He frowned at her and then reluctantly nodded at the doctor. His frowning face watched intently throughout the examination, causing Sienna to blush furiously. Which she was sure would not have been the case if he had not been there. To put the King at ease, Doctor Alban explained what he felt and examined and he seemed to relax somewhat.
He put the stethoscope to her belly and listened tentatively. With a smile he held out the earphones to them and asked if they wanted to listen to their baby’s heartbeat. Sienna would never forget the look of wonder and awe on Gabriel’s face when he heard the soft but furiously thumping of their child’s heartbeat.
Fully dressed Sienna took her seat next to Gabriel in the Doctor’s office. He took her hand in his and placed it on his thigh, holding it there.
“Well, Miss Thorne, you are most definitely pregnant. The urine test is positive, but we will verify again with the blood test. Other than that you are healthy and strong and at this point I do not foresee any problems with your pregnancy or the upcoming birth.”
“When is the expected date?” Gabriel asked.
“From last date of Miss Thorne’s last menstrual cycle, I would place it on the tenth of March.”
Gabriel seemed to be very emotional at that point and Sienna looked at him worriedly. He smiled at her.
“It is on my mother’s birthday.”
“Then it is a good day for our baby to be born.”
He squeezed her hand and looked at the doctor.
“What about intimacy, Doctor? Can we still have sex? Any limitations?”
Sienna blushed furiously but he ignored her. Damn the man. He could have just asked her!
“You can still have sex, and the only limitation would be not to be too rough over the last quarter. By then it would also be more comfortable for Miss Thorne if penetration is from behind, lying on her side. Just a warning. Most men believe they need to stay away from their partners during pregnancy, but usually females’ sex drive increases exponentially during their pregnancy and their needs are higher.”
“How long does that last?”
“There is no hard and fast rule, King Gabriel. It is usually most pronounced during the first trimester when hormonal havoc is at its height. Or it could continue right up until delivery day. Every woman is different, and every couple's sex life is different. But be aware of her need and that it could be so strong she would need no additional stimulation.”
By now Sienna’s face was brightly flushed. The two men so entrenched in their discussion about her sex drive during pregnancy that they totally forgot she was present.
The doctor noticed the flush and chuckled.
“Do you have any further questions, Miss Thorne?”
“Not at the moment.”
“Good. I will schedule your next appointment in four weeks at which time we will do a three dimensional sonar scan of the baby and take a picture for your album.”
Gabriel recorded the date and time on his smartphone’s calendar and they left soon thereafter. Gabriel held Sienna close against his side with his arm around her waist all the way to the car and gently assisted her inside, hardly noticing the reporters and cameras flashing.
“Benito …”
“Yes, my King.” Sienna shook her head. Whenever her responded to Gabriel it was always ‘my King’.
“Our baby is due on my mother’s birthday.” His voice was hoarse and when Benito drew in his breath and caught Gabriel’s eyes in the rearview mirror, Sienna realized how much that meant to him. He noticed her look, but also her reserve. He shook his head, angry that she even felt like that.
“It means the world to me, amore. I was very close to my mother and devastated when she died when I was still so young. My father changed after her death. I think a part of him died with her … his humane part. There has not been a day that has gone by that I have not missed her.”
She pulled him in her arms and hugged him tight. “I would have loved to have met her.”
He nodded and sat looking out the window struggling to get his emotions under control before they reached the restaurant.
The following two and a half weeks were informative, taxing, tiring, but also the most wonderful time of her life. Gabriel at long last submitted to his people’s demand and was officially inaugurated as the King. She was never more proud of him as she was on that day. He looked so regal, so handsome and smart in his red and white flowing cape and his crown on his head that she cried unashamedly. He of course, defied all tradition and walked from the podium to her and kissed her tears away.
She learned everything about the Royal family, about how loved they were, but more especially how loved Gabriel was. They embraced him, they fully embraced her as the woman by his side and they exulted in the news that he was going to be a father and planning on marrying her.
She was elated knowing there was nothing to stop her marrying him. That he was right. That his people wanted what he wanted. To be loved and to love, and to marry for just those reasons. Yet therein lay the whole problem. He commanded, he decreed and he ordered her to marry him. Not once had he mentioned emotions, told her what was in his mind, in his heart.
She sighed with ecstasy as she sank back against the bathtub filled to the rim with bubbles and hot water. They arrived back on the Island earlier in the day and it was the best homecoming ever. She frowned remembering Gabriel’s closed look the past two days. He seemed reserved and pulled away from her. He was still very attentive and held her close every night, but they have not made love for nearly a week.
What the doctor had said about an increased sex drive was most definitely true in her case. She craved sex all the time and not having had any for the past five days, had her grinding on her teeth when he just held her in his arms at night.
She relaxed for a while longer and then finished her bath and washed her hair. She dried her hair quickly and brushed it until it shone. It was nearly four in the afternoon and she wondered where Gabriel was. They were alone in the house. The house staff only expecting them the following day and Benito was sent to Naples by Gabriel.
