The Billionaire's Baby Bargain (A is for Alpha) (23 page)

The Rolls-Royce had turned sideways in the street, blocking any traffic that might come along. He spotted Filipe on one side of the road, climbing up the hillside. But where was Chloe?

His gaze raked over the road until he just barely spotted her head peeking out of the car.
 

“Chloe!” he screamed, even though she couldn’t hear him. He steered the car up and onto the side of the hill, just enough to keep it grounded, and then put the brake on.

He reached for the handle on his door just as Chloe flung herself into the swiftly moving water.
 

“
No
.” Andrés jumped out of the Land Rover, calling her name over the roar of the rain and water.

Chloe finally seemed to hear him, because her head jerked up and relief swept across her face. He saw his name on her lips, her eyes wide. And then she stumbled, falling into the quickly moving flood.

Panic and terror ripped through Andrés, twisting his heart and tightening his chest. He plowed after her, screaming her name, helpless to stop the flood that carried her down the road.
 

Her head disappeared under water. His life flashed before his eyes, because Chloe gave his life breath. She was his heart and soul, and dammit, he would not lose her. He moved faster through the water than could have ever seemed possible. He gave a strangled moan of relief as her head broke from the surface and she managed to grab onto a tree on the side of the road.

It gave him just the break he needed to catch up to her. He caught her around the waist, and lifted her drenched body from the water and up into his arms.

She clung to him, arms limp around his neck, her body shaking with sobs.
 

“
Señor
!” Filipe screamed and tossed a rope toward them.
 

Andrés caught the other end, recognizing it as the rope he’d kept in an emergency box in the back of his Land Rover. Filipe had tied it to one end of the vehicle and Andrés gratefully used it to haul himself and Chloe back to safety against the downward rush of floodwater.

Minutes later they were back in the Land Rover, driving back to his villa. He thanked God that they were alive, also praying it wasn’t too late to convince Chloe what she meant to him.

Chloe tightened the blanket around her body and stared into the crackling fire. Even after a hot bath, her body still shook from the cold water and at how close to death she’d been.

Her hand traveled to her stomach and another wave of fear hit her. Was the baby okay? When she’d fallen in the water, it had been complete turmoil. Like being on a horrific waterslide where she couldn’t break the surface to catch her breath, while being pounded by rocks and land.

“How are you feeling?”

Chloe gasped and turned around, having not heard Andrés enter the room. Her heart lurched into her throat, pounding at the sight of him. He moved slowly across the room, so devastatingly handsome with his hands thrust into the pockets of his jeans and his somber gaze moving over her.
 

Tears pricked at the back of her eyes and she blinked rapidly to dispel them. It was ridiculous how much she loved this man. How could she ever have thought she could leave him? All she wanted right now was to run into his arms and beg to be held.

“I’m all right,” she finally answered.
 

“I’ve spoken with the doctor. She says most likely the baby is fine but to rest until she can do an ultrasound once the roads are clear.”

His words helped to ease the fear a bit and she swallowed hard as he came to sit beside her chair. She glanced up at him through her lashes, emotion thick in her throat. “You saved my life. I don’t even know how I can possibly thank you.”

“You could stay with me.”

Her eyes flooded with tears, but she dipped her head so he wouldn’t see them. She loved him too much to be away from him, and her child needed a father. She knew he could be wonderfully attentive and giving, and she had no doubt he would adore his child.
 

“Of course,” she whispered.
 

Andrés moved to his knees in front of her and caught her chin, lifting her head until their gazes collided. “Don’t stay because you feel obligated to, Chloe.”

The expression in his eyes was gentle, regretful, and had an emotion that lit a tiny spark of hope in her heart. Something she cursed herself for wanting to believe was there.

He smoothed his thumb over her mouth and murmured, “Stay because I love you,
cariño
.”
 

Her heart tripped and she blinked in disbelief. A sob ripped from her throat and the tears rolled down her cheeks. They were the words she never thought she’d hear from him, was still almost afraid she’d imagined.
 

“You were right. I’m in love with you, and I suspect I have been for some time.
Dios
, but I was a fool and could not even admit it to myself. I am so sorry,” he muttered hoarsely and pulled her off the chair and into his arms. “I’m sorry for always being so quick to make assumptions about you—I treated you appallingly.”
 

“Enough, Andrés,” she choked out, pressing her hand against his cheek. He loved her. “Please, we can leave that behind us now.”
 

Turning his head, he pressed a kiss into her palm with a groan. “And I hate that it took me almost losing you to realize how much you mean to me. Chloe, you are my world. You’ve brought light into my heart, which used to hold only darkness.”

“I love you,” she said softly, her heart swollen with the emotion. She wound her arms around his neck. “You’re my husband and my soul mate. And I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“I don’t deserve you.
Te amo, Chloe
,” he said thickly, cupping her face in a gentle grip. He covered her mouth with his own in a thorough and passionate kiss. “I love you.”

“Te amo,” she returned the endearment on a whisper, knowing without a doubt she meant it with every inch of her being.

One year later

Chloe stared at the pregnancy test and shook her head at the sense of déjà vu. Another positive. Her stomach did somersaults as she drew in an unsteady breath.

