Claiming Shayla

Chapter One

She stood under the shower, washing the musky scent of cum and sweat from her body. The hot water beat down on her, loosening muscles sore from days and nights of marathon sex. The glide of the cloth across her clit caused her to hiss as the overly sensitive bundle of nerves reacted by shooting a streak of fire straight through her womb. “No! You’ve had enough,” she told it. As it was, she wouldn’t be walking straight anytime soon.

It was hunger that finally drove her out of the shower. If she didn’t get some food into her system soon, she’d pass out. She’d expended too many calories and eaten nothing to replace them. Her stomach cramped, a reminder of its emptiness. She rubbed her abdomen, trying to soothe the knotted muscles. “And you, give me a second, will ya? Let me get out of the bathroom, and then I’ll feed you.”

Already mentally cataloging the contents of the refrigerator, she opened the bathroom door. He was on her in an instant. Before a cry could escape, he had her back pressed forcefully against the wall beside the bathroom door. His menacing growl sent chills down her spine. Lifting her to eye level, he spoke out of a mouth already partially shifted to wolf, revealing a jaw full of razor-sharp teeth. “You washed off my scent.”

Before her mind finished deciphering what he was saying, his tongue was in her mouth and his cock in her pussy. All thoughts of food forgotten, she wrapped her legs around his waist and hung on.

“More. Need more,” he growled. He grabbed her by the thighs and bent her in half until her knees pressed against the wall along the sides of her torso, holding her immobile.

Not being a contortionist, the position should have been uncomfortable, but she was too aroused. Her nails dug into his shoulders as her head bounced off the wall with each upward thrust. She fought him, wanting to move, needing to move like she needed her next breath.

She could feel her orgasm building, tightening every muscle in her body. She couldn’t catch her breath. It felt like she was going to explode. She opened her mouth to scream…

Bzzzzz! Bzzzzz! Bzzzzz! Shayla Morgan jumped as her cell phone vibrated, goosing her. Shit! She’d been dreaming. Again. This had to stop. She looked around to see if anyone noticed her strange behavior. A crowded plane was not the best place to have a wet dream. No one was looking at her, thank God. That meant she hadn’t cried out in her sleep…this time.

Her breathing was labored, just as in the dream. Her nipples were tight and so sensitive even the gentle abrasion of her T-shirt irritated them. Her clit throbbed. She was right on the edge. Just one stroke, one simple touch and she would explode.

Bzzzz! She jerked again and snatched her cell phone out of her cargo pants’ thigh pocket. A new text message was in her in-box. She didn’t recognize the number but retrieved it anyway, needing a distraction.

Need you.

What the hell? Must be a wrong number. She shoved the phone back into her pocket. It would be another forty-five minutes before she could get off the plane. She should have brought her laptop or a book to read. All this sitting would drive her crazy, and she couldn’t chance taking another nap.

Bzzzz! She jumped again. What now? She took out her phone and pressed the Display Message button.

Want you.

Same number. It wasn’t familiar. She didn’t even recognize the area code. She closed the phone. Before she could stick it back in her pocket, it vibrated again. Eyes narrowed, she flipped it open.

Mine.

The hairs on her nape rose. Thumbs moving rapidly on the keypad, she typed, Who’s this?

Mate.

Shayla shook her head. It couldn’t be him, the one who was still haunting her dreams three weeks later—Rory McFelan.

Mate who?

The reply was swift.

Shayla. Mate. Mine.

Oh damn. It was Rory. Her cousin Kiesha must have given him her number. She stared at the message. As she did, the curve of her neck throbbed, a reminder of the marks on her shoulder. Time to stop the madness. She punched the words in the keyboard.

Not yours. Sex. Fun. Over.

There. That should be plain enough.

Agreed. Claimed. Mine. Forever.

Then again, maybe not. She’d forgotten whom, or rather, what she was dealing with. The man was possibly more stubborn than she. Her conversation with Kiesha came back to her.

“So, if I were to find myself extremely attracted to a shifter and wanted to indulge, I could do so as long as I didn’t let him bite me?”

“Shay, don’t even think about it. If you’re attracted to one of them and you don’t want to find yourself mated, don’t let them close to you. A strong physical attraction is a major sign of a true mate. It’s not simply a matter of not getting bit. If you have sex with one, you’ll be so caught up in the pleasure that you’ll never notice him biting you, not until it’s too late,” Kiesha warned. “This is no time to indulge your curiosity.”

