For one fleeting second his handsome, angular features arranged themselves into irritation.

He was a man used to absolute control, and I was an unscripted variable.

But as he rose to dismiss me, his gray-blue eyes dropped to the bundle on my chest.

The irritation vanished, replaced by a violent, uncomprehending shock.

The color drained from his face so fast I thought he might faint. He stared at the baby, then at me, then back at the baby, his mind visibly trying to reject what his eyes were telling him.

I stepped inside, letting the heavy doors thud shut behind me.