The Prince's Pregnant Challenge (The Royals of Monaco, #2) (3 page)

“Comes with the territory my dear, so get used to it.”

A waiter approached them with a tray of champagne. Liane took one and drank half the glass in one gulp. Tracey stared at her, “Slow down lady, we just got here.” Liane drank the rest of her champagne and took another before the waiter walked away. She went to sit inside a cabana while Tracey went off in search of a suitor.

Liane saw Jean Pierre walk in with his entourage. He had a swagger to his step as the women turned to admire him. His smiled indicated that he knew the effect he had on those watching him and was enjoying the attention. Liane just drank her champagne and looked away. One of the guests came to sit with her.

“You look lonely,” he said to her, as he sat down next to her. Liane could tell that he’d already had a bit too much to drink, as his leg rubbed up against hers.

Deciding to put some distance between them, she slid over. “I am just fine,” she replied with half a smile.

“I’m Jake,” the man introduced himself. As he put his hand out to shake, he spilled some of his drink on his pants. He tried to brush it off as Liane closed her eyes and prayed that he would go away.

“Hello, Jake,” she replied, as she was suddenly wishing that she had not chosen to sit alone.

“May I have your name?”

“Liane, as in Liane LeBlanc, the future crown princess of Monaco,” a familiar deep voice said from behind him. Liane turned her head to see Jean Pierre standing there. She frowned. She had not asked for his help and she certainly did not need it. She had everything under control. Or at least she would have.

Jake looked at Liane wide-eyed. “Oh, excuse me.” He stood up clumsily, as he spilled the remainder of his drink and left.

“I was handling the situation myself,” Liane said to him, as she took a sip of her champagne.

“Not from where I was standing. He was about to jump all over you,” he replied sarcastically.

“I’m sure you would know,” she replied under her breath.

“What?”

“Why are you here?” There was something about Jean Pierre that made Liane’s blood boil.

“Why is it that you are sitting alone?”

“I like it that way.”

Jean Pierre took Liane's glass and sipped her champagne. Her mouth hung open, as she stared at him in disbelief. First, he took her horse and now he was snatching her champagne glass from her.

“Close your mouth dear, it is not pretty,” Jean Pierre said before he took another large sip and handed her an almost empty glass. He walked off leaving her speechless. Liane threw the glass on the floor shattering it. His arrogance made her temperature rise. She groaned as she stood up and went to find Tracey.

***

S
he finally found her talking with one of the guests who was dressed in a well-tailored suit. Tracey rubbed his arm as she laughed at a joke that was not even funny. Liane shook her head.

“I need to speak with you,” Liane said to Tracey.

“Now?” Tracey asked.

Liane looked at the man Tracey was speaking to. “I will only be a minute. Please do not go anywhere, I promise to return her to you,” she said to him and dragged Tracey away.

“What is it?” Tracey asked.

“How long are we going to stay here?” Liane asked.

Tracey narrowed her gaze at her. “What happened?”

“Jean Pierre happened.”

“He's here?” Tracey was immediately filled with excitement.

“Yes, unfortunately.”

“Fine, just let me get this man's number,” Tracey said and returned to him. Liane took another champagne glass and went inside the building to wander around while she waited for her friend.

She found a secluded spot with no one around and more importantly, no cameras. She decided to sit down and put her feet up. She pulled out her phone and ended up playing games. She was bored out of her mind and simply wanted to go home. Hearing footsteps, she looked up to see Jean Pierre approaching her. “Are you everywhere?” she asked as she stood up.

“Why the hostility?” he asked.

“Never mind, I was just leaving.”

Liane was about to walk off, but he blocked her path. He could not figure out why she hated him so much. Most women were dying to be with him. So what was with her? They stood there for a moment looking at each other.  “You are in my way,” Liane said to him.

“What is it about me that angers you so much?” he asked.

“The fact that I am trying to leave and you are in my way, for one. Your arrogance for another. The fact that you take without asking and assume that it will be ok. The way people fall all over you and you let them. You’re infuriating.” Liane’s voice trailed off. She hadn’t meant to go off on him like that, but he seemed to bring out the worst in her.

