Free The Greek's Pregnant Lover by Lucy Monroe Page B

through his head right now, or they were going to have more problems between them than an unanticipated possible pregnancy.
    He jolted. “You have never called me that before.”
    Sometimes, he focused on the least important things.
    “I’ve heard Neo do so.” But he was right. For some reason, believing she might be pregnant with Zephyr’s child made her feel more comfortable with the casual intimacy.
    “Yes.”
    “If you don’t like it, I won’t do it again,” she offered.
    “I do not mind.”
    “Fine. Um, we need to make a plan.”
    “You need to eat breakfast.” Again with the non sequitur, but maybe that was okay. For now.
    She needed some time to think if nothing else. “So do you.”
    “Then let us eat.” And incredibly, they managed to do that without any further discussion of possible consequences of the lack of birth control.
    They were halfway to Sounion before he mentioned the morning’s disturbing revelations again.
    “So, a plan,” he said as they drove down the coastal highway.
    “We should, um, probably go back to using condoms until we know if I’m pregnant.” She had realized during her personal ruminations that was as far as she wanted to go with contingency arrangements at present. Her mind simply refused to wrap around the prospect of a child. Their baby. Growing inside her body.
    Yesterday, she’d been thinking she had to tell him goodbye once and for all and now she was faced with the prospect of never being able to do so, even if they stopped making love.
    “Yes.”
    “I don’t want to put another patch on, just in case, even though it is not likely, but we should definitely use condoms.” She shook her head at herself. She didn’t want to risk hurting a baby that probably didn’t even exist.
    “You’ve mentioned that point several times.”
    “Have I?”
    “Yes.”
    “I’m sorry,” she apologized distractedly.
    “Are you that disturbed by the idea of being pregnant with my child?”
    “We’ve already covered this ground.”
    “Then by the prospect of being pregnant at all?” He slid a sidelong glance at her before looking back at the road.
    “I’m building a business. Having a baby will change a lot of things, including how much time I can spend on work.” It was the only concern she was willing to voice right this second. She’d been on an emotional thrill ride since discovering the loss of her patch. Fear competed with hope and illicit joy at the prospect in equal measure.
    “And this worries you?”
    “A little,” she admitted. “I’m willing to rearrange my priorities though. Any child of mine will not pay for the choices of its parents.”
    “As you felt you paid for yours.” He saw immediately her determination to give her child everything she felt she’d missed out on.
    “To an extent, but even more so, as you paid for yours.”
    “I cannot disagree there.” He smiled grimly.
    “I’m not asking you to.”
    “That is good.”
    “I hate this,” she cried out on an explosive breath.
    “What?”
    “How stilted we are with each other. We were closer than we’d ever been and now this.”
    “We are friends,” he said, frowning. “You being pregnant with my child will not change that.”
    “We are more than friends, Zee. At least give me that much.” So, maybe she did want to deal with something besides the condom issue.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Don’t play dumb. It’s unbecoming, not to mention lacking in credibility.”
    “I am not playing at anything.” He sounded offended, hisvoice sliding into that zone she’d come to recognize as his anger. The chill-factor was definitely in evidence.
    “I’m sorry.” She stared out the window, blinking back tears she couldn’t even name the exact reason for. “I don’t mean to patronize you.”
    “Thank you.”
    “Somewhere along the way, we stopped being merely friends with benefits. I mean, for me anyway.”
    “You prefer the term lovers ?” he asked.
    “That would be a