“Oh, boo, cry me a river,” she said with an amused roll of her eyes. “It must have been really hard growing up on that gorgeous estate…”
His eyes glinted with amusement as he stepped around the bench and put his body right in front of hers. “Tell me, did I used to find your penchant for sarcasm… cute?”
It was the exact question he’d asked on the night she’d arrived in London, brimming with the news that she was pregnant with his baby. She smiled at him impishly and nodded. “I suspect you still do.”
His eyes flashed as he dropped his head, his lips finding hers as though they were her polar opposite. “You’re right. I find everything about you cute, Imogen Harper.”
*
Imogen bent down, lifting several building blocks against her rapidly expanding stomach and weaving through the toddler room.
“Almost done, love?”
She nodded but it quickly morphed into a frown as she felt a twinge low down in her abdomen. At almost seven months pregnant, she’d become used to strange aches and pains, but this was different. Sharper.
“All right?” Sally, the owner of the daycare, sashayed across the room, her expression instantly curious.
“Yeah,” Imogen nodded, but her expression showed worry. “I’ve probably just pushed it too much today.”
“Mmm,” Sally nodded with disapproval. “Playing tag with the children wasn’t such a good idea, I’d say.”
Imogen winced. “Perhaps not.”
“You need to go onto light duties. You’re getting to the business end of things now.”
“I know.” She dropped the blocks into their box and straightened. Her stomach twinged again. “I’d better get going. Thanks, Sal.”
Her handbag was by the door; she lifted it off the hook and pulled her phone out in one swift motion. She hesitated for less than a second before dialing Theo’s number. It rung three times before he answered, and Imogen was outside, flagging down a passing cab.
“St Leewards Hospital,” she said as she sat down, her breath hard to catch now.
“Imogen?” She heard noises. The rustle of fabric, the jingle of keys. “What is it?”
“I’m sure it’s fine,” she said, a hand on her stomach, her eyes squeezed shut. “Just something a bit strange. I just thought I should let you know that I’m going to get checked out. But I’m sure you don’t need to worry.”
There was a moment of silence and she could see Theo’s handsome, intelligent face assessing her information and instantly disputing her claim. “I’ll meet you there.”
Imogen disconnected the call and stared out the window as the taxi driver turned towards the hospital. It was perhaps a ten-minute drive away, but it seemed to take forever on that afternoon. A lorry pulled out in front of them and then laboriously, pain-stakingly slowly, reversed into a driveway, holding up traffic in both directions for several minutes, but finally, cars began to move once more.
She arrived at the hospital and stared at it with relief.
“Y’all right?” The driver spun in his chair, his eyes latched to hers.
“Uh huh. I’m…” She grabbed her stomach once more as another pain spread through her.
“Right.” He nodded, pushing his door open and stepping out quickly before wrenching her door open. “Me missus had us a lad four weeks ago,” he explained, putting a hand under her elbow and then reaching for her handbag, swinging it over his shoulder. “She’d never forgive me if I didn’t at least see y’in.”
“Thank you,” Imogen said, truly grateful for the support as the large glass doors swished open and the linoleum floor spread before them. Last time she’d been to the hospital, Theo had been with her and they’d been excited about a routine check-up. Now, fear lodged in her chest.
“Got a chap I can call?”
“I’ve spoken to him,” she said with a nod, making her way to the desk. But the taxi driver had apparently taken Imogen’s care as his highest priority and he side-stepped to grab a vacant wheelchair.
“I’m fine,” she demurred, but he gave her a look of gentle insistence, so that she sat in it with a small smile.
“You remind me of him.”
“Is he a robust, strapping lad like me?”
“He’s bossy,” she said, grunting as another pain radiated through her.
He pushed the chair forward, towards the Admit desk.
“Can I help you?” A portly woman with orange hair and a pale face stared down at them.
“I’m registered here. Imogen Harper. Something weird is happening.”
