Page 50 of Claimed By the Boss

I press a kiss to his chest, then tuck my face against it again. I don’t want to move. I don’t want to talk. I just want to stay here, wrapped up in the warmth of him, pretending there’s nothing complicated about any of this.

Except there is.

The words linger just behind my lips, waiting to be spoken. Every time I think I’ve built up enough courage to say them, something holds me back. Maybe it’s the way he’s looking at me now, like everything is right in the world. Maybe it’s because I’mnot ready for that look to disappear. Maybe I’m not ready for him to treat me differently, or worse, for him to pull away.

I close my eyes and try to convince myself that it’s okay to wait a little longer. It’s only been a few days since I found out. Nothing’s really changed yet. I don’t look different. I don’t feel different, aside from the morning sickness and the way every smell in the apartment has turned on me.

Still, the weight of the secret presses harder on my chest than I expected.

“Hey,” Damien says suddenly, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “I actually came here to tell you something.”

My body tenses instinctively, and I push myself up slightly to look at him. “What is it?”

“I have to leave town for a few days.”

It takes a second for that to register. “Oh. Okay.”

He brushes my hair back, tucking it behind my ear like it’s something he does all the time. “It’s last-minute business. Nothing to worry about. I actually came here tonight just to spend some time with you before I have to go.”

I can’t tell him now. Not like this. Dropping something this heavy on him right before he gets on a plane wouldn’t be fair.

I force a smile. “When are you leaving?”

“Soon,” he says as he pulls the sheets down and sits up, reaching for his clothes.

My chest tightens.

He starts getting dressed, and I follow suit, pulling on one of my oversized T-shirts. We move around each other in comfortable silence, like a couple who’s done this a hundred times before. When he finishes, he crosses back to the bed and kisses me slowly, like he’s memorizing me before he has to go.

I lean into it, trying to hold on just a second longer.

“Be safe,” I tell him when he pulls back.

His eyes darken slightly, and he nods. “Always.”

He walks to the door, then pauses. “I’ll call you when I land.”

“Okay.”

The door closes behind him with a quiet click.

And just like that, he’s gone.

I stand there in the stillness, trying to process a hundred thoughts running through my head. His scent still lingers in the room. The sheets are tangled from where we were lying together. I drop back onto the bed, pull the covers up to my chest, and stare at the ceiling.

It’s strange how fast things change. One minute I’m in his arms, feeling more wanted than I’ve ever felt in my life. The next, he’s out the door and I’m left with the secret I’m still too afraid to share.

I press a hand to my stomach. It’s nothing yet. Just a whisper of what’s coming. But I already feel connected to my child.

I thought I would be more panicked about it. I expected it to hit when the doctor confirmed the news, or when I had to tell Becca. I thought it would hit when I got back home and realized my whole life was going to change.

Instead, there’s a strange kind of peace around me. Because I’ve decided that, no matter what, I’m going to keep it.

I pull the covers tighter around myself and close my eyes.

Maybe I’m crazy for not telling him yet. Maybe I’m being selfish. But I need a little more time to figure out what this means. Not just for me, but for us. For whatever we are. Besides, I need to know a little more about Damien before I trust him with something this big.

I want to believe he’d step up. That he’d protect us, care for us, do the right thing. But I’ve seen glimpses of the world he lives in. I’ve seen the kind of men he deals with. I’ve seen what he’s capable of when someone threatens something he loves.