"So, how did you enjoy your week on Latois?"

Dominic glanced over at Ryder. He hadn't told anyone where he would be that week other than Matt and he was certain Matt hadn't mentioned anything to anyone. His secretary had been informed that if an emergency came up to contact Matt. So where had Ryder gotten his information?

"Don't bother figuring things out, Nick. I know where you are 24-7. It's my business to protect you. It's what your grandfather sent me here to do."

Dominic closed the refrigerator and leaned back against it. He felt irritated that his grandfather intended to be a part of his life even when he didn't want him to. "It's been close to twenty years now, Ryder?" he asked angrily. "You can't be my bodyguard forever. Besides, I don't need one anymore." Even though he said the words he knew over the years Ryder had become more than just his bodyguard.

"You are who you are. You will always need someone to watch your back."

"My grandfather's orders?" Dominic asked angrily.

"When are you going to stop hating him?"

Dominic sighed. He and Ryder had had this conversation several times. For some reason Ryder was very loyal to Franco Saxon.

"I don't hate him actually," Dominic said calmly. "I just don't want him to be a part of my life just like he chose not to be a part of my father's life when he married my mother."

"He made a mistake Nick. Your father has forgiven him. So has your mother."

"I'm glad to hear it. Now I'm going back to bed." Dominic turned to leave but Ryder's next question stopped him.

"And what of the new Saxon heir?"

Dominic slowly turned around and stared at Ryder. Did he have no secrets from this man? He wouldn't waste his time trying to figure out how Ryder had known he was on Latois for the sole purpose of making a baby. It would have been simple enough since the island advertised heavily their procreation vacations.

"You tell me. What about the new Saxon heir?"

"Your parents and your grandfather would be pleased that you're carrying the family line forward."

Dominic was glad his parents would be overjoyed with the news, but as for his grandfather, he really didn't give a royal d.a.m.n. "Nothing is definite yet."

Ryder chuckled at that. "But I'm sure it will be. You're a Saxon."

Dominic arched a brow. "Meaning?"

"You'll make it happen."

Dominic walked out of the room thinking he certainly hoped so. But he would continue to be on pins and needles while he waited for Taylor's call.

It was time to call Dominic.

Taylor placed the package she has purchased at the drugstore on the table. There was no reason why she couldn't just march into the bathroom and find out now and just call and give Dominic the results. Yes, there was a reason. He had asked to be present when she found out and she had promised him that he could. She would keep her promise.

It had been twelve days and five hours since she had seen Dominic last, but there had not been one single day that she had not gone to bed thinking of him or awakened with him in her thoughts, as well. And then there were those moments during the day when out of nowhere she would remember something-a look he'd given her, a touch. And heaven help her when she would recall all the times they made love, all those different positions...

Shivers of awareness ran down her spine. She didn't need a pregnancy test to tell her what she knew in her heart was already true. She was pregnant with Dominic's child. There was no way that she couldn't be.

Now she needed to place that call.

She walked over to the sofa and sat down then reached for the telephone and punched his private number.

"h.e.l.lo, Taylor."

Immediately, upon hearing his strong, husky voice, an electric current seemed to have run right through her. She swallowed and then asked, "How did you know it was me?"

"Caller ID."

She nodded. That made sense. "You wanted me to call you when it was time."

"And is it time to find out?" he asked.

"Yes."

"I'm on my way over."

He'd said it as though he was right up the street. "Will you be arriving tomorrow?"

"No, I'm on my way to your place now. I've been in D.C. staying at the Saxon Hotel for the last two days. I wanted to be close by when you called and figured it would be soon," he informed her.

"Oh."

"I'll see you in less than an hour, Taylor."

"Okay."

And then he ended the call.

Chapter 10.

Taylor glanced at herself in the mirror one final time after hearing the sound of the doorbell. A surge of anxiety swept through her. How was she supposed to act when she saw Dominic again? He wasn't just any man, but was someone she had spent an entire week making love with more than eighty percent of the time. The last four days on Latois had been the most intense. It was as if they were counting down the hours, minutes and seconds and wanted to make each one count.

