The Pregnancy Proposition

Pregnant and heartbroken...will one white-hot week become more?

After her breakup, the last thing Paige Edwards wants is a romantic getaway. But then an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii lands her in bed with sexy hotel owner Mano Bishop! An explosive affair with Mano could be the perfect rebound—except for the fact she’s carrying her ex’s baby...

Blinded as a teen, Mano has nevertheless achieved success in business, if not in love. An occasional fling has always been enough—until Paige. One week with the unassuming woman, whose inner beauty captivates him, has Mano reevaluating everything. Could he father another man’s child for the chance at a future with Paige?

Feeling bold, Mano traced the neckline of Paige’s gown with his finger, finding the V plunged deep.

His fingertip lingered at the apex for a moment as Paige let out a ragged breath. He expected her to pull away or tell him to stop, but she didn’t. She leaned closer to him. The scent of her mingled with the plumeria and orchids that perfumed the breezes. He was intoxicated by it and drawn to her in a way he simply didn’t understand.

Gently cupping her face in his hands, he lowered his lips to hers. Her response to him was cautious, but curious. After a moment, the caution gave way to enthusiasm. She wrapped her arms around his neck and arched her body against him. Mano felt his every muscle tighten as her lithe body pressed into his own.

He let his tongue explore her mouth as his hands explored her body. As his hand strayed near her belly, she went stiff as stone in his arms. “Paige?”

He felt her pull away and the next thing he knew, her loud and unsteady clomp of heels against the hardwood floors grew softer and softer until the front door of his suite slammed shut.

He’d had a lot of reactions to his kisses in his life, but he’d never had a woman turn tail and run.

* * *

The Pregnancy Proposition is part of the Hawaiian Nights series—Paradise changes everything!

Dear Reader,

Last year, I took a trip to Hawaii and I knew immediately that I wanted to set a duet of books there. My trip to the USS Arizona inspired the starting point for this book and gave me the reason for Paige to come to Hawaii for the first time. I’d also been toying with the idea of doing a blind hero and I decided that this was my chance.

So much of Hawaii is visual, and I looked forward to experiencing the island through the other four senses the way Mano does. In the book, he also gets to experience it all through the eyes of Paige as she sees it for the first time. She was another character I was excited to write—she’s not pretty, she’s not curvy—at best, she’s plain and awkward. She can’t understand why a man like Mano would want anything to do with her. That’s when the fun starts.

If you enjoy Mano and Paige’s story, tell me by visiting my website at www.andrealaurence.com, like my fan page on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.

Enjoy,

Andrea

The Pregnancy Proposition

Andrea Laurence

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ANDREA LAURENCE is an award-winning author of contemporary romances filled with seduction and sass. She has been a lover of reading and writing stories since she was young and is thrilled to share her special blend of sensuality and dry, sarcastic humor with readers. A dedicated West Coast girl transplanted into the Deep South, she’s working on her own happily-ever-after with her boyfriend and their collection of animals.

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To my boss Lawanda and my coworker LT—

You were right, Hawaii was worth the long flight. Thanks for covering for me whenever my writing takes me around the world and being so supportive of my writing alter ego.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Extract

Copyright

One

“Well, Papa, you finally made it back to Hawaii.”

Paige Edwards gripped her grandfather’s urn as she followed the driver to the town car waiting outside the Honolulu airport. He loaded her bags and opened the door for her to climb into the backseat.

As they drove through the busy, winding streets toward her hotel on Waikiki beach, she couldn’t dismiss the surreal feeling that had hovered over her for the last few weeks. It started with the call from her mother to tell her that her grandfather had finally passed on. For the last year, he’d battled with congestive heart failure. As a nurse, Paige had felt the need to spend time with him and ensure he was receiving the best possible care.

It wasn’t really necessary. Her grandfather was ridiculously wealthy and could afford the best doctors and treatments in Southern California. But she cared, and so she’d spent a lot of time there. Toward the end, it was easier than facing how big of a mess her life had become.

And once her grandfather died, she was able to distract herself with the plans for his memorial service and listening to her parents fret about how the estate would be divided.

Paige honestly didn’t care about that. Papa’s money was always there in the background, but it wasn’t something she felt the need to clamor for. She’d actually encouraged her grandfather to donate his money to a cause that was important to him. That would cut down on the sharks circling around his estate.

What she hadn’t been prepared for, however, was that her grandfather had bigger plans for her than she had ever expected. Those plans had forced her to pack her bags and get on a plane to Hawaii with his ashes.

Looking out the window, she could understand why her grandfather would want to have his ashes left in Hawaii. It was beautiful. As they got closer to the hotel, she could spy glimpses of golden sand and turquoise waters against the cloudless blue sky. Palm trees swayed in the breeze and people in various states of beach dress crowded the sidewalks and outdoor eateries.

