The Sheik's Pregnant Lover (Love By Accident) (15 page)

Sidra gasped and shook her head.  “No!”

“Yes.”

She pushed herself up so she was sitting
on the bed versus lying down
, unable to think clearly with him looming over her like that.  She shoved her hand through her hair and shook her head once again, but the idea still wouldn’t make any sense. “How is that possible?”

He raised an eyebrow at her question but didn’t laugh.  At least not outright. 
“We had sex three weeks ago. 
It was very nice
, if I remember correctly.”

“Yes, but we used protection!”

“Obviously it didn't work quite as well as it should have.” 
Rashid knew he should be upset about the idea of having a baby but in truth, he was thrilled.  He wanted this woman, and after the kiss on the plane and her words while sleeping, he knew that she felt exactly the same.  They had a great deal to work out between the two of them, but he knew that he’d somehow get through to her. 

Sidra’s mind went back to the moment she’d sheathed him with the condom, and how much she’d enjoyed the experience.  When she looked at his eyes, she knew that he was remembering that moment as well.  His eyes darkened slightly and she saw the sensuous change in his body.  “That’s why you said…” she swallowed as the memories of the night before returned, “
last night…
we didn’t need protection…because you knew I was already pregnant.” 

His hand moved casually up her thigh as he nodded his head, confirming her fears. 
“I was fairly sure about it when the doctor started questioning you about your period
last night
and you said you hadn’t had anything since we were together.”
 
Sidra blushed and looked down, ignoring his soft laughter.  “Sidra, you’re going to have to get used to being more honest with me.  We’re having a baby together and as miraculous as that is, I need to know what’s going on.  And it might not be the most flattering information
that you need to tell me
.”

She couldn’t even think about that right now.  She was still trying to recover from the idea that she was pregnant.  And then it hit her.  “This baby is your heir?”  She waited that painful, horrible moment until he confirmed that he didn’t have any other children.  When he nodded slowly, she let the breath out that she’d been holding.  “Then you’re not married.” 

“I will be.”

At those words, Sidra wasn’t sure if the most prevalent emotion she was feeling was furious jealousy or painful sadness.  Neither really mattered since her stoma
ch rebelled against both emotions
storming through her system. 

“Who is she?” Sidra asked as she leaned her head against the back board of the bed. 

Rashid laughed and shook his head.  “Sidra, you and I have to get married.”

She opened her eyes and glared at him.  “I will not be a second wife!”

Rashid’s amusement couldn’t be contained this time.  He threw back his head and laughed, his hands just barely able to keep her still while he struggled to overcome his amusement so he could talk to her.  She was trying to push his hands away and get off the bed, furious with him for laughing at her and for making her jealous.  She hated both parts and wanted nothing to do with this horrible man!

“Let me go,” she growled, fighting him with everything she had in her.  But he was too strong and countered all of her moves, pinning her down to the bed. 

When he finally had her subdued and had controlled his laughter, he looked down at her and said, “You will be my only wife, Sidra.  I apologize if
I made you think otherwise.  I thought it was obvious that you and I would be getting married but I can see how my words might have confused you.”

She relaxed somewhat, but her glare was still in place.  “We can’t get married,” she countered.

He wasn’t even upset by her words, knowing that she was protesting out of habit now.  She’d shown him too much for him to actually believe her protests. 
“We must
,” he said firmly so she had no doubt about his intentions
. 
“
But tell me why you think it’s not a good idea.”

She sighed and tried to control the increasing desire that was pooling in her stomach, and spreading outward as he held her hands over her head and his eyes roved over her features, moving downwards and she knew that he was feeling the same thing.  She struggled to maintain focus, to remember what they were discussing. 
“We don’t know each other.  We’ve spent about eight hours in each other’s company
while in England
.  We don’t know what the
other likes or dislikes and it
s bound to be a problem later on.”

He shook his head.  “We will be married
in two days
in a private ceremony.  The announcement has already been made to the press, your boss has been informed,” he ignored her gasp of outrage at that comment and continued on, “and we’ll just have to learn about each other after the wedding.”

She couldn’t believe his gall!  The horror that her career was over now that Debra knew she was pregnant.  This couldn’t be happening.  Surely there might have been a way for her to continue with her career even while she was pregnant. 
“Why did you tell my boss?  I could have…”
she struggled once again to think clearly.  “Many women continue working right up until their due date.  You didn’t have to do this to me!  Debra was very clear that this project had to go smoothly or she’d make sure I wouldn’t be able to work in the industry again.  At least not for a reputable design firm!” 

She wasn’t fully understanding the reality of her new life.  He wanted to be kind, to let her go on thinking that she might have a career, but that wouldn’t be fair since she couldn’t work outside the palace.  Not as his wife. 
“You would not have been allowed, Sidra.”

She couldn’t believe what he was saying.  “You mean I can’t have a career simply because I’m pregnant with your child?”

“You may still redecorate the palace in any fashion you’d like.  But no, you cannot have a career.”

She looked up at him, her fury increasing as the full impact of what he was saying came through. 

She was just about to berate him for the hypocrisy of the whole situation when a disturbance outside of the room caused both of them to turn their heads.  Rashid listened for a moment, then turned to Sidra with a grimace before standing up.  “Brace yourself,” he said a moment before his bedroom door opened up. 
Two beautiful
women pushed their way into the bedroom and Sidra sat up
,
pushed
herself
back
so she was sitting up more and was
instantly overwhelmed by the chaos that surrounded the bed. 