She glanced down at her outfit, a pair of shorts and a tank top. She had wanted to appear casual, right at home and had taken a shower and put on a little makeup and sprayed on her favorite cologne.

She crossed the room and inhaled deeply, hoping and praying she would be able to keep things together when she saw him. She opened the door and whatever words of greeting she planned to say died on her lips. All she could do was stand there and stare at him.

For a few split seconds it seemed neither of them was capable of speaking, since he was staring back at her. Then, he finally spoke in a deep, raspy voice that sent shivers all through Taylor's body.

"It's good seeing you again, Taylor."

She inhaled deeply once more. "It's good seeing you again, as well, Dominic." She had to admit that she sounded slightly hoa.r.s.e to her own ears. "Won't you come in?"

She took a step back and he entered, closing the door behind him. He glanced around a second before returning his gaze to her. "You look good."

"Thanks, and so do you." And she meant it. He was wearing a dark gray suit and white shirt and looked gorgeous as ever. "Would you like something to drink?"

"What do you have?"

"Whatever you want." Too late she realized how that may have sounded.

He chuckled softly. "In that case, a gla.s.s of wine would be nice."

"No problem. Make yourself comfortable and I'll be right back." She headed toward the kitchen but couldn't help glancing over her shoulder and saw that he was removing his jacket, exposing those broad shoulders she remembered so well.

A tingling sensation flowed through her as she recalled a number of other things, and they were things she wished she wouldn't remember right now. Her body was heated enough already.

Once she got to the kitchen she let out a deep breath. The s.e.xual chemistry they'd shared hadn't been just confined to the island. It was here in her apartment. She'd felt it the moment she opened the door and saw him standing there. There was no way he hadn't felt it, too.

With nervous hands she poured him a gla.s.s of wine and poured a gla.s.s of apple juice for herself. "I can do this," she murmured softly before leaving her kitchen.

He was standing by the window, looking at the beautiful view of the Potomac and turned when he heard her enter the room. His gaze met hers and she actually saw the heated l.u.s.t in his eyes. Suddenly, she felt hotter than before and could actually feel dampness form on her forehead. With all the strength she could muster, she made it across the room to him without dropping the gla.s.ses out of her hand.

"Here you are. I hope I wasn't too long."

He smiled before taking the gla.s.s from her trembling hand. "No, you weren't."

Their fingers touched and she felt a sizzling sensation all the way to her toes. All she had to do was reconnect with his gaze to know he'd felt it, as well. Thinking the cold apple juice would certainly cool her off, she quickly took a sip. It didn't do any good. Heat was still trickling through her.

"So how have you been feeling?" he asked, breaking into the silence that had surrounded them.

"I've been fine. Busy as usual. I had a lot to catch up on when I got back."

"So did I."

"The stock market has looked good for the past couple of weeks," she said, leading him over to the sofa to sit down. He sat on one end and she on the other.

"Yes, I saw that."

The room plunged back into silence and she began racking her brain for something else to say. She thought about a recent news article and brought it up. He made a comment or two and that was it. Deciding she was dragging things out for no reason at all she said, "I'm sure you have a lot to do this evening, so if you want we can find out if I'm pregnant or not right now."

"I don't have anything to do this evening," he said smoothly. "Do you feel pregnant?"

A smile touched her lips. "If you're asking if I've had morning sickness or anything like that, then the answer is no. I feel wonderful. But I have missed my period by a few days."

"Oh."

Too late she wondered if she had said too much, then decided no, she hadn't. While on the island they had talked about a number of things, personal things regarding changes that would take place to her body once she became pregnant. She had felt comfortable discussing them with him then and there was no reason she shouldn't feel at ease talking about them with him now. Although most of the time they had held the discussions while both of them had been wrapped in each other's arms, naked and satiated after having just made love.