The car finally slowed to turn into a resort named the Mau Loa. Paige hadn’t really paid a lot of attention to the details of the itinerary her grandfather’s executor had put together. This wasn’t supposed to be about a vacation for her, so she didn’t care where she stayed.

When they stopped outside and the bellhop opened the car door, she realized that her grandfather had had very different ideas about this trip.

This wasn’t a Holiday Inn five blocks from the beach. It was on the beach itself. The bellman was in a nice uniform with pristine white gloves. The entryway was open to the breezes, allowing a view through the lobby to the ocean beyond it.

The bellman escorted her to the VIP check-in station. She handed over the paperwork the executor gave her, and the woman at the counter’s eyes widened for a moment before a large smile crossed her face.

“Aloha, Miss Edwards. Welcome to the Mau Loa.” She came out from behind the desk to drape a lei of magenta orchids around her neck. They smelled like heaven.

The woman then turned to the bellhop with her bags. “Please take Miss Edwards’s things to the Aolani Suite and then let Mr. Bishop know we have a new VIP guest checking in.”

Paige’s eyebrows rose. A suite? VIP? Papa really had gone all out, although it wasn’t necessary. As a nurse at a veteran’s hospital, she wasn’t used to being pampered. She spent most of her time chasing away nighttime demons from traumatized ex-soldiers and trying to convince them that losing their leg wasn’t the end of the world. The suicide rate was far too high amongst the servicemen and women who returned home. Pampering herself seemed a little ridiculous after coming home from that day after day.

She glanced around as the woman completed her check-in. Beyond the lobby, a trio of men were playing instruments by a lagoon-like pool with a waterfall. An employee was lighting torches around the area as the sun started to go down. The sound of the waves mingled with the melody of the traditional Hawaiian music, and Paige could almost feel her blood pressure lowering.

She had only made it ten feet into the hotel and she already knew she adored Hawaii.

“Here is your key card, Miss Edwards. Your suite is ready for you now. Just follow the pathway through the garden to the Sunset Tower. There will be live music until ten by the pool. Enjoy your stay.”

“Thank you.” Paige took the key and started down the stone path toward her hotel room.

The resort was large, with multiple towers surrounding a common courtyard. Courtyard didn’t really do it justice, actually. There was the massive pool with a waterfall and a pair of slides, multiple restaurants and tropical plants at every turn. It was like a lush garden in the middle of the rainforest.

The Sunset Tower was the closest to the beach. She looked at her key as she entered the elevator. Her suite was room 2001. Paige tried not to frown as she pushed the button and the elevator spirited her up twenty stories to the top floor. As the doors opened, she expected a long hallway, but instead found herself in a small vestibule. To her left was a door marked Private. To the right was the door to room 2001 with a plaque that noted it was called the Aolani Suite. Where were the rest of the rooms on this floor?

She was about to slip her card into the lock when the door opened and the bellman came out. He held the door open for her. “Your bags are in the master bedroom suite. Enjoy your stay at the Mau Loa.”

He got back on the elevator and disappeared, leaving her standing in the doorway at a complete loss. She crept into the room and let the door swing shut behind her.

This couldn’t be right. This was...the penthouse suite.

It was bigger than her apartment and made almost entirely of windows. It had a living room with plush leather couches and a big-screen television, a dining room table that seated eight and a kitchen with state-of-the-art appliances. The neutral color palette, pale wood floors, white furniture and shiny modern metallic accents created a sleek, clean design that was very soothing. One side of the room overlooked downtown Honolulu, the other overlooked Waikiki.

Paige was immediately drawn to the balcony over the ocean. She shifted her grandfather’s urn in her arms to slide the glass panel door open and step outside. The breeze immediately caught her long, straight brown hair, blowing it around her face. She brushed it aside and approached the railing to take in the view.

It was stunning. The colors all around her were jewel-like. Diamond Head crater stood like a sentinel guarding the beach on her far left. The crescent of pale sand edged the water, which was dotted with surfers. A pod of dolphins leapt through the waves, spiraling through the air and splashing back into the sea. It was unreal.

“Papa, what have you done?” she asked. But inside, she knew what this was about.

Yes, her grandfather wanted his ashes to be in Honolulu. He had been one of the few remaining survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack that sunk his ship, the USS Arizona. As such, he had the option of returning to the ship to be interred. The ceremony was a week away.

Until then, however, this trip was all about her. There was no other reason that his service would require her to fly first class or stay in the penthouse suite of a five-star hotel. He had done this for her. And boy, was she grateful. Paige’s life had taken an unexpected turn recently, and a week in Hawaii was exactly what she needed to figure out what the hell she was going to do.

