Aeromancist The Beginning (Second Edition) - Charmaine Pauls Page 0,62
as he considered the statement, but after a moment, he inclined his head. “Of course. I respect your decision.”
“Lann…” She chewed her lip, thinking of the best way to tell him. Hadn’t she practiced her line a million times? “I wouldn’t have broken our agreement and come back here if it wasn’t necessary.”
He stared at her expectantly.
Shit. There was no easy way to break the news. “I’m pregnant.”
He froze. The heat evaporated from his gaze. His biceps flexed. She couldn’t tell if he was mad or disappointed. Either way, neither was the reaction she was hoping for.
The silence stretched between them. For a while, he seemed incapable of speaking or moving. Only his gaze lowered and rested on her belly.
“It’s impossible,” he finally said.
She opened her handbag, retrieved the blood test results, and offered the report to him with a shaky hand. He lifted one hand from behind his back and took the piece of paper. She watched him closely as he read it. His eyes widened and narrowed again. She presumed he was looking at the age of the child growing inside her, doing the calculation in his mind. Emotions she couldn’t place played across his face. Was it sadness, envy, or anger that made him press his lips so tightly together? When he finally he lifted his head, she didn’t like the way he looked at her.
He handed the report back to her. “Congratulations,” he said in an impersonal voice. “Who’s the father?”
The words punched the air from her lungs with the same ferocity as when he’d cut her airflow during lovemaking. Then it had given her an earth-shattering orgasm. Now it caused her pain, with the same intensity. She couldn’t believe he’d said that. Hurt and anger blurred her vision.
She drew back her hand, and, before she could stop herself, slapped him. She took a step away from him, biting back the tears. The trace of her fingers lay red across his cheek. Lann accepted her abuse with a stoic expression, without uttering a word.
“You bastard,” she whispered. “You needn’t feign your innocence by insulting me. Are you afraid I’ll ask you for child support? Do you think I’ll expect you to play an unwilling role in this baby’s life? Maybe you think I’ll try to emotionally blackmail you into marrying me.” She clutched her bag to her chest. “I didn’t come here expecting anything from you. I want nothing. I only came because you had a right to know.” She took a ragged breath. “And to ask why you lied to me.”
When he still didn’t speak, she nodded slowly, the unwelcome tears threatening to find their way to her cheeks. He wasn’t going to offer any explanation, any solace, any excuse.
“I see,” she said. “Then we have nothing more to say to each other.”
She turned for the door, but Lann’s voice halted her. “Please stay. You’re upset. I’ll take you home when you feel calmer.”
To her dismay, a small gasp escaped her. Did he honestly think she’d stay after what he’d just said? Not looking back, she ran downstairs, not caring that Lann was calling after her loud enough for the building to hear or that his employees were staring at her from the library window.
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Afterword
Dear Reader,
Thank you very much for joining me on Katherine and Lann’s adventure. Their story concludes in Aeromancist (Book 3). If you enjoyed the prequel, please consider leaving a short review on your favorite review or vendor site to help other readers discover the book. Every review makes a huge difference.
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Hugs,
Charmaine
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