“All my life I’ve waited for a love like this, Misha. And there you are… I look at you and I can’t believe you’re mine….” Maxim placed his hand over her belly. His expression was so intense. “And this baby that you carry, ‘amor mio’. This is my baby… OUR baby. I couldn’t feel it more if you had conceived in my bed.” His voice had a husky rasp that made Michela’s pulse pound. “My sweet prince… I didn’t plan on falling in love with you. In fact, everything about you entering my life when you did, wasn’t how I wanted it to be. But now… I can hardly breathe when you’re not around. There’s no one else for me, Maxim. Only you. Forever you.” An honest mistake brought together two lonely people, who knew nothing about each other’s existence, who weren’t meant to be together. Michela ‘Misha’ Roberts, an accomplished lawyer, an eternal single lady, in love with her romantic independence, wanted a baby, but not a man in her life. An IVF procedure granted her wish... Sort of… Misha was now carrying a child, but a mix-up happened in the clinic, and the baby she was expecting was the Royal heir of Massimiliano ‘Maxim’ Federico Arturo di Montbéliard, Prince of Carpathia! Maxim gave up on the hope of fatherhood long ago, but now the fascinating, lonely Prince of Carpathia, will seize this surprise second chance. However, tradition is high on the prince’s agenda, and he'll never stand for an illegitimate child... He must marry the mother of his heir. The fiery Michela is about to discover that royal marriage is a command, not a choice!
View More“Oh, please, don’t do this to me now. We really have to do this, so be a little patient, sweetheart.”
Michaela Roberts put her hand over her belly and tried to suppress the sense of rising nausea that was threatening her with immediate action if she didn’t get a hold of some saltine crackers or a bottle of cranberry juice.
Lately, morning sickness was draining all her energies, and it was even worse when it lasted the entire day. Worse still now when she was about to tell a man she didn’t know he was going to be a father of her baby…
She parked her car and took a deep breath, almost relieved to discover a roadblock in her path. The wrought-iron gates that divided the massive mansion from the rest of the world looked impenetrable.
After swallowing hard to push down the lunch that was menacing to come out from her frail body, Michaela decided it was no better time than the present to let him know what was going on.
“Ok, sweet baby… Another five minutes… But you have to calm down and let mommy solve this matter.”
Michaela didn’t know a lot about this man, the father of her baby beside his name. But judging based on what she was seeing, it was clear that he was way out of her league, both financially and otherwise.
Her eyes widened when she saw a man in a dark suit with security-issue sunglasses prowling the perimeter of the fence. Was Massimiliano di Montbéliard an Italian mafia godfather or something? Who had such security detail in the middle of Nowhere City, in Washington State?
The guard, because that’s what he had to be, exited through a smaller pedestrian gate and walked toward her car, his expression grim. He gestured for her to roll her window down and she complied, self-conscious of the crank handle that she had to use to perform the action. Her car wasn’t exactly a new, fully loaded model, but it was the only one she could afford with her salary.
“Are you lost, Miss?”
He sounded perfectly pleasant and polite, but she knew that his right hand, which looked as though it was resting on his hip and was partly concealed by his dark suit jacket, was likely gripping a gun.
“No. I’m looking for Mr. Massimiliano di Montbéliard. This is the address I was given.”
The man’s lips turned up slightly.
“Mr. di Montbéliard isn’t receiving visitors, so you need to leave the premises, Miss.”
“I’m…”
Another nausea attack made her body quiver. She put her hand on the belly and breathe hard a couple of times.
“I’m Michaela Roberts. He’s expecting me. At least I think he is.”
The guard held up a hand, pulled a cellphone from his pocket, and hit Speed Dial. He spoke rapidly in a foreign language, Italian, she guessed, before hanging up and turning his attention back to her.
“Go ahead and pull in. Park your car at the front.”
He walked to the gate and keyed in a code. The iron monstrosities swung forward and Michaela pulled the car through, her stomach now seriously protesting. She really didn’t know Massimiliano di Montbéliard, so she had no assurance he wouldn’t harm her in some way. Maybe it was still time to go back… Maybe she hadn’t thought this through.
No, that wasn’t true. She had thought this through. From every angle until she was certain she had no choice but to come here and see the father of her baby, despite the fact that she wanted to bury her head in a hole and pretend the whole thing had never happened. She couldn’t bury her head in the sand on this one, no matter how much she might like to.
The house was massive, a huge part partially concealed by towering fir trees. The intensity of the saturated greens surrounding her was almost surreal. Nothing new to a native of the Pacific Northwest, but Michaela rarely ventured outside the Seattle city limits anymore, so being surrounded by this much nature felt like a new experience.
And seeing such a pristine, modern mansion set in the middle of the rugged wilderness was akin to an out-of-body experience. Of course, the past two weeks had also seemed like an out-of-body experience for Michaela. At first with the positive pregnancy test, and then with all of the revelations that had followed.
