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Her Christmas Pregnancy Surprise
Jennifer Faye
A festive reunion… …with an unexpected gift! When Pepper Kane’s home and bakery is burnt down just before Christmas, billionaire CEO Simon Ross – the man she spent one unforgettable night with – comes to the rescue! Staying with Simon in his penthouse, their spark is rekindled… And then comes a festive surprise that shocks them both…
A festive reunion...
...with an unexpected gift!
When Pepper Kane’s home and bakery are burned down in the weeks before Christmas, billionaire CEO Simon Ross—the man she spent one unforgettable night with—comes to the rescue! Pepper knows this playboy doesn’t do relationships, but staying with him in his penthouse and caring for an abandoned puppy, their spark is rekindled... And then comes a festive surprise that shocks them both: she’s carrying his baby!
Award-winning author JENNIFER FAYE pens fun, heart-warming, contemporary romances, filled with rugged cowboys, sexy billionaires and enchanting royalty. Internationally published, with books translated into nine languages, she is a two-times winner of the RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award. She has also won the CataRomance Reviewers’ Choice Award, been named a TOP PICK author, and has been nominated for numerous other awards.
Also by Jennifer Faye (#u01940be6-8dab-59d7-8953-634e57550859)
Heiress’s Royal Baby Bombshell
Once Upon a Fairytale miniseries
Beauty and Her Boss
Miss White and the Seventh Heir
Greek Island Brides miniseries
Carrying the Greek Tycoon’s Baby
Claiming the Drakos Heir
Wearing the Greek Millionaire’s Ring
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk).
Her Christmas Pregnancy Surprise
Jennifer Faye
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-09175-6
HER CHRISTMAS PREGNANCY SURPRISE
© 2019 Jennifer F. Stroka
Published in Great Britain 2019
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Note to Readers (#u01940be6-8dab-59d7-8953-634e57550859)
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Contents
Cover (#ufe382d7e-897e-581a-aab1-c68c44635281)
Back Cover Text (#uacd8ca33-c837-5489-98c1-9a7610bcf2f5)
About the Author (#u08e71872-719f-59b6-9a36-2f89ebe8bf72)
Booklist (#u528de04b-4c38-56e2-b514-c0341dac0777)
Title Page (#u5623effe-2114-5ed6-8290-808c65624f1d)
Copyright (#u80900fbb-7c93-561c-ae0f-f016dde5aec6)
Note to Readers
PROLOGUE (#ua3774776-e7eb-5d46-98cc-3ed0f7e1e074)
CHAPTER ONE (#u59697420-dacd-5b3c-a6dc-5b81dc073fda)
CHAPTER TWO (#ud4c9c5d3-9280-53a9-ae88-4af8267a0641)
CHAPTER THREE (#ud0f456ff-a702-5738-92b9-af1a126aad6a)
CHAPTER FOUR (#u8c2a9125-b87a-5081-958f-e87acbcc9f84)
CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINETEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
PROLOGUE (#u01940be6-8dab-59d7-8953-634e57550859)
October... Ross Tower, New York City
WAS THIS REALLY HAPPENING?
An invitation to one of the most exclusive parties in New York City. It didn’t get much better than this.
Okay, it wasn’t quite an invitation. Still, she was here among the crème de la crème of New York society—actresses, models, politicians, and the list went on. How she got here shouldn’t matter, right?
And, okay, she just happened to be one of the waitstaff. Not an actual guest. But still, this wasn’t just any party. This was Simon Ross’s party at the top of the tower. She stifled a squeal of delight as she considered pinching herself just to make sure this was real.
Pepper M. Kane resisted the urge, but barely. After all, she had landed—correction, her bakery had landed—this prime opportunity, and she wasn’t going to do anything to ruin it or her reputation. If she could make a good impression here, the connections and possibilities were endless.
By the end of the party, she’d handed out countless business cards. Her cheeks were sore from smiling so much. And her feet ached from the heels she’d decided to wear instead of her usual flats. She couldn’t wait to get home, curl up on the couch and put on an old black-and-white movie from her ever-growing collection.
There were still a few lingering guests, not to mention the host—the very sexy host. Her gaze moved across the spacious conference hall. There stood the man himself. More than six feet of tall dark sexy goodness.
She clearly remembered their first meeting this past summer. It had been very early one morning when Simon had strolled into the Polka Dotted Bakery. It had been just like any other day when her life started to change. There had been no lightning strikes and no earthquakes, but his entrance into her life had caused ripples through her heart.
