Lock, Stock and Secret Baby. Cassie Miles

me give you something else to consider. Do you remember five years ago when I had you on medication?”

      The earlier scare about possible radiation poisoning. “Another lie?”

      “I’m a scientist,” he said archly. “I don’t deal in ethics. Five years ago, the medication I gave you was actually a fertility drug that encouraged ovulation. You produced several eggs which I then harvested during your physical exam. I used those eggs to create embryos.”

      “My egg?” The impact of this new information hit her hard. “You implanted me with my own egg?”

      “The fetus you’re carrying is biologically your own.”

      My baby. Her hand rested protectively on her stomach. She felt a deep, immediate connection. This is my baby.

      “This entire process would have been far less complicated,” Dr. Prentice said, “if Ray had agreed to facilitate. He had a decent grasp on your psychological development and could have convinced you that having this baby was a good idea. Brilliant, in fact. You’re lucky to take part in—”

      The room started to spin. Eve never fainted. But her knees went weak. I’m having a baby. She collapsed with a thud. The phone fell from her limp hand onto the tiled bathroom floor.

       Chapter Three

      Eve heard the sharp rap of knuckles against the bathroom door—a faraway sound, like pebbles being tossed down a well.

      Blake called through the door, “Are you all right? Eve, answer me.”

      She wasn’t all right. Too many variables swirled inside her head. Nothing made logical sense.

      “I’m coming in,” Blake said.

      The doorknob turned. Through a haze, she saw him come closer. He knelt beside her. His fingers rested on her throat, checking her pulse.

      “Locked door,” she said. “How did you …”

      “Picked the lock,” he said. “Can you sit up?”

      “I’m fine.”

      But she wasn’t fine. Her eyelids closed, shutting out the light and the intolerable confusion. Her mind careened wildly. How could she be pregnant when she’d never made love? She had the result without the experience. People told her sex was great, but she hadn’t tested the theory, didn’t know for sure. There was a lot she didn’t know, like how to be a mother. Would the baby look like her? A girl baby or a boy? Oh, God, what would she tell her parents?

      She was aware of being lifted from the bathroom floor and carried like a little girl. If only she could go back to those more innocent times. Her childhood memories were happy. Not idyllic, but happy. Her parents had loved her, even though she had never quite fit in. She always felt different, like an alien girl who had beamed into their normal world from the planet Nerd.

      When she opened her eyes, she was stretched out on the leather sofa in Dr. Ray’s office with her feet elevated on a pillow. A crocheted green-and-yellow afghan covered her. Blake pressed a cool washcloth against her forehead.

      “I’m going to have a baby,” she whispered.

      “I know.” His smile reached his eyes, deepening the faint, symmetrical lines that radiated from the corners. Though he had no reason to care about her, he seemed concerned. Maybe Mr. Perfect had a heart, after all.

      Her hand lingered on her flat stomach. An intuitive urge to protect the baby? She couldn’t count on motherly instincts to show her the way. There were books to be read. More information was vital. She’d need a regimen of special vitamins and exercises. “I should go.”

      “You’ll stay here tonight. I have an extra bedroom.”

      “Is that an order?”

      He arched one eyebrow, disrupting the precise balance of his features. “That isn’t what I meant.”

      “I know.” She also knew that he couldn’t stop himself from being bossy. With an effort, she swung her legs down to the floor and sat up on the sofa. The washcloth fell from her forehead. She wasn’t dizzy, but an edge of darkness pressed against her peripheral vision.

      He placed a bottle of water into her hand. “Drink.”

      No objection from her. Rehydrating her body was a very good idea. Tipping the bottle against her lips, she took a couple of sips. The cool liquid tasted amazing. A few drops slid down her chin, and she wiped them away.

      Though she didn’t feel capable of running a mile, her strength was returning. Arching her neck, she stretched.

      “Does anything hurt?” Blake asked.

      “Only my pride,” she said. “I’ve never keeled over like that before.”

      “There’s a first time for everything.”

      “Like being pregnant.” Each and every thought circled back to that inevitable theme.

      “Who were you talking to on the phone?” he asked.

      “Dr. Prentice. That old toad.” She still couldn’t believe what he’d done to her. “You were right about him implanting an embryo, but here’s the kicker. He used one of my own eggs. Biologically, I’m the mother of this baby.”

      “How did you reach Prentice?”

      She shrugged. “I have his cell number.”

      “I need to talk to him. ASAP.” His momentary compassion faded quickly. His jaw was so tense that his lips didn’t move when he talked. “I want you to arrange a meeting with Prentice.”

      “After what he did to me? No way. I’m not getting within a hundred yards of Dr. Edgar Prentice.”

      “I don’t expect you to come along. Set a meeting for me. A face-to-face meeting.”

      “What’s going on?” She took another sip of water. “Is there some other horrible secret you haven’t told me yet?”

      Instead of responding, he rose to his feet. “You’re feeling better. You should eat something.”

      His quick change of subject worried her. Eve wasn’t usually good at reading other people’s expressions, but she had a weird connection with Blake. She could tell that he was holding back. “If there’s something else, I want to know.”

      He headed toward the door. “I’ll bring a sandwich from the buffet table.”

      Before she could stop him, he left the office. Moving fast, he almost seemed to be fleeing from her, abandoning her. So much for counting on Blake for support.

      Slowly, she rose from the sofa. Her legs steadied as she walked to the bathroom. On the countertop, the three pregnancy test sticks lined up to mock her. She shoved them into the trash and washed her hands. After splashing cold water on her face, she felt more alert, more aware and more certain that Blake was hiding something. What else could be wrong? Was this something to do with the father of her baby? She hadn’t even considered that huge question. Prentice had chosen someone as a sperm donor. But who? Oh, God, do I even want to know?

      She couldn’t take much more. Finding out that she was pregnant had been devastating enough. She’d shattered like protons in a super collider. Could she take another life-changing jolt?

      There was no other choice. I need to know everything. It was time to pull herself together. She picked up her cell phone and tucked it into her purse. She needed answers.

      When she returned to the sofa, Blake slipped back into the office with a plate of fruit and a ham sandwich. The sight of food momentarily eclipsed her other concerns. She wolfed down half the sandwich in huge bites. Not the most ladylike behavior but she needed her strength.

      “Eating