He did not respond to her, as they stood there looking at each other. His grey gaze was so intense that she started feeling uncomfortable.

“I need to go,” she said. She had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach.

“Then go,” he replied. He took in her soft features. She really was very pretty, especially with her hair down. He could understand why his cousin found her attractive. With her heels on, the top of her head reached his nose and he found that he liked her height. Most of the women he dated were considerably shorter than he was.

“You are in my way,” this time her tone was much softer. Jean Pierre focused on her lips as she spoke. He suddenly wanted to kiss them.
She is your cousin's fiancée,
a voice screamed inside his head but he found himself lowering his head and pressing a kiss to her lips. They were so soft and inviting that he couldn’t resist kissing her. Liane pulled back and slapped him.

He blinked a few times as he rubbed his cheek. Well, that was a first for him. No woman had ever slapped him before and it really stung. Glaring at him, she was too shocked to speak. What was he doing? He had no business kissing her but his lips felt good. Really good. She couldn’t believe that she was thinking about kissing him. That she wanted to kiss him. She grabbed his face and pulled him closer to her as she kissed him back. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight against him as he deepened the kiss.

“We should not be doing this,” Liane said between breaths.

“I know,” Jean Pierre replied but they carried on kissing as he caressed her back.

L
iane's brain told her to stop kissing Jean Pierre and walk away but her body had other plans. She had only been kissing him for a few seconds and she was already on fire. He knew what he was doing as she felt her legs turn to rubber.

Everything seemed to move so quickly. One minute he was kissing her, the next he had his hand between her legs and was cupping her mound. Liane had never been touched there before and she moaned as she felt her body tingle in places. The feeling was undeniably great, as she found herself pushing against his hand, wanting more.

Walking her backwards, Liane bumped up against the sofa, as she found herself tumbling back onto it. Following her down, he supported himself above her as he kissed her neck. His hand slid slowly down her side as he rubbed her hip and thigh. Finding the hem of her dress, he lifted it up to her waist. Without pausing, his hand continued to roam over her body, igniting her as she squirmed beneath him. Liane felt his arousal pressing against her leg and reached her hand out to touch it out of curiosity. She gasped at how hard it was. Jean Pierre looked down and unzipped his trousers. Liane gasped when she saw the size of him. While she readily admitted that she was inexperienced, surely it was not meant to be that big. Reaching out again, she ran her fingers along his length. The skin was so smooth and soft.

Jean Pierre reached for a leg band on her panties as he pulled it to the side. “Already so wet,” he said to her.

“Shut up,” Liane said as she continued to stroke him. She didn’t need to hear him boasting already about how he turned her on so quickly. Now was not the time to hear him talk.

He rubbed his fingers along her slit, as she continued to squirm beneath him. When he touched her clit, she thought that she might explode as she closed her eyes to the pleasure he was creating. Sliding one finger inside, he gently began to move it in and out, as he rubbed her clit with his thumb. All thoughts were rapidly disappearing as Liane held tight to his arms and rocked her hips up in time to his gentle thrust. Pulling his finger out, he positioned himself, as he entered her slowly. The sudden pressure and brief pain had her opening her eyes to look at him in surprise, but it was quickly forgotten as he began making long strokes deep inside her. She let out a small moan and held onto him tighter as her insides were tingling all over. He slowly built up momentum and speed as Liane lifted her hips to meet each thrust. Reaching down, he rubbed her clit as Liane gasped in pleasure.

As the pleasure continued to build, Liane could feel her body flush as her pulse raced faster. Crying out, Liane arched up, as her first ever orgasm rolled through her. Her muscles convulsed as they clutched him. Groaning, Jean Pierre buried his head in her neck, as she milked him dry. Shuddering beneath him, she slowly uncurled her toes as she let out a sigh. “Oh the heck,” she whispered.

“An orgasm, ma cherie,” Jean Pierre said and kissed her.

