The Prince's Pregnant Challenge (The Royals of Monaco, #2) (8 page)

“Like what you see?”

Liane instantly felt mortified. He had caught her staring at him. She kept her cool. “Narcissism is unattractive,” she said. Jean Pierre laughed as he left the room.

“Your mouth says one thing, your body says another,” he said.

Liane put the protein shaker against her face to cool off. Jean Pierre was right. She had been admiring him and she hated that. She threw the protein shaker in the sink and went to check on the baby. It was weird not being around her. She often panicked that something was wrong.

Later that day, Macee and Prince Louis came over dinner. Liane was very excited to see her sister. She needed to see other people. It was not fun seeing Jean Pierre every single day and arguing over everything.

“You are suffocating me,” Macee said during her hug with Liane. Her older sister was holding onto her very tightly.

“I am sorry, porcupine. I am just so glad to see you,” Liane said. She released her sister from her embrace and led her to the dining room.

“It hasn’t been that long, Annie. I know I should come more often but Charles,” Macee expressed the rest of her sentence with a groan. Liane laughed.

“I know, Charles is a piece of work,” Liane said. She could relate.

“So, where is my niece?”

“She is sleeping.”

Macee frowned. She was really looking forward to seeing her niece. Macee sat down at the table. Jean Pierre and the prince were speaking in the hallway. They walked in moments later and joined them at the table.

“And how are you, Jean Pierre?” Macee asked him.

“I am well, thank you. I trust that you are also?” he asked as he replied to her. Macee smiled at him.

“I am.”

The maids had already set the table and once everyone was seated, brought in the food and dished it out for them. Macee and Prince Louis sat next to each other, which forced Liane and Jean Pierre to sit next to each other. Macee could see just how uncomfortable they both were and she couldn’t help but find it amusing.

“Why are you guys taking so long to name the baby?” Macee asked, as she bit into her food.

“Apparently, we cannot seem to agree on any names,” Liane said. She was annoyed about it and had grown tired of calling her baby, “baby or little one”.

“My wife has some interesting choices,” Jean Pierre said.

“It's not me with the interesting choices. He tried to name the baby, Beatrice.”

Macee started laughing. “I am sorry but that is awful,” she said. Prince Louis looked at her as if to say she had said something inappropriate.

“That is what I said.”

Jean Pierre was starting to see just how similar Macee was to Liane. It was crazy. “What about Dorothy?” he asked.

“Oh my God!” Liane and Macee said at the same time. They looked at each other. “That is even worse,” they said at the same time. Prince Louis sipped his wine and watched everything unfold. Jean Pierre's jaw dropped open.

“It's not that bad,” he defended the name.

“He seems to favour old lady names,” Liane said.

“This is exactly why we still do not have a name.”

“Sidonia.”

“We are not naming her after a city.”

“Simone,” Prince Louis said. He had been keeping out of the conversation but then the name popped into his head. Macee gasped and looked at him.

“Simone!” Jean Pierre and Liane said with excitement. They looked at each other and frowned. They rarely agreed on anything. 

“Yay,” Macee said and clapped her hands. “Seems like we have a name,” she added.

“Hallelujah,” Liane said. She could finally call her baby something. She finally had a name.

The maids poured them some red wine. Before Macee could start drinking hers, Liane was already half way through her own glass. Macee dropped her jaw.

“Did I marry a secret alcoholic?” Jean Pierre asked.

“I became one when I married you,” she replied. Macee and the prince looked at each other. There was no end to their arguments. They just drank their wine quietly.

Liane pouted after she shut the front door. She did not want her sister to go. She was now left alone with Jean Pierre. They could not even pretend to get along because they were holding the baby, as she was asleep.

They both sat in the living room quietly. It was awkward. Liane went to pick up the remote and switched on the television. They needed some sort of distraction. Jean Pierre watched her walk back to her seat. She was wearing a short blue dress, which made her legs look even longer. He blinked a few times and looked away.

“Pick a channel already,” he said to her. She was flipping through channels constantly.

“There is nothing to watch,” Liane said with frustration.

“You are just being too picky.”

