“You can’t blame me, can you? I didn’t appreciate you getting into my luggage, or betting on my sex toy usage with your brother, who I’m now slightly pissed at. A girl likes thinking she has some mysteries about her.”
He snorted. “That’s not what I meant when I said we needed to talk but I do need to remember to get that ten dollars from James.”
She sighed. “Don’t be an asshole, Vincent. That’s the sort of thing that ruins the memory of last night for me. I also don’t appreciate the supposition that I’d come to Abilene so I could go out on a date. My life is complicated enough right now.”
“I apologize for both.” He hesitated for a second. “What I was trying to tell you last night before you fell asleep was that I forgot to use a condom.”
She climbed from his lap, her earlier arousal vaporizing as she realized the slickness she’d felt between her thighs was his cum.
“I’m sorry, doll. Things got crazy between us and in the heat of it, I forgot. I swear I didn’t do it intentionally. I wouldn’t do that to you.”
“I’m not on the pill, Vincent.”
“I was afraid of that.”
“I asked you and James to use condoms. Was I not clear?”
“You have every right to be upset. You could get a morning-after pill.”
She shook her head. “I’m not doing that. It’s against my personal beliefs. Damn it, I should’ve made sure you used one. I trusted you.”
He got up from the bed and faced her. “You have every right to be angry with me, doll. I screwed up. I hope you believe me when I say I didn’t do it purposely. I’ll also take responsibility for my actions if you wind up pregnant because of this.”
The whole time he was talking she was doing the math in her head, trying to remember the first day of her period and whether or not she could indeed be pregnant. She groaned as she recalled some slight cramping and achiness on Sunday. It was possible she’d been ovulating. It’d been a while since she’d been sexually active and she didn’t like the way birth control pills made her feel. Birth control was one of the decisions she’d needed to make if she decided to continue on with James and Vincent. Right now, all she wanted to do was wring Vincent’s neck.
Well, this throws a monkey wrench into all my decision making. As if life wasn’t complicated enough. And what if I’m pregnant and I have to tell Dad he has two daughters knocked up out of wedlock?
She must’ve looked like she was in shock because he put his arms around her and whispered, “I’m sorry.”
“You need to go. You don’t want to be late for work.”
“I hate leaving like this. I fucked up and I want to make it right.”
“Getting in trouble on the job won’t help any of us. Just go. I’ll be all right.”
“We can talk more about it when you get home.”
She cleared her throat and said, “I really don’t think there’s more to be said.”
He pulled away and looked down at her, pleading in his eyes and his voice. “Please don’t say that, Leah.”
She backed away a step. “Why do you think it is I’ve held you at arm’s length so long? You’re too pushy. Too impulsive. And I should’ve known something like this would happen with you. You got yours so you should just go now.” As soon as the spiteful words were out her mouth she regretted them. “I’m sorry. I know you’re not really like that, but…”
“I understand,” he murmured quietly. She felt the warm brush of his lips on the back of her head and a soft touch on her shoulder. “Please be careful on the way home. For what it’s worth, I meant what I said last night. I love you.”
Her heart ached as the door closed quietly behind him. This was not at all how she’d wanted to part with him, not under any circumstances. She regretted not being more careful the night before, knowing she bore some of the responsibility for the lapse. But it was a big deal, not a little oopsie mistake that would be okay either way. She had plans for her life and her career. A baby would be a major game changer.
Chapter Seven
James was sitting on the bench in front of his locker when Vincent finally breezed into the locker room at work, looking like a man without a care in the world.
“Hey,” his brother said as he set his cowboy hat on top and began unbuttoning his denim shirt.
Breathing deep, flexing his hands, James rose from the wooden bench and faced him. “‘Hey?’ That’s all you have to say?”
Vincent frowned and took in a deep breath. “We need to talk.”