Secretly pregnant by the.., p.1
Secretly Pregnant by the Tycoon, page 1
If Matt was sunshine, Hannah was flame.
Vibrant red tresses falling about her shoulders. Brown eyes that ensnared him months before held so much apprehension now he ached to pull her to him. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. And oh! he remembered.
His gaze raked over her, then he noticed what had changed about her and a stone dropped into the pit of his stomach. But he couldn’t stay away from her. Not after all these months.
He went to her, watching as she craned her neck to look up at him, and for a moment all he wanted to do was kiss her. Make sure she was really in his office. Replace the memory of their last kiss with a new one.
Seeing her now felt like no time had passed at all but her body showed the proof of it.
“You never called,” he said, taking her hand, “but it seems like we have a lot to discuss.”
She cleared her throat to get the words out as quickly as possible. “I think it’s pretty obvious I’m pregnant...” She swallowed and rushed out the rest. “And the baby is yours.”
Bella Mason has been a bookworm from an early age. She has been regaling people with stories from the time she discovered she could hold the dinner table hostage with her reimagined fairy tales. After earning a degree in journalism, she rekindled her love of writing and now writes full-time. When she isn’t imagining dashing heroes and strong heroines, she can be found exploring Melbourne, burying her nose in a book or lusting after fast cars.
Books by Bella Mason
Harlequin Presents
Awakened by the Wild Billionaire
Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.
Bella Mason
Secretly Pregnant by the Tycoon
For everyone who’s ever had to hide a piece of themselves, and for Megan for helping me find Matt and Hannah’s story.
Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
EPILOGUE
EXCERPT FROM DESERT KING’S FORBIDDEN TEMPTATION BY CLARE CONNELLY
CHAPTER ONE
CHROME AND GLASS surrounded Hannah Murphy. If it hadn’t been for the obscenely expensive plush chair, she would have sworn she was sitting in just another high rise. Maybe even the one she herself worked at. But one glance out of the wall of windows and there was no pretending that she was anywhere except London. Melbourne, her home, was thousands of miles away. Everyone she knew was probably asleep. Well, almost everyone.
With her foot bouncing at a rapid rate, her heart wanting to beat out of her chest, Hannah looked down at the phone clutched in her hand, Emma’s message appearing under the last one she had sent.
You’re doing the right thing. He deserves to know.
Hannah understood that. She also understood why she trembled at the mere thought of seeing Matt Taylor again—the man she had met seven months ago when he’d visited Melbourne. The man who had turned her world upside down in so many ways. Who had showed her pleasure she’d never dreamed possible. Who’d made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.
Hannah brought her fingers to her lips, the force of their first kiss and the sad resignation of their last imprinted on the soft flesh for ever. Standing in the airport, it was as if he’d tried to brand the memory of himself into her. At that he’d been more than successful. She’d spent weeks after that lying awake in the flat she shared with Emma, thinking about him. Craving his touch while she touched herself, replaying their moment over in her head. It was a cheap facsimile of what she wanted, but it had to be enough, because they couldn’t be together. Their lives were light years apart. That was why she had only contacted him once since he had left.
That was until everything had changed.
Hannah looked down at her rounded belly, her hand coming to rest on the very pronounced bump. The baby moved at her touch, making a soft smile creep onto her face.
Oh yes, Matt Taylor had definitely turned her world upside down and now she was about to do the same to his. Hannah had no idea how he would react to the news. She didn’t dare hope for excitement—this would be a shock. At least she had had the last trimester to come to terms with it.
A trimester.
Just three months.
The world was unfair. There were women out there who could count on their cycle like clockwork. Hannah knew several such women and envied them all, never having been that fortunate. That was why she had thought nothing of missing three periods. Of course, she should have taken notice sooner of the extreme fatigue she’d been feeling...
Everyone always commented on her boundless energy. Whether at work or play, she was up for anything...until she wasn’t. So, she had seen a doctor, who had uttered three little words that she was sure had stopped her heart.
‘You are pregnant.’
Hannah had sat in the doctor’s chair listening to everything she’d said but none of it had sunk in. Shock was all she felt in that moment. How was this possible? Motherhood was a dream she had long given up on, knowing it could never happen for her.
The doctor had handed her pamphlets and written out a prescription, while saying words that had not registered. There had to be a mistake. She couldn’t be pregnant.
But she was. It had taken a while for her to come to terms with it. Only after her first scan a week later had the idea finally solidified. She really was going to be a mother.
She hadn’t said a thing to anyone in that week. She couldn’t. What if it really was just a mistake? She would have worried everyone for no reason.
And it wasn’t as if anyone had really noticed a change in her body. Hannah wasn’t slim and tall like her best friend. She was soft. She had curves that she loved.