“I see,” the woman nodded, returning her attention to the papers in front of her. “Fill out a form and we’ll get right to you.”
“A form?” The cab driver interjected. “A bleedin’ form? Are those things in your face decorative? Can’t you see she’s in pain?”
Imogen had to admire the driver’s nature, and though she wasn’t naturally prone to making waves, maternal concern for her unborn child was taking over, so that she was grateful for his tenacity.
“Yes, sir,” the woman spoke calmly even when she was grinding her teeth. “But there’s a process…”
“Imogen.” Theo appeared and crouched beside her, his expression tight with concern. His breath was forced and he looked, for once, not his best. His suit was askew and his face was pale. “What’s happened?”
“We don’t know yet, do we, because we haven’t done the paperwork,” the cabbie responded with sarcasm and Imogen lifted her eyes to him with a combination of amusement and despair.
“Paperwork?” Theo stood, his rage matching the cabbie’s, keeping a hand on Imogen’s shoulder.
The nurse’s eyes bulged as she saw that Theo Trevalyen was at her counter, looking every bit as sinfully sexy and alpha-male as in her fantasies. “Oh, L-l-lord …”
“Yes, yes.” He cut off whatever greeting he had been about to receive. “Why has my fiancé not been seen?” He asked, the word splitting a dagger through Imogen’s world as she lifted her eyes to him and shook her head.
“I’m sorry, sir, we have a …”
“They have a process,” the cab driver interjected with a role of his eyes. “Heaven help the people who turn up to hospital with a medical emergency.”
The nurse spoke into a small microphone in front of her. “The doctor’s coming,” she assured them. “Can I get you anything in the mean time?”
“Water?” He looked at Imogen and she nodded. Theo returned his curt attention to the admissions nurse. “Thank you.” He spun away, his focus squarely on Imogen. “What happened?”
“Right-io,” the cabbie took a step back. “You’re in safe hands now, I can see. I’ll just be…”
“Wait,” Theo kept a hand on Imogen’s shoulder. “Who are you?”
“I drove your missus…”
“He’s my cabbie,” Imogen said, and for some reason, the man’s unexpected chivalry brought tears to her eyes. “He’s just had a baby. Four weeks ago. And so he didn’t, he wouldn’t, let me come in alone.”
Theo expelled a sigh and extended his hand at the same time. “Thank Christ. Pleased to meet you. Thank you.”
“Just doing my good deed for the day.”
“I really appreciate it,” Theo said, missing the puckering of the nurse’s lips behind his back as she ground her teeth tighter. “Please, take this.” He reached into his wallet and pulled out several fifty pound notes and a business card. “For your trouble.”
“It weren’t no trouble,” the driver said with a shake of his head.
But Theo was insistent. “Take it. Put it away for your baby,” he said softly. “Thank you again.”
He returned his attention to Imogen then, his expression a mask of relaxed calm even when she could feel fear radiating off him in waves.
“Everything’s fine,” she assured him. “I’m just having strange feelings. But remember what the doctor said? Everything’s strange in pregnancy. Strange is the new normal.”
He no
dded, but there was tension in it. “Where is the damned doctor though?” He looked down the linoleum hallway just as a middle-aged man began to clip efficiently towards them, his head bent forward, his shoulders slightly hunched. The white, knee-length coat he wore was the only giveaway that he was a medical professional, employed by the hospital.
“Imogen Harper?” He murmured as he approached and then, his eyes lifted to Theo with a formal nod of acknowledgement. “Come this way.”
Theo’s fingers curled around the handles of the chair and Imogen wanted to point out that she could walk, but she wasn’t entirely sure it would be best for the baby. Given the choice between asserting herself as an independent, capable woman and doing whatever the hell she needed to protect her child, she went with the latter.
There were old pictures lining the wall. Advertisements advising unsuspecting passers-by of the consequences of excessive drinking, of smoking, of not eating well. Imogen’s eyes skimmed over them as Theo drove her after the doctor. Once, she caught a hazy glance of his reflection in a glass paneled door they strode past. His face was clenched, his body tight.
