Claimed by the Desert Sheikh: The Sheikh and the Pregnant Bride / Desert King, Pregnant Mistress / Desert Prince, Expectant Mother

Qadir reached for her hand. “Don’t get scared. I’ll protect you from the king.”

“I’m not worried,” Maggie told him. There was no way she and Qadir would ever be having the children discussion. She was here for a limited period of time. Sort of like the traveling theater. Not that she wouldn’t want children one day.

She and Jon had always assumed they would get married and have kids. They’d argued about the number. He wanted three. She kept pointing out that practically, an even number was better. Then he joked about eight and they would laugh.

Instinctively she braced herself for the pain from the memories, but there wasn’t any. She had truly moved on.

“It’s kind of funny to have to worry about not getting pregnant early,” Kayleen said. “Obviously one doesn’t want to be a pregnant bride under any circumstances, but when the groom is a prince, it’s a huge deal.”

“It would only take one mistake,” Qadir said cheerfully. “No pressure, brother.”

As’ad growled some reply but Maggie wasn’t listening. She found herself oddly frozen in time, as if she’d left her body and could see the party happening below her but wasn’t a part of it anymore.

“No, no, no,” she told herself silently. It wasn’t that. It couldn’t be. It had only been the one time. Off the pill, her period was never regular, so she wasn’t technically late.

Fear clutched her, leaving her chilled to the bone.

One time with Jon. That single night.

As they had only ever been with each other, their only worry for protection had been pregnancy. She’d gone on the pill early in their relationship and all had been well. But after the breakup, she hadn’t bothered, knowing she wasn’t interested in being with anyone, at least not for a long time.

Which meant that she hadn’t been taking birth control that last night she and Jon were together—and he hadn’t used a condom.

“Maggie?” Qadir asked. “Are you all right?”

She nodded and tried to smile, even as she fought waves of panic. She couldn’t be pregnant. Not now. Not with Jon’s baby. That would be a massive disaster—one she wouldn’t know how to fix.

After getting directions to the nearest couple of drugstores from Victoria, Maggie headed out first thing the next morning. She hadn’t slept all night, even after telling herself that her period was late because of the stress she’d been through. One encounter did not a baby make. Or did it?

As her friend had promised, there were several shops on the street, with a drugstore at each end. Maggie went into the first one and prayed that El Deharia was a enough of a forward-thinking country that there would be pregnancy kits right there on the shelf.

She found the aisle with all the female products and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the boxes that she had only previously seen on television. At least she wasn’t going to have to ask the pharmacist.

She was about to grab one when she heard some odd whispering. She turned and saw a couple of teenage girls behind her. They were in school uniforms and carrying books.

“You’re her, aren’t you?” one of them said. “The girl dating Qadir. He’s delicious. I like him the best. What’s he really like?”

Maggie wondered if she was standing there with her mouth hanging open from shock. These girls had recognized her from those stupid tabloid pictures? Was it possible?

“Oh, hi,” she said, feeling like an idiot. “He’s really nice. Friendly.”

“How did you meet?”

“I work at the palace.”

The other girl sighed. “I wish I could get a job there. My mom says I’m not the type to do real work, but I could do something.”

Her friend smiled. “He’s the best. You’re so lucky. Come on. We need to get to school.”

They waved and left. Maggie walked around to the next aisle, where she picked up some bandages she didn’t need. When she was sure the girls were gone, she returned to the first aisle and bought three different pregnancy kits. Then she went to the front of the store and paid for them.

What she didn’t see was the third teenage girl lurking behind, her cell phone held high, camera at the ready. As Maggie fished money out of her wallet, the third girl started snapping pictures.

Twenty-four hours later, Maggie sat on her sofa trying to decide which was worse—the fact that she was pregnant, or the picture in the paper showing her buying the pregnancy kits.

And the speculation that the child was Qadir’s.

Chapter Eight

Maggie couldn’t believe it. There was her picture and she was clearly holding the pregnancy kits. Who had done that and how? Who walked around with a camera all the …

A cell phone, she thought as she sank onto the sofa and held in a groan. Those girls. Was it possible?

She looked at the grainy picture and realized it was more than possible. It had happened.

She didn’t know what to think, what to feel. Remembering that last night with Jon, she knew it had to have happened then. But why did she have to be pregnant? Now? Like this?

She covered her face with her hands, ashamed, embarrassed, confused. This couldn’t be real. She was asleep and she would wake up and be grateful that—

Someone knocked on the door. She didn’t want to answer, but knew she couldn’t hide out in her suite forever. She would have to face Qadir. She winced, thinking about how all this was going to effect him. What must he think of her?

She stood and walked to the door, then sucked in a breath and pulled it open.

She’d been hoping for Victoria. Instead a handsome prince stood in her doorway.

“I see by your expression you’ve seen the morning paper,” he said calmly. “May I come in?”

She stepped back, then closed the door behind him. Heat burned on her cheeks. She had no idea what to say. She’d never planned on getting pregnant in the first place, let alone drag him into the mess, with people assuming the child was his.

“I feel horrible,” she said, knowing she should be the one to start the conversation. “I had no idea about this. You have to believe me.”

“I do.” He looked at her, his dark eyes unreadable. “Jon is the father?”

She nodded. “There was one time, a few weeks ago. I was feeling lost and alone and things just got out of hand.” She pressed her lips together. Okay, not the whole truth, but she was afraid to have him think even less of her by explaining it all in detail.

“It wasn’t supposed to happen,” she said. “Not that, not the pregnancy. We don’t love each other. He’s with someone else and I’ve moved on.” She was more sure of that by the day. “I can’t believe I’m pregnant.”

Qadir looked at her. “You’ve taken the test to be sure? There is no mistake?”

“I wish there was. I didn’t just take one test, I took three of them. I’m pregnant.”

She waited for a reaction. An immediate statement that their deal was over. Maybe even orders to leave the country. But when he said nothing, she didn’t know what to think. Worse, she couldn’t look at him.

Maybe he was waiting for her to just pack her things and go. Her previous life hadn’t prepared her for a situation like this. Everything was awkward enough, but his royal status added a whole new level of embarrassment to the conversation.

“This creates a complication,” he said at last.

Despite everything she smiled. “You do have a talent for understatement.”