“They’re that good in the sack?” Shayla asked as her neglected libido raised its head in hunger.

“Shay, seriously, this is not something to play with. These guys are serious, and they play for keeps. They won’t put up with your games.”

Shayla had ignored the warning and indulged her curiosity at the first opportunity that presented itself. Three days and four nights of continuous, mind-blowing sex had been the result. Almost a month later and she was still dreaming about it. She shivered, and her clit pulsed again, begging for attention.

Bzzzz! Bzzzz! She looked down to see a new message.

Waiting. Will claim what’s mine.

Well, hell. Now she’d gone and done it. Kiesha was going to kill her. In three weeks’ time Shayla was returning to Refuge, North Carolina, to be in her cousin’s wedding, and it sounded like Rory would be there waiting. There would be no way to avoid him. He would ensure it. And she couldn’t appeal to Kiesha for help. She’d been warned. Now it was up to her to deal with the consequences.

Rory McFelan smiled as he closed his phone.

“That’s a mighty feral smile, my friend. I pity the person it’s directed toward.”

Rory gazed across the table at Caleb Jones, his second in command and the closest thing he had to a friend in the Sparrowhawk pack. At one time he’d anticipated having this man become his brother-in-law, although he knew now it was not to be. “The systems analyst we hired to streamline the pack’s operations. She’ll be here soon.”

“Our systems analyst, hmm? I can smell your lust. With all that’s going on in the pack, are you sure bringing your latest conquest here is such a good idea? Especially a weak human?”

Shannon’s defection to the Raven pack had left a void for the position of alpha-fem. The few eligible females that remained after the hunt were driving him crazy, each hoping to move up and take her place. The infighting was getting ridiculous. Shay’s arrival would put an end to all of it.

“She’s my one.” Rory watched carefully to see what Caleb’s reaction would be. This was the first time he’d revealed to any of his pack that he’d taken a mate.

Caleb jerked forward in his seat. “You found a mate?”

“A true mate. Mine.”

“I thought that was just a myth,” Caleb stated, brows furrowed in puzzlement.

“I didn’t believe it either, not at first, but turns out they’re real enough. The Raven pack’s alpha and beta both found theirs,” Rory reminded him. The bear had found his, and even his sister, Shannon, had found hers if the bloodsucker she’d mated was to be believed. One thing was for certain, there was a bloody mating epidemic going on in these mountains.

Caleb shook his head, clearly not convinced. “You’re sure she’s your one? Things can get confusing during a blue moon.”

Rory didn’t question how Caleb knew the blue moon was involved. It was the only time in the last month that he’d been away long enough to meet and mate with a woman not of the pack.

“Very. She carries my mark.” There was a wealth of satisfaction in his voice as he made this declaration.

Caleb’s eyes bulged out. “You marked a human? Are you insane?”

Am I? There were days he wondered. “It was fate. I fought it but…” The blue moon, Shay’s heat, the fight—circumstances had all conspired against him. Made him a believer in destiny, however reluctantly.

Caleb continued, “If this woman is truly your mate, why the wait? She should be here with you now.”

“She ran,” he quietly admitted.

Caleb gaped. “After you marked her? What is she doing, trying to break the bond?”

“Aye.” Rory could understand Caleb’s surprise. The mate bond was almost impossible to break. He’d never heard of anyone accomplishing it, although no shifter would be crazy enough to try. Though they’d all been taught about true mates and how the process worked, none of them believed mating was possible with someone not of their species, not even the elders who’d taught them, so there was a lot he didn’t know.

“How long has she been gone?”

“A little over three weeks now.”

Rory could almost see Caleb’s mind working, examining this information from every angle and calculating what impact it would have on the pack. His intelligence was the primary reason Caleb was his second, not to mention he was a damn strong wolf. A good man to have at his back.

Finally Caleb whistled. “She’s strong.”

“Damned strong…and cunning,” Rory informed him, feeling the same sense of reluctant pride he’d felt since Shay’s escape. That she’d managed to fight off the mating fever long enough to sneak away from him without his knowledge, even with his enhanced senses, still astounded him.

