Talking Dirty With the Boss(25)
“Yes.” The word was clipped.
She gave him a smile that she hoped was sickly sweet. “Ah, well, in that case you’ll be pleased to know that the state of my uterus is at present unoccupied.”
Dull color stained his cheekbones. Oh, she was bad. So bad. But then he’d made her feel ten inches tall two weeks ago. Turnabout was a bitch.
“I meant what I said, you know,” he said flatly. “I’ll support you in whatever—”
“Hey, I know what you said. I was there, remember?”
Luke held her gaze, unnervingly focused. “I do remember. I remember every single second.”
And for a moment the memory of those burning, intense moments pulsed between them, pulling at them like a compass needle toward magnetic north.
Desire spread lazy wings inside her.
Don’t go there, girl. You’re supposed to be good now.
Marisa wrenched her gaze away, heat prickling all over her skin. “You really need to stop looking at me. It’s not helping.”
Another taut silence.
“I thought it would have gone by now,” he murmured.
She didn’t need to ask what he was talking about. “Yeah, me too.”
Neither of them said anything.
Luke got to his feet. “I’ll go. I think that’s best.”
Yes. Yes it was. So why was she…disappointed? “Okay, then,” she said. “Don’t let me stop you.”
“Keep me posted, won’t you?”
“About what?”
Luke paused, looked her in the eye. “About the state of your uterus, what else?”
She blinked at him, momentarily disconcerted. Dear God, was Mr. Uptight actually making a joke? She nearly smiled. “Touché. And sure. If you want uterus updates, you got it.”
His gaze narrowed. “Not every day, you understand?”
Marisa almost pulled a face. Damn the man. How had he guessed the naughty little thought that had crossed her mind? “Fine. Once a week, then?”
“No, just inform me when…” He hesitated.
“When I’m surfing the red wave?”
His mouth tightened. “When you get your period, I was going to say.”
This time she did smile, sitting back in her chair and giving him a little clap. “Well done. You said the P-word.” Would he blush again? She hoped so.
But he didn’t. “I don’t find it embarrassing. I was only trying to spare you.”
How…charming of him. “Well, that’s sweet of you, but don’t bother. I don’t embarrass easily.”
Luke glared. Not moving an inch.
Oh, Lord, what was it now? “I thought you were going.”
“I am.” Another pause. “Shall I see you at this auction thing of Caleb’s?”
“What? You want a uterus update there, too?”
He stood so tall and stiff. Like a plank of wood. “If you haven’t had your period by then, yes, I wouldn’t mind.”
Marisa sighed. “Sure.”
“Good.” Luke turned toward the pub doors. “I’ll look forward to it.”
And oddly enough, for the merest second, Marisa almost found herself looking forward to it, too.
***
Marisa dropped the pregnancy test kit on top of her bathroom vanity and stared at it as if it was a bomb about to go off.
She had fifteen minutes before Christie and Joseph picked her up to take her to Caleb’s bachelor auction. Which gave her plenty of time to take this wretched test.
If she wanted to, of course. Because she didn’t have to since she wasn’t pregnant.
Definitely, absolutely not pregnant.
Stupid period was late, that’s all it was. Nothing more.
The lateness of the period had meant Luke sending her an e-mail the day before, asking her whether she was okay and whether anything had changed. Which had only drawn attention to the lack of period that was usually as regular as clockwork. She’d told him—tersely, it had to be said—that it would probably come tomorrow.
But now it was tomorrow and her period still hadn’t come. And that meant she really needed to check, to make extra, doubly, positively certain she wasn’t pregnant.
So she could tell Luke he had nothing to worry about and neither did she. Then they’d be able to close the door on this stupid, embarrassing physical infatuation with each other.
Which she would not be sad about. At all.
She swallowed and picked up the test. Great. Peeing on a stick. Could her evening get any better?
It didn’t take long. Unfortunately. And ten minutes later, she found herself staring at the double pink lines that indicated how misplaced her attitude to the whole condom breaking episode had been.
Pregnant. Definitely, absolutely freaking pregnant.
Marisa sat down on the side of the bath, her knees weak with shock, her fingers icy cold.