Page 41 of His Captor

I was, but hearing the question asked made that anger burst and dissolve into shame.

“This has all just thrown me for a loop,” I said, scratching at one of the curlicues on the table. “First, I never expected to have a baby this young. Second, I didn’t expect to have the alpha who knocked me up suddenly reappear in my life. Third….”

Silence followed.

“Third?” Mace prompted me.

I didn’t really have a third, so I just looked at him, head lowered.

Well, I did have a third. The third was that I was ashamed of myself for having something so good and flying away from it. And now that Mace was back in my life, as his real self, not some dark fantasy, I was scared. I didn’t want to give my heart away only to have him fly away and break it. Especially when a baby was involved.

“I don’t have a third,” I lied. “I just said it to sound good.”

Mace stared at me like he didn’t believe me.

He sat back in his chair, studying me. He studied me for too long. The more he looked at me, the hotter I got. Or maybe that was the smell of summer and old books. At the same time, the intensity of his gaze made me feel like he was seeing all of my flaws and didn’t approve.

I wasn’t sure I could take it, but then Junior saved the day.

“Oh, God. I have to pee,” I said, sitting suddenly straighter.

“Do you need—” Mace straightened as well, like he would throw his arms wide and spot me as I stood.

“I don’t know what I need,” I said genuinely.

“Let me at least get the door for you.”

Mace grabbed his grocery bag and strode around to hold the front door to my building. Our building. I waddled through, bristling with panic because I didn’t know what to do. About my bladder or anything.

By the time we reached the elevator, Mace seemed to have made up his mind about something.

“Okay, look,” he said as we whooshed up to the tenth floor, where my apartment was. I noticed he’d hit the penthouse button. “I don’t know what to do in this situation any more than you do. But I do know one thing.”

“Yeah?” I peeked hopefully at him.

“I don’t know Barrington at all, and I could use someone to show me around, show me all the sights,” he said. “You want that job?”

I smiled as the elevator stopped on my floor and the doors slid open. Mace reached out to hold the door and keep it from shutting.

“Does this mean you’ll be my boss twice over?” I asked.

Mace let out an amused breath and smiled as well. His shoulders loosened, and I caught a glimpse of the smoking hot, easy-going, confident alpha I’d been with in Port Lucia.

“Not your boss, just your friend. I’d like us to be friends.”

I’d like us to be kinky fuck-buddies, but something told me Junior would kill the mood.

Unless Mace had a pregnancy fetish.

Oh, God. What if Mace had a pregnancy fetish? I hadn’t had sex since that weekend, and I was more or less gagging for it.

A twinge from my stomach kicked those thoughts right out of my head.

Well, as far as thoughts about sex ever left my head.

“Sure,” I said, my smile easier. “I’d love to be friends. I can show you around Barrington.” My bladder twinged, and I grimaced. “Just as soon as I pee.”

Mace laughed as I hurried out into the hallway. “I’ll meet you back down in the lobby in ten minutes.”

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