Liane threw the remote control at him. She wanted to pass it to him so that he could choose what to watch but her hand had other thoughts. She threw it harder than she anticipated. Luckily he caught it quickly.

“Trying to kill me?” he asked. Liane started laughing.

“Sorry.” She actually meant it.

“Is that genuine?”

“Take it or leave it.”

Liane fell asleep on the sofa. Her sleep cycle was messed up what with getting up to feed Simone every few hours. Jean Pierre switched off the television. He picked her up and carried her to her room, put her into bed and then covered her with the duvet. He looked down at her. She slept so peacefully. Why couldn’t she be like that all the time? Was he really so bad? He traced her cheekbones with his thumb. Her skin was so soft. Her rose-coloured lips looked so plump and inviting. He could still remember how they felt when he kissed her.

Jean Pierre swallowed nervously because of the uncomfortable feeling in his groin. Liane opened her eyes and found him staring at her. She frowned as she tried to sit up, “What is going on?” she asked.

“Go to sleep,” Jean Pierre said and caressed her cheeks with the back of his hand. He stood up and left the room. Liane closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

L
iane came out of the shower to find Jean Pierre in her room. She screamed loudly and placed her hand on her heart. She was not expecting to see him there. “What are you doing in here?” she asked him. Jean Pierre was looking at her as if she was crazy. She acted as if he was some random stranger instead of her husband.

“Lady, relax, I am here to see Simone,” he replied.

“So where is she?” Liane could not see the baby.

“The nanny is changing her nappy.”

Liane narrowed her gaze. She had never seen him change the baby. He was always hugging her and kissing her but not changing her dirty nappies. “You will have to change her nappy at some point,” she said. Jean Pierre could not even focus on what she was saying. All his brain could register was the fact that she was standing there in nothing but a towel, dripping wet.

“You can get out now,” Liane said. She needed to change but Jean Pierre was in the room. She expected him to either leave or say something stupid as always. To her surprise, he walked over to her and ripped her towel off her body.

Liane gasped and slapped him. “What are you doing?” she demanded. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to his body.

“I am kissing my wife,” he told her. Liane had not realised how much she had wanted him to kiss her until he did. She responded quickly as her hands wound their way around his neck. He felt so good.

They had only been kissing for a few seconds, but Liane could already feel his arousal, which made her gasp. Taking advantage, Jean Pierre explored her mouth with his tongue, as Liane moaned and kissed him back, their tongues quickly becoming entwined, as they pushed against each other. Kissing her cheeks, he explored her face, as she made soft noises. Tilting her head, he kissed her neck as she arched against him. He lowered his head and kissed her breasts before taking a nipple in his mouth and sucking. He groaned as her nipple hardened to a stiff peak in his mouth. Liane closed her eyes and held onto his neck.

Lifting his head, he kissed her deeply, as he scooped her up and carried her to the bed. As he set her down, Liane immediately began tugging at his clothes as she helped him strip down. “I knew you liked what you saw,” he said with a grin, as Liane rubbed her hands over his chest

“You are so conceited,” Liane said as she pulled him towards her. Kissing him seemed to be the best way to shut him up.

This time was different from the rush of their first time. Jean Pierre took his time as he explored Liane’s body, kissing her everywhere. He was amazing as he took his time arousing her until she was writhing beneath him. As he worked his way down her body, Liane gasped as she clutched at the sheets. Parting her legs, he kissed the insides of her thighs.

He couldn’t believe how good she felt. A part of him was waiting for her to come to her senses and kick him off the bed, but he would continue to press his luck because he couldn’t think straight around her anymore. She was his wife and he wanted her. He wasn’t prepared to accept the ramifications of that thought and was content to make love to her for as long as she would allow.

As he kissed her mound, Liane moaned. Sliding a finger between her slit, he groaned as he could feel her muscle clenching around it. Stroking his finger in and out, Liane continued to moan. He was driving her crazy with desire. Reaching down, she ran her fingers through his hair and tugged. Looking up, Jean Pierre saw Liane looking at him as her eyes smouldered with desire. Smiling, he kissed his way up her body as he looked down at her. She looked so beautiful.

