Claimed: The Pregnant Heiress by Day Leclaire Read Free Book Online Page A

away.”
    â€œOur baby. At least, I assume it’s ours.” He wished there were a less awkward way of asking his next question. “You implied I’m the father.”
    â€œThere’s no other possibility.” She made the statement with calm certainty.
    â€œYou’re sure?”
    She jabbed an orange slice in his direction. “All right, Money Man. Let’s put this in terms even you can understand. One woman who’s had a rather lengthy sexual dry spell plus one man who ended aforementioned dry spell, minus one condom equals oops. In case you missed it, I double-checked my math twelve different times. It came up baby on every test.”
    He would have laughed if the situation weren’t so serious. “I’m not questioning your math.”
    Her expression froze over. “You’re just questioning which of my many lovers is the father, is that it?”
    He cautiously moved the question aside and out of reach. “I assume you won’t object to a paternity test?” he asked instead.
    â€œOf course not.”
    â€œIn utero?”
    Her brows drew together. “They do that now?”
    How the hell should he know? He’d never been in this situation before. Had done everything within his power to prevent it from ever happening. “We can ask your doctor.”
    Emma shoved her plate aside. “There is no we .”
    â€œIf there’s a baby, there sure as hell is a we .” He leanedforward to give emphasis to his words. “Perhaps this is a good time to explain that I won’t walk away from my child. If it’s mine, I’ll be intimately involved every step of the way.”
    â€œFirst things first. I—and I do mean I—go to see my ob/gyn and confirm the pregnancy. Then we’ll discuss the best way to handle the situation after that.” She rose, the dame at her most grand. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go home.”
    He did mind. He minded more than he could express. But he hadn’t gotten where he was in the world by losing his temper or indulging in a knee-jerk reaction when someone gave him a verbal shove. Chase relaxed back against his chair and studied Emma, while making a swift analysis. She was beautiful and clever and fascinating. But, she was also a Worth, which meant she came from money. Unfortunately, that small detail made her the last person he’d have chosen as mother to his child because he’d had so many bad experiences with others who came from that rarified world of inherited wealth.
    The irony didn’t escape him. No doubt his father had felt the same dismay when Penny Larson had informed him of her unplanned pregnancy though Tiberius Barron’s reasons would have been far different. Unlike his father, Chase wouldn’t allow Emma to give birth to a bastard, to force his son or daughter to deal with the sort of snobbery he’d dealt with his entire life. Nor was she the same as the other trust fund babies he’d known. There was something irresistible about her. Something that appealed on every possible level. Even more important, she carried his child, which meant that whether she realized it or not, he was going to take control of both her and her pregnancy, starting now.
    â€œI’ll be happy to take you home.” He waited until the relief gleamed in her violet-blue eyes. “On one condition.”
    She folded her arms across her chest. “This is not a business negotiation,” she snapped.
    Oh, but it was. She just didn’t realize it, yet. “This is my child, too. As I said, I want to be involved from day one.” He offered a crooked smile. “Actually, I was involved on day one.Now, I want to be involved in the next step. I want to go with you to the doctor.”
    â€œAbsolutely not.”
    â€œEmma, it would be a mistake to shut me out. I’ll simply find a way to go around you. It would be far easier to