She parked her car in front of the house and got out slowly, really hoping she didn’t lose her lunch in the middle of the paved driveway. Not exactly a way to make a good impression on the man. The security detail appeared out of nowhere, his hand clamping firmly on her arm as he led Michaela to the front door.
“I appreciate the gallant gesture, but I can make it through the door on my own,” she said drily.
Her escort gave her an apologetic smile, loosened his grip, and let his hand fall to his side. Although she noticed he was still ready to grab hold of her if he needed to. He opened the front door for her and Michaela had a feeling it wasn’t good manners that made him allow her to go in first, but a desire to keep himself in the most advantageous position.
“Miss Roberts, I presume.”
The deep, velvet voice held just a hint of an accent and the sound made her already queasy stomach turn, but not with nausea. This feeling was something she didn’t recognize at all… a strange twisting sensation that wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
Michaela put a hand to her stomach and tried to suppress it. The sight of the owner of the amazing voice only increased the sensation. She watched as he strode down the sweeping, curved staircase, his movements quick and smooth, masculine yet graceful.
He was the most handsome man she’d ever seen. Not that she ever spent much time dwelling on men and their looks. This man, though, demanded admiration, even from her. He was just so masculine, so striking. He would turn both male and female heads wherever he went, that was for sure. And not just because of his arresting features and perfect physique.
It was his air of authority, the absolute power that emanated from him. It was compelling in a way that captivated her. His square jaw was set and uncompromising. Hard eyes, dark and fathomless, framed by a fringe of thick eyelashes, stared down at her. If not for the expression in his eyes, Michaela might have called them beautiful, but the intense glare that he fixed on her put paid to that description.
He looked familiar, although she couldn’t imagine where she would’ve ever seen someone like him. Such an example of masculine perfection hardly haunted the halls of the pro bono law firm where she worked.
She swallowed thickly and took a deep breath, hoping the infusion of fresh air would banish some of the nausea she felt.
“Yes.”
“Are you from the clinic?” he asked, coming to a stop in front of her.
His posture would make a marine envious. She had to crane her neck to look at him, his height topping her own five foot four inches by at least a foot.
“Yes… Um… no. Not exactly. I don’t know how much Johanna explained when she called you…”
Johanna was one of her dearest friends in the world, and when she’d heard about the mistake made at the clinic, she’d not only contacted Michaela right away with Maxim’s information, against the wishes of her boss, but she’d offered to be the one to contact Maxim, as well.
“Not a lot, only that it was an urgent matter. Which it had better be.”
Not for the first time, Michaela contemplated just turning around and leave the whole situation behind her. But that was the coward’s way out. She didn’t believe in leaving loose ends, and, unlike some other people, she didn’t walk away from her responsibilities. Not once. Not ever.
“Is there somewhere we can go and speak privately?” Michaela asked, looking around the cavernous entryway.
No doubt the house had a lot of private rooms where they could sit and talk. Of course, the idea of being in an enclosed space with a man she’d never met didn’t rank as a favorite for her.
She was trained in self-defense and she had pepper spray on her key chain, but that didn’t mean she wanted to get in a situation where she would have to use either one. Especially since she had a feeling neither one would prove effective against Maxim di Montbéliard.
“I don’t have a lot of time, Miss Roberts.”
Anger flared through her. He didn’t have a lot of time? As if she had any spare moments just lying around. It was difficult for her to take any time off of work. Every case they handled was vitally important to the people involved.
They were advocating for those who couldn’t advocate for themselves, and by taking the afternoon off to drive up here and talk to him she was leaving her clients in the lurch.
“I can assure you that my time is valuable, too, Mr. di Montbéliard,” she said stiffly. “But I need to speak with you.”
“Then speak,” he said.
“I’m pregnant,” Michaela said, wishing, even as she said the words, that she could call them back.
A muscle in his jaw ticked.
“And what has this to do with me? Am I meant to offer congratulations?”
“No, I don’t need your congratulations. I just wanted to let you know that… You’re the father.”
His dark eyes hardened.
“You and I both know that isn’t possible. You may not keep a record of your lovers, Miss Roberts, but I can assure you I’m not so promiscuous that I forget mine.”