At the time, she’d thought he was just another customer. Well, not just any customer—he’d been the only customer at that early hour. Even the sun hadn’t risen yet.
Pepper remembered quite clearly that particular morning. She’d been working the front counter when he’d stepped up to the glass display case to peruse the baked goods, from croissants to donuts to cookies and everything else in between. He’d chatted with her about her selection of donuts. And then he’d ordered two coffees, plus two cherry turnovers. After he paid for them, he’d handed her the second coffee and the extra turnover. No one had ever done something like that for her before. She was truly touched.
He had a billion-dollar smile that could melt the frosting right off Pepper’s triple-chocolate cupcakes. And he had these dreamy espresso brown eyes that she could stare into the entire day. With his short-styled hair and designer suit, he could easily grace the cover of any magazine or romance book.
The longer she talked to him, the more she’d noticed that he had something weighing on his mind. Pain flared in his eyes. It touched her, and though they were strangers, with her staff handling things in the kitchen, she’d invited him to sit and drink his coffee with her.
He hadn’t said much at first, but as one thing led to another, their conversation deepened. And then he’d revealed that he’d just received news that a childhood friend had died. Pepper never thought anything good would come from losing her mother and grandmother, but she was able to draw upon that experience to give some sort of comfort to Simon. It was as though that morning they’d formed a bond—a bond forged in loss and wrapped in hope.
And so for the past five months, Simon had been stopping by the bakery at least once a week early in the morning for two large black coffees and two cherry turnovers. Pepper looked forward to those mornings as they chatted about current events, the bakery or whatever was on their minds. She had made a new friend—a good friend.
And then out of the blue, he’d offered her the opportunity to cater for the Ross Toys expansion party. At first, he’d caught her off guard, as they hadn’t exchanged last names. But when she found out he was Simon Ross of Ross Toys she was left speechless. For Pepper, it was a crowning achievement. Ross Toys was one of the biggest businesses in the country.
Today Mr. Ross, as she insisted on calling him at the party, was the host and she was the baker. Today they were not coffee mates or friends. They each had a job to do—expectations to be met. The announcement of a new chain of stores had been made to the world—Ross Pet Playground. Speeches had been made. Thank-you’s had been issued. And predictions were bandied about while Pepper and her staff kept the trays on the buffet table filled.
Pepper had just returned from helping her staff load the empty trays into the delivery van. With both employees and the carts, the van was full. She’d sent her staff back to the bakery to unload and then head home. She’d driven separately, but before leaving, she had to finish cleaning up.
She rushed in the back door and came to an abrupt halt. There stood Simon Ross not more than ten feet from her. He wasn’t just another New York City businessman. He had been voted the city’s sexiest bachelor, as well as Business Person of the Year, in addition to being CEO and founder of Ross Toys. He was quite a package for some lucky lady.
At the moment, he was deep in conversation with another man in a similar dark suit and tie. Before she could discreetly make it past the men, Simon’s gaze met hers. It was only for the briefest of moments, but it was long enough for her heart to start racing. Heat rushed to her face. What was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she treat him like any other client?
A mocking voice inside her head said it was because he wasn’t like any other client. He’d started off as her friend. And then there was the part about him being smoking hot. She didn’t know a man could look that good in a suit.
She moved to the buffet tables, finding them still covered with fine white table linens and a cake platter. She lifted the end of a long white linen—
“Would you like a hand?”
She didn’t have to turn around to know that deep, smooth voice belonged to none other than Simon. Her stomach shivered with nerves. She glanced over her shoulder as he moved next to her. “Thanks. But I’ve got this. Don’t you have to tell your guests good-night?”
He frowned.
“I’m sorry.” That hadn’t come out like she’d intended. “I didn’t mean to sound dismissive. I just don’t want to take you away from your guests.”
“They’ve all gone now.” A smile returned to his very handsome face, making her heart beat faster. “So tell me, what needs to be done?”
Pepper could fold the cloth herself. She’d done it countless times in the past, but she’d been hoping all evening to have a little of his time.
“You could help me fold the tablecloth.”
He moved to the other end of the table and lifted the corners of the cloth. They approached each other. Her gaze caught and held his. Her pulse raced and her knees felt as though they’d turned to gelatin. With concerted effort, she kept putting one foot in front of the other. All the while, she wondered if he could hear the pounding of her heart.
And when they brought the material together, their fingers brushed. A jolt of awareness had her gaze dipping to his mouth—his very kissable mouth. The tip of her tongue moistened her lips.
For the longest second of her life, neither of them pulled away. In fact, it was as if time had slowed down. A rush of energy pulsated through her body.
