From Kiss to Queen by Janet Chapman Page A

Shelkovan. “Jane, if you’re pregnant, which I doubt,” he said through gritted teeth, “you’re not goingto buy a ‘nice little house’ on a lake—near a town, of course. Do you think I’d let some woman having my child go off and live by herself?”
    Jane lifted her chin at that
some woman
label. But then she sighed and pulled the blankets over her shoulders. That’s all she was to Mark, certainly. Just
some woman
. “I wouldn’t expect marriage or anything.”
    â€œWhy the hell not!” he shouted, jumping up from the bed to stand over her with his hands on his hips—apparently not realizing he was utterly and gloriously naked.
    â€œWell, because I just wouldn’t,” she whispered, fighting to keep her chin from quivering and her eyes on his feet. “All I want is a baby. That’s all,” she muttered. Jane looked him in the eyes, attempting to get her gumption back. “If I’m not pregnant now, I will be soon.”
    â€œWhat?”
    He’d roared that time. And he took an ominous step closer to the bed.
    â€œYou are not going to make love with another man. Ever!”
    â€œI don’t have to go to bed with
any
man to have a baby. I’m going to see a doctor about getting one.”
    â€œLady, your education is sorely lacking. You need a man to get pregnant.”
    â€œNo, I don’t. I can be artificially inseminated,” she shot back, rising to her knees on the bed while holding the blankets to her chest like a shield. “That’s what I’ve planned on doing all along. But maybe last night you simply saved me the trouble!”
    She landed on her back, a red-faced, cheek-twitching,angry male on top of her. Maybe, just maybe, she shouldn’t have brought up the subject of pregnancy. Or last night, for that matter. Mark probably didn’t like being reminded of how disappointing it had been. Well, or else how crazy he must have been to sneak into her room in the first place, now that he was seeing her in the light of day.
    â€œYou will not be artificially inseminated, either. Is that clear?”
    â€œBut I want a baby.”
    â€œI’ll give you one!”
    Oh yeah, she was sorry she’d mentioned anything this morning. Hoping to placate him, as well as get him off her chest, she frantically nodded agreement—not really knowing or caring what she was agreeing to.
    Mark closed his eyes. After several deep breaths, he looked at her again. The fire was banked in those gorgeous golden eyes, and she could feel the tension leaving his body inch by gloriously naked inch. “This is a crazy conversation,” he whispered. “One we will have later,” he added with a sigh. He gave her a rather chaste kiss then got off the bed and walked to the panel of buttons by the door—apparently still oblivious to the fact that he was still naked.
    Jane propped her head on the pillow and watched. If he wanted to parade around like that, who was she to complain? Until he bent down and picked up her brace from beneath the side of the bed. “Give me that!” she squeaked, lunging for it.
    He pulled back, holding it out of her reach. “Why do you hide it?”
    â€œI don’t hide it,” she lied, lifting her chin. “It’s just nobody’s business but mine.”
    He seemed to think about that as he studied the well-worn brace. Jane had had this one for nearly six years, and she was dreading the day she’d have to break in a new one. Heck, there was even duct tape on it. She blushed when she noticed Mark fingering the tape.
    â€œCan you not afford a new one?” he asked, his voice suddenly tender. “This one is falling apart.”
    â€œI don’t want a new one. That one’s comfortable.”
    He looked at her, then back at the brace, then carefully set it down on the bed. “Will you tell me how you injured yourself?”
    â€œI