âI. Am. Pregnant.â
Three little words are all it takes to threaten Prince Raphael DeSantisâs secret life of pleasurable hedonism, ruin the state of a nation and find him bound to a waitress.
To prevent yet another international incident following on the heels of his convenientâand very brokenâengagement to a suitable princess, Raphael must now make his mistress his bride!
But heartsore Bailey Harper wonât come willingly. This arrogant prince will have to use every provocative trick at his disposal to seduce her into submissionâand return to his country with Bailey as his wife!
âOf course,â Raphael said, âthere will be no discussion of my sending you child support checks, and no discussion of the child being raised here, because you will both be in Santa Firenze.â
âI thought I wasnât fit to be brought back to your country.â
She wasnât. Even now, looking at Bailey, he felt that intense possessiveness that had him in a stranglehold. Taking her, claiming her, seemed to be the most obvious choice.
Which was what gave him pause. A ruler was meant to be cool. A ruler was meant to direct his actions with his mind, his sense of honor, not with anything half so fickle as desire or heat.
Raphael wondered what his father might have done in this instance. And then had to concede that his father would never have been so foolish as to get himself in this situation.
He was forced, then, to weigh his options. To bring back a woman such as this...one he had already decided was unsuitable for his kingdom...was unfathomable.
But honor. Honor and duty were at the center of all of it, regardless of what she made him feel. His duty was to his child.
âThat was before I knew you were carrying my heir.â He took a step toward her, the word mine pounding itself through his head in time with the thundering of his heart. âOf course you are coming back to my country with me now. But not as my mistress. Bailey Harper, you are going to be my wife.â
One stolen moment of extraordinary passion leads to dramatic consequences in this stunning new trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Maisey Yates in...
Heirs Before Vows
Claiming their legacy with a diamond ring!
Three of the worldâs most impressive and powerful bachelors, connected by fate and friendship, are about to find their lives changed irrevocably!
No one could have expected the shocking consequences that now lead these determined alpha males down the aisle...
...as expectant fathers!
Find out what happens in...
The Spaniardâs Pregnant Bride
October 2016
The Princeâs Pregnant Mistress
December 2016
This stunning trilogy concludes with...
The Italianâs Pregnant Virgin
January 2017
MAISEY YATES is a New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty romance novels. She has a coffee habit she has no interest in kicking, and a slight Pinterest addiction. She lives with her husband and children in the Pacific Northwest. When Maisey isnât writing she can be found singing in the grocery store, shopping for shoes online and probably not doing dishes. Check out her website: maiseyyates.com.
This book is dedicated to the librarians. I spent countless hours at libraries, reading countless books. Thank you for giving the joy of reading to everyone.
CHAPTER ONE
IT HAD BEEN a perfect night. So beautiful, the white Christmas lights strung across the facades of the buildings in Vail glittering on the snow all around them. Like the stars had dropped down from the sky to light their way.
Yes, the night had been perfect and Raphael even more so. But then, he always was.
Bailey couldnât quite believe it was real. Even after eight months with him, she couldnât believe it. He was like something out of a fairy tale, and she was a girl who never thought sheâd have a happy ending.
But then sheâd met him.
Of course, she only saw him every few months, when he flew into Colorado on business, and never for long enough.
Sheâd been guarded all of her adult life. So cautious when it came to men and dating. But with Raphael...that caution had never been there. Sheâd just given herself to him with no thought of self-protection, no thought of anything but how much she wanted him.
She was like a different woman with him. A woman in love.
It was always so frantic when he was there. Tonight was no exception. Theyâd finished dinner, a walk through the town, then back to the hotel, where heâd consumed her.
There had been an edge to him tonight, an intensity. Not that she was complaining.
She stretched out on the sheets, curling her toes. She was still recovering. She giggled and rolled onto her side, looking toward the bathroom.
The door was closed, a sliver of light visible beneath it. She sighed heavily, waiting for him to come back to bed.