Page 85 of Theirs to Hunt (Girls Like Us #1)

Chapter eighty-five

W e were still damp, wrapped in towels, the bathroom quiet except for the soft drip of water and the sound of our breathing. He carried me to the vanity, and I sat there clinging to the edge of my towel, staring up at him.

He stood between my knees, watching. Waiting. He already knew something was coming.

I exhaled slowly. “We should talk about birth control.”

He didn’t flinch. Didn’t tense. Just nodded once.

“Okay,” he said, steady. “Are you on anything?”

I shook my head. “No. I haven’t needed it. The last few guys I dated...” I let it hang there, giving him a pointed look. “Let’s just say they weren’t long-term material. Or even remotely tempting. ”

Something flickered across his face, dark and possessive, but he didn’t interrupt.

“The pill made me sick. The shot made me gain weight like I was prepping for hibernation. And the IUD?” I scoffed. “They placed it wrong. It hurt like hell. I made them take it out.”

His hand brushed my thigh. Not warning. Support.

“And last night?” he asked.

I smirked faintly. “Not the right timing. I ovulate like clockwork. We’re fine. Although I was thinking I’d grab Plan B and cover the past few days until we land on something else.”

His eyes tightened at that. The words Plan B, or maybe just the weight of what it meant.

I don’t have a full read on him yet. I don’t think I ever will. But he’s still the one who shows me more than anyone else ever has.

He was quiet for a long moment. Then he said, “That’s mine now.”

I blinked. “What is?”

“The risk. The responsibility. You don’t carry that alone anymore.”

My chest ached the way it does when someone says something too kind, too direct, too much. So, naturally, I deflected.

“So what I’m hearing is... we’re trying to start the Calhoun family line early?”

He didn’t laugh. Instead, he leaned in, slow and deliberate, eyes locked on mine, lips brushing the corner of my mouth. A threat and a promise.

“Careful, little fawn. I take legacy seriously.”