Her hand brushed her nipple covered only by the towel and she bit her lip. Lord knows she was in such sexual need, she was in pain. Reaching a decision she put the brush down and went in search of Gabriel with only the towel wrapped around her.
She heard voices coming from his study and frowned. No one was supposed to be there. Her steps faltered when she heard the husky voice of a young female. When her words penetrated, Sienna nearly doubled over with pain.
“Oh Gabriel, your kisses always manage to curl my toes! Hmmm … darling, kiss me!”
She turned and started to run to her room, but then stopped with anger rushing through her. Her body trembled with the fury that rose higher with each passing second. She swung back and stalked to the study. The doors were open and she felt the pain shoot straight through her heart when she once again saw Gabriel with his hands on the beautiful Jessica’s hips. She was of course glued against him. Just as she was about to turn away in defeat, Gabriel’s furious voice rumbled through the room.
“Jessica, I have just about had enough of your devious and unasked for attempts at seducing me. For the last time, get away from me before I lose my temper! How the hell did you get here anyway?”
She ground her hips against his groin and smiled cockily at him. “Come now, my King! I can feel you want me too! I can offer you so much more than that little redhead you’ve had on your arm the last few weeks. You know that as well as I do!”
She licked her lips and leaned into him, kissing him on his chest where his shirt was unbuttoned. Gabriel growled and tried to push her away, but she wrapped her one leg around his hip.
“You are out of bounds, Jessica and I am not asking you again. Get off me!”
“Oh, Gabriel! Don’t be such a hypocrite! I can feel your arousal!”
“Anything you feel is there because of my redhead, Jessica. Not because of you. She does not need to rub against me like a cheap slut t
o get a rise out of me. I only have to think of her and I get fully aroused. Now, enough …”
She caught his neck and pulled his head down and clamped her lips around his, rubbing her core against him.
Chapter Twenty Two
“Really, Gabriel? She’s a puny little woman and you can’t get her leachy hands off your body?”
Jessica pulled away slowly and looked at Sienna sensually, her leg still clamped around Gabriel’s waist. Gabriel could not take his eyes off Sienna. She leaned against the door with only a tiny white towel covering her. Her eyes of violet fire flashed at him, with her arms crossed over her breasts. When Jessica made no attempt to remove herself from Gabriel she cursed and pushed away from the doorframe.
She walked closer and stopped right next to them, her eyes burned holes in the dark haired woman draped around Gabriel. Her voice was colder than the Antarctica and he nearly smiled.
“Gabriel might be too much of a gentleman to throw you out on your ass, Miss Chastain, but I have no compunction to do so. Now, take your damned slutty hands off my man and remove yourself from this Island.”
This time Gabriel could not keep the grin from his face and her eyes flashed at him.
“Wipe that grin from your face, Honey. You have a lot of explaining to do.”
Jessica smiled slowly, showing no attempt to unplaster her from Gabriel and Sienna had enough. Before the heiress could blink and Gabriel even move Sienna’s fist whizzed past his nose and slammed into her eye and she literally fell on the floor like a bag of potatoes.
Gabriel was dumbfounded and could only stare at the woman screaming and crying in pain on the floor. His eyes rose and clashed with furious violet ones, the message clear. He held up his hands and took a few steps back.
“Very funny. Get this screaming bitch out of the house.”
“Hell no. I am not touching her! I like my face the way it is!”
Sienna snorted and walked closer to Jessica who scuttled back when she noticed her.
“Get away from me, your crazy bitch! I am going to sue you! Do you hear me?”
“Well, I guess seeing as you are going to do that, let me give you something else to add to the charge!”
She leaned down and gripped her hair in her fist and pulled. Jessica screamed and tried to pull her hair from Sienna’s hand, but she held fast and started walking with her in tow to the door. Gabriel gaped in astonishment after them. He shook his head and noticed Jessica’s handbag on the couch. He picked it up and jogged after them. He shook his head in awe at the possessive and viciousness of Sienna’s action but at the same time, his heart swelled to double its size at what it meant.
Sienna yanked Jessica all the way to the front door by her hair and literally threw her outside, where she stumbled and nearly fell down the stairs before she managed to catch her balance. Gabriel held out her handbag and Sienna snatched it and stalked closer to Jessica who retreated. She threw the bag at her and growled low in her throat.
“If I ever catch you near Gabriel again, you will not come of so lightly. Now get off this Island and don’t ever come back!”
At that point an annoyed Mattia arrived and explained to Gabriel how her friend held him down in his office so she could reach the house. Gabriel nodded and instructed him to ensure they leave immediately. A very subdued Jessica got into the buggy, favoring her swelling eye.
Sienna did not stay to watch her leaving and swung around. Her eyes caught Gabriel’s and his eyebrows rose at the heat in hers. His whole body tightened and his shaft sprang to full arousal in a heartbeat. Her fists slammed into her sides and she glared at him.
“So, what have you to say for yourself?”
“Me? I did nothing wrong!”
“Really? I stood listening and then watched for a full ten minutes as that bitch was rubbing up against you. You did not put much effort in removing yourself from her!”