She swallowed and her worries deepened. She needed this baby to be okay. Not just for her, but for Theo. She didn’t know how she knew, but somehow she inherently understood: this baby meant the world to him.
And it was her job to keep it safe.
“Here you are.” The doctor stopped walking, finally, near the end of the long corridor, and indicated with a tilt of his head that they should step into the room. It was dark, but as Theo pushed Imogen inside, the doctor flicked a switch and the fluorescent overhead lights flickered heavily to life, with three dark thuds that were almost like Harrumphs – complaints at having been woken from their rest.
“Doctor?” Theo spoke first, parking Imogen beside the bed and then turning to face the older man.
“Call me Colin,” the man nodded as he moved to a computer. He switched it on and then turned to Imogen. “I’m going to check your blood pressure first.”
He unhooked the cuff Imogen was now intimately familiar with and wrapped it around her upper arm.
“Take a deep breath and relax,” he encouraged, fitting it with Velcro around her upper arm then squeezing a balloon until the cuff was tight. Imogen watched the dials flicker in front of her with no concept of what they meant.
Colin didn’t enlighten her. He unhooked the cuff with a small nod. “Can you tell me a bit about what’s going on?”
Imogen bit down on her lip. “I just had the strangest twinging sensation today.”
“Where abouts?”
She pointed low in her stomach but then lifted it higher, to the right of her chest. “And here. And my shoulder a bit too. It just feels strange. Different. I feel all tight in my chest like I can’t breathe. I thought it was just the baby pressing on my lungs because I’ve read about that kind of thing but …”
“You did the right thing to come in. Can you hop up onto the bed?”
“Uh huh.” She nodded, telling herself as she stood that everything was going to be okay. She was here now, and this bespectacled man with his fop of wiry grey hair seemed calm enough. That was a good sign, wasn’t it?
“Here.” Theo’s voice croaked as he bent down and wrapped an arm around her waist, giving her the support of his strength, his eyes locked to hers encouragingly.
“It’s okay,” she whispered, in an attempt to reassure them both.
“I know that.” His smile made her stomach flip – in a good way.
The moment she stood she felt another twinge and grabbed his arm, her face pale. She moved onto the bed, lying down with relief and impatience. She needed to know what was going on.
“You’re a painter?” Colin asked, moving to stand over Imogen, his eyes assessing her face.
“No, why?”
“You have bits of paint in your hair and down your shirt.”
“Oh.” She hadn’t realized. “I work with children.”
“Well, that explains it. They’re messy little beasts. Imogen, I’m going to have a feel of your stomach, okay?”
She nodded but she was too anxious now to speak. She waited as his hands moved over her stomach with clinical detachment, but then, he gave her a smile. “Good,” he murmured. “Can you feel this?” He pressed his hands down on her stomach a little firmer and she nodded. “That’s your baby’s bottom. He’s got his feet curled over here,” he ran his finger over her stomach and pressed harder once more. She couldn’t help but smile.
“Is he going to be okay?”
Colin’s smile was non-committal.
“What is it?” Theo asked, moving closer, a hand curling protectively over Imogen’s thigh.
“I’ll need to do some tests before I know.”
“But what do you suspect?” Theo pushed.
Colin frowned, his body angled away from Imogen so she couldn’t immediately see his reaction. “Imogen presents with the classic signs of pregnancy toxemia. Pre-eclampsia. Have you heard of it?” He directed the question to Imogen and she shook her head.
“I mean, yes, I have heard the word, but I don’t have the faintest idea what it means for me or the baby.”
“There are varying degrees of severity. Mild cases can be managed with medication. We need to bring your blood pressure down, essentially. You’ll need regular doctor visits to monitor the situation, but so long as we keep things under control, it shouldn’t have a huge impact,” he said softly.
“And if we can’t?” Imogen pushed thickly.