“What are you doing here?” Rashid asked of the
two
women,
both
of whom were looking at Sidra as if she were some sort of unearthly being.
How two women could make things so crazy, he’d never understand.  Both were arguing, bickering at each other and he was just glad that Sidra didn’t speak Arabic yet.  She’d be blushing furiously because they were talking about how this woman had spent the night in his private quarters so obviously she was ‘the one’.  No other woman had ever been allowed into this area so the implication was clear to anyone within the palace walls.  And probably outside by now since servants tended to talk about something as significant as Sidra staying in his rooms. 

The tallest one,
who
still only reached Rashid’s chin, smiled bright
ly
up at him.  “We came to finally meet the woman you’ve been moping about for the past month, of course.”

Rashid’s arms crossed over his chest and he glared at her.  “I don’t mope,
Isla
.  What are you doing here really?”

The
lovely
woman
with dark hair and dark eyes,
apparently named
Isla
,
smiled
mischievously
and Sidra wondered about their relationship.  It seemed good, but how could she dare to tease this man who was obviously very angry? 
She was in her early to mid twenties, Sidra guessed, and apparently had no fear of Rashid, looking as if she intended to tease him even without his morning coffee. 

Wasn’t he? 

Sidra had to acknowledge that she didn’t know him well enough to state whether he was truly angry, or simply annoyed.  Both expressions looked similar to her uneducated mind.

The second wo
man laughed and shook her head.  She was younger by several years and looked similar to the older one, but much softer
with light brown eyes and a glow to her that made Sidra feel pale in comparison.
“Rashid, be nice.  You’re scaring your lady.  Let us take her away and give her some advice on how to handle you.  We’ll return her with good information and she won’t look like we’re all crazy.”

Rashid took a warning step towards the second woman but she didn’t back down even an inch. 
“Zarah,” he growled toward her but her only response was to smile wider, then turn to Sidra.  “Ignore him.  He’s just a beast until he has his morning coffee.  And since he hasn’t had that yet, he’s just being a grouch.  Once he’s had his brew, you’ll be able to manage him like a puppy dog.”

Sidra looked from the woman, to Rashid and then back again.  Rashid looked disgusted and shook his head.  “Zarah, get out of my private quarters.  Sidra hasn’t eaten yet and she’s not going anywhere until she and I talk.  A conversation I was just having with her before
both
of you decided to barge in unannounced.  And uninvited,” he warned.

Isla
shoed his comments aside.  “Why hasn’t she eaten?  You know she’s supposed to eat small meals all day long in order to keep that nausea away.”  She looked alarmed and walked to the side of the bed where Sidra was perched.  “Come with me.  I’ll make sure that yo
u
have something good to eat.  You also need vitamins.  I’m sure Doctor Hamid has those ready for you to take as well.  Don’t worry.  He’s a wonderful doctor and you’ll have the very best of care,” she was saying as she took Sidra’s hand and pulled her out the door. 

Sidra had no choice but to follow and Rashid was busy talking with the big man that had kept her from leaving the suite earlier.  As she was pulled out of the bedroom and into the living area, she noticed that the breakfast food had been cleared out of the way and her stomach rebelled. 

She was starting to feel weak and angry and knew it was all due to her lack of food.  These women were very nice, but Sidra had been trying to get some food for what seemed like hours and nothing was forthcoming. 
“Excuse me, but is there any way I could just have some breakfast?”

Zarah laughed and pulled her along after her.  “Of course you can!  We’re taking you to the family dining room.  The chef can make you anything your heart desires.  He’s fabulous!”

The three of them walked
out of the room,
Zarah and Isla
eagerly asking Sidra questions to which she couldn’t answer because as soon as one was answered, the next was posed to her. 
Both women introduced
themselves
as Rashid’s sisters
but she was confused
about all the rules Debra had given her before Sidra had boarded the plan
, terrified of what she and Rashid had been discussing only moments before this crowd had barged in and all she wanted to do was hide away in a hole and find a place to cry. 
And eat.  She definitely needed to eat large amounts of food!

Despite the confusion, introductions and long, mind-boggling hallways, t
wo things were uppermost in her mind.  She was pregnant and she was getting married.  Or more specifically, Rashid had told her she was getting married.  The pregnant part made sense now that she put all the pieces together.  The lack of a period should ha
ve been her first clue, but sinc
e she’d been so distraught over Rashid’s abandonment, she hadn’t really thought through the consequences of her lack of a menstrual period. 

The two beautiful
women led her down
one more
long hallway and
finally
into a formal dining room.  There was a table with approximately twenty chairs on both sides and a side table filled with various breakfast foods.  Sidra was
encouraged to go first since she was so hungry and pregnant. 
But when she simply stood there staring at the various foods,
the young and enthusiastic
Zarah took control and started heaping foods onto the plate, explaining all the various foods,
most of
which were Rashid’s favorites
. 

She also explained the various ways
to irritate
their older brother
by spicing up one
dish
or the other
with pepper or jalapenos
.  He liked spicy foods, she explained, but only on some things.  Other things, he liked the traditional way, and on and on.  This woman obviously loved Rashid and, from the things she was saying, Sidra naturally assumed that Zarah was
one of
Rashid’s sister that he’d mentioned. 
Isla
was probably a sister as well since she piped up and offered other suggestions on ways to irritate the man who ruled their country.