PRINCE CHARMING: A Secret Baby Stepbrother Romance (23 page)

And as the day passed, he used that anger as a shield against the pain he knew would shatter his heart if he let it fall.

Chapter 18

The past month had gone in a blur, and now it was the day of Quincy’s wedding. It had all been planned by Gigi and her mother. Quincy had faked as much enthusiasm as he could, but several people saw through it. Mostly Pascal, but Lamont had pulled him aside several times to ask him what his problem was. This was the woman he’d picked, and he either needed to accept his decision or call off the wedding and pick another. Either way, he was out of time, and the only woman he wanted was in Nebraska.

His anger towards Olivia had faded, but it flared up any time his eyes caught sight of the painting in his room. He kept it out of sight and only pulled it out when his longing for her caused him to dream of her in his arms, whispering his name, moaning as they made love.

“Sir? I’ve brought your clothes. Are you ready to get dressed?” Pascal asked as he entered.

“Yes, I think I’m ready,” he said. He’d been on the balcony before the sun rose, remembering the nights he had climbed across to Olivia’s. The times she’d laugh and pull him straight into her arms before he even had a chance to greet her. They’d tumble into bed and spend all night talking and exploring each other’s bodies.

“Sir? Have you eaten anything today? You look a bit pale.”

Quincy wasn’t sure what made him decide, but he saw the painting he’d forgotten to tuck away last night. His eyes stared at the couple on the beach, the image of him and Olivia, so deeply in love, captured in that moment in time.

“No, I haven’t. I think I’ll head to the kitchens and get something. How many hours until the ceremony?”

Pascal hung his clothes up on the door of the wardrobe and turned to face Quincy with a suspicious glint in his eyes. “Sunset. Are you planning on eating a feast before then?”

Quincy laughed as he grabbed jeans and a t-shirt from his dresser and changed quickly out of his sweats. “No, course not. Just need to take care of something, that’s all.”

“As long as you’re not late. Your father will kill you.”

“Don’t worry, Pascal, I know exactly what I’m doing,” he said as his mind hurried through his new plan. Get to the Jeep, book it to the airport, and get the hell off the isle. He couldn’t get married, not yet. Not until he knew why she’d left like that. Why she couldn’t say goodbye.

And why she left him behind instead of letting him fight for them… for her. No one made decisions for Prince Quincy.

***

Olivia got out of the car, noting the size of her stomach. She was about three months, according to her doctor, and everything looked good as far as they could tell. The baby was healthy, she was healthy, and the only person who knew she cried herself to sleep most nights was Helen. She’d moved into the house with Olivia when they returned to Nebraska, and Olivia knew one of these days, she’d have to do something really nice for her friend.

Leaving Quincy behind had been the hardest decision of her life, but her mom had reported during their last phone call that his wedding was today. Everything worked out the way it should, and he would be a great king for his people. She tried not to think about him being in Gigi’s arms that night and focused on moving forward. It was all she could do.

That, and she was starving. The baby had certainly doubled her appetite these past few weeks.

“Helen,” she said after she unlocked the front door. “What do you want for dinner tonight? I’m craving Chinese right now. Helen?”

Olivia felt the floor rush up to meet her. Strong arms caught her before she hit, cursing about her fainting. He hoisted her up into his arms and laid her gently down on the couch.

“That’s not the reaction I was hoping for,” Quincy murmured as he kissed her forehead. He stared down at her, a smile warring on his face with worry and anger. “Olivia? Can you hear me?” She vaguely noticed him glance down the length of her and frown when he saw her stomach. Suddenly, his face went blank, and he sucked in a breath.

“Quincy? Why are you here?” she asked as her heart hammered in her chest, but he didn’t seem to hear. “Quincy?”

Very softly, he laid his hands on her stomach that was clearly a pregnant belly. A smile twitched at his lips, showing his left dimple as his gaze met hers. “You’re pregnant… Why…why didn’t you tell me?”

