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

“Jon will not be expecting you to be pregnant.”

“Probably not.” She drew in a deep breath. Okay—fine. She could be the one to say it. “Look, I know why you’re here. You want me to understand that with things being the way they are, our deal is off. I get that. In your situation, I’d feel exactly the same way. But I’d really like to finish the car. I can do a beautiful job and being pregnant isn’t going to make me any less skilled. To be honest, I need the job. I don’t have health insurance and once I start to show, no one is going to want to hire me.”

She felt panic flaring inside of her but refused to give in to it. Under the circumstances, she felt slimy enough just begging for her job. If she had any pride—or money in the bank—she would simply walk away. If it was just her, she would. But she now had a baby to think of.

A baby?

She pressed her hand to her stomach. No way. There couldn’t be life growing inside her. She couldn’t sense it. She didn’t feel any different. Shouldn’t she have a maternal connection or at least a clue?

“Do you want to leave?” he asked.

“What? Of course not.”

“I have not suggested you should go.”

“But I’m pregnant.”

He nodded. “And people will assume the child is mine. What does it say about me that I let you leave the country?”

Maggie sank onto the sofa. She hadn’t thought about that. “You’ll have to issue a statement or something. Tell them it’s not your baby. Some kind of official denial. People will think badly of me rather than you.” Which she hated, but how could they get around that?

“Who will believe the child isn’t mine?” he asked. “We have been seen together.”

“Only for a short time and the baby not being yours is the truth.”

“Why would that matter?”

She opened her mouth, then closed it. Good point, she thought, feeling alone and confused. Since when was truth a priority when it came to gossip?

“I’ll tell the truth,” she said slowly, hating that she would be known as a slut in public. “That I was with someone else. You’re off the hook.”

“You don’t want to do that,” he told her. “You will not enjoy the attention.”

“I agree, but what choice is there? You’re not taking the blame for this. You can’t be the bad guy. I’m responsible.”

“I’m the prince.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“None of this would have happened if I hadn’t asked you to lie on my behalf. I’m the one who put you in the public eye.”

“I went willingly.” She’d sold her soul for money. Her father would be so disappointed with her.

Before she could give in to that blow, the door to her suite opened and King Mukhtar swept inside. He held the paper in one hand.

“Is it true?” he demanded, glaring first at Qadir, then at her. “You are pregnant?”

If Maggie had thought she would squeeze in, she would have crawled under the sofa. But before she could make an attempt, Qadir pulled her to her feet and stepped in front of her, as if offering protection.

“This is none of your business,” he said coolly as he faced his father.

“It is my business,” the king told him angrily. “Is she pregnant? If so, the child cannot be yours. Unless you were seeing her before and brought her here specifically to meet me. Which you should have told me. Qadir, I demand to know what’s going on.”

Maggie cringed. “Your Highness,” she began, only to have Qadir shake his head.

“Is it your child?” the king asked his son. “If so, I insist you marry her immediately. I understand having the wedding after the child is born is very fashionable these days, but this is my palace. I will not have it so.”

“The baby isn’t Qadir’s,” she whispered, wishing she really could disappear into the floor. “I’m sorry.”

Qadir pulled her next to him and put his arm around her. “Don’t apologize. You are not at fault here. The blame is mine.” He looked at his father. “I paraded Maggie in public. That’s why the pictures were taken. It is my fault.”

“But not your child.”

Maggie stared at the king, trying to figure out what he was thinking. He sounded almost disappointed by the news. Had he been hoping he would have a grandchild at last?

“No, Father.”

Mukhtar nodded. “Very well. Maggie, you will leave El Deharia at once.”

Maggie started to nod only to have Qadir say, “No, she will not. She’s staying here.”

“To what end? You can find someone else to work on your car.”

“This isn’t about the car. This is about her.”

Maggie couldn’t believe it. After all this, Qadir was still going forward with the deal? Didn’t he know what a disaster this all was? How her pregnancy complicated everything?

“You can’t go out with her,” the king said.

“Why not?” Qadir asked. “I like her.”

Words spoken to prove a point, she told herself. Silly words that meant nothing. Yet she wanted to wrap herself in them like they were a blanket and she were caught in a snowstorm. She felt her eyes burning, but refused to give in to tears.

“Maggie stays,” Qadir said. “We will issue a discreet statement saying the child isn’t mine.”

“No one will believe you. Not until the child is born and there can be a DNA test.”

“Perhaps not, but we will have stated our position. No one will publicly defy us. We will be left alone. Maggie will be left alone. That is what matters to me.”

Mukhtar narrowed his gaze. “She means this much to you?”

“Yes.”

“Very well. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

With that, the king left.

Maggie waited until he was out of the room to turn on Qadir. “Are you insane? What are doing? You can’t go up against your father like that. It’s crazy and wrong. I’m pregnant, Qadir. With another man’s child. I know you don’t want your father picking out your future wife, but this is taking things too far. I can’t stay. Besides, you’re a handsome, rich guy who happens to be a prince. Are you telling me there isn’t one other woman you can think of to play this game?”