"What about your b.r.e.a.s.t.s?"

Desire sparked in the center of her, right below the waist, between the legs. "What about them?" she asked softly.

He took a sip of wine before leaning forward. "Are they tender? You said that would be one sure-tell sign."

Yes, she had said that. "Ah, yes. They are somewhat tender." "Ah, yes. They are somewhat tender."

"I see."

He was staring at her, more specifically her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. They had definitely become the subject of his intense a.s.sessment. A part of her wanted to take her hands and cover them, not that he could see anything through her blouse. But then she felt her nipples harden and didn't have to glance down at herself to know that he probably saw how the tips were pressed against her blouse.

She quickly got to her feet, feeling somewhat shaky and still feeling hot. "I-I'll go in and do the test now."

He got to his feet, as well. "There's no hurry, Taylor. I'm enjoying your company. Come on, let's sit back down."

He reached out and touched her arm and they both discovered within seconds it had been a mistake. Suddenly, it was as if the two weeks' separation hadn't happened and they were back on the island, in their suite, where getting naked and making love had become as normal to them as breathing.

Her heart began racing when she saw him lower his head toward hers and she knew what she was in for. However, she also knew what she couldn't have. She loved him but he didn't love her and she refused to be one of those women who pined away for a love that would never be.

With all the strength she could muster, she pulled her hand from within his grasp and took a step back. "I-I think I need to go and do that test now," she said with a quiver in her voice as she steadily backed away from him.

His eyes bored into hers. She could still feel the sensuous heat. "Need help?" he asked in a voice that sent more shivers up her spine.

"No, thanks. I can handle things." And then she turned and quickly rushed off toward the bathroom.

Dominic placed his hands in the pockets of his slacks as he walked back over to the window. He hadn't meant to make Taylor feel uncomfortable, but seeing her again had done something to him. The moment she had opened the door he had wanted to reach out and sweep her off her feet and kiss her with all the intensity that he felt. He had firsthand knowledge of just how wonderful she would feel in his arms and just how delicious her taste was. He had missed both over the past two weeks.

He'd had to constantly force himself to accept that he couldn't call her and she wouldn't be calling him. What had been between them was nothing more than a business agreement. He wasn't supposed to start having these intense emotions. Nor was he supposed to think of her during every waking moment, remembering what they had shared on that island.

But the fact of the matter was that he couldn't forget. Neither his mind nor his body would let him. He would wake up during the middle of the night actually inhaling her scent. It was during those times when his senses would get stirred to a degree that he thought he was losing his mind. Never in his life had any woman affected him so deeply, made him want her so badly.

The sound of footsteps had him turning around and his gaze immediately latched onto her face when she came back into the room. His heartbeat kicked hard in his chest when he saw the tears that glistened in her eyes. Were they tears of joy or of disappointment? What if she hadn't gotten pregnant as he had so arrogantly a.s.sumed?

Somehow he made his body move and crossed the room to her. Automatically he reached out and wiped one of her tears away with the tip of his finger. When she didn't say anything for the longest time, just stood gazing at him, he asked in a near-quiet tone, "Are you or aren't you?"

As he watched her face, he saw a smile touch the corners of her lips. Then she nodded. "Yes, I am. Oh, Dominic, we're having a baby," she said in such an awed voice that to him it was like a match thrown in a box of bone-dry tinder. The blaze within him had flared into a full flame.

He was going to be a father.

The realization of that hit him and he hadn't known just how much he'd wanted that until now. He could no more stop himself from kissing her at that moment than he could stop the day from turning into night. He reached out and pulled her into his arms and in one smooth sweep, captured her lips as if doing so was the most natural thing.

There was something in knowing the man whose hot and hungry mouth was insistently eating away at hers, was the man whose child she carried in her womb. Coupled with the fact that she loved him with all her heart she forgot that the last thing they should be doing was sharing a kiss.