Catch it I did, but I quickly wished I hadn’t when my stomach promptly turned. I bit my bottom lip as saliva started to pool in my mouth. “Please, no,” I whispered softly. I hadn’t vomited again since the day we’d flown in, but I’d been queasy more often than I liked to admit. I figured it was due to me being exhausted and didn’t mention the issue to Owen. If I had, he wouldn’t have let me lift a finger the whole time we’d been here and probably would have forced me to see a doctor. Not that I had a problem with medical professionals; I just preferred to use ones I knew. I also didn’t like going to them for every little thing, and if I didn’t keep some of what ails me to myself, that’s exactly what Owen would have me doing.
Liz’s smile bloomed at my obvious distress, but it was wiped from her face when Owen spotted me, took stock of the look on my face, and rushed towards me. “What’s wrong, baby?”
“I don’t feel so good,” I admitted softly. The quiche smell wafted my way again, and I slapped a hand over my mouth.
Owen swept me off my feet and carried me back to his dressing room. He headed straight for the bathroom, and it was a good thing because as soon as we got there I dropped to my knees and dry heaved. “Poor baby,” he murmured, rubbing my back with one hand while he held my hair up with the other.
One advantage to having not eaten anything yet today was that it didn’t take long for the nausea to pass. Then mortification crept in while I washed my face with the towel Owen handed me before brushing my teeth.
“I can’t believe I almost made a fool of myself in front of that woman,” I grumbled around my toothbrush. “Can you imagine how superior she would have felt if I’d puked in front of everyone?”
“Woman? What woman?”
Damn. I hadn’t said anything to Owen about how much Liz was getting on my nerves, and now I’d blown it.
“Miss Cooking USA, Liz.”
He tilted my chin up with one long finger. “Has she been messing with you, baby?” His brow was furrowed and his eyes sparked with irritation.
I shrugged. “It’s just been little stuff. Nothing to really worry about.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about it?”
“I didn’t want to put you in a difficult position since we’re here for you to work.”
He dropped a quick kiss on my lips and rubbed his finger over the ring I was wearing. “As much as I meant it when I told you how sexy it is when the green-eyed monster gets hold of you, I don’t like the idea of anyone hurting you in any way. Especially if she’s crossing the line while you’ve got this on your finger. It takes a set of brass balls to pull that kind of shit when a man like me holds your fate in his hands.”
I was torn between wanting to point out the ring was there but I wasn’t really engaged to him and jumping him in gratitude for the thread of fury in his tone as he talked about the contestant from hell. He didn’t give me the chance to decide between the two, though.
“Have you been nauseous any of the other mornings?”
I grimaced, nodding. “It hasn’t been this bad, except for that first day when it was probably just from traveling. I’m not sure why it’s lasting this long, especially not today when I’m finally feeling rested.”
“I can think of another reason you’d be sick in the mornings.” His hand slid down to my belly and a soft smile graced his face. After a moment, his implication hit me.
“A baby?” I gasped. Closing my eyes, I pictured the calendar in my head. When realization dawned, they popped back open. “Oh my goodness, my period is late. Like later than late. How did I not notice?”
He grinned down at me. “I have been keeping you pretty busy.”
“Yeah, but—” I couldn’t quite wrap my head around the idea of me being pregnant. With Owen’s baby. Owen—the man that I loved. With the way my heart filled at the idea, there was no denying that I loved him. But I was also scared to death about how he was going to react to this situation.
“I’ve been super tired, nauseous, emotional, and I skipped a period,” I rattled off, searching his face for any sign of what he was thinking. “Odds are good that I’m pregnant.”
“Hell yeah, they are,” he agreed, flashing a beaming smile at me. “Considering how often my cock’s deep inside your pussy, they’re more than good.”
A startled giggle bubbled out of me. “You sound almost... proud of the idea.”
“That’s because I am, baby. I can’t wait for you to take a test tomorrow morning to confirm it for both of us.”
Losing my virginity, a non-proposal with a gorgeous ring, a possible baby, and a proud maybe-daddy who I was madly in love with. One thing was for sure, my life had drastically changed since I met Owen.
11
Owen
“Baby,” I whispered before dusting a kiss over Sienna’s nose. Next, I kissed her lips and said her name.
She stirred and her lids fluttered open, her mocha eyes adorably sleepy. She smiled and turned to face me, slipping her arms around my torso and burrowing into my chest. Her naked body was so tempting, and my cock was begging to slide into her wet heat. But, I was too anxious to wait.
“You need to take the test, baby.” I kissed the top of her head, then released her and hopped out of bed. She moaned and flopped onto her stomach.
“I’m on break, Owen,” she grumbled, snuggling back into her pillow. “I don’t have tests until the end of the semester. Now, let me sleep.”
I laughed and threw the covers off of her, then smacked her sweet little ass. She yelped and lifted onto her elbows to glare at me. The slow burn in her eyes almost swayed me to return to bed with her. Almost. We’d have plenty of time for that later.
“A pregnancy test, Sienna.” I kept grinning widely—I felt as though I’d slept with a hanger in my mouth. I had no doubt I’d planted my baby inside my woman, but I still needed to see the proof.
At my words, she stiffened and her mouth formed a cute little O. Proffering my hand, I wiggled my fingers until she grasped them and I helped her off the bed. I led her to the bathroom, snatching the drug store bag off the dresser on the way.
I pulled out the first of multiple boxes—I wasn’t sure which one was the most accurate, so I got one of each. After reading the directions, I took out the test, ripped off the plastic packaging, and handed it to Sienna. She grabbed it and stared at me, unmoving.
“Well?” I huffed and gestured to the toilet.
She raised an eyebrow and planted a hand on one cocked out hip. Damn, she was sexy. “There is no way I’m going to pee in front of you, so you can just turn around and march your sexy ass right on out of here.”
I started to argue but she pushed against my chest, and the stubborn glint I’d become familiar with entered her eyes. It was cute that she thought she could move me. Still, pick your battles, I reminded myself.
Sighing, I backed up until I was on the other side of the door frame. “Open the door as soon as you’re finished,” I demanded.
She nodded, then shut the door in my face. I listened closely, my ear practically on the door until a loud bang startled me and I reared back. “No listening to me pee either, Owen Walker!”
I bust out laughing at the little minx. I seriously loved the fuck out of her. I waited impatiently and when I heard the faucet running, I quickly twisted the door knob and entered the bathroom. Sienna was standing at the sink washing her hands and rolled her eyes as she watched me in the mirror.