Page 3

Stassie

It’s been easy enough to avoid him. After a week, I memorized his schedule and stayed locked in my room until he went to work. I got a job at the local coffee shop, making sure to sign up for the long weekend shifts when he’s off. My sister works four ten to twelve-hour shifts over the end of the week and into the weekend, so it works out because I get to spend some time with her during the weekdays before Ryker gets home. A month passes with ease, and I start to relax, hoping with more time it will just be a blip in the past and we’ll eventually forget about it. No matter the ache between my legs when I wake from dreams of what it felt like to have him between them.

Brushing up the hairs stuck to my forehead, I fan my face and glance at the clock. I still have half my shift left, and I’m not sure I can make it. Anna comes around from the stockroom and stops short at my face.

“Girl, no offense. But you look like a shit.”

A dry laugh escapes me. “I feel like it.”

Her shoulders slump and she groans. “Just go home. I’m sure you’ll gross out some customers. I’ll text Jared to see if he can get some coverage.”

I blow out a breath in relief. “Thank you so much. When I’m feeling better, I’ll cover some hours for you.”

She rolls her eyes and waves me off. I don’t waste any time and head to my sister’s apartment. It’s only a ten-minute walk, and the cool night air feels like bliss on my damp skin. I don’t even care about seeing Ryker when I unlock the door, ready to fall into my bed and sleep.

Our eyes meet as soon as I step through the door, and he mutters a quick hey as I lock it behind me. I don’t bother replying, scooping up the furry demon circling my legs. I’m halfway to my room when the smell of whatever he’s cooking hits me, and I move to cover my nose and mouth.

“Oh god,” I cry out at the same time Archibald hisses at me for dropping him. My stomach lurches and I run to the bathroom, tears gathering in my eyes as my late dinner is forcibly removed from my stomach. I vomit with such aggression that I’m sure I’m dying. Asphyxiation by puke is going to be engraved on my tombstone.

Hands gather up my hair and stroke down my back. I don’t even care who it is because it’s calming. I’m curled over the toilet, my whole body convulsing with each heave. When I don’t think another drop of liquid exists in my body and the toilet has been flushed multiple times, I collapse in the arms that have been holding me up.

“Water, Stassie. Take a few sips, please,” Ryker says softly and presses a cold glass to my lips. I don’t fight him as he pours some in my mouth. I spit it out to rinse out the taste and then take as much as I can with greedy gulps . He sets it down and brushes my hair away from my face as I roll my head to the side, staring up at him.

“You okay?”

His question makes me grimace, rubbing at my unsettled stomach.

“I think I have the flu or something.”

Ryker makes an uncertain noise from the back of his throat and I sit up straighter.

“What?”

He scratches the back of his neck, then moves to open the cabinets under the sink. “What if you’re pregnant?”

“What? No. I’m just—” I cut off when he holds up the unopened box of tampons.

Ryker sighs. “Mary had me get your specific brand three weeks ago. I don’t know much about all that, but I’m pretty sure you should have had it by now, right?”

He’s right, but damn if I’m ever gonna validate someone by admitting it, especially this man. When I don’t answer, he shifts for another box in the cabinets and holds out a pregnancy test.

“Do you have a mini-pharmacy stocked in there or what?” I force out, grabbing the box from him with disdain. I’m not fucking pregnant. There’s no way. My ex-boyfriend and I weren’t exactly careful for years and not once did I miss my period. I try to think of the last time I had it, and it was a week before I moved in here.

“Mary and I had a scare last year. She took one and it was enough to convince her to not waste the rest,” he says, scratching the back of his neck again, clearly uncomfortable with this conversation.

“Awesome. That’s cool. You almost knocked up both sisters, what a record,” I ramble as I push off the floor and tear open the test. He scowls at me, not appreciating my humor. His eyes widen when I pull down my pants and sit on the toilet, sticking the test between my legs and pushing out as much pee as I can.

Ryker scrambles to his feet. “Fuck, Stassie. You could have waited until I left.”

I roll my eyes. “I had your cum leaking out of my pussy weeks ago, and you just watched me recreate The Exorcist—extreme edition. Please, calm down.”

He shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose, but he doesn’t leave the bathroom as I recap the test and set it on the counter before flushing and washing my hands.

“We have to wait a few minutes?—”

“Thanks for the explanation I didn’t ask for, but I’m aware of how tests work,” I say, not glancing at him, but I can see his scowl again in the mirror. Guilt eats at my heart so I sigh. “Sorry, I get rude when I’m nervous.”

“It’s okay. I get it.” Ryker moves a step closer, and after a second of hesitation, places his hand on my hip, squeezing gently. “I didn’t think to ask about getting you…something after that night. I should have thought about birth control.”

I swallow down as I watch the blinking dots in the small window of the test. “I didn’t think about it either. Uhm. My ex and I, we never used anything. I’ve never really…you know.”

He nods, his fingers digging into my side. “I don’t know how to ask this without sounding like an asshole, but if you are pregnant, is it….”

I raise my eyebrows. “Is it yours?”

His shoulders slump. “Yeah. Look, I’m not trying to say—I just want to know.”

Turning to face him, I cover his mouth with my hand. “I think you’re a nervous rambler, and to answer your question, yes. It’d be yours. My ex and I broke up months before I moved in here, and I haven’t been with anyone since the night we don’t acknowledge.”

Ryker wraps his fingers around my wrist, pulling it away from his mouth and revealing an amused smile. “I didn’t want to offend you. You have a sharp tongue, and I wasn’t looking to get cut.”

I can’t stop my answering grin, and I realize he’s still holding on to me, his thumb rubbing against my skin. We don’t look away from each other, our chests rising and falling in equal rhythm. My lips tingle and as if he’s feeling the same, his eyes flicker to my mouth and back up.

A beep startles us both and he lets go as I spin to grab the test, holding it up for the both of us. My heart plummets into my stomach.

“Fuck me.”

“That’s what got us in this situation,” Ryker answers drily.