“Wait a minute. If she ran, how’d you get her to agree to come here and take this job for you?” Caleb asked.

The same wicked smile from earlier crossed his face. “She doesn’t know it’s me. I used the pack’s lawyers to negotiate the contract.”

Caleb whistled again. “This ought to be interesting.”

They both fell silent.

“Again I ask, are you sure this is wise, bringing her here, with all that’s going on?” As the head of security, Caleb had every right to question him. The pack was a mess. He knew it. Caleb knew it. Hell, even the pack knew it. Not only were the women fighting, but there was an undercurrent of rumblings questioning his ability to lead. There were always dissidents in any pack, but lately their numbers seemed to be growing. Even as distracted as he’d been, he’d noticed.

He debated telling Caleb the whole of it but in the end settled for simply stating, “I’ve no choice.”

Caleb silently absorbed this. “You told Mac any of this?”

Michael MacDougal, his third in command. Not by choice but by pack hierarchy. “No.”

“Hmm, if she’s really your mate, he’ll know as soon as he gets a whiff of her. So will the rest of the pack.”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I need you to keep this quiet, at least until I’m ready to make an announcement.”

Caleb’s lips quirked. “That will be difficult with the way everyone runs in and out of here.” As alpha Rory had to be accessible to the pack at all times, which frequently meant little to no privacy.

“All I’m requesting is a few days. Give me a chance to get my mate settled. As far as everyone else is concerned, Shay is the consultant I hired to streamline the pack’s computer systems, nothing more.”

“And how do you plan to explain her staying with you here, in the house?”

“Easy. She’s human. They’ll expect me to keep her close, to make sure she doesn’t discover what we are,” Rory answered.

Caleb sighed. “I’ll do what I can to keep everyone away. You know once the truth comes out, the council will want to vet her, make sure she’s suitable to be the pack’s alpha-fem.”

“Unnecessary. The true mate bond supersedes council authority,” Rory reminded him.

“They’ll still try.”

“Let them.” The smile on Rory’s face was lethal.

Urrpp. Urrpp. Shayla hung on to the sides of the toilet as the contents of her stomach forcibly ejected themselves. Urrpp. Urrpp.

“God, please let this be the flu. Bird flu, swine flu, any kind of flu, as long as it’s the flu.”

It had to be the flu. She’d picked up a bug somewhere, and it was just now making itself known. A bit of medicine, a lot of rest, and she’d be fine.

You’re never sick.

Okay, so normally she was disgustingly healthy, but there was a first time for everything.

You don’t have any flu symptoms.

Fatigue, nausea, and vomiting—they’re all flu symptoms, and these she had in abundance.

Where’s the cough, body aches, and fever?

So it was just a mild case of the flu. That meant she’d get over it that much sooner.

You’ve been throwing up for a week. Your breasts are tender, and you missed your period.

That didn’t mean anything. Lack of sleep combined with the stress she’d been under the last few weeks would be enough to make anyone miss a cycle or two. Besides, she’d never been regular.

Her conscience was quiet.

Shayla squirmed. Even she didn’t believe the lie. She’d always been as regular as clockwork, no matter what was going on in her life. Shit! Shit! Shit! I’m pregnant. If she could have, Shayla would have slammed her head on the porcelain rim of the toilet until she knocked herself unconscious. Unfortunately doing so wouldn’t change a thing.

She was so stupid. Damn her curiosity. People always warned her that one day it would get her in trouble. What the hell was she to do now? This was not supposed to happen. All she’d wanted to do was scratch an itch, satisfy her curiosity, and move on. Instead what she’d done was make a life-altering decision.

Abortion was not an option.

Shayla laid a hand over her stomach, fingers spread wide in an unconsciously protective gesture. Poor kid! What kind of life would it have with her for a mother? She was enough of a freak without throwing the kid’s father into the mix. A genius and a werewolf. God help it. The poor thing wouldn’t stand a chance.

Shayla flushed the toilet and pushed wearily to her feet, this afternoon’s bout of sickness over. Everyone was right. She was weird. She couldn’t even have morning sickness like a normal woman. Who ever heard of “morning sickness” that struck in the afternoon?

I need time to think, time to plan.

But time was something she didn’t have. She was due back in Refuge tomorrow. She’d hurt Kiesha enough by delaying her arrival until the day before the wedding. If she’d told her about the situation with Rory, Kiesha might have understood, but then she’d be furious.