She saw the sheen of tears in his eyes, and she couldn’t hold hers back. Her hands covered his, and they held her belly together. “I couldn’t,” she whispered. “You had to get married, and I had to leave. It would ruin you… It still will. Quincy, what are you doing here?” God, how she just wanted to kiss him and make love again. His touch set her on fire, and it took everything she had not to pull him down to her and have her way with him.

He helped her sit up and sat on the edge of the couch beside her. “I couldn’t do it.”

“Get married? Oh God, you didn’t just leave, did you?”

“I did, actually,” he said with a laugh. “I couldn’t do it. Every night, I missed you, and I was mad at you for leaving me, but… God, Olivia, I can’t do this, especially not now. You’re pregnant with our child.”

He got up and paced around her living room and looked for all the world like a normal guy in jeans and a t-shirt. Olivia watched him run a hand through his hair and laugh nervously. She knew exactly how he felt. Her heart hadn’t stopped fluttering since she saw him, and she hadn’t even kissed the damn man yet.

Olivia got to her feet and grabbed his arm. He started to say something, but she stood on her toes and pulled his mouth down to hers. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she shouldn’t, but seeing him, having him hold her, was too much. She needed to feel his arms around her again, her and their baby. Her prince had come back for her, and even if they couldn’t find a way to be together, she was not going to waste this stolen moment.

Her hands tangled in his hair, and she sighed at the feel of his body pressed against hers. It was a dream, it had to be a dream, but he stood before her, solid and still madly in love with her.

“Quincy,” she whispered against his lips, “how did you leave? Do they know where you are?”

“I ran away,” he told her. “I got up this morning and knew I was going to be married to Gigi before the day was over, so I just… I couldn’t do it until I knew why you left. I thought for a minute that maybe you stopped loving me.” He stared at her and his eyes moved lower to her belly. “But I can see now that isn’t the case. I love you, Olivia, and our child, and I don’t give a damn what happens. I’m not leaving you again.”

She backed away and shook her head, trying to clear it. “You can’t just up and leave your kingdom! I can’t have that hanging over my head.”

“You won’t,” he said. “I’m going to turn it all down.”

“No,” she said, “no, you can’t do that! Your father will hate you for it.”

“Maybe, maybe not, but Olivia, I tried to be without you and I barely lasted a month,” he said and took her hands in his. “You can’t tell me it wasn’t just as hard for you.”

She squeezed his hands and quickly pulled away. “That’s not the point!”

“Yes, it is! It’s why I’m here, damn it. I’m either going back with you or not going back at all.”

She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want him to do that for her, but there wasn’t a chance she was going to let him depart her life again, especially now that he knew about the baby. Her hands held her belly, and she caught him staring, his eyes wide with excitement and love, and she tugged on his hand to bring him closer. He immediately wrapped his arms tightly around her, holding her to him, and she felt lighter than she had in the whole month away. Her heart fluttered in her chest, and she knew no matter what happened, she couldn’t live without him.

“We’re step-siblings,” she whispered against his chest. “It’ll be a scandal.”

“I don’t care,” he replied. “The worst he can do is turn me away, and then we can just live here.”

“You’d have to get a job,” she said and glanced at him with a crooked smile.

“You make it sound as if that would be hard. I will do whatever I have to for you both, Olivia.”

“I can tell, since you walked out on your own wedding and flew here without telling anyone.” Her smile fell as she realized how panicked everyone must be on the isle. “You have to call them, let them know you’re alright! What if they think you were kidnapped?”

The glint of mischief in his eyes told her that wouldn’t be a problem. “Theo and I had a wee bit of a… goodbye before I hopped on the plane.”

“You outran your bodyguards?”

“As if I hadn’t been doing that all my life. So, you said Chinese food for dinner. I’m in.”

How could she turn down her prince? She walked to the kitchen, stopped, and whipped around. “Were you mad at me?”

