Wrapped In Pleasure - Brenda Jackson [59]
Delaney gazed up at him, still amazed that he was actually there with her. Breath slowly slipped through her teeth as she gazed at him. If it was possible, he was more handsome than before. The dark eyes that were looking at her were gentle yet intent, and his chin was no longer clean shaven but was covered with a neatly trimmed beard that made him look as sexy as sin.
She inhaled deeply. She had so many questions to ask, but what he had just said suddenly came back to her. “What did you say?” She needed him to repeat it to make sure she had heard him correctly.
He looked amused but answered her, anyway. “I said the prince is already causing you problems.” And this time he placed a gentle hand over her stomach.
She met his gaze. “How did you know I’m pregnant?”
His smile widened. “I had a feeling that you were. I’ve been dreaming about you every single night since we’ve been apart, and the dreams were so real that I would wake up in a sweat and sexually spent. And each time we made love in my dreams, I flooded your womb with my seed, which reminded me of the times I had actually done so at the cabin. I believe the dreams were Allah’s way of letting me know of your condition.”
Delaney nodded and looked down at his hand on her stomach. “Is that the reason you’re here, Jamal? For confirmation that I’m having your baby?”
He lifted her chin. “No. I’m here because I was missing you too much to stay away and couldn’t think about marrying another woman. So I told my father I loved you and wanted you as the woman in my life.”
Delaney’s eyes widened. “But what about the princess from that sheikhdom who you were to marry?”
Jamal stiffened. “It seems the princess needed to marry quickly since she was secretly with child from someone else. It was her dishonorable intent to try and pass the child off as mine.”
“And what about Najeen? Was she well?”
Jamal lifted a brow, knowing what Delaney was trying to ask him in a roundabout way. He decided to rest her concerns in that area. “I didn’t see Najeen. The first night I returned I told my stepmother to make sure she returned to her homeland. She is no longer my mistress.”
Delaney reached out and touched his cheek, remembering how he had once said he would never give his mistress up. “Do you regret sending her away?”
He met her gaze and smiled. “The only thing I regret is leaving you, Delaney. I was so miserable without you. The only thing I had to survive on were my dreams,” he said, his voice soft and husky.
She smiled. “And I had mine, too. And when I discovered I was pregnant I was so happy.”
“How long have you known?”
“I had an idea when I missed my period last week, and then when I started experiencing bouts of sickness throughout the day I thought I’d better check things out. I took a pregnancy test this morning which pretty much confirmed things. I’ve made an appointment to see the doctor in two weeks.” She traced her fingertips softly around his features, especially his lower lip. “How do you feel about me being pregnant, Jamal?”
He grinned. “The thought that you carry my child inside of you makes me extremely happy, Delaney. I didn’t intentionally get you pregnant, but I was more lax with you than I have been with any other woman, so I think subconsciously I wanted you, and only you, to have my heir.”
Happiness flooded Delaney. “Oh, Jamal.”
“And you are the woman that I want for my princess, Delaney. Please say that you will marry me and come live with me in Tahran. There are a number of Americans in your military and private businesses living close by in Kuwait, and if you get homesick we can always come back here to visit at any time. We can even live in your country half the year and in mine the other half if that pleases you. I see my father being king for a long time, which means I won’t I have to live permanently in Tahran for a number of years to come.”
He leaned over and kissed