Nine Months to Redeem Him
'This is all I can give you,' he said. 'Do you agree?''Yes…' I whispered, my lips brushing against his.I hardly knew what I was saying. I could think of nothing other than the darkly powerful Edward St Cyr. I was too lost in the moment—lost in pleasure that made the world a million colours of twisting light.I gave him my body—which he wanted—and my heart—which he didn’t. Had I just made the biggest mistake of my life?Maybe when he knows about our baby it will heal his wounded heart so he can love us both…The One Night with Consequences SeriesWhen succumbing to a night of unbridled desire it’s impossible to think past the morning after! But, with the sheets barely settled, that little blue line appears on the pregnancy test and it doesn’t take long to realise that one night of white-hot passion has turned into a lifetime of consequences!Other books in the One Night with Consequences series:Nine Months to Redeem Him by Jennie LucasPrince Nadir’s Secret Heir by Michelle ConderCarrying the Greek’s Heir by Sharon KendrickMore stories in the One Night with Consequences series can be found at www.millsandboon.co.ukPraise for Jennie LucasNine Months to Redeem Him 4.5* TOP PICK RT Book ReviewLucas’ precise, rhythmic narrative sets the mood and keeps the flow in this gothic heartbreaker. Her brooding, cold-hearted hero and innocent, nurturing heroine are perfectly matched, and the over-the-top settings complement the tale. But it’s the couple’s battle of wills that sets the novel on fire.Uncovering Her Nine Month Secret 4* RT Book ReviewLucas’ second-chance romance stars a smug, arrogant aristocrat and an orphaned, confounded heroine. The first-person storytelling gives an intimate air, the settings add detail and the costars add depth.The Sheikh’s Last Seduction 4.5* TOP PICK RT Book ReviewSet equally between historic Italy and a shiny modern Persian Gulf metropolis, Lucas builds her intricate, affecting romance with ribald humor, intense emotions, enticing narrative and endearing characters. Her righteous heroine and obligated hero are unrivaled, and their love scenes are sensual yet innocent.Praise for Nine Months to Redeem Him:“I loved Edward from the moment we were introduced, he's so blunt but also quite amusing. the chemistry between him and Diana is epic right from the get go you can see the banter bouncing , they have both been hurt by love, both love a challenge and refuse to back down” – Lisa Fallon, NetGalley reviewer
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Edward lifted a dark eyebrow. “Be gentle with me,” he said mockingly. Closing his eyes, he propped his chin on his folded arms and waited for me to touch him.
Touch him.
I looked down at my hands, which felt suddenly tingly. I knew how to give a professional massage. Why were my hands shaking? I didn't feel like a competent physical therapist. I felt like what he'd once called me—a frightened virgin.
Edward St. Cyr, my boss, who'd inspired me and irritated me in equal measure, who was way out of my league and didn't see me as anything more than someone he could casually flirt with, perhaps casually sleep with and casually forget, was naked beneath my hands. And I feared if I showed a moment of weakness he might roll over and devour me.
If he felt my hands shaking … All he had to do was turn around on the table and pull me down hard against him in a savage kiss.
Don't think about it, I told myself fiercely.
Flexing my fingers, I poured oil in one palm, then rubbed my hands together to warm them. Slowly, I lowered them to his skin.
As I ran my hands down the trapezius muscles of his upper back I tried to calm the rapid beat of my heart. But as I stroked and rubbed Edward beneath my palms I felt hot as summer. I closed my eyes, trying not to imagine what it would be like if he were my lover. How it would feel to sink into the pleasure I imagined he'd give me.
Afterward my soul might be ash, but I'd finally know the exhilaration of the fire.
JENNIE LUCAS grew up dreaming about faraway lands. At fifteen, hungry for experience beyond the borders of her small Idaho city, she went to a Connecticut boarding school on scholarship. She took her first solo trip to Europe at sixteen, then put off college and travelled around the US, supporting herself with jobs as diverse as gas station cashier and newspaper advertising assistant.
At twenty-two she met the man who would be her husband. After their marriage she graduated from Kent State with a degree in English. Seven years after she started writing she got the magical call from London that turned her into a published author.
Since then life has been hectic, with a new writing career, a sexy husband and two small children, but she's having a wonderful (albeit sleepless) time. She loves immersing herself in dramatic, glamorous, passionate stories. Maybe she can't physically travel to Morocco or Spain right now, but for a few hours a day, while her children are sleeping, she can be there in her books.
Jennie loves to hear from her readers. You can visit her website at www.jennielucas.com, or drop her a note at [email protected]
To Krystyn Gardner, my friend since childhood, maid of honor at my wedding—the bold, fearless soul who moved halfway round the world and convinced me to meet her there. Thanks, you crazy girl, for blazing a trail, and for always being in my corner.
Contents
THIS IS ALL I can give you, he said. No marriage. No children. All I can offer is—this. And he kissed me, feather-light, until I was holding my breath, trembling in his arms. Do you agree?
Yes, I whispered, my lips brushing against his. I hardly knew what I was saying. Hardly thought about the promise I was making and what it might cost me. I was too lost in the moment, lost in pleasure that made the world a million colors of twisting light.
Now, two months later, I'd just gotten news that changed everything.
As I went up the sweeping stairs of his London mansion, my heart was in my throat. A baby. I gripped the oak handrail as my shaking steps echoed down the hall. A baby. A little boy with Edward's eyes? An adorable little girl with his smile? Thinking of the sweet, precious baby soon to be nestled in my arms, a dazed smile lifted to my lips.
Then I remembered my promise.
My hands tightened. Would he think I'd somehow gotten pregnant on purpose? Tricking him into becoming a father against his will?
No. He wouldn't. Couldn't.
Could he?
The upstairs hallway was cold and dark. Just like Edward's heart. Because beneath his sensual charm, his soul was ice. I'd always known this, no matter how hard I'd tried not to know it.
I'd given him my body, which he wanted, and my heart, which he hadn't. Had I made the biggest mistake of my life?
Maybe he could change. I took a deep breath. If I could only believe that, once he knew about the baby, he might change—that he might someday love us both …
Reaching our bedroom, I slowly pushed open the door.
“You've kept me waiting,” Edward's voice was dangerous, coming from the shadows. “Come to bed, Diana.”
Come to bed.
Clenching my hands at my sides, I went forward into the dark.
Four Months Earlier
I WAS DYING.
After hours of being cooped up in the backseat of the chauffeured car, with the heat at full blast as the driver exceeded speed limits at every opportunity, the air felt oppressively hot. I rolled down the window to take a deep breath of fresh air and rain.