With a sigh, she stepped back into the suite and set her grandfather’s urn on a nearby table. Beside it was a large wicker basket overflowing with fresh fruits, cookies, macadamia nut candies and other local delicacies. Tucked inside was an envelope that said “Miss Edwards” on the outside. She opened it and read the card on the fancy, embossed Mau Loa stationary.

“Welcome to the Mau Loa. We hope your stay is a magical one. Aloha.”

“Aloha,” she replied to the empty room, putting the card back on the table.

Looking at her watch, she realized it was a good time for dinner. She was fresh off a few weeks on the night shift at the hospital. Combining that with a long flight and time change, she was exhausted. But she had to eat. If she hurried, she might be able to watch the sunset. Paige rushed to her bedroom and opened her luggage. She traded her jeans and sneakers for a sundress and a pair of bejeweled sandals. That was all she needed.

She grabbed her purse and her room key and set out to enjoy her first night on Oahu while she could keep her eyes open.

Pulling the door closed, she turned toward the elevator and slammed into a solid wall of muscle. As she stumbled back, a man’s hand sought out her elbow to steady her. The man was several inches over six feet, making Paige seem petite at five-foot-ten. He wasn’t just tall; he was large, with broad shoulders and biceps the size of her calves beneath his tailored suit. He had on a pair of classic black Ray-Ban sunglasses and a black earpiece that curved behind his ear and blended with the dark brown waves of his collar-length hair.

What she could see of the man’s face was unbelievably handsome, and—she quickly noted—completely out of her league. But that didn’t keep her body from clenching in response to such a potent specimen of man nearby. Her surprised intake of breath drew in his scent, a heady mix of musk and male that sent an unexpected shiver of need down her spine even as she recovered from their collision.

“I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed as she gathered herself. “I was in such a hurry I didn’t see you there.” The fact that she’d missed such a mountain of a man right in front of her was a testament to how scattered her thoughts were lately.

The man smiled, flashing bright white teeth against the warm tan of his Polynesian skin. The slight hint of a dimple in his cheek made her knees soften. “That’s okay. I didn’t see you, either.”

Paige noticed the man didn’t look directly at her as he spoke. Glancing down, she spotted the large chocolate brown Labrador retriever on his other side. In a service dog harness.

Good job, Paige. She’d just plowed into a handsome, incredibly sexy blind man.

* * *

“Ohmigosh,” the woman said with increased angst in her voice. Apparently, she had gotten his joke but hadn’t found it funny. Few people found blind jokes amusing, but he’d developed a dark sense of humor over the last ten years where his disability was concerned.

“Are you okay?” she continued.

Mano had to laugh. He might be blind, but he was hardly fragile. The woman could’ve plowed into him at a full run and he would’ve hardly felt it. “I’m fine. Are you all right?”

“Yes. Just embarrassed.”

Mano could almost envision the blush that rose to the young woman’s cheeks. He didn’t imagine that many of the women he met on a day-to-day basis blushed much. This one seemed different from the usual guests of the Aolani Suite, though—nervous and easily flustered. The kind of money it took to afford that room usually came with a certain hardness that he didn’t detect from her.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” he soothed. “Feel free to run into me whenever you like. I’m Mano Bishop, the owner of the hotel. I was just on my way to welcome the newest guest of the Aolani Suite. That means you must be Miss Edwards.” He switched Hōkū’s lead to his left hand and held out his right to her.

“Yes,” she said, taking the hand he offered and shaking it. “Paige, please.”

The touch of her small hand in his sent a bolt of awareness down his spine, forcing him to shift on his feet. The unexpected thrill made Mano take a more thorough notice of his new guest. She didn’t just sound unlike his usual penthouse guest, she felt different, too. Her skin wasn’t as soft as he expected a young woman’s to be. There was a roughness to it as though she worked with her hands. It made him wonder if she was an artist of some kind. She certainly wasn’t a pampered princess. “How did you find the suite, Paige? I hope it met your expectations.”

“It’s amazing. I mean, it’s more beautiful than I ever expected it to be. And the view is incredible. Of course you know what...er...oh dear.”

“Actually, I do,” he interjected quickly, saving her from her awkward statement. “I didn’t lose my sight until I was seventeen. I may not be able to see the view any longer, but I remember it well.”

The elevator chimed and the doors opened. He heard Paige’s sigh of relief and tried to hide his smile.

“Please—” he gestured “—go ahead.” He listened for the shuffling of her movement as she got on the elevator, then Hōkū pulled at his harness and led Mano into the elevator behind her. He ran his hands over the control panel, finding the lobby button marked with the braille symbol. Then he turned to face the door and reached for the railing to steady himself.

“What is your service dog’s name?” Paige asked as they descended.

“This is Hōkū,” he said. The brown lab had been at his side for seven years, and he’d become almost a part of Mano. “You may pet him if you like.”

