“That’s insane…” Emery stared at the pregnancy test in her hand. The two lines were clear. Not faint. Not ambiguous. Positive.
Pregnant.
She’s pregnant!
How is this even humanly possible?
She blinked, looked again, and then looked at the same result on the hospital records beside her. It matched. Every reading confirmed it. Her stomach twisted. “I did—” she paused, trying to process the flood of thoughts pushing against each other. “I did a test before the procedure. It was negative.”
Her eyes shifted to Logan. He hadn’t said a word since they entered the room. He just sat there on the couch across from her, elbows on his knees<b>, </b>watching her like he already knew what the result would be. His expression didn’t move.
She hesitated. “I… I was with someone before the procedure, but it’s been months. It’s not his.” No. This couldn’t be Samuel’s, as they had not engaged in any activities in the past few months.
Her voice trailed off. The moment the words left her mouth, <i>it </i>hit her. The was only one exnation. The procedure worked.
Her fingers unconsciously touched her lower stomach. A strange flutter settled there–half nerves, half disbelief. If she <b>was </b>really pregnant, then everything changed. This could be it. Her path back. A chance to take thepany. Her father wouldn’t be able to ignore her anymore. Her grandfather’s will required an heir–a child of her own. Her heart beat a little faster.
She didn’t realize she had started smiling until Logan shifted.
He leaned forward, picked up a folder from the table, and slid it toward her. His knuckles brushed the surface as he pushed it, and her eyes flicked to his hand before she reached for it.
“What is this?<b>” </b>she asked, eyebrows raised.
“Something you might need.”
Suspicion prickled at the back of her neck. She opened the folder anyway.
The first page made her breath hitch.
Ten million. Upfront. This was a contract!
Her eyes darted down the list. A million per month. Another ten million after birth. And below that–uses. Non–disclosure. Residency. Full–time security detail. No travel without permission. Required medical monitoring. All under his care<b>. </b>
“What the hell is this?” she whispered.
“I’mpensating you,” Logan said. “Ten million just for getting pregnant. One million every month you carry. Another ten million when you give birth. And in exchange, I expect you to stay close. Monitored. Safe. Twenty–four seven.”
Her head snapped up. “Compensating? Monitored?”
“You will stay with me,” he said. “It’s not negotiable.”
She let out a sharpugh and tossed the file back onto the table “Delusional<b>,</b>” she muttered
He stood
<b>The </b>shift was immediate. One second, he was sitting across from her. The next<b>, </b>he was in front of her. Close. Too close She barely hasi time to flinch before she felt the heat of his body, the <b>weight </b>of his presence.
“What did you say?” he asked, his voice low
Her mouth parted slightly, but she didn’t speak. Her pulse jumped again. His proximity made it hard to focus<b>–</b>on the contract, on <b>her </b>outrage, on anything other than how tall <b>he </b><b>was</b>. How close. How <b>he </b>was looking at her like <b>he </b>could <b>see </b>right through her skin
Her hands balled into <b>fists </b>at her sides.
12:35 AM Pp.
“You think I’m crazy,” he said. “That’s fine. You can think whatever you want. But you’re carrying my child. And I won’t let you out of my sight.”
“I’m not some… property,” she said, her voice too soft. It was all she could manage under his gaze.
“I never said you were.” He leaned in just slightly, his eyes flicking down to her lips before meeting her stare again. “But you’re mine now, Emery. Whether you like it or not.”
“Have you lost your mind?” Emery interrupted him. Almost immediately, his gaze darkened. He red at her, his lips thinned.
“What did you—”
“I said, you are delusional,” Emery said. What does this man take her for? A surrogate? Without waiting for him to answer, she stood and grabbed her bag, barely sparing him a nce as she turned toward the door.
She needed space. Distance. Air. Anything.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
She didn’t stop. Didn’t respond. Her hand reached for the doorknob.
I said–where are you going?”
Before she could touch it, his hand wrapped around her wrist. Firm. Warm. He pulled her back–not hard, but fast enough that her breath hitched. She stumbled slightly, and in an instant, her body collided with his.
Her chest brushed against him. Her hands instinctively pressed against his torso to keep some space between them, but there wasn’t much to work with. He didn’t move. He didn’t let go.
Her skin tingled under his grip.
She tilted her chin up, refusing to step back. “Let me go.”
He didn’t. His hand stayed wrapped around her wrist, thumb brushing just slightly along the inside of it. Her pulse thudded against his skin.
“You didn’t answer me,” he said.
His eyes locked onto hers, and her breath came shallow. Too close. Too steady. His <b>scent </b>clung to her–clean, sharp, too familiar now. She could feel every inch of him pressed against her. Hard muscle. Slow, deliberate breathing. He <b>wasn’t </b>even trying to hide how unfazed he was by the tension. He <b>was </b>leaning into it.
“I don’t owe you an exnation,” she said.
“You do when you’re walking away from me like that.”
She pulled at her wrist, but his fingers didn’t budge. If anything, his grip tightened–barely. Not enough to hurt. Just enough to hold her there. To make her feel in
Her pulse spiked again.
“I need to leave,” she said.
“Why?” he asked, voice low<b>. </b>
She didn’t answer. Couldn’t
He leaned closer, his face now inches from <b>hers</b><b>. </b>“Answer me<b>,</b>” he ordered.
Her breath caught. Her lips parted just slightly. His eyes flicked to them, and something in her chest twisted. Her legs felt weaker than she wanted to admit, and her hand stayed on his chest longer than <b>it </b>should have<b>. </b>
“Let Me Go,” she said again, though it came out quieter. This is this is illegal”
“Illegal?” He lifted an eyebrow
She red at him, but her body betrayed her–her skin still burning under his hand, her <b>heartbeat </b>thudding loudly in her ears. What the hell is happening<b>? </b>
<b>12:35 </b>AM P P
He leaned in just a fraction more, close enough that she could feel the heat from his breath against her cheek. He didn’t touch her beyond her wrist. He didn’t need to.
The tension snapped like a stretched wire.
She yanked her hand free and stepped back, chest rising and falling faster now. He didn’t stop her this time.
But he didn’t look away, either.
“How dare you!” Emery hissed, taking a step back as her chest rose and fell too fast. Her heart hadn’t stopped hammering since he got close.
“You have something that’s mine,” Logan said, unblinking,
“Something yours?” she scoffed. She hated how confident he sounded just now in saying those words.
“Wow. Did biology give you a Godplex, or were you born like this? Let me make one thing clear, Mr. Hayes–just because your DNA showed up at the party doesn’t mean you own the baby. And you sure as hell don’t own me. So don’t stand there acting like you’ve got a say in anything I do.”
<b>3/3 </b>