Bought by a Millionaire

Oh, Lord.

Dr. Cox ushered them into his office, waved them toward two chairs in front of his desk and then took a seat himself.

The sexual attraction of a moment ago slipped away as she watched the doctor’s face. Suspense built, winding around every bone and muscle until her entire body was as taut as a piano wire.

“Are you ready to hear the test results?” Cox asked.

Burke’s grip tightened on the arms of his chair, the skin around his nails turning white. She almost expected to hear a growl work its way up from his throat. Her own hands were clammy where they clutched the thick black wool of her skirt.

When Burke spoke, it was in a low, menacing voice that proved to Shannon exactly why he was so successful in the boardroom. “Tell me. Now.”

But Dr. Cox didn’t seem the least bit intimidated. He only grinned, making a great show of opening her file and shuffling the pages. To draw out the moment and put her even more on edge, she was sure.

“John…” Burke growled.

“All right, all right,” Cox acquiesced.

Her entire body was so tense, her breathing so shallow, that she nearly yelped when she felt Burke’s long fingers reach out and wrap around her own. As it was, she jerked like a snake-bite victim and had to consciously return her pulse rate to normal. Staring straight ahead at Dr. Cox, he either ignored or didn’t notice her reaction, keeping her hand wrapped securely within his own.

“Shannon. Burke,” the doctor said slowly. “Congratulations, you’re pregnant.”

Three

If Shannon hadn’t been sitting, she would have fallen to the floor. This was the news they’d been waiting for, the news they’d expected, and yet she found it hard to believe it was true. That there was actually a child now growing inside of her.

Burke Bishop’s child.

She tilted her head and saw that he was positively glowing—if a man could be described in such a way. His straight white teeth flashed an ear-to-ear smile, his eyes gleamed with undiluted pleasure.

“That explains the dizziness and nausea,” she commented softly.

“Yes,” Dr. Cox said. “The levels of morning sickness vary. Some women begin feeling sick almost from the day of conception right up through delivery. Others barely suffer at all. When you described your symptoms, I suspected the tests would come back positive, but I wanted to run them anyway to be sure.” One side of his mouth lifted in a wry grin. “I also knew Burke would want absolute proof and not just a hunch based on my twenty-five years of experience. There’s no doubt about it, you’re definitely pregnant.

“You’re also very lucky,” he continued. “Insemination doesn’t always take on the first try. But you’re young, in perfect health and probably very fertile.”

“I knew I picked the right woman.” Burke pulled her arm toward him and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. “Now what?” he asked.

“Now,” the doctor said, “you go home. Shannon, you should take it easy until your next appointment in three weeks. You can still participate in all your regular activities, but if you start to feel faint or nauseous, lie down. Those sorts of symptoms are typical in the first trimester. Try some crackers and hot tea—decaffeinated, of course—if you experience morning sickness. And you’ll likely be more tired than usual, so don’t press yourself. Go to bed early and take naps whenever the mood strikes. Understand?”

She nodded, still reeling. And the worst part was that she couldn’t decide which shocked her more—Dr. Cox’s news or the fact that Burke’s warm, soft lips had just brushed against her skin.

“I’m going to prescribe prenatal vitamins, but that’s no excuse not to eat well. Lots of fruits, vegetables and dairy products, especially milk.” He smiled. “And I realize you do plenty of walking to classes and such, but I’m still going to have the nurse give you a list of exercises you can do at home. Any questions?”

Shannon thought, but her brain didn’t seem to function. Her mind was still spinning, and her stomach felt queasy—more from nerves, this time, than her newfound pregnancy.

“I can’t think of anything,” she replied with a shake of her head. She’d checked out several books about pregnancy from the library, which would help, and she could always call Dr. Cox’s office if she needed to know anything before her next visit.

“What about you, Burke? Any questions?”

His brain was obviously functioning much better than hers. He responded so quickly he’d obviously been waiting his turn. “When is the baby due?”