The desire hadn’t gone away. Not even for a moment. She could see from the molten heat in his eyes that he felt the same. “I’ve never been playing with you,” Maxim replied, his voice intense. “Please know that. I’ve handled things badly, but hurting you was the last thing I wanted.” “Still, you did hurt me,” Michaela concluded. “We promised we were going to talk about things, but we didn’t. You just shut me out, and I have no idea what happened to cause it.” He raised his eyes and met hers… the stark, raw emotion in them shocked her. “I know,” he said roughly. “You can’t imagine how sorry I am. Please come with me, Michaela.” She nodded slowly and let him lead her from the villa. When she realized where they were headed, Michaela stopped. “Maxim... No… I can’t…” “Tr
He backed her across the room and turned her so that she was facing away from him before bending her gently over the surface of the dresser that was positioned up against the wall. “Maxim…” Michaela asked tremulously. “Trust me again, Misha,” he grated. Maxim moved his hands up her still-slender waist, around to her stomach, and over the little bump that housed their baby. His heart jumped and he curled his hands into fists before opening them again and palming her breasts, releasing the front clasp on her bra and letting it fall open. He covered them, squeezed her sensitized nipples, drawing a low, desperate moan from her lips. Maxim abandoned her breasts to push her skirt down her hips, taking her tiny pair of panties with it. He pressed his hand against her mound, pushing one finger thr
Michaela was more than thankful for having an opportunity to get out of the palace later that day. The meeting with the men and women she was working with to organize the Carpathian branch of the MD Foundation had gone well. It had provided some much-needed distraction from the anxiety of waiting for the test results, from the stifling solitude that came from being in a huge building surrounded by people who basically never talked to her. But most of all, she needed a distraction from her earlier revelation. She didn’t want to be in love with Maxim. She was saving all her love for their child. She didn’t want to have her emotions tangled up in loving him, not when he was only going to hurt her. She didn’t want to be like her parents. Didn’t wa
Michaela ran her soft hand over his abs, and Maxim’s stomach tightened, his whole body aching, ready for her again. If it was only his body that was affected it wouldn’t be so dangerous, but his chest felt too full when he looked at her when he touched her. It was too much. It wasn’t what this was supposed to be about. Maxim thought about what his father had said. About the paternity test. Michaela had even commented that if they’d made a mix-up at the lab in the first place, it was possible they had made a mistake and that he wasn’t the father. If that were true, Michaela would be free to go back home. They wouldn’t even have to get married. He’d imagined that thought might make him feel free, that the prospect of escaping marriage might make the tightness in his chest lessen. Instead, it sent an intense
Looking at his expression, Michaela realized this was more intimate for him than making love. Maxim was sharing something with her that he had not shared with any other woman, any other person, period. Not even with Antonia, his wife of seven years. That did something to her. It made the most bittersweet pain twist her heart, made her stomach tighten with longing. “I would like that…” Maxim put an arm around her and took Michaela’s chin in his hand, tilting her face up so that their eyes met. “Misha… I want to paint ALL of you. No clothes, no barriers… I want to capture only you and our child.” Realization of what that meant dawned slowly. “Oh… I can’t do that, Maxim!” she protested, her cheeks heating at the idea of getting naked in such
“Your belly is starting to show, Misha.” Maxim put his arms around Michaela from behind and caressed her bare midsection. She had been examining herself in the mirror in the master suite, sucking in her expanding stomach. She gently smacked his hand. “Thank you, Maxim… Just what every woman wants to hear from her man!” “It’s sexy… You’re so sexy…” He nuzzled her neck and kissed the hollow just beneath her ear. “You must know how incredibly sexy I think you are.” Michaela knew. Maxim had spent all night showing her just how sexy he thought she was. It had been such a wonderful revelation. She’d discovered a whole, huge part of herself she hadn’t even known existed. A part of herself she’d spent far too long suppressing.  
Michaela fought to regain some control, some kind of command over her senses. Impossible when she felt as if all of the feelings inside her were too big to be contained by her skin. So difficult when she was certain she might shatter into a million pieces. A needy moan escaped her lips and her body trembled as he moved closer to the place where she was wet and aching for him. She didn’t have control anymore… she felt as if she might fall from the earth and float away as if there was nothing holding her to the bed. She gripped the sheets, tried to focus, tried to find some shred of sanity, because this, what he was doing to her, making her feel, was terrifying. Michaela couldn’t temper it, couldn’t lead it, or plan it. But she felt her hold slipping, felt herself ready to plunge over the edge, and if that
For a second, his dark eyes focused on the blank space in front of him, trying to remember his life before Michaela, before this whole baby situation, before the unhappiness of the last years. He was trying to remember Antonia… not because he was so attached to her memory, but because nothing about it had been worth the pain he’d endured. Maxim had lost Antonia several times over. In the end, an impenetrable wall had gone up between them, and he hadn’t been able to reach her anymore. He hadn’t been able to protect her, from her grief, from death. At this point, all Maxim knew was that he had no desire to ever go through that kind of hell again. “So, you’re absolutely sure you’re going to meet someone else?” Michaela asked, her copper eyes deadly serious. “I’m marrying you, Michaela… You’re the only
Maxim got off the phone with the casino manager and cursed. Not because the problem at the casino hadn’t been easy to solve - that issue had been handled in only a few minutes - but because of the unsatisfied desire that was still raging through him. He couldn’t believe he’d almost had sex with Michaela outside by his pool, with all of the speed and finesse of a very horny schoolboy. Maxim had never, EVER lost control with a woman like that before. He had always taken the time when romancing a woman. Antonia had never wanted it any other way. She had always needed candles, a dimly lit room. He had always spent at least an hour arousing her body before he’d even considered taking things to their natural conclusion. But with Michaela, there had
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