“Baby …”
“Don’t Baby me, Gabriel! Explain yourself!”
She kept walking forward and he kept retreating, his eyes glittering with anticipation. He held his arms out entreatingly.
“Red … you have to understand. I was brought up to respect woman and never hurt them, no matter the circumstances.”
“Really, but it is acceptable to hurt me with your actions?”
His whole body froze. “What do you mean? I did not hurt you!”
“Oh you didn’t? You think I liked watching you holding and grinding against another woman? That it didn’t cut into my heart? What the hell do you think?”
She stood right against him, her eyes flashed furiously into his and she stabbed him against his chest.
“Tell me Gabriel! Do you think I have a heart made of stone? Very well Gabriel. We will test your resolve in the same way. I will hold and grind against another man and then we can share stories. How does that sound? How would you like that?”
She spun away and ran up the stairs ignoring his furious shouts.
“Sienna! Get the hell back down here! You will not hold or grind against anyone but me! Is that clear? Sienna! Get back here!”
She giggled as she ran and slammed the door closed behind her and for good measure, locked it, waiting with a smile on her face. He would admit his love for her tonight. Come hell or high water! She was not going to sleep again feeling sexually frustrated!
The next moment Gabriel crashed into the door when he rammed into it and it did not budge. He cursed a vicious streak and slammed his fist against the door.
“Sienna, unlock this damn door! I will not have a locked door between us! I allowed you to get away with it once. This time I won’t.”
He rattled the door and cursed again.
“I am warning you, Red. The longer I wait for this door to open, the angrier I am going to get.”
“Tough! Your anger is no match for mine! Go away! You smell of cheap lust!”
He cursed so loudly she winced.
“Fortunately for you I tend to agree with you. I am going to take a shower in another room, but I warn you, Red. If this door is still locked when I get back …”
She waited until she was sure he has disappeared into a room down the passage before she unlocked the door. She walked to the bed and pulled the covers off, reclining back against the pillows.
Gabriel charged through the door with only a towel around his waist in less than five minutes, his anger still bright in his eyes. His steps faltered only slightly when he noticed her lounging seductively on the pillows. His resolve tightened and his lips flattened. She must be taught that he would not allow a locked door between them. He would not be seduced by her beauty. Not yet …
He sat down on the edge of the bed and yanked her towards him by her arm. She cried out and then shrieked when he pulled her all the way over his lap, facing down. She struggled, her eyes wide with realization.
“Gabriel! Don’t you dare hit me!”
He pushed the towel up and uncovered her buttocks very slowly. He could not stop himself from stroking and caressing the perfectly rounded cheeks.
“I have no intention of hitting you, Red.”
“Then let me up!”
“But I do intend to give you a well-deserved hiding!”
“No! Let me up … aaahh!”
She screamed when his hand met her butt in a sharp slap. Her screams turned to cries and then pleading within a short period of not even four slaps on her butt. Albeit each one being harder than the other. Gabriel shook his head and chuckled. He leaned over and kissed each cheek tenderly.
He pulled her upright on his lap and glared at her, wiping the tears from her face.
“Why are you crying?”
“You hit me!”
“I did not hit you! I gave you a hiding! And a poor one at that. You don’t do hidings very well do you?”
She shook her head and leaned against him, her hands snaking around his back. He sighed and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight.
“Be honest, Red. You
r butt is not even sore!”
“It is! I have a very low threshold for pain! Please, punish me in another way! But don’t ever give me a hiding again!”
“Very well. Now … about that ridiculous challenge you threw at me downstairs! I don’t appreciate being threatened that you will go into another mans’ arms!”
“Nor did I appreciate finding you with yours around another woman!”
“Red, you were there! You knew what …”
“Yes! But you did not have to grip her tender hips so tightly against you!”
“Dammit! I was not holding her against me! I was pushing her away!”
“Oh and your muscles are so puny you could not manage to do it for a period of ten minutes! Tell me, honey! If I had not arrived, how much longer would you have allowed her to rub you up?”
“I was trying to get her to let go with as little force as possible. She was …”
“Oh, cry me a river, Gabriel! You are just like all other men. A soft body against your crotch and you forget about everything!”
He glared at her. “That is insulting, Sienna! I did not react to her in any way! All I wanted to do was get her away from me and out of the house!”
“She said she could feel you were aroused!”
“Because I was!”
She gasped and struggled to get off his lap. He yanked the towel from her and flipped her on her back, settling between her thighs, effectively trapping her beneath him. He glared into her eyes.
“For you! Just as I am now! Just as I have been every damn day since I first saw you! I am always in a semi aroused state just thinking of you Red! I don’t even need to see you or touch you … all I have to do is think of you! Which is what I was doing when she walked in. We have not had sex in days and I …”
“Yes … and why is that?”
He frowned at her rapid change of the topic, watching her eyes mist over. Silver tongues swirled within the violet of her eyes and he snagged his breath in. Well, here goes nothing, anticipating her loss of temper.
“Because I have decided I am tired of being your sexual slave. I am not going to dive between your legs with every wink of your wrist.”
You Owe Me, Baby Page 19