Once she’d got that printout of the scan, everything had changed.
Emma was typing again.
At least you made an appointment so you two will have some time to talk.
Guilt curdled in her belly. She hadn’t made an appointment. She’d meant to but she just hadn’t been able to bring herself to make the call. What would she say? Especially when she had held onto the news for three months. When she’d sworn Emma and Alex to secrecy. Keeping Hannah’s secret from his friend had not been easy on Alex, she knew that. After all, they considered each other brothers—another thing to stab at her conscience.
Those three months had been hell. Every single day she would torment herself about calling Matt, telling him, but what would she say to a man she had only known for a week? A man who had only come to Melbourne for a holiday? A man who was still pretty much a stranger. A man who’d said he didn’t want to be a father.
Somehow, she’d managed to convince herself that pitching up unannounced would be far easier for everyone involved and, if Matt’s highly efficient, slightly terrifying PA sent her away, at least she could say she tried.
Hannah stared down at her phone, trying to remember all that Emma and Alex had said. Trying to believe those words over the fear about what awaited her in that office...
* * *
Hannah had been curled up on the large, tan leather couch. A blanket on her lap kept the Melbourne chill at bay. A fluffy black cat had lain on her lap, purring contentedly against her belly. A steaming cup of hot chocolate was in her hands.
Emma had sat beside her, sipping at her own cup. ‘He misses you,’ she’d said, looking at her cat, which only had eyes for Hannah.
‘I miss him too.’ Hannah had scratched Lucky between the ears, making him purr even louder. ‘It’s weird how quiet the apartment gets.’
‘It won’t be for long.’ Emma had smiled.
‘I know.’
Hannah was nearing the end of her second trimester. She’d been equal parts scared and excited for the birth of her baby. It amazed her how much one night could change your life.
Just then, Alex walked into the lounge. Hannah watched him take a seat opposite them and smile at her friend in a way that made her indescribably happy for Emma and the love she’d found. It also made her heart break to know she could never find anything like it. The closest she’d come was the reason she was scared now. An unparalleled attraction to a man who neither wanted to be a father nor could be in any kind of relationship with her.
‘You really do need to tell him, Han,’ Emma said gently, picking up the conversation from where it had fallen before. ‘Even if you think he’ll reject you. You need to try.’
Emma didn’t understand. Matt was gone. He didn’t want any part of this pregnancy. ‘He said he didn’t want children, Em.’
‘He still needs to know. What did he say exactly?’ Alex was regarding
‘He said that he didn’t want to be a father. That he wasn’t cut out for it.’ Hannah vividly remembered that walk on the beach when they’d spotted a young family playing with a beach ball that had landed at their feet. ‘You didn’t see his face. He was adamant. How can I force this on him?’
‘Hannah.’ Alex called her attention with his deep voice. ‘I know Matt better than anyone. He would want to know. You wouldn’t be forcing anything on him. He always steps up to his responsibilities. He won’t leave you alone in this.’
Hannah looked down into her mug, suddenly losing her appetite for the rich drink.
‘Let me ask you this,’ Alex pressed on. ‘What are you going to do when you see him again with a child that looks like both of you in your arms?’
Hannah opened her mouth but no sound came out.
‘Do you want to avoid him for the rest of your life? Days that you want to spend with Emma given up because of this?’
No, Hannah could never sacrifice any part of her friendship with Emma. They were there for each other through everything.
‘And what about when your child asks after him? What will you say then? Give him a chance, Hannah. You’re not the only one who hurt after he left.’
Alex had made several great points. Hannah was logical enough to see that, but how would she tell Matt that he would be a father when she’d assured him that they were safe? And did he really miss her as she missed him?
‘I want to, it’s just that...’
Emma reached over, squeezing her hand. ‘Han, Matt isn’t Travis. He’s a good guy.’
‘I know no man better,’ Alex added.
* * *
Her baby moved again. He seemed as restless as she was. God, she was tired!
With her back aching, Hannah adjusted herself in the chair. What she wouldn’t give to have a lumbar roll right now!
Hannah prayed her friends were right. Straightening her dress with as much grace as she could muster, Hannah took a deep breath then typed out her response to her best friend.
I didn’t make an appointment, but I am at his office waiting for him.
She could almost see her friend shaking her head. It was just that Matt was the ultimate bachelor. Theirs had been a holiday romance that had burned brightly but had had an expiration date. Hannah was already so stressed with the idea of being a single mother—going through the birth alone, having to give up work while on maternity leave, preparing her home for a new-born—that she couldn’t deal with the possibility that Matt would reject her baby. That he would be furious. She just couldn’t trust that he would be there for her. This situation was her own to figure out.