Tossing the pregnancy test into the garbage bin, she left the bedroom and walked quickly down the stairs of the villa. A moment later she strode outside, where Spain’s last days of summer beat down over the green valley surrounding Andrés’ villa. Shielding her eyes, she glanced around to locate her husband. Finally she spotted him in the gardens.
 

Her pulse tripped and her heart softened. He pointed to a flower and murmured something as he cradled their four-month-old baby, Rebecca, in his arms.
 

Andrés glanced up just then and saw her. He turned to walk toward her, his smile widening. “There’s your
madre
,” he crooned to Rebecca, pressing a kiss against their daughter’s forehead.
 

When he reached her side, Andrés leaned down to capture her mouth in a thorough kiss that left her knees weak. He lifted his head a moment later and murmured, “You look beautiful,
cariño
. Did you manage to sleep a bit longer this morning?”
 

“Yes, I did sleep in. Thank you for taking care of Rebecca.” She reached down to trace a finger over her baby’s smooth cheek and laughed as she cooed and smiled back up at her.
 

“I read Rebecca your story in Modern Coquette,” Andrés said with a slow smile. “I think our baby enjoyed hearing the story of how her grandparents fell in love.” He touched her cheek gently. “And how we fell in love. It was a beautiful article,
cariño
.”

“Thank you.” Her throat tightened with emotion. A quick phone call from Andrés had reinstated her job at the magazine, and for the past year, Chloe had been enjoying the ability to work as a part-time international columnist, writing from Spain.

“How are you feeling? You look exhausted,” Andrés murmured, his brows creasing with concern.
 

“I’m all right. Though I am exhausted, and I think I’ve discovered why.”

“
Sí
?” Andrés stilled, his expression turning anxious. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” she said quickly and then took a nervous breath, “As long as you don’t mind the expansion of our family.”

He stared at her for a moment and then gave a wide grin. “
Sí
? You are pregnant again?”
 

“Yes.”
 

“Do I mind? No, Chloe, I am thrilled.” He kissed her again and then lifted Rebecca into the air, exclaiming, “You are going to be a big sister.”

Chloe gave a joyous laugh, relieved that Andrés was just as happy about another baby as she was. Andrés slid his other arm around her, pulling her against his side and kissing her again.

She’d never tire of the way he made her head spin and her heart race. It was love, and it was amazing.

Excerpt from
Beauty and the Sheikh,
now available

“Tell me more about your brother, Holly.” He drew his thumb across the knuckles of her hand, watching as her mouth parted and a shudder racked her body.
 

Her gaze slid to his scar, lingering there, and Rafiq’s nostrils flared. His touch and his appearance repulsed her that much, did it? And yet he couldn’t bring himself to release her hand, no matter how unnecessary holding it was.
 

There was a fleeting moment in the past where he’d been fooled into believing she enjoyed his touch and had seen beyond his flawed face. Until he’d discovered that not only was the American beauty a top model, but an accomplished actress.
 

Holly swallowed visibly and hesitated before answering. “Andrew was arrested last week. He was allegedly caught cheating at a cards table in your casino.”

“Allegedly?” he mocked, his lips curling. How pitifully naïve she was. Or perhaps she just thought him a fool. “Are you calling into question the level of security at my casino?”

“No, will you stop twisting my words?” She jerked her hand from his grasp and stumbled backward. “What I’m saying is my brother would never cheat!” But he saw the flicker of doubt in her eyes, and it was compounded by her next words. “Though if he owes any money, I have brought the funds to pay.”

Watching him, she must’ve realized her words were a mistake, because she lifted a hand to her mouth.

“You think I need your money, Holly?” He asked the question with a chilling softness he knew would intimidate.
 

“No, of course not, but the principle of it—”

“Your brother ignored principle when he chose to steal from my casino.”

She flinched and for a moment he saw the tears of desperation in her eyes. “Rafiq, please don’t be so quick to dismiss me. If you have any compassion, you’d consider my request.”

“If I have any compassion?” Rafiq ground out, unable to believe his ears. The words absolutely preposterous coming from her sensual lips after what she’d done to him. “You, Holly, are a fraud to even speak of compassion.”

Anger flashed in her eyes and she opened her mouth, appearing as if she were about to curse him to pieces, but then closed it again. Her hands balled into fists at her side, nearly disappearing into the long sleeves of her burka. Her head bowed. “I’m sorry. I haven’t come here to argue with you, Your Majesty. I’ve come to beg for help.”

Seeing Holly humbled before him sent a stab of satisfaction through him. Though she’d put space between them, he closed it again. His sense of power grew at the sound of the small, nervous breaths escaping her lips and the trembling of her body.

How was it possible he still wanted her? Wanted her mouth on his. Wanted her beneath him in bed, begging for pleasure and calling his name in abandon.

“Just what are you willing to do to garner his release?”
 

Her head jerked up, sapphire eyes widening with shock and wariness. “What do you mean?”

Rafiq’s gaze slid to her mouth, so full and currently unadorned with lipstick or gloss and yet so tempting and bewitching. She’d always been uncommonly beautiful, with or without her face painted. The day he’d met her she’d been without makeup, and he’d still been struck dumb by her beauty.