My finger hovers over the bid button for the millionth time, battling whether I should go through with it and lay claim to something I have no business owning.
It’s been over a month since my encounter with the Jessa stand-in and it’s only made my obsession worse. I’ve grown possessive now, and the thought of anyone else touching her for the first time sends homicidal thoughts running through me.
Fuck it. Someone’s taking her innocence, so it might as well be me.
I’m about to hit the bright red button when the screen turns black and the number to the guard tower comes through.
I live on Millionaire row, and though living on the water does have its perks, nosy tourists aren’t one of them. Armando, the head of security, does an amazing job at keeping nosy Nellie’s out of my hair, but right now? I’m not his biggest fan.
“Mando. Everything okay?” The sooner I get him off the line, the sooner I can hit that bid button and secure my girl.
“Sorry to bother you, sir, but you have a visitor and she says she has some rather sensitive information for you.”
My stomach knots at his words. I just went through hell and back with my family and the last thing I need right now is more bad news. Tilting my head back, I pinch the bridge of my nose and answer. “That’s fine. Send her through.”
“Yes, sir.” Armando cuts the line and I shove the phone into my pocket, getting up from my comfortable down feather sofa and regretting answering that call already.
There’s a soft knock just as I reach the door, but as I go to turn the knob, I get this impending sense of doom. Maybe I’m just jaded, and maybe this is all just in my head, but as soon as my eyes land on the woman standing in front of me, I have a sinking feeling my intuition was dead on.
“Jason.” The Jessa stand-in is blinking up at me and I feel like an ass for not remembering her name. Thankfully, she supplies that and more on her next breath. “It’s Catherine. From the airport lounge?”
More like the bathroom at the airport lounge.
“Yes, yes. Of course. Please come in.” I’m ushering her through the door, wondering how in the hell she found me when we barely exchanged a few words. “Can I ask you what brings you into town? If I remember correctly, you said you were a local in Colorado.”
She’s blushing now as I direct her to the sofa I’d just vacated minutes ago. With a hand on her stomach, she gracefully lowers herself into a seated position. She’s talking. I can hear sounds coming from her general direction, but my eyes are trained on the hand she’s kept on her abdomen this entire time.
Oh, hell no. This shit cannot be happening right now.
“Jason?” The woman’s brows are furrowed and she’s looking at me with concern. Rightfully so, I feel like I’m about to pass the fuck out.
“Yes. I’m sorry. What were you saying?” I beeline it to my bar and pour myself a healthy serving of my brother’s private label, Tortured Crown whiskey. It’s the good stuff and it’ll definitely provide the dulling of emotions I’m no doubt about to need. “Catherine, would you like some?”
Her brows shoot up and I suspect it’s because of what she’s told me, but I’ve yet to really hear. “Um, no thank you. In my condition, I don’t think that would be wise.”
Yup. I’m fucked. Needing to plant myself in a chair before I topple over, I walk over to the opposite sofa from what I can safely assume is my baby momma. As my ass sinks into the plush seating, a conversation with my brothers comes flashing back in vivid color.
“To be honest, I’m surprised you haven’t knocked someone up or called us to bail you out.” Mathew sighs as he puts down his tumbler.
“I’m not stupid, Matt. I wrap it up. No glove, no love,” I state matter-of-factly while Jack, our eldest brother, chokes on his drink.
“You do know that those things aren’t one-hundred percent foolproof, right?”
God, oh, god. How I wish I could take that all back. But hey, Karma sure has a way of keeping you humble, doesn’t it?
“It’s still early, but I’m positive it’s yours.” Catherine has picked back up where she left off, as if the information she just dropped on me was whether or not we’ll be having pizza for dinner.
Yeah. No, Catherine. This is so much bigger than pizza.
Her brows push together and her nose scrunches up. “Pizza? I’m sorry, did you want me to order some?”
Shit. I must’ve said that out loud. I’ve clearly lost my mind. “No. It’s me who needs to apologize. I was just thinking. Pay that no mind.” I rub a palm over my face and let out a slow breath before continuing. “I sort of blacked out for a moment there. Could you please repeat why you’re here?”
Catherine turns a bright shade of pink and I feel like a dick all over again. This can’t be easy for her either. “Um. Well, as you know, about a month ago we were intimate. The condom must’ve failed because here I am, a week late and three positive tests deep.”
“And these are pregnancy tests we’re talking about, right?” Fuck. I’m not trying to be dense, but I need her to spell this shit out for me.
At this, she smiles. “Yes, we’re talking about pregnancy tests.”
I’m nodding. Letting her words sink in. “Okay, at the risk of sounding like a major douche. How sure are you that I’m the father?”
Her smile drops, and even though her feelings are clearly hurt, this is something that needs to be asked. I double glove for a reason. With my assets and family name, there have been many who have tried to land themselves a Crown through less honorable means, and I can’t put it past anyone—not even my Jessa stand-in.
“Well, I can assure you that you’re the only man I’ve been with in the last couple of months.”
My eyes narrow, remembering how forward she was with me when we met. I have a hard time believing a woman who’s so aggressive in her flirting is someone who goes celibate for long. But implying otherwise is a line of assholery I won’t even cross.
“Okay.” I take a big sip of whiskey and let it all sink in, trying to come up with a game plan of how things are going to change moving forward. “I’m not sure how long you’ll be in town, but I’ll give you the number to my financial planner. He’ll set you up with an account that should cover all of your medical expenses through the pregnancy, and as soon as the baby is born, we can confirm paternity.”
