The Billionaire's Baby Bargain

Anxiety gripped my heart, squeezing it until I thought I would puke or pass out. I glanced at the mirror in the break room. A tangled web of purple and black pulsated over my head as I held the phone to my ear.He’s not going to answer, Lily muttered, but I ignored her.When I was about to give up, Robert answered the phone with a gruff “Hello?”“Hi, honey. I’m so sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to remind you that the cruise is tomorrow. We have to be at the port by 5 PM,” I said cheerily, fighting past the lump in my throat.“Yeah, yeah. Tomorrow at 5. Listen, I have to go,” and before I could say anything else, he hung up, leaving me with the sound of a woman’s husky laugh ringing in my ear.Who the hell was that? Lily demanded, but I was just as much in the dark as she was.Probably just a customer at the bar, I told her. It had to be. I trusted Robert completely.Still, I put the phone back into my apron pocket with a sigh.“What did he do this time?” a voice asked from beh

“What do you think you’re doing, little wolf?” Arthur’s voice was all growl but it didn’t scare me. Given his current emotional state, I was surprised that he could speak at all.“Please don’t do this. Think about your poor grandmother. How would she feel if you were gone?” I pleaded, burying my head into his back. I tightened my arms around him, hoping that he could feel that at least one person was here for him tonight.Arthur firmly, but gently removed my hands from his body, his strength overpowering me. I felt like a child compared to him. He stepped down from the railing and turned, pushing me back with his hands on my shoulders.Arthur frowned down at me. “Did you really think I was going to jump into the sea?”I furrowed my brows. “Weren’t you? You were obviously upset…and crying…” My voice trailed off as he glared at me and I ducked my head to escape it.Arthur sighed. With his thumb and forefinger, he cupped my chin and lifted my face back to his. “I wasn’t crying. The sea b

Arthur smiled at me. “Your wish is my command. I’ll send someone for your things. Just go to the room and do what you have to do. Cry, scream, tear the room apart. Just let it all out.”And then he left and I was all alone again. I wished I could just leave the cruise ship. I didn’t want to be here anymore. But we were far enough away from the shore by now that there was no chance of going back.He’s giving me whiplash. He’s sour, then he’s sweet, and then sour all over again, Lily complained, but then I felt her lick her lips. He’s kind of making me drool.I groaned and tuned her out. I was going to be stuck here for the next six days. I groaned again and tipped my head against the wall, closing my eyes.I should have never booked this cruise. I should have never taken all of those shifts. I should have never wasted that much of my time.What the hell was I going to do?For the next two days, I confined myself to the room. Arthur made good on his promise. He’d had my luggage delivere

Thinking about all the awful thing that had happened on the cruise, my heart ached and my eyes filled with tears. However, I knew I had to lie. I couldn’t ruin their happiness, even if mine was.“Oh yes! I’m very excited! I can’t wait to be Robert’s wife!” I said, trying to put as much joy into my voice as I could. It wasn’t much, but I guess it satisfied my parents. They nodded, giving me bright smiles.“Um, I know I just got home, but would it be okay if I went to my room and rested? I have work tomorrow and my stomach still feels a little queasy.” At least that wasn’t a lie. I really did feel sick to my stomach.“Of course, dear! Go on and get your rest. If you need anything, just let me know.”I gave her a tight smile and disappeared into my room before she could say anything else. I face planted into my bed, wishing it would just swallow me whole.My phone vibrated in my pocket. I groaned and brought it out. The flashing light told me it was Trevor, one of Robert’s friends. Why w

“Coffee would be wonderful, Dana. And could we see about getting Almara some clothes?” Arthur asked and relief flooded through me. Typically wolves didn’t care about nudity since shifting meant being naked, but it had always made me feel vulnerable.Dana bowed and walked off. Arthur wrapped an arm around my shoulders and led me up the stairs to the entrance of the house. An extravagant foyer with a split staircase was the first thing that I saw. Golden light from a chandelier gave everything a warm glow.“Where are we going?” I asked as he led me down hallways filled with artwork that I knew must have cost him a pretty penny. Persian rugs lined the floor. Everything just screamed money.“To my office. We have a contract to sign,” he answered, stopping in front of a set of french doors. They led to the coziest space I could have ever imagined. Every wall was covered in floor to ceiling bookshelves with the exception of the stone fireplace that already held a roaring fire.Another mahog