“What?”

“I caught the look on your face before I fainted. You were mad at me. Did you really come all this way to yell at me before you realized I was pregnant?”

He rubbed the back of his head as his cheeks flushed red. “I was angry with you, I’ll admit it.”

“For doing the right thing?”

Quincy straightened and she saw the prince standing before her. “For making my decision for me. Don’t let this face fool you, I’m still mad at you for not telling me goodbye, or about the baby, for that matter. What did you think I’d do? Toss you out?”

“I knew you’d never let me leave,” she said. Suddenly, she wasn’t hungry for food anymore. Her latest appointment had been two weeks ago, and the doctor had said she was fine to have sex if she wanted to. Helen wasn’t home yet and was probably running late.

“What? Are you alright?” Quincy asked as she stared at him. “Olivia?”

She didn’t answer but grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the stairs. The second she reached her room, she shoved him through the doorway and kicked it closed behind her, latching her arms around his neck and kissing him fiercely. He returned the favor as his arms wrapped around her before pulling her shirt up over her head. His hands smoothed down her stomach but paused at her belly and pulled back.

“Wait… Is this safe? The baby?”

“Will be just fine, doctor says so,” she said and pulled him back, hungry for his touch. “Unless, of course, you don’t want me.”

“Oh no,” he said. “I’ve wanted nothing but you since I saw you step off that damn plane.”

His lips slanted over hers, and she worked at yanking off his t-shirt while he slipped out of his shoes. They undressed each other quickly, and she pushed him back onto her bed, straddling him. His hands marveled at her body, holding the baby bump as his eyes widened, still in surprise.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered. “God, I’ve missed you.”

She leaned down to kiss him, sucking his tongue into her mouth as her hair hung around them. His erection grew beneath her, and she groaned when he lifted his hips, pressing against her soft folds. She’d dreamt about this every night since returning home and never thought it would happen again, but here he was, splayed out beneath her in her bed. He lifted his head so his mouth could find a nipple and suck on it hard as he lifted his hips again and started to slide inside.

Olivia shifted, and they moaned together as she took him inside her, all the way to the hilt. They stayed connected, unmoving as their bodies shivered in remembrance of all the pleasure they’d shared on the isle. Quincy pulled himself up so he sat with her straddling his lap, giving him better access to her breasts and lips. He devoured them both hungrily as he moved within her, and Olivia’s eyes rolled back into her head as his kisses moved from one breast to the other before he tilted her head back towards him.

When his lips closed over hers, and his tongue moved against hers, she felt the love bloom between them again. She couldn’t get enough of the taste of him, sweet as always. They moved faster, him driving up into her as she held him close, her chest heaving as she moaned and cried out, feeling that cliff loom out of nowhere.

It had been so long, neither could hold out, and Olivia’s cry mingled with Quincy’s groan as he spilled into her. Every nerve in her body pulled tight as pleasure wracked through her and he held onto her tightly. Their bodies slicked with sweat, Quincy kissed her forehead, her nose, each of her cheeks, and finally her lips before he gently laid them back against her pillows. Olivia snuggled against his chest as his hand went to her belly again and rubbed it.

“A baby,” he whispered. “We’re going to have a baby.”

“Yeah, we are,” she said. “How are we going to do this?”

“We are going to go back there and tell them the truth,” he informed her. “There’s nothing else we can do. We love each other, and we’re having a baby. No matter what happens, Olivia, I’ll stay by you through it all.”

She trusted him, but it wasn’t going to be easy going back. She was about to ask him when they would leave when she heard Helen’s voice and her friend opening her bedroom door.

“Hey, so I’m thinking—oh God!” She covered her eyes quickly. “I’m so sorry! Wait, is that Quincy?”

“Yes, it is,” he said as Olivia laughed next to him.

“Aren’t you getting married today?”

He opened his mouth to answer but stopped and turned to Olivia. “As a matter of fact, I am.”