yes, I’m fine but…” she was interrupted by his cell phone ringing.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  And then he was gone. She stared down at her half eaten breakfast and wondered what was so urgent. But she really couldn’t blame him. It was past noon and he’d probably been awake for hours working on business issues while she’d been lazy.

  She stared at the beautiful kitchen. “So this is what his life is like,” she murmured to the empty room. Then sighed, shaking her head. “That’s not fair. I had him all to myself for two days.”

  With that, she got up and cleaned the kitchen.

  “You don’t have to do that, Naya,” he said when he stepped back into the kitchen. “My housekeeper is coming by right after we leave.” He took the plates out of her hand. “Unfortunately, we have to go separately. I have a jet flying you home to London in half an hour. A driver will be here in about five minutes to pick you up and take you to the airport.”

  His words startled her and Naya couldn’t stop the sharp stab of pain at the idea of not being with him tomorrow. “What do you mean? Why are we flying home separately?” she asked, feeling a wave of sadness with his announcement.

  “Unfortunately, I’m not going back to London. A problem came up and I have to fly to Tokyo and then to Toronto. But I’ll be back by the end of next week.” Unfortunately, he was already walking away, preoccupied with…whatever was going on with his businesses.

  The end of next week? The words echoed through her mind. “But I really need to talk to you,” she called out.

  He stopped and started to turn towards her, but his phone rang, again. He grimly checked the number. “We’ll talk tonight,” and he was gone.

  Naya stared at the place where he’d been standing just moments ago, her heart aching. She’d missed her chance to tell him about the baby and it was all her fault. She’d had plenty of chances over the past two days.

  There was a knock on the front door and she walked over to answer it, smiling up at the driver standing on the front steps.

  “Ms. Banks?” he inquired.

  This was the end, she thought. “Yes,” and she forced a smile to her lips. “I’ll just get my suitcase.”

  The man stepped into the foyer and reached for her case. “I’ve got it. I’ll store it in the trunk.”

  Naya looked back at the house, wondering if she should say goodbye to Pierce. But she knew that he was busy on the phone. She really shouldn’t disturb him. He seemed preoccupied about whatever was going on in Tokyo.

  “Time to go,” she told herself firmly and sighed.

  Naya walked out of the beautiful house. She didn’t glance over her shoulder as she followed the driver down the landscaped steps to the vehicle waiting to take her away from this blissful oasis. No looking back, she told herself. Just keep going forward.

  “Ma’am,” the driver prompted, holding open the back door for her.

  Naya looked at the beautiful interior with the air conditioning already going full blast. She was just about to step inside, but...shouldn’t she say goodbye? Just a kiss? Anything? Then she remembered the intense concentration on his face when he’d taken that call. “I should just go.”

  That’s when she shook her head.

  “No,” she whispered. “This doesn’t feel right.” She looked up at the house, then at the driver. “I’ll be right back,” she told him and rushed back into the house. She wasn’t exactly sure where Pierce was, but she suspected that he was in the back of the house somewhere. As she searched, she followed the sound of his deep voice.

  She knocked on the door softly, and stepped inside. He was still on the phone, but after one look at him, she walked over, took the phone out of his hand and pulled him down for a kiss. Naya put all of her heart into that kiss, showing him exactly how much this time alone with him meant to her. It took barely a fraction of a second before she felt his arms wrap around her waist, lifting her up against him and he took control of the kiss.

  For long moments, they kissed as if this were the end of time. Then slowly, he lifted his head, his
arms still holding her waist and he looked at her. She was breathing hard and his breath wasn’t exactly steady. Plus, she could feel his body’s reaction throbbing against her stomach.

  Slowly, very slowly, he released her and Naya stepped back, straightening her sundress. “I just…wanted to say goodbye.”

  With that, she turned and walked out of the office, fighting against the urge to turn around and throw herself back into his waiting arms. He needed to focus and she had a job to get back to.

  Every step was painful, but she managed to walk out of the house one more time. The driver was still standing by the back door of the limousine and Naya smiled and thanked him as she stepped into the back. He closed the door and moments later, the driver pulled away from the house.

  Chapter 16

  “You’re going to be fine,” Ella said, squeezing Naya’s arm.

  “Yeah. I’m going to be fine,” she repeated, fidgeting nervously on her chair. “I just…I should have told him last weekend,” she whispered, wishing she’d done the right thing.

  Ella grinned. “Yeah, but from what you said at lunch the other day, you were a bit preoccupied.”

  Naya closed her eyes, trying not to remember the moments she’d spent in Pierce’s arms. Because over the past few days, the morning sickness had roared back to life and she was…miserable. Not just because of the morning sickness, but because she hadn’t heard from Pierce all week. He’d said he’d call that night, but she’d received a terse text message from him letting her know that he’d landed but wasn’t able to talk with her because of the time difference.

  She respected that, and had texted back that she hoped his meetings were successful. She’d tried to be supportive. She’d tried very hard not to be jealous of his job. But it was an uphill battle.

  She was jealous, hurt, and angry.

  “It’s just as well,” she whispered.