The Tycoon's Secret Affair (The Anetakis Tycoons #3)(27)

“At this point, I couldn’t care less. It isn’t as if I ever intend to marry again. I just want to be away from you. Keep your damn settlement. I don’t want anything from you. Just my freedom. I’ll leave immediately.”

She lurched forward, taking the spiraling pathway that would lead her back to the house, but Piers was beside her in an instant, his hand tight around her arm.

“You can’t go anywhere at this hour, Jewel. Be sensible.”

“Sensible?” She laughed. “Now you tell me to be sensible. I should have been sensible the moment you walked back into my life and took it over.”

“Stay until morning. You won’t have to concern yourself with me asserting my husbandly rights.”

“And you’ll let me go?” she asked incredulously.

“If you still want to, then yes.”

She studied him in the dark, and shook her head at the emotionless set to his face. Did he feel anything ever? Did he have a soul or had he given it away long ago?

“All right then. I’ll leave first thing in the morning. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to go to bed.”

Piers watched her go, his chest tight with something that felt remarkably like panic. Of all the reactions he might have expected, this wasn’t one of them. When confronted with her deception, he’d expected tears, recriminations, even pleas to help her anyway. He hadn’t expected her to tell him to go to hell and leave. Where was the profit in that?

Now he was stuck with thinking of a way to persuade her to stay. Until he figured out this puzzle, he needed her where he could find her at all times. For the first time, a surge of excitement tingled his nape. Could it be that she was really pregnant with his child? That this time, he had rights where the child was concerned?

If so, there was no way he would let Jewel walk out of his life.

Twelve

U nable to sleep, Jewel spent her time packing her clothing. She hadn’t even unpacked everything yet, so the task didn’t take her long. The rest of her time was spent sitting on the bed, her hands braced on the mattress as she silently stewed.

Why had she married Piers? It was a stupid decision, and yes, she’d been desperate, but not so desperate that she had called Kirk. No, she’d called Piers and then allowed him to take over and demand she marry him.

Face it. You’re a hopeless dreamer.

All of the things she supposedly no longer believed in had guided her every step for the last five months. Was it any wonder she’d royally screwed up?

At two in the morning, she was lying in bed, in the dark, staring toward the window at the full moon spilling through the panes. She’d just closed her eyes and considered that she might finally fall asleep when sharp pain lanced through her side, stealing her breath with its intensity.

She drew her knees up in automatic defense, and another tearing pain ripped through her abdomen. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t even process what she needed to do.

When the agony let up, she rolled toward the edge of the bed. Fear was as strong as the pain now. Fear for her child. Was she losing her baby?

Tears blurred her vision as she groped for a handhold. Her feet dangled above the floor when pain assaulted her again. She fell the rest of the way, landing with a thump on her side. She lay there, gasping for air, tears rolling down her cheeks as wave upon wave of pain shredded her insides.

Piers, she had to get to Piers.

She pushed her palm down on the surface of the floor, trying to lever herself up. The pain was unrelenting now. Nausea rolled through her stomach, swelling in her throat until she gagged.

She clamped her mouth shut and took deep breaths through her nose.

“Piers!”

It sounded weak, and her door was closed.

“Piers!” she said louder, and collapsed again when pain slashed through her side again.

Oh God, he wasn’t coming. He probably couldn’t hear her, and she couldn’t get up.

Tears slipped faster down her cheeks, and she moaned helplessly as the tearing sensation overwhelmed her.

Then she heard the door fly open. The light flipped on, and footsteps thumped across the floor.

“Jewel! What’s wrong? Is it the baby?”

Piers knelt beside her, his hands flying across her body and her stomach. He started to turn her, and she cried out in pain.

“Tell me what’s wrong, yineka mou. Tell me how to help you,” he said desperately.

“Hurt,” she gasped out. “I hurt so much.”

“Where?”

“My side, my stomach. Low—around my pelvis. God, I don’t know. It hurts everywhere.”

“Shhh, I’ll take care of you,” he said soothingly. “It’ll be all right. I promise.”

He gathered her in his arms and lifted her up.

“Will you be all right if I lay you on the bed for a moment? I need to get dressed, and then I’ll drive you to the hospital.”

She nodded against his chest, unable to form even a simple word.

He strode into his bedroom and settled her on the same bed they’d made love in the night before. His scent surrounded her, and oddly, offered her comfort.

It seemed to take him forever to dress, but finally he was back, pulling her to him. He hurried down the stairs and outside into the chilly night.

“I’m going to put you in the backseat so you can lie down,” he murmured. “I’ll have you at the hospital quickly. Try to hold on, yineka mou.”