LITMIR.BIZ

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things so carefully. All her surgeries were over. Any new patients had been seen jointly with Max. He would perform the neonatal surgeries and she would do later follow up once she was back from maternity leave.

      But here he was. Right in front of her. The guy she’d spent the last six months half cursing, half pining for.

      Those forest-green eyes practically swept up and down her body. Her palm itched. That thick dark hair. The hair she’d spent two days and two nights running her fingers through. Those broad shoulders, filling out the exquisitely cut suit. The pale lilac of the shirt and the shocking pink of his tie with his dark suit and good looks made him look like one of the models adorning the billboards above Times Square in New York. Imagine waking up with that staring in your hotel window every morning.

      Her breath had left her lungs. It was unnatural. It was ridiculous. He was just a man. She sucked in a breath and narrowed her gaze. ‘Congratulations on your engagement.’

      He flinched. What had he expected? That she’d welcome him here with open arms?

      Part of her felt a tiny twinge of regret. Her hand had picked up the phone more times than she could count. She’d tried to have that conversation with Oliver on a number of occasions. But it was clear that he’d never realised what was behind her tiny querying questions. The thought that his friend might have had a liaison with his colleague obviously hadn’t even entered his mind.

      Was it really such a stretch of the imagination?

      Sebastian let out a sigh and stepped towards her. She held up her hand automatically to stop him getting too close—last thing she needed was to get a whiff of that familiar aftershave. She didn’t need any more memories of the past than she already had. Baby was more than enough.

      The royal persona she’d seen on the TV news seemed to be the man in the room with her now. This wasn’t the cheeky, flirtatious, incredibly sexy guy that she’d spent two days and two nights with. Maybe her Seb didn’t really exist at all?

      There was something else. An air about him she hadn’t noticed before. Or maybe she hadn’t been paying attention. An assurance. A confidence. The kind of persona that actually fitted with being a prince.

      He caught the hand she held in front of her.

      The effect was instant, a rush of warmth and a pure overload of memories of the last time he’d touched her.

      If she hadn’t been standing so squarely she might have swayed. Her senses were alight. Now, his aftershave was reaching across the short space between them like a cowboy’s rope pulling her in. Her hand tingled from where he held it. His grip initially had been firm but now it changed and his thumb moved under her palm, tracing circles—just as he’d done months ago.

      Her breathing stalled. No. No, she wasn’t going to go here again.

      This was the man that had announced his engagement a few weeks after they’d met. An engagement to a childhood friend. Had he been seeing her the whole time? She’d checked. But the media wasn’t sure. Had he been sleeping with them both at the same time?

      She had no idea.

      But no matter what her senses were doing, thoughts like that coloured her opinion of the man. He hadn’t been honest with her. They hadn’t promised each other anything, but that didn’t matter.

      She snatched her hand back.

      ‘I’m not engaged, Sienna. I broke off my engagement when I heard the news you were pregnant.’ His voice was as smooth as silk.

      She felt herself bristle. ‘And what am I supposed to feel—grateful?’

      He didn’t even blink. He just kept talking. ‘I heard the news from Oliver. He called me about something else. A woman. Ella? Do you know her?’

      Sienna frowned. ‘Yes, yes, I know her. She’s a midwife here.’ She paused. Did Sebastian know the full story?

      ‘They’re engaged,’ she said carefully, missing out the part that Ella was pregnant too. She wasn’t sure just how much Oliver would have told Sebastian.

      A wide smile broke across Sebastian’s face. ‘Perfect. I’ll need to congratulate him.’ His focus came back on Sienna. ‘Maybe we could have a joint wedding?’

      ‘A what?’ Someone walking past the door turned their head at the rise of her voice. ‘Are you crazy?’

      Sebastian shook his head. ‘Why would you think I’m crazy?’

      He drew himself up in front of her. ‘You’re carrying the heir to the Montanari throne. We might still have things to sort out, but I’d prefer it if the heir to the throne was legitimate. Wouldn’t you? If you come back with me now we can be married as soon as we get there. We can tell the world we met when you came to work in Montanari Royal General. Everything fits.’

      He made it all sound so normal. So rational. So matter-of-fact.

      She wasn’t hearing this. She wasn’t. It was some sick, delusional dream. She thought back to everything she’d eaten today. Maybe she’d been exposed to something weird.

      He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. ‘Here.’

      She wasn’t thinking straight and held out her hand. ‘What is it?’

      One of the ward clerks walked past and raised her eyebrows at the sight of the way-too-big diamond. Perfect. Just perfect. She was already the talk of the place and Polly was the world’s biggest gossip. She just prayed that Polly hadn’t recognised Sebastian.

      She flinched and pulled her hand away. ‘What am I supposed to do with that?’

      ‘Put it on,’ he said simply, glancing at her as if it were a stupid question. ‘You need to wear an engagement ring.’ He paused for a second and looked at her face. ‘Don’t you like it? It’s a family heirloom.’ His forehead wrinkled. ‘I’m sure I can find you something else in the family vault.’

      She shook her head and started pacing. ‘It doesn’t matter if I like it. I don’t want it. I don’t need it. I’m—’ She stopped and placed her hand on her stomach. ‘We’re going nowhere. I have a job here. A home. The very last place I’m going is Montanari. And the very last thing I’m doing...’ she paused again and shook her head, trying to make sense of the craziness around her. She drew in a deep breath and stepped right up to him, poking her finger in her chest. ‘The very last thing I’m doing is marrying you.’

      Now Sebastian started shaking his head. He had the absolute gall to look surprised. ‘Why on earth not? You’re expecting our child. You’re going to be the mother of the heir to Montanari. We should get married. And as soon as possible.’ He said it as if it made perfect sense.

      Sienna put her hands on her back and started pacing. ‘No. No, we absolutely shouldn’t.’

      Sebastian held out his hands. ‘Sienna, in a few years you get to be the Queen of Montanari. What woman wouldn’t want that?’

      She shuddered. She actually shuddered. ‘Oh, no. Oh, no.’

      Sebastian’s brow creased. ‘What on earth is wrong? We can have a state wedding in Montanari...’ he glanced at her stomach and gave a little shrug ‘...but we’ll need to be quick.’

      Sienna took a step back. ‘Okay, were you really this crazy when I met you in Montanari and I just didn’t notice? Because this is nowhere near normal.’ She put her hand on her stomach. ‘Yes, I’m pregnant. Yes, I’m pregnant with your baby. But that’s it, Sebastian. This isn’t the Dark Ages. I don’t want your help—or need it.’ She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to contemplate all the things she hadn’t even considered. ‘Look at me, Sebastian. I live here. In the Cotswolds. I came here from Edinburgh. I purposely chose to come here. I’ve bought my dream house. I have a great job and colleagues that I like and admire. I’ve arranged a childcare for my baby and cover for my maternity leave.’ She could feel herself getting agitated. Her voice was

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