***

T
hey were both feeling awkward as they adjusted their clothing, worried that at any moment, someone might walk in. Jean Pierre couldn’t help staring at Liane. She was unlike any other woman he had met and he would have liked to take his time and make love to her properly. Given that she was the Crown Prince’s fiancée, he knew that he should be regretting what he had just done but he wasn’t. In fact, he wanted more. She felt good in ways that were completely new to him and he wasn’t quite sure what to think.

Liane picked up her phone and saw missed calls from Tracey. Checking herself over one last time, she started to leave the room but Jean Pierre held her arm. She yanked it free, “We should not have,” she said as she rushed off. If the Crown Prince found out, both of them would be in trouble.

She found Tracey waiting for her at the reception. “Sorry, Tracey,” Liane said as soon as she approached her.

“Where have you been?” Tracey asked.

“Upstairs. I was lying down and I guess I lost track of the time,” Liane managed to say, thinking that it wasn’t that far from the truth. As they left, Tracey was telling Liane about the new man she had just met. Liane was nodding, as she talked. She could barely concentrate on the conversation.

When she got home, she rushed upstairs to take a shower. As she stood under the spray, she thought of Jean Pierre's touch. Why did she have to have sex with the one man she detested the most? He was infuriating on a good day. As she thought about how good he felt, she turned the shower to cold before quickly jumping out. She knew she had to pretend as if it never happened and move on with her life, but she suspected that was going to be impossible as her skin tingled at the thought of him. As she was reaching for a towel, Macee walked into the bathroom and Liane screamed.

“Why are you so jumpy?” Macee asked.

“I just did not expect anyone to come in whilst I was taking a shower,” Liane replied defensively.

Macee laughed and pulled down her shorts. “I needed to wee,” she said as she sat on the toilet. Liane shook her head. “So how was the party?” Macee asked.

“Rubbish,” Liane replied as she tried to put it behind her. She stayed hidden in the shower stall as she towelled herself off.

“Well, you were certainly gone long enough.”

Blushing, Liane was glad that Macee could not see her. “No, it really was. I swear you would have hated it. I’m really tired of people wanting to be friends with me simply because I am to marry the Crown Prince.” Macee laughed as she stood up. Those parties were definitely not for her.

“It’s only going to get worse,” Macee replied as she walked out of the bathroom leaving the door wide open.

“MACEE!” Liane shouted.

“Sorry,” Macee rushed back to shut the door.

***

6 months ago

L
iane had been feeling a little off and was having difficulty keeping up with Charles. They agreed that she would take a few days off assuming that she was simply fatigued. Liane really appreciated the days off and found herself sleeping more than usual. It finally became apparent to her when she missed her second period. Getting dressed, she left the house without telling anyone. Her mother would have been furious that she drove herself, but she couldn’t risk anyone finding out as she found a store located far away from her home, where no one knew her.

She stopped at a petrol station and used the restroom there. It was not the most ideal place to take a pregnancy test but she could not wait until she got home or risk Macee walking in on her again. As she waited for the results, she was full of mixed emotions. When the time was up, she picked up the stick and stared at it. It was positive.

Groaning, she stared at herself in the mirror. What was she going to do? Obviously, she couldn’t marry the prince now; especially given who the father is. She couldn’t help but laugh at how angry her mother was going to be when she found out. She was so looking forward to spending more time at the palace. Her thirst for power far exceeded her love for her family. As Liane put her hands on her stomach, she smiled. There was a little human growing inside her. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Her life was about to become very different and deep down, Liane couldn’t have been happier.

When she arrived home, her mother was fluttering around the house giving orders to the staff. Liane wanted to escape to her bedroom but it was impossible, her mother heard her walk in and called her to the living room. She reluctantly went to sit with her. “Prince Louis is planning to visit us soon,” her mother said with such joy in her voice.

“Why?” Liane asked. Her mother narrowed her gaze at her eldest daughter.

“You are his fiancée. Can he not visit?”

“He can but he never has. So, why now?”

“I think that they have finalized the wedding date.”

Liane's eyes flew open. She was not even going to have some time to keep the secret to herself. She pulled out her phone and messaged her sisters, “Code Red”. She needed to speak with them immediately as she was going to need their help.