Having Her Boss's Baby

Her lips lingered for half a second and in that moment he was stunned to find himself wanting to turn so that his mouth brushed hers. Only he wanted more than just a simple kiss. She walked into the bedroom and shut the door.

He stood alone in the center of the living room, with an open bottle of champagne and a romantic dinner for two.

Hell of a way to spend a wedding night, he thought.

CONTENTS

Cover (#u926dcdc6-4801-56b9-b8af-9f5bc70484e2)

Back Cover Text (#ued84c770-80f0-5e9f-9dfb-1b2921c99e9a)

About the Author (#u9f14a4a7-69ab-5a13-a142-2c7e6c4d767e)

Booklist (#ucfde5e14-a827-5e7b-a3bf-09c775c59a3d)

Title Page (#u07d3b037-6bf5-5559-adf4-88afb5d7cecd)

Copyright (#u2d54ef8b-94d6-5355-b1f7-2d8f19156f99)

Contents (#u26d7b3c3-15b5-583f-9246-ddafcc848a01)

CHAPTER ONE (#u3179d7fa-e8de-5c8b-b3b5-5b64eaa9b8a7)

CHAPTER TWO (#u0d292005-07ce-5b7c-b68c-780e962f7dfe)

CHAPTER THREE (#uc9c31818-5aa1-57b0-b01d-f1422d2bbf77)

CHAPTER FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)

Excerpt (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER ONE (#u26d7b3c3-15b5-583f-9246-ddafcc848a01)

Until Noelle Stevenson actually saw the word “pregnant” on the plastic stick, she’d allowed herself to believe everything was going to be all right. After all, it had been her first time. Wasn’t she supposed to have a grace period? Like when a light bill was due? Those extra couple of days until disaster struck?

Apparently not, she thought, barely able to breathe as she turned the plastic over in her hands. Pregnant. Her.

She couldn’t imagine what her parents were going to say. Not that they would kill her. Anger seemed pretty manageable. Instead they would get quiet, look at each other in that way of silently communicating that had always driven her and her sisters crazy, then ask her what she wanted to do. After all, she’d created the situation, now she would have to deal with the consequences. They were going to be disappointed and that was always the worst.

Noelle looked in the mirror and saw the fear in her eyes. She wouldn’t be twenty for another two weeks. She was supposed to be starting her second year at community college in the fall. There couldn’t be a baby. This wasn’t really happening.

The sound of footsteps on a hardwood floor got her attention. It was barely after six in the morning. The office should have been deserted. Who had picked this particular morning to come in early, too?

Not waiting to find out, Noelle stuffed the stick back into the box and shoved the box into her coat pocket. She quickly glanced around the private bathroom of her employer to make sure she hadn’t left anything behind, then hurried through his office, hoping to make an escape before anyone caught her.

She raced across the large space and dashed into the hall, only to slam into the one person she would most like to have avoided.

“What’s the rush?” Devlin Hunter asked as he reached out to steady her.

Noelle cleared her throat, then forced herself to smile as she stepped back and wondered what on earth she was going to say. The truth was impossible. She could imagine the look on his face if she blurted out, “Gee, Mr. Hunter, I needed to come in extra early so I could have some privacy in the bathroom. At home, I share with my three sisters. What with me thinking I might be pregnant with your late brother’s child, I really didn’t want to let my family in on my little secret. You, either, for that matter.”

“Um, no rush,” Noelle said, knowing she sounded impossibly stupid. “I, ah, needed to get some work done, so I came in to get a jump start on it.”

Mr. Hunter glanced at his watch, then at her. “It’s barely after six.”

“I actually know that.”

“I didn’t know Katherine was such an exacting boss,” he said, a faint smile tugging on the corners of his mouth.

Technically, Noelle didn’t work for Mr. Hunter. She worked for his assistant. Secretary to an assistant—it was a little like being the dog’s pet. Still, she adored Katherine, who always let her schedule her hours around her college classes.

“She’s not,” Noelle said. “I just wanted to, you know, be diligent.”

“Admirable.”

He studied her as if he didn’t quite believe her. Noelle knew she was a lousy liar and wondered what, exactly, he could read in her eyes.

Mr. Hunter was tall—taller than Jimmy had been. They both had dark hair, but Mr. Hunter had green eyes, while Jimmy’s had been brown. That wasn’t the only other difference, either. Jimmy had been a lot younger and not nearly as responsible. Not until he’d gone into the army.

She didn’t want to think about Jimmy being gone or her being pregnant. So she smiled and started to move around Mr. Hunter.

“I’ll just get to my desk,” she said, hoping he wouldn’t ask why she’d been in his office.

“All right.”