“Are you sure? I know you’re not supposed to do that when they’re working.”

Smart. Most people didn’t know that. “Unfortunately, I am always working, so Hōkū is always working. Give him a pet, he’ll love you forever.”

“Hello, Hōkū,” Paige said in the high voice people reserved for babies and animals. “Are you a good boy?”

She was rewarded with Hōkū’s heavy, happy panting. She was probably scratching his ears. He was a sucker for a good ear scratching.

“What does Hōkū mean?”

Mano enjoyed the melodic quality of Paige’s voice, especially as she used some of his native Hawaiian language. It wasn’t too deep or too high, but he could hear the smile when she spoke. “It means ‘star’ in Hawaiian. Before navigation systems and maps, sailors used to guide their ships by the stars, and since I use him to guide me, I thought that was an appropriate choice.”

“That’s perfect.”

A cloud of her scent rose up as she stood. Paige had a unique fragrance, and yet it was somehow very familiar to him. Many women, especially those from the Aolani suite, nearly bathed in expensive perfumes or scented lotions. Most people wouldn’t even notice it, but Mano was overpowered by smells, good and bad. Paige’s scent was subtle but appealing, like a hint of baby powder and a touch of...hand sanitizer. That was a different combination.

The elevator chimed and the system announced that they were on the lobby level. He’d had the elevators updated several years back to include that feature for himself and any other visually impaired guests. The doors opened and he held out his hand for Paige to exit ahead of him. He expected her to rush out the door toward her destination. Most people were a little uncomfortable around him. She obviously was, but it didn’t repel her. Her scent lingered at his side as he exited.

“Are you eating dinner at the hotel tonight?” he asked.

“That’s where I was headed. I’m not sure where I’m going yet.”

“If you want your first meal to be an authentic one, I would recommend Lani. That is our traditional Polynesian restaurant, so you’ll get a great taste of what Honolulu has to offer in its culinary basket. There’s also a beautiful outdoor seating area. If you hurry, I believe you can still catch the sunset. It’s not to be missed. Just tell the hostess that I sent you and she’ll make sure you get the best seat available.”

“Thank you. I’ll do that. I hope we’ll see each other...er...run into each other again soon.”

Mano smiled as she stumbled over her words again. “Enjoy your evening, Paige. A hui hou kakou.”

“What does that mean?”

“Until we meet again,” he said.

“Oh. Thank you for your help. Good night.”

Mano waved casually and then listened as the slap of her sandals faded in the direction of the beach and hotel restaurants. Once she was gone, he turned toward the registration desks and let Hōkū lead him through the guests. Hōkū stopped just short of the counter where they went through the swinging door to enter the area behind the registration desk. The concierge station was just to his right.

“Aloha ahiahi, Mr. Bishop.”

“Good evening, Neil. How are things going tonight?”

“Fine. You’ve just missed the check-in rush from all the stateside flights arriving.”

Good. He did well to move about the hotel, but he tried to avoid the busiest times when he was most likely to run into an issue with people dragging roller bags or children running around.

Since it wasn’t busy at the moment, he also wondered if he could take advantage of his concierge’s eyes. He was curious about his new guest, Paige. “Did you happen to see the young woman that got off the elevator with me?”

“Briefly, sir. I didn’t get a good look at her.”

It amazed Mano sometimes how those with sight spent most of their time not taking full advantage of it. “What of her did you see?”

“Just a basic impression because I noticed her speaking with you. She was tall for a woman; with long, straight brown hair. Pale. Very thin. I didn’t really see her face since she was turned toward you.”

Mano nodded. That could’ve described a thousand women at the hotel, easily. It was a start, though. “Okay, thank you. Let me know if you have any issues. I’ll be in my office.”

“Yes, sir.”

Mano and Hōkū continued down a hallway and through the area where hotel management worked to keep things flowing smoothly. They went down another hallway and turned to enter his office. He flipped on the light and made his way to his desk. Neither he nor Hōkū needed the light, but he’d discovered that his employees found it strange that he would sit in a dark office and would think he didn’t want to be disturbed.

Mano settled into his chair and Hōkū curled up to sleep at his feet. His dog always laid his head on his shoe, so Mano knew he was there. He leaned down to pat the dog on the head, hit a few keys on the keyboard to wake up his computer and slipped the headset he used to control it over his free ear. It allowed his system to read emails and files to him, and he could control it with voice commands. He wished he could tell his high school keyboarding teacher that no, he wouldn’t need that skill in the future.

As he checked his email, his attention was drawn to his other earpiece that was connected to the hotel security system. Mano knew everything that happened at his hotel even if he couldn’t see it occur. It had been a quiet day with a lot of idle chatter. That would change as the sun went down. The weekends got a little wilder at the resort with nightly luaus, fireworks shows and plenty of mai tais to go around.