Now she had a wedding and a very determined, very possessive werewolf awaiting her arrival. She shuddered, and her stomach heaved again just thinking of Rory’s reaction when he learned of his impending fatherhood. She’d never get away from him now.

This was one time she’d better have her shit together and know what she was doing.

The next day Shayla stopped the rental in front of Kiesha’s house, nervous for the first time in remembrance about seeing her family. Inside were her parents, Kiesha and her fiancé, Alex Wolfe, and who knew whom else. She wiped sweaty palms on her pants as she gazed at the closed front door.

In no rush to see them, she flipped down the visor and took in her appearance. Her thick, silky black hair had grown like weeds, and instead of its usual short, spiked style, she wore it pulled back into a ratty ponytail. Today’s hair gel color was hot pink to go with her black and pink fatigues and hot pink T-shirt. Her complexion was a bit more yellow than normal, and there were dark, raccoonlike circles under her rounded, brown eyes. Usually she wore her African Asian heritage well, garnering a lot of second looks and even a few modeling offers. Today was not one of those days.

Shayla flipped the visor back into position and sighed. She would feel a lot better about facing everyone if she’d been able to devise a plan of action. The best she’d been able to come up with was to get through the weekend without anyone discovering her pregnancy. Oh, and to avoid Rory at all costs.

While she realized she needed to tell him about the baby they’d created, she couldn’t do it right now. She was too raw and still uncertain how she felt about the situation. It wasn’t like she’d planned on being a mother—ever. This was a major blip in her life-map configuration. So ’scuze her if she simply wasn’t ready to factor his feelings into the equation. When she’d had time to adjust and was more in control of herself, well, then they could discuss it.

As she procrastinated, trying to work up the courage to exit the car, the front door opened and Kiesha stepped out. No more lingering. If she stayed in the car any longer, Kee would get suspicious. Planting a smile on her face, Shayla grabbed her overnight bag, laptop case, and purse and opened the car door.

It’s showtime!

“Shayla Nei Morgan! It’s about time you showed up.” Kiesha’s hands were planted on her hips, making her pregnant belly protrude more.

Shayla winced inwardly at the sound of her full name. “Sorry, Kee. The project took longer than I thought or I would have been here sooner. You got everything done? Was Mary Elizabeth able to help you?” While awaiting her answer, she reached into the backseat of the vehicle and pulled out her suitcase, dropping it on the ground and extending the handle so she could roll it to the door.

“Yeah, she was a big help, but it wasn’t the same. She’s my best friend, but you’re family. We’ve been planning this day since we were kids.”

She stopped before Kiesha, dropped her belongings, and gave her cousin a big hug. “Yeah, but when we were kids, we never imagined the groom would be a werewolf,” Shayla said drily.

“True.” Kiesha laughed. “And the wedding was supposed to be a double.”

“Me? Married?” Shayla gave a shudder that was only partially fake, unable to imagine it.

“That’s what I said, and you see what happened to me. Just wait. Your day’s coming.”

At one time she would have agreed. That was before discovering how difficult it was to find a man completely accepting of her, weirdness and all. Letting Kiesha’s statement go without comment, she picked up her things and allowed her cousin to drag her into the house.

The house was amazingly silent considering all the people that were supposed to be here. “Where’s Mom and Dad?”

“Uncle Frank got delayed. Some hush-hush project he’s working on and couldn’t leave. They won’t make it in until tomorrow afternoon, just in time for the wedding.”

Good. Not that she didn’t want to see her parents, but the less people she had to pretend for the better, especially when these were the people who knew her best. “Okay, that’s the ’rents accounted for. Where’s Alex and everyone else?”

“Alex is in the kitchen—”

“Of course,” she interrupted. “Where else would he be?” Kiesha hated cooking. Fortunately for her, Alex loved to cook. It worked well for them. “So I take it the prerehearsal brunch has been changed to something else? What’s our itinerary now?”

“We’re meeting at the church this evening to do a quick run-through, then coming back here for dinner.”

“And my dress?”

“Already in your room, hanging in the closet.” Kiesha laid a hand on Shay’s arm. “You’re sure you want to stay here? Since Shannon moved in with Nikolai, the house is empty.”

