Page 35 of Shattered Hope

He kissed the top of my head. “I knew things between us would be like this,” he said, pulling me up until we were face to face.

I lowered my eyes, sure I had my whole soul on display, and I certainly wasn’t ready to let him in.

“You’re way too confident,” I scolded him.

He chuckled before he cradled my face and kissed me again. Though there was still passion in this kiss, there was also so much tenderness my heart warmed up, and a lonely tear rolled down my cheek.

He saw it and kissed it away. “Are you crying?” he asked, sounding worried.

“No… no…” I assured him. “I’m overwhelmed…”

“That good, huh?” he teased me.

I laughed and hid my face in his broad chest. “That good…” I confessed.

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” he assured me, and once again, his exaggerated self-confidence made me laugh.

“Will you show me more?” I asked, tilting my head to look at him.

“Will you let me?” he asked, cuddling my face.

“I’m here, am I not?” I asked, kissing the palm of his hand.

A dark shadow clouded his eyes for a brief moment, gone so quickly I wondered if I had imagined it.

“Indeed, you are.”

He sat up in bed with me still in his arms and jumped out of bed.

“We need a shower,” he said, with a naughty grin, carrying me into the bathroom.

Only then I realized we hadn't used any birth control, and I frowned.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, as he put me down in front of the shower stall.

“You didn’t wear a condom,” I stated in a low tone.

His frown was deeper than mine. “No… I forgot, but you don’t have to worry about it. I’m clean…”

“I’m sure…” I dismissed his words. I wasn’t worried about that. “But, I’m not on birth control…” I whispered, trying to figure out how far along I was in my cycle, but I was never regular, and when the birth control implant Daniel insisted, I get was due, I didn’t bother replacing it.

I had been on the running for a few months back then, and sex was not on my agenda.

“Oh…” I could see he was in shock. “Is it possible…?” he started asking, with a dark expression on his face.

“I don’t know… I don’t think so…” I mumbled, feeling suddenly awkward, and as the failure, Daniel had always accused me of.

I should have told him. This was my fault… I mean… who wasn’t on birth control these days? What was I thinking?

“I’ll go to the pharmacy in the morning…” I told him, looking for a towel to cover my body, too self-aware of my naked body with all its flaws.

“Problem solved,” he said, cuddling my face and making me look at him. “I’ll wear a condom meanwhile,” he promised before he leaned down and kissed me.

“Meanwhile?” I mumbled surprised.

I was so sure he wouldn’t touch me again, that I had ruined things between us, his words surprised me.

“The night is still young, Anne,” he assured me, as kissed me again, pulling me into the shower stall and under the warm stream of water.