Page 42 of Full House

He didn’t give her a chance to respond before he continued, dropping her chin and taking a step back to lean against the counter with his arms folded across his chest. “Which accusation would you like me to address first? The missing phone calls or the pretty blonde?”

Okay, so maybe he was angry. She swiped her face and sniffed before mimicking his stance, leaning her hip on the counter and crossing her arms over her chest. “Let’s start with the phone calls and work our way up to the good stuff.”

“Sweetheart, now’s not the best time to be a smartass.”

Was there another definition for endearment? Because the context he used sweetheart in, it definitely wouldn’t qualify. She pressed her lips together, refusing to give him more ammo.

“The airport lost my luggage and with it, my phone. I called you from the hotel and did leave a message, but I get the feeling you didn’t receive it.”

Victoria felt her shoulders sag. That must have been the unknown number with the garbled message.

“Why didn’t you call April? She would have told you what happened.”

Oh, shit. Things were starting to click into place. She knew April didn’t like her, but would she really be that devious? Apparently, the answer was, yes. “I did. She didn’t mention anything about your lost phone. In fact, it was she who, so very helpfully, sent me the link to the pictures of you leaving the party with the blonde.”

“Victoria, I didn’t leave with her. I escorted her out and put her in a taxi.”

She recalled his grip had been on the woman’s upper arm and not the low of her back as if he’d been hauling and not leading her out. Yeah, she was starting to see the real truth. If April purposefully didn’t mention the lost phone, it wasn’t a stretch to see why she’d point her in the direction of misleading photos. Tipping her head down—she wouldn’t say in shame but feeling something close to it—she mumbled, “I’m sorry.”

She felt Nate’s strong arms wrap around her, pulling her into his chest, his lips finding the top of her head. “There’s no need to be sorry.”

“Yes, there is. I overreacted. I, of all people, should know better than to believe a tabloid story. I blame it on the stupid raging hormones. They’ve got my emotions all over the place.” She stiffened in his arms, realizing what she’d said. Hopefully, he wouldn’t pick up on her words or her reaction to them.

Yeah, no such luck.

≈≈≈

Nate felt Victoria stiffen and he replayed her last words through his head. Raging hormones. He was no expert, but from what he remembered, women only said that when either A) they had their period or B) they were pregnant.

He pulled her gently away from his chest and looked down at her tear streaked face. Her eyes were red, a little puffy, and as wide as saucers. “Are you on your period?”

But he already knew what the answer would be. Quickly calculating back, it had been months since she’d last had it. The slow shake of her head confirmed what he’d already deduced. “So…” he paused, trying to wrap his brain around the news.

He felt her hands fist the open front of his shirt. “I was going to tell you, promise. I was waiting until you got back from your trip.”

His mind still a whirl, he muttered, “How long have you known?”

He watched as her tongue came out, moistening her lips. “Only about a week. I wanted to go to the doctor and confirm it before I said anything.”

“And you went?”

She nodded. “Yeah, a few days ago. I’m thirteen weeks along.”

The fog started to clear as the news fully sank in. He was going to be a father. His heart started beating at a quick tempo, excitement mixed with fear, causing his adrenaline to spike.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know how it happened. I’ve been taking my pills regularly, and I don’t think I missed any—”

“Shut up.” He backed her into the corner of the counter, pressing himself into her.

“What?”

“I said,” he grasped her jaw, tilting her head back, “Shut up, so I can kiss you.”

His lips found hers, and he wasn’t gentle. His tongue slid past her lips, deepening the kiss so he could taste her. It had been too long. Three days without a Victoria fix. He hadn’t realized he’d been in withdrawal.

His dick, already hard, turned to steel the moment their tongues touched, and he knew she felt it too—their electrical connection—from the purr that thrummed from her throat and the fingers she dug into his hips. He leisurely ended the kiss, sucking on her bottom lip before letting it slowly slide through his lips with a pop.

Her eyes were dazed, her lips swollen and looking entirely too enticing when she said, “You’re not mad? I know we’ve never talked about this possibility. Hell, we’ve never even talked about what we are or if we’re even anything.”

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