I’m speaking the words that have yet to sink in. I’m going to be a father. I’m still lost in my head when I notice Catherine hasn’t said a word since I last spoke. “Is everything okay?”
Her eyes are glistening with tears, and I’m not liking the direction this is going. I’m the light and fun brother. Always joking, never taking things too seriously. But as this woman sits in front of me, her hand still clutching her abdomen, I fear those days are long gone.
“I just… I thought this would go so differently. I’ve been terrified that you’d ask me to abort the baby, and even though this is a late-in-life pregnancy carrying its own set of dangers, I still could never part with this child.”
Straight up bile crawls up my throat. I may be an asshole, but I would never in a million years ask a woman to do that. “Catherine, only dickless men fail to show up for their responsibilities, and as you’ve clearly experienced, mine is still very much attached.”
She lets out a strangled laugh as she wipes away her tears. “Yes. I’m very much aware of your member.”
Hearing her talk about my cock makes me want to vomit. Fifteen minutes ago I was about to bid on Jessa’s virtue, and it makes the memory of what I did with her doppelgänger not sit right with me.
Needing to change the topic quickly, I ask about the baby. “Have you had your first appointment yet?”
Catherine shakes her head. “No, you’re really the first person I’ve told. It’s been a bit of a surprise, to be honest. I wasn’t exactly sure how everything was going to play out.”
I nod, wanting to take her at her word. “Right. Well, my niece and brother’s fiancé are both pregnant. They’re in Colorado, too. I can call them and see who they’re using as their doctor if you don’t have one.”
As life would have it, the Crown men have been inundated with pregnant women, and all I can say is at least I won’t be alone when all the baby questions start to come in. I’ve never changed a diaper in my life, and there’s no doubt I’d probably fuck it up without the help.
Jesus. This is really happening, isn’t it?
“Um, I was actually finishing up with a contract in Colorado and thought maybe I could find work here in South Beach. That way, you’d be close to the baby.” She’s pressing her lips together, her eyes going wide. “I mean, I wasn’t trying to be presumptuous that we’d be together, but since I’m just an interior designer and you’re… well, you. It just made sense for me to move instead of the other way around.”
I’m nodding, probably looking like a damn bobble head at this point. What she’s saying makes sense, but it all seems too convenient. The cynical side of me rears its ugly head and I start to wonder if she’d planned all of this from the beginning.
“Catherine, can you answer something for me?”
“Yes. Of course. You can ask me anything.”
“How did you know who I was and where to find me?” The smile she’d been wearing falls for the second time, but I just can’t find two fucks to give.
“Um, I thought you’d probably wonder.” She opens her small pocketbook, retrieving one of my business cards and handing it to me. “This fell out of your pants after we… well, you know.”
My cheek twitches. She’s acting all shy, the complete opposite of how she was at the airport lounge, but I’m in no position to make baseless accusations. Not if there’s a chance she’s really carrying my child.
“Okay. Thank you for telling me. Please take no offense, but one can never be too sure these days.” I get up, walking toward the bar for a refill. “So, where will you be staying then? I can have my realtor find you a nice little apartment close to my office. She deals in commercial real estate, but I know she’ll make an exception for me.”
Silence descends and it has me turning back toward Catherine. She’s blushing again, her fingers now picking at the hem of her dress. “Yes. I wasn’t really sure how this would go, so I’d held off on deciding that. I came here straight from the airport.”
I’m blinking, jaw clenching tightly. Surely this woman didn’t think we’d become an instant family, did she? I mean, yes, I’d probably ask her to marry me, eventually. I’ve seen what growing up in broken homes does to people and I wouldn’t want that for my child if I could avoid it. But to assume that she’d be moving in from day one seems a bit presumptuous, doesn’t it?
Clearing my throat, I ask the obvious. “Where are your things?”
“They’re at the guard station. I didn’t want to impose. Just thought I’d leave the option there in case you were as excited as I was about the baby. But I can see that isn’t what’s happened.” She gets up in a rush, her words punching me in the gut where I probably deserve.
I’m about to apologize for my callousness when Catherine goes pale, her body crumpling to the floor before me. Shit.
I rush toward her, hitting the ground as soon as I’ve reached her, my arms scooping her up like an injured child. “Catherine. Catherine. Talk to me. Wake up, sweetheart.”
I’m about to pull out my cell phone and call 9-1-1 when her lashes flutter open, those captivating jade eyes looking up at me.
“Jason,” she whispers. “I’m okay. Really.” She goes to remove herself from my hold, but I only grab on tighter.
At that moment, I know I can’t ask her to leave. Not if her passing out is going to be a regular occurrence. I might not love this woman, but there’s an inexplicable bond to that child already growing inside her. “Does this happen often? Your losing consciousness?”
“Just for the past week. That was my first clue that something wasn’t normal. I’ve been extremely tired and if I get up too quickly, I end up on the ground.”
I roll in my lips, coming to a decision as I help her up onto her feet. “I’m calling Armando and telling him to bring your things. You’ll be staying in the room next to mine and first thing tomorrow morning we’ll get you set up with the best doctor Miami has to offer.”
She’s beaming up at me now, flashing me her pearly whites. “Thank you so much, Jason. This has all been so overwhelming and it makes me feel better knowing that we’re in this together.”
I just nod, unable to form words. Overwhelming is putting it lightly. It’s more like I’ve been hit by a Mack truck, blindsided and left on the road for dead.
Taking out my phone, I dial the guard house and make the call that will forever change my future, kissing any hope of having Jessa goodbye.
