A Royal Amnesia Scandal(22)

* * *

Well, that plan to keep things professional was about to get blown apart.

Kate closed her eyes, gripped the stick and willed the results to be different.

Peeking through one eyelid, she still saw the two pink lines glaring back at her. If they had been on a billboard or neon sign they couldn’t have been any more eye-catching... She couldn’t look anywhere else.

And no matter how long she stared at it, the results were still going to be the same. Positive.

Something between a moan and a cry escaped her as she came to her feet. Staring at herself in the vanity mirror, Kate didn’t know what she expected to see. She didn’t look any different, but in the past three minutes the course of her entire life had been altered.

Now what should she do? She was pregnant with Luc’s baby and the man practically loathed her, unless she was writing a speech for him or running interference for some engagement he didn’t want to attend.

There was no getting around this. She’d been on the pill since she was a teen, to keep her cycle regular, but they hadn’t used a condom the times they’d been intimate, and birth control wasn’t fail-safe...obviously.

There was only one answer. She’d promised Luc she’d never lie to him again, and she certainly wasn’t going to start off by keeping this baby a secret.

Laying the test stick on the back of the vanity, Kate washed her hands and stepped out of the restroom. She wanted to find Luc now. This couldn’t wait, because the nerves in her stomach were threatening to overtake her. She had to find him.

At this point in the day, she honestly had no idea what he was doing, but she did know he was working from home. If she stopped to think, she could figure out his schedule—she had created it. But her mind wasn’t in work mode right now and she couldn’t process anything other than the fact she was having a baby with a man she loved...a man who could hardly look at her. She was on the verge of freaking out.

Her lies had not only killed the trust Luc had for her, now the whirlwind of secrets had formed a new life...literally.

Kate’s hand slid over her stomach as she made her way out of her office and into the wide hallway. She smiled as she passed one of the maids, but her smile faded the second she reached Luc’s office door. In just moments, both their lives and the future of this country would be changed forever.

She was carrying an heir.

Kate rested her forehead against the smooth wood and closed her eyes. The sooner she told Luc, the sooner they could start figuring out what to do. Summoning all the strength she possessed, she tapped on his office door, cursing her shaking hands. She heard familiar voices on the other side. Apparently, he was having a private meeting with his parents. Still, this couldn’t wait.

Yes, they were the king and queen. Yes, Kate was being rude by interrupting. But she didn’t care.

Fisting her hand, she knocked louder and longer, until the door jerked open to an angry-looking Luc. His jaw clenched, his lips thinned, and once he saw her, his eyes narrowed.

“Kate? We’re in the middle of something.”

Pushing by him, she offered a shaky smile to his parents, who sat with their eyes locked on her. “I’m sorry, but this can’t wait.”

Ana Silva rose to her feet and crossed the room. Kate swallowed as her heart started beating faster. She was going to be sick. The overwhelming urge to pass out or throw up all over the Persian rug had nothing to do with the pregnancy.

“Darling, you’re trembling,” Ana said. “Come, sit down.”

“We’re in the middle of something,” Luc repeated.

Luc’s father stood, gesturing toward the chair he’d just vacated. “Here, Kate.”

Luc muttered a string of Portuguese slang.

“I’m sorry,” Kate muttered. “I didn’t mean to cause a scene. I just need a few minutes with Luc.”

His parents exchanged a look and Kate noticed Luc standing off to the side, arms crossed, jaw still clenched. He wasn’t happy. Too bad she was about to drop another bomb on his life. Would he be even angrier at her? Most likely, but hiding the pregnancy wasn’t an option.

Kate closed her eyes as she rested her elbows on her knees and dropped her head into her hands. Luc’s parents muttered something to him and moments later Kate heard the office door click shut.

“What the hell is this all about?” Luc demanded.

Kate pushed her hair away from her face as she looked up. He was leaning against the edge of his desk, ankles crossed, palms resting on either side of his slim hips. Wearing dark designer jeans and a fitted black T-shirt, he didn’t look like a member of the royal family, but he still exuded power. It was the stare, the unyielding body language, that told her she needed to get on with her speech...one she hadn’t rehearsed at all.