Dr. Cox smiled. “June fifteenth. There’s always a chance the child could come a little early or a little late, but since we know the exact date of conception, the timing should be fairly accurate.”

“June fifteenth,” Burke repeated in a hushed voice. “Father’s Day.”

Burke strode into his apartment, grinning like an idiot. He shrugged out of his overcoat and suit jacket, tossing them over the back of the sofa as he stepped into the sunken living room.

She was pregnant. Shannon was carrying his child, and he hadn’t stopped smiling since the doctor told them. Not even when Shannon had refused to let him see her home, opting to take the El instead. Not even when he’d leaned over and pressed a big, wet kiss on the doorman’s cheek, only to have the fellow stare at him as though he’d just been released from a mental institution.

Nothing could dampen his spirits tonight. Nothing.

He was going to be a daddy—on Father’s Day, no less. He couldn’t wait.

Eight more months seemed like an eternity, but he was looking forward to each and every one of them. Spent in Shannon’s company, of course, knowing they’d made a baby together.

With the help of medical science, maybe, but they’d still created a life.

Whistling the tune of the only lullaby he knew, he made his way into the kitchen and opened the fridge, looking for something quick and easy to fix for dinner. Normally, he would have dined out or had his secretary arrange for something to be brought in.

But Margaret had long since gone home, and he didn’t much feel like making pleasantries with the colleagues he was bound to bump into at one of his favorite clubs.

The only person he really wanted to see was Shannon.

Unfortunately, she’d made it more than clear that she wasn’t interested in spending time with him outside of her contractual obligation.

He offered to drive her home or anywhere else she needed to go, but she refused. He invited her to dinner, but she turned him down in favor of studying or waiting tables at The Tavern. It didn’t take Burke long to realize she was trying to avoid him anywhere but at Dr. Cox’s office.

Which was no more than he should expect. Their relationship was based on a business deal, nothing more. She’d agreed to carry his child; she didn’t need to be his dinner companion as well.

But darned if he didn’t wish she would accept even one of his invitations. Give him an excuse to spend just a little more time with her.

And, frankly, there was no one else he could share his news with. No one other than Shannon, Dr. Cox and perhaps Margaret.

His smile slipped a fraction as he threw a pack of low-fat luncheon meat on the counter, along with a loaf of bread, a head of lettuce and mayonnaise. Thank God for Margaret. She not only kept his office running smoothly, but stopped by his apartment once a week, too, to restock his refrigerator. Otherwise, this lettuce wouldn’t look nearly as fresh and crisp—if he owned lettuce at all.

This wasn’t the first time he’d been struck by the knowledge that he had no family left, and no true friends. Not that his family had been so great to begin with. His parents had spent years in a loveless, contentious marriage. Burke had been a lonely, often ignored only child, many times suspecting he’d been an unplanned and unwelcome addition to that hostile relationship.

But both of his parents were now gone. His father had been killed in a car accident some fifteen years earlier, and his mother had mourned the loss for all of six weeks before finding herself another husband to harangue, eventually succumbing to cirrhosis of the liver from too many bottles of cheap wine.

Except for a college buddy or two whom he kept in touch with, he didn’t really have any friends, either. Acquaintances stopped by the office or called every couple of weeks to ask him for money, but he wouldn’t consider any of them actual friends.

Everyone wanted something from Burke Ellison Bishop, he thought as he took a giant bite of his ham sandwich.

Even Shannon was using him for her own benefit. But at least with her, he would be getting something in return. And that something was the one thing he’d always wanted—a child of his own.

And that little boy or girl would be his chance to show that he could be a better parent than his had been to him. A chance to love and be loved. To reclaim a small part of his childhood and leave something of himself behind in the world when he was dead and gone.

The last week of October, Shannon sat in the exact same office, in the exact same chair as on that first, monumental appointment with Dr. Cox.