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No, that wasn’t right. It couldn’t be.

But the deafening clang of her heart dropping like a stone told her it was.

Times and dates that flared like neon signs in her mind.

‘Miss Everhart?’ the doctor prompted.

Her gaze flew to Joao. He was watching her with brooding, lethal intensity, his body coiled taut as he awaited her answer. ‘I... It’s been almost nine weeks since I had my period.’

Joao froze completely, his eyes glistening with a stunned light that made her shiver even as a layer of colour receded from his sharp cheekbones.

He jerked forward. ‘Nine weeks?’ The question was barely a whisper but no less sharp. ‘Morocco?’

Her lips tightened. ‘Can we talk about this later?’

‘This requires a simple yes or no, Saffie.’ Again, his voice was hushed. Soft, even. But she wasn’t fooled.

She swallowed. ‘If I’m pregnant, then yes.’

His nostrils flared in a long inhalation, his jaw tightening as a cascade of emotions flitted across his face.

‘So it is fair to assess that you could be pregnant?’ Dr Chang asked.

She swallowed, her senses tumbling into free fall as the ramifications brutally hit home. As the possibility of the fragile and precious life growing inside her drew an awed breath. But how could that be when...? ‘I...don’t think so... We used protection.’

But even as she said it, something inside her clicked into place, a deep, visceral certainty she couldn’t escape.

A fierce joy spiralled through her shock, blooming in her heart even as she felt the centre of her gravity shifting, altering her reality into something that was at once everything she’d ever wanted from the moment she’d understood what family meant, but also something other than she’d planned for herself.

Perhaps it was the slow, tectonic change going through Joao that transmitted to her? It was almost imperceptible and he hadn’t moved from where he stood but Saffron could feel its immense power, knew that the repercussions of it were yet to fully manifest themselves. But it was coming. Inexorably. Like lava, slow but lethal, flowing down the side of a majestic mountain.

‘No contraception is foolproof. Is your cycle regular, Miss Everhart?’ Dr Chang asked.

Like clockwork. ‘Yes.’

‘Then a pregnancy is most likely the answer to your nausea,’ he said gently but firmly. ‘But a simple test should give you the answers you need.’

She glanced at Joao. He didn’t speak but the gleam in his eyes broadcast his thoughts.

Thoughts that matched hers. If she was pregnant...she had to know. ‘Do all the tests you need to,’ she whispered.

The doctor nodded. ‘Of course, miss.’

Joao prowled closer, his gaze skating over her to settle on her belly for one ferocious moment before he refocused on the doctor. ‘How long will it take to know for certain?’ he demanded in a low, vibrating tone.

‘A matter of hours.’

She cleared her throat, drawing the attention of both men. ‘Will a blood test tell me how...how far along I am?’

Dr Chang shook his head. ‘For that you’ll need an ultrasound.’

She glanced at Joao but his gaze was fixed on the doctor, his body bristling with electric purpose. ‘Such a machine is portable, yes?’

Even before he’d opened his mouth Saffie knew the answer was going to be yes. Nothing was beyond the reach of the richest man in the world. ‘Yes, the hotel provides a full private medical service to guests.’

Joao’s eyes locked on hers, his gaze compelling. ‘Is that satisfactory, Saffie?’

Her heart thudded, then expanded to further absorb the news. ‘Yes.’