Lifting her legs, she wrapped them around his waist, as he entered her slowly. Liane grabbed his shoulders as he began to pump in and out. He could not take his eyes off her, as they stared into each other’s eyes. Altering the direction of his strokes, he soon found her more sensitive spots as he continued to thrust in and out. Liane dug her nails into his shoulders as she arched against him and screamed out his name. He groaned in response. He loved her passion. As he quickened his strokes, Liane’s eyes grew wider in surprise, as another orgasm rolled through her. Moaning, she lifted her hips as he shortened his strokes groaning as her muscles clenched tightly around him. His orgasm hit hard as he tightened his body in response and spent himself deep inside her. As he lay down next to her, they both laid there panting, unsure what to say.

*              *              *

L
iane woke to insistent knocking and ringing of their doorbell. Donning a robe, she ran downstairs to answer the door. “Tracey!” she screamed and jumped on her friend. She had not seen her in months, since she went abroad with her new gentleman friend she had met at the country club party.

“Oh Liane, I missed you so much,” she said and squeezed her in her embrace. Liane kissed her friend on the cheek a few times.

“Let me get dressed and we will talk,” she said.

“Yes, do hurry; we have so much we need to discuss.” From the tabloids, Tracey had found out about Liane. She was a little sad that her friend had not reached out to her and told her anything.

Liane got dressed ignoring the half-naked man lying on her bed and the urge to climb on top of him. When she finished getting dressed, she scrambled out of the room and joined Tracey in the living room. 

“How have you been?” Liane asked her.

“Great.” Tracey flashed Liane the diamond on her finger. Liane gasped and grabbed her hand to inspect the ring.

“Congratulations!” she said as she hugged her friend.

“Thank you. As much as I want to talk about my fiancé, we need to speak about you.”

Liane laughed. She knew she had much to explain. Jean Pierre walked past the room as Tracey pointed him out. “Like that! How did that happen?” she asked. Liane took a deep breath. She started telling Tracey everything. Her friend had her mouth open the entire time.

“This is crazy! You hated the guy,” Tracey said.

“I still do.”

Tracey laughed. “I doubt that.” From what Liane was saying, she could tell that there was chemistry between the two. They fought passionately about silly things that most couples wouldn’t even worry about. It seemed as though they liked being in each other’s faces.

“Believe me. The Crown Prince was the one who named the baby because Jean Pierre and I could not agree on a name.”

“I still think there is something between you two.”

Fortunately for Liane, the nanny came in with Simone and she did not have to answer. Tracey was convinced that there was something between Jean Pierre and her, but she knew there was not. At least she thought there was not.

“She is so cute,” Tracey said as she caressed Simone's tiny hand with her finger. Liane smiled. She was proud to show off her little girl. She held her up to her chest and started breastfeeding her. Tracey talked about her new fiancé and how much fun it was travelling with him. She seemed really happy about it and that she had finally found her prince charming.

***

L
iane woke up in the middle of the night to feed Simone and change her nappy. She marched over to Jean Pierre's room and woke him up. It was not fair that he was able to sleep whilst she had to wake up every time. She sat on his bed and kept shaking him until he woke up. “What?” he groaned.

“Simone needs changing,” Liane said.

“Then change her.” He rolled over and faced the other direction.

“No, you are changing her,” Liane shoved him. He groaned as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. He frowned when he realised that she was sitting on his bed comfortably holding Simone.

“I don't know how,” he said.

Liane rolled her eyes. She knew that he should have taken parenting classes. “I have already changed her but I will show you tomorrow,” she said as she rubbed Simone's back. Jean Pierre frowned.

“So why wake me?”

“Because I can't keep waking up alone whilst you are here enjoying your sleep.”

Jean Pierre laughed. “Fine, we will wake up together from now on,” he said. He took Simone from Liane.

“Support her head,” she said. He frowned at her.

“Woman, I know how to hold my own child,” he said to her. Liane laughed and put her hands in the air. He rocked Simone until she fell asleep. Liane watched him handle their baby. He was so loving and gentle. It was clear that he loved her.