Puzzled, Shay asked, “Aren’t Alex’s parents coming for the wedding?”

Kiesha snapped her finger. “That’s right. I forgot, but I’m sure they wouldn’t mind putting you up. You could stay in the basement. Lord knows, with all the stuff Shannon added, it’s like a mini-apartment down there.”

“No! I mean, that’s okay. I’d rather be here with you.” Shay scrambled to catch the bags that slipped from her lax fingers before her cousin noticed her knee-jerk reaction at the mention of the basement where she and Rory had—

She immediately shut down the rest of that thought.

Having already taken steps to lead her to the first-floor guest room where she’d be staying, Kiesha stopped, turned back, and looked at her strangely. “Shay, are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

“Why do I ask?” Kiesha looked behind Shayla, then all around her. Turning her piercing, brown-eyed gaze back to Shay and pinning her with a look, she asked, “All right, you imposter. Where’s my cousin and what have you done with her?”

Shayla giggled nervously and fidgeted under the intense scrutiny. “Kee, I’m fine. Really. Just tired. Remember I flew across the country after working around the clock trying to finish in order to make it here in time. A good night’s sleep and I’ll be back to my usual self.” The lie Shay had told Kiesha about why she’d not been able to come early to help with the wedding preparations as planned had turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Due to the severe morning sickness she’d been experiencing, she’d gotten seriously behind on her project.

Kiesha leaned in until she was only inches away, causing Shay to draw back and hug her laptop case to her chest. “That explains the dark circles under your eyes. What about the yellow tinge to your skin?”

“Hellooo, I’m half-Japanese. Remember?” She shook her head and went to walk around Kiesha, mentally willing her to let it go.

“Shay…” Kiesha growled as she stepped into her pathway, hands on her hips.

Shayla sighed heavily. Of course Kee wouldn’t. “I picked up some kind of virus while away. I’m over the worst of it, but my stomach’s still a bit unsettled.” She wanted to whoop for joy as the lie rolled off her tongue. Though unplanned, it was perfect. It would explain any sickness she experienced this weekend that couldn’t be hidden.

Kiesha’s eyes narrowed. Whether in concern or because she suspected the falsehood, Shayla couldn’t tell. Just when she was ready to push past her cousin and continue toward the bedroom, Kiesha spoke. “As long as you’re feeling better now.”

“Much. Now let’s go so I can put this stuff down and see my outfit. It had better be as nice as you described. You know how I feel about wearing dresses. Wedding or not, if it’s hellish, I’ll show up in my fatigues. I’m sure I have some that will fit your color scheme.”

“It’s gorgeous, and quit whining,” Kiesha commanded as they entered the room. “The guys won’t be able to keep their eyes off you.”

“As long as it’s only their eyes. They touch without permission and somebody’s going to draw back a nub,” Shay warned, eyes narrowed.

Kiesha rolled her eyes. “I’ll be sure to warn the pack. Although…that no-touching rule is going to make dancing difficult.”

If Rory’s there, dancing with other males won’t be an option. “I’ll give it careful consideration,” Shayla lied.

She set her bags on the bed while Kiesha went to the closet and opened it. The dress she removed was a dream. Halter-topped with a plunging back, it was a deep, ruby-red satin that shimmered and flowed in Kiesha’s hand. “Kiesha.”

“I know, right? Didn’t I tell you not to worry? All the dresses are styled the same and made with the same material, but in different colors. Mary Elizabeth’s is emerald, and Shannon’s is midnight blue. My dress is gold.”

Shayla fingered the fabric. “They’re going to be so beautiful in the candlelight.”

“That’s what I thought. I had everyone’s shoes dyed to match. The heels are high but thick, so you won’t have any problems walking in them.”

“I’m wearing my boots, remember? You promised.”

“Yeah, but I really didn’t think you’d go through with it!” Kiesha exclaimed.

Shayla held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Shayla Morgan. Have we met?”

Kiesha slapped her hand down and rolled her eyes. “Okay, so I should have known better.” She sighed and tucked a loose curl behind her ear. “At least the dresses are long and loose enough that the boots won’t show.”

Releasing the gown so that Kiesha could put it away, Shayla said, “I’d better go speak to Alex before he thinks I’m still mad at him.” A month ago Alex had tried to set her up with some of his shifter buddies on the sly. Kiesha had caught on to what he was doing and rushed Shayla out of the house before they arrived.

