The Queen's Nine-Month Scandal Read Online Free PDF

her fist on the table, shocking them as much as herself. In a
quiet authoritative voice she said, ‘I’m still Queen and this meeting is
adjourned for now. I am well aware that we face a crisis and I will do
everything in my power to avert it.’
    Now she was wrung out and needed some space so she escaped to
her office. Just then she heard her office door open and close behind her. She
closed her eyes and said wearily, ‘Please Pierre, not now.’
    A deep, infinitely memorable voice from behind her said, ‘It’s
not Pierre.’
    Analia’s eyes snapped open and a rush of adrenaline washed away
any weariness. She wondered if she might be having an aural hallucination but
then the voice came again. Harder.
    ‘Aren’t you going to say hello to the father of your
child?’

CHAPTER FOUR
    S LOWLY , AS IF in treacle, Analia turned around and the man who had been haunting her every waking and sleeping moment stood just feet away. Gone was the beard and overlong hair. He was clean—shaven, but no less devastating. He was all in black: black jeans, black top that hugged his chest and a battered black jacket. His eyes were cold gray. He looked murderous. Yet her heart was pumping with a mixture of excitement, joy and trepidation.
    Fearing she was going mad, she whispered, ‘Are you real?’
    He smiled grimly and drawled, ‘Oh I’m very real sweetheart, as you well know.’
    Analia blushed to recall how real he’d felt surging between her legs. She tingled there and squeezed her thighs together. As if aware of her movement, Daniel’s eyes dropped momentarily down her body and then back up.
    ‘How did you get in?’ she croaked, still not entirely sure if she was dreaming.
    His mouth was a hard flat line, not the wickedly sensuous curves she remembered. ‘Let’s just say my years as a war photographer gave me the ability to get into secured spaces, and that I’ve exposed a hole in your security detail.’
    He stood as still as a panther but she sensed his restless energy. Analia’s hands twisted in front of her her, a nervous habit.
    His voice was cold. ‘That was quite the spread in the papers. I take it the royal clinic nurse who leaked the story is no longer in your employment?’
    Analia blanched. She was unaware of how huge her eyes looked in her face. Her voice felt tight. ‘I was planning on getting in touch.’ It sounded weak to her ears.
    Daniel folded his arms, eyes narrowed unforgivingly on her. ‘Now that you have a reason.’
    Analia winced and hid away the very secret part of her that had fantasized about seeing him again. ‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered, ‘I didn’t mean for you to find out like that. I didn’t mean for any of that to happen.’
    His look turned dark. ‘Didn’t mean for what exactly not to happen?’ He answered before she could, ‘Undoubtedly you mean that night when faced with this current crisis.’
    Analia instinctively put her hand over her belly. She felt fierce in her rejection of his words but couldn’t articulate it to this cold stranger.
    He started pacing, energy crackling between them like electricity. He stopped and faced her again, head thrown back, the patrician line of his nose pronounced. ‘What was it, Analia, or should I call you Alexandra? Should we perhaps stick to our pseudo names? Were you just looking for some willing stud to help you offload your virginity? Did you realize time was running out and you couldn’t bear the thought of a chinless prince pawing at you in the marital bed?’
    Daniel was so angry and full of explosive emotions mixed with intense desire that he could barely see straight. He wanted to alternately throttle Analia and kiss her senseless, and then take her right here in these opulent surroundings, until she screamed her pleasure the way she had before. He wanted to rip open the cream silk shirt she wore and push up the oh-so-pristine pencil skirt that showed off the slim perfection of her body. He wanted to undo the fussy chignon