“I...” Kate shook her head, came to her feet. No way could she remain still; her body was too shaky, too wound up to stay seated.

“Just say it.”

Luc’s harsh words cut through her. Kate stopped pacing, turned and gazed at him. “I’m pregnant.”

He stared at her for several moments without saying a word. Then suddenly, he burst out laughing, and straightened.

“Nice try, Kate.” His expression sobered. “That’s already been used on me.”

“What?”

His words took a moment to sink in. He didn’t believe her. Of course he wouldn’t. Why should he? He’d been played for a fool by his ex-fiancée, who tried the pregnancy trap, and Kate had also lied to him.

“Luc, I’m not lying,” she reiterated. “I have the test in my office bathroom. I need to call Dr. Couchot to confirm with a blood test, though.”

Something dark clouded Luc’s eyes. “You did this on purpose.”

Fury rose to the surface, pushing through the nerves. No matter how much she loved him, no matter how much she wished he would see her as a woman worthy of his love and trust, Kate refused to stand here and be degraded and blamed for something they’d both taken part in.

“I think it was you who came to me,” she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest. “You think I wanted a child with a man who doesn’t love me? I made a mistake by lying to you, but I’m not pathetic and I’m not trying to trap you. I promised I would always be honest with you, and I just found out about this myself ten minutes ago. So lose the ego. I don’t want to snag you that much.”

Kate turned to go and managed to get across the room with her hand on the doorknob before Luc grabbed her arm and spun her back around. Leaning flat against the door, trapped between the wood and Luc’s hard body, she stared up into those eyes that could make a woman forget all her problems...almost. Even the great Prince Lucas Silva wasn’t that powerful.

“You think you can drop that bomb and then just walk out?” he demanded. “We’re not done here.”

“We both need to process this before we say anything we might regret.” Though they’d already said plenty to cause damaging scars. “I just need... I need to think this through, Luc.”

His eyes widened. “What’s there to think through? You’re having my child. I will be part of his or her life.”

A sliver of relief coursed through her. “I would never deny you the chance to be with your child.”

Tears welled up, the familiar burn in her throat formed and Kate cursed herself. She absolutely hated crying, hated the predicament she was in, but hated even more that she was pulling in an innocent child.

“I’m scared,” she whispered, closing her eyes.

She jerked when Luc’s hand slid over her cheek. Focusing back on him, she saw something in his eyes she hadn’t expected...fear. Obviously, she wasn’t the only one with insecurities.

“No matter what happened prior to this moment, I won’t leave you alone with a baby.” He dropped his hand, but didn’t step back. “Our baby.”

When he stood so close, smelling so amazingly familiar and feeling so sexy against her, Kate couldn’t think straight. She wished she didn’t still want him, wished she’d never lied to him to begin with. And she truly wished something as beautiful as creating a life with the man she loved hadn’t been tainted because of her lies.

“I don’t want our baby to suffer from my actions,” she told him. “I want to be able to work with you on this, and I know the timing—”

She cut herself off with a sad laugh. “Sorry. There would be no good timing,” she corrected. “I just meant with the throne, your birthday and all of that on your mind, I didn’t mean to add to your stress, but you needed to know.”

When he said nothing, Kate carefully turned. There was no way to avoid rubbing up against him, because he’d barely moved since he’d trapped her against the door.

Luc’s hands came up to cup her shoulders as he moved in behind her.

“Who are you, Kate?” he whispered.

Her head dropped against the wood as she tried to ignore all of the ways her body responded to his. Tried and failed miserably.

“Are you the efficient assistant? The woman who stands up for me to the public? Are you the woman who lied to me for selfish reasons? Or are you the woman who claims to love me and who’s now carrying my child?”

Drawing in a shaky breath, Kate glanced over her shoulder just enough to catch his gaze. “I’m all of them.”