As they left the room, Shayla thought about it. It was Alex’s fault she was in her current predicament. If Alex hadn’t called for some of the alpha males of his pack to come over, they wouldn’t have chased her and Shannon. Rory wouldn’t have fought for her, and she might not have stopped disliking Rory long enough to realize she was attracted to him and act on it. Yeah, blaming Alex was sounding better and better.

“I wouldn’t blame you if you were.”

Shayla stumbled before righting herself. Was Kiesha reading her mind?

“What Alex did was just wrong. I told him he’d better not pull another stunt like that this time or there’d be hell to pay,” Kiesha continued sternly, not noticing her sudden lack of coordination.

“He does something stupid like that again and next time I won’t be so forgiving.” The point was moot now, but Kiesha didn’t know that.

“Hey, I learned my lesson,” Alex told Shayla as she entered the kitchen. “Let’s leave the FBI out of this.”

When she’d first met Alex, Shayla had threatened to hack into the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s system and add him to their most wanted list if he ever did anything to hurt her cousin. It was a valid threat, one she was more than capable of accomplishing. “Lucky for you I’ve decided to forgive and forget. Besides, if anyone is pissed, it should be Shannon.”

“For the last time, I didn’t know she was coming with you. I thought she would stay home under lock and key like any other sane, unmated she-wolf would when there was a blue moon and she was in heat.”

“Hey! Don’t drag me into this,” Shannon told Alex.

Shayla jerked awkwardly in Shannon’s direction. “Shannon! I didn’t know you were here.” She reached out and punched her cousin in the arm. “Kiesha, why didn’t you tell me Shannon was here?” Damn, Shannon was Rory’s baby sister, and the two were extremely close.

Does she know about Rory and me? Taking a deep breath, Shay counseled herself not to panic, knowing shifters could smell fear.

As she and Kiesha approached the center island where Alex was cooking, the phone rang. “I’ll get it in there. The darn thing’s been ringing off the hook all day.” Kiesha disappeared into the office.

“How have you been, Shay?” Alex looked up from the pot he was stirring as she sat down.

Shayla could feel Shannon’s gaze on her, and it made her twitchy. “Good.” She forced herself to take a seat at the island and casually lean an elbow on the countertop.

Does she know? She tried to view Shannon’s expression out of the corner of her eye.

“Hmm, you look rough. Have you been getting enough sleep?”

The question snapped her attention back to Alex. Damn, she’d forgotten he was a doctor. She was very careful with her answer. “I picked up one of those stomach bugs while I was gone, and my stomach’s still a little sensitive but other than that, I’m fine. Just extremely tired. I worked crazy hours trying to finish on time.”

Alex’s eyes crinkled in concern. “Are you sure you’re over it? The last thing Kiesha needs is to be sick, especially while she’s pregnant.” He placed the lid on the pot, leaned closer to her, and took a deep breath.

“Kiesha’s safe. If I were contagious, I would have stayed away,” Shayla assured him. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Alex studied her like she was a puzzle he couldn’t quite figure out. “There’s something different about your scent. I can’t put my finger on it.”

“It’s my lotion. I’m using a new brand.” From what she’d been told, Shayla had concluded that the mating mark must leave behind some type of scent identifier that other shape-shifters recognized. To be safe, she’d hunted until she found a brand of perfumed lotion that didn’t make her gag and slathered it on.

“No, that’s not it. There’s something else. Shannon?”

As Shannon approached from her seat at the breakfast nook near the window, Shayla conquered the urge to slide out of the chair and move away. Breathe. Don’t do anything to make them suspicious.

Shannon walked right up behind Shayla and pressed her nose against the skin of her neck, right below the unlotioned hairline. Shayla froze. It felt like even her heart stopped beating.

It seemed a lifetime but was probably only seconds before Shannon lifted her head and moved to face Shayla. With her eyes gazing directly into Shayla’s, she told Alex, “She’s not sick.”

She could see the knowledge shimmering in Shannon’s eyes. Shayla opened her mouth, the word don’t on the tip of her tongue as she reached out beseechingly to stop her.

“She’s pregnant,” Shannon stated.

“Who’s pregnant?” Kiesha asked from behind.