“Then we’ll bring the baby out,” the doctor said.
Theo stiffened. “Is that safe?”
“Safer than waiting,” Colin said. “But I don’t think it’s going to come to that.” His frown was thoughtful. “I’d suggest you stop work, if you’re in a position to, or cut back on your hours. You need to have as relaxed a lifestyle as possible.”
“I am relaxed,” Imogen said, her eyes huge in her pale face. “I’m …”
“Going to be fine,” Theo reached down and squeezed her hand, his smile an attempt at reassuring even when his own eyes showed creases of concern at their corners.
“That’s right,” Colin nodded with obvious approval. “Now, sit tight. I’ll get a nurse to come get the ball rolling.”
CHAPTER TEN
“YOU’RE DRIVING ME CRAZY.”
Theo paused, mid-way through fluffing the pillow he’d arranged five minutes earlier, at Imogen’s feet. “I’m sorry. Is that not comfortable?”
She pulled a face. “I’m pretty sure you have better stuff to do than shape the sofa cushions and make me tea.”
“Nope,” he grinned, his hair curling a little over his brow as he brought his face closer to hers. “This is my sole purpose in life right now.”
“And here I thought I was living with some big-shot tycoon who’d just bought an airline or something.”
“The airline has a CEO,” he pointed out. “And I can do a lot of work from my office here.”
“Theo,” she said with a shake of her head. “Go to work. I’m fine.”
“No way, agape. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
“Apparently not,” she tilted her head to her side, her eyes drifting over Theo as he covered her with a soft, grey rug.
“How do you feel?”
“Fine,” Imogen laughed, reaching behind her, grabbing a pillow and throwing it at his head. It hit him squarely on the side of his face, knocking his hair into disarray and landing at his feet.
“Careful,” he growled, but his lips twitched as he brought them close to hers. His kiss was gentle, yet her toes curled. Desire flushed her. She lifted a hand to his shirt, pushing at the neck and reaching for a button. She flicked it open, smiling at the naked warmth of his flesh and then wrapping her arms around his neck, holding him over her.
It was a perfect kiss, but Imogen wanted more. He lifted his hands, running them over her bare arms and detaching her from him before breaking the kiss and
standing. His chest moved rapidly, his eyes were hooded, but he stepped backwards.
“You are the devil,” he muttered, angling his face away. The proof of his erection was at eye height. She looked at it pointedly and then flicked her gaze to his face.
“And you’re heaven,” she reached for him but he stepped backwards, shaking his head.
“You’re on bed rest.”
“I like the idea of the bed part,” Imogen said, tapping the side of her lip. But Theo wasn’t responding. Imogen made a noise of disapproval. “Relax, Theo. Everything’s fine. And … I want you.”
He crouched down beside her, his eyes locked with hers. “I want that too. But I’m not going to do anything that might put you or the baby in danger.”
“I think sex is fine. At least, I’m pretty sure it is.”
“I’m not taking any chances. For the next two months, you’re going to be my prisoner. And not in the kinky way,” he added for good measure, bringing his lips closer to Imogen’s. “Though if I have to resort to handcuffs to get you to slow down, I will.”
Imogen shook her head. “Two months? That feels like a really long time.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.” His laugh was thick and his eyes showed a promise she wanted to explore. Questions she wanted to ask. But she reached up and cupped his cheek, stroking his face.
“Just as well I know you’re worth the wait.”
His eyes crinkled at the corner, his smile mesmerizing. “Do you know what I was thinking about before you called today?”
“All the work you have to do? The work you’re ignoring right now because you’re worried about me?”
“I was thinking about your parents.”
“My parents?” Imogen frowned. “Why?”
“I think it’s time.”
“Time?” She blinked, feeling like a dumb parrot but not comprehending what he was suggesting.
“For me to meet them.”
“Oh.” Imogen’s eyes were enormous in her face. “Really?”
His Nine Month Seduction Page 11