But now she had officially run out of time. Matt had to know about the pregnancy and this wasn’t the type of news to spring on him in a call. Especially after she’d waited so long to tell him. No, this was face-to-face news. All she wanted was to tell him that he would be a father soon and that she wasn’t coming after him for anything other than what he wanted to give. That she’d be perfectly fine raising this baby on her own—no pressure. She had a great job as a software developer at a respectable tech company, and a great flat in the city that was mostly hers now, with Emma having moved out. There wasn’t anything she needed from Matt. How could she count on someone she barely knew, anyway?
She would tell him, get her answer and be on the earliest flight back to Melbourne. But, as she sat in that office, she realised that she had backed herself into a corner. What if he wasn’t ready to wave her off with his baby in her belly shortly after she’d arrived with earth-shattering news? What had seemed like a good idea at the time now seemed like a serious lapse in judgement.
As if her body knew exactly where Matt was in the building, Hannah turned to face a corridor of glass-walled offices. She didn’t see his. What she did see was the disapproving glare from his PA. She knew the prim woman in her black skirt-suit was judging her six ways to Sunday, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. She was nervous enough without having to worry about strangers she might never see again.
Hannah looked at the smart watch on her wrist. She had been waiting almost an hour. Part of her wondered if the PA had even mentioned her name. Then a small, dark part of her wondered how many times Matt’s PA had had to deal with women making some sort of claim on him. He obviously got around; his playboy reputation wasn’t exaggerated.
He was rich, handsome and constantly in the public eye. How many women had he seen since he’d left Melbourne? Had he spared a thought for her? Had their fling meant something to him? Had it kept him up at night as it had her? Probably not. Despite what Alex said, men didn’t value relationships the same way. That was a hard lesson she’d learned a long time ago.
Hannah tried to push away the thoughts. She and Matt had said goodbye. The memory of him leaving still wrenched her gut and stole her air but they owed each other nothing. What he did wasn’t any of her business.
Except soon they would be linked for ever by the little life she carried. If he wanted to know his child. Taking a deep breath, Hannah tried to leash her out-of-control thoughts. It was only because she was forced to sit out here that they ran riot. She had nothing to do but wait and stare out the window. The view of London was magnificent, but even this city couldn’t distract her from the enormity of what she was about to do.
When she was just about ready to burst, to grab her bag and flee the building, cursing herself for coming here at all, the PA, whom she was quickly coming to dislike, approached her chair.
‘Mr Taylor will see you now,’ she said calmly as if Hannah wasn’t in the middle of a crisis.
‘Thank you.’ Hannah pushed to her feet as elegantly as she could manage and straightened her red shirt-dress. She slung the strap of her handbag over her shoulder and slipped her phone into it before following the woman down the long corridor.
Hannah’s heart was racing and it grew more frantic with every step they took towards Matt. She could no longer tell if it was because she would see him again or because she bore life-changing news.
She still tried to tell herself that logically he couldn’t be too shocked. This pregnancy was the result of a goodbye neither of them had wanted to say. That last night would be etched in her memory for ever. And, even though she wasn’t supposed to have been able to fall pregnant, she had.
Hannah couldn’t remember a whole lot from that first doctor’s appointment, but she did remember her saying that, while it was rare for an infertile woman such as herself to fall pregnant, it was known to happen.
Her baby had defied the odds to be here. He deserved the best life she could give him. Just as the thought settled in her mind, the baby kicked the hardest he’d ever done as if to prove a point. The gasp left her lips before she could stop it.
The PA halted mid-step, casting an eye over her shoulder. ‘Are you okay? Do you require assistance?’ she asked, in a patronising tone that irritated Hannah more than it should have.
‘No, I’m perfectly fine.’ She smiled sweetly. And she was. Hannah hadn’t needed anyone when she’d come over to London. She had refused Emma’s offer to travel with her. She had even refused Alex’s apartment. She was doing this by herself—Matt, the pregnancy, everything.
They stopped at a large corner office. The glass walls were opaque but despite that she could make out that the room was bathed in the gold glow of the afternoon sun. It was finally upon her. This was what she had to do for her baby.
Hannah watched the PA rap her knuckles on the door then open it and step aside.
And there he was.
With his shirt sleeves rolled up and black wire-frame glasses perched on his patrician nose, he took her breath away. But it was those green eyes that had her feet carrying her towards him when they landed on her. She didn’t even notice the PA close the door, leaving them with complete privacy.
‘Hannah?’ A frown marred his forehead as he stood. He was tall and broad-shouldered, a physique from his rugby playing days that he’d never lost. His jaw was strong and smooth. She remembered kissing it and the smile it had brought to his face.
