Page 67 of Deceitful Oath

“Lux,” he pants, trying to catch his breath. He strokes my jaw and runs his fingers across my lips. “I hope that was…”

“It was incredible,” I breathe, pulling him up for a deep kiss. We settle into each other’s arms, our bodies hot and sweaty under the cool breeze of the industrial ceiling fan. “You’re incredible.”

He laughs, placing his big warm hand right on my lower belly.That’s a conversation that’s definitely way past due. Do I tell him now? Will it ruin the moment?

I sigh, rolling over onto my side to face him and trail my finger along the curves and planes of his face. He closes his eyes, relaxing at my touch, a soft smile on his lips.

“Since this seems to be the day of truths,” I start hesitantly. “I have something to share.”

He nods, encouraging me. His eyes remain closed, and he maintains the appearance of total relaxation, but I feel him stiffen slightly under my touch.He’s scared. He’s scared of my truth.

“I found out a few weeks ago that I’m…pregnant.”

“What?”

His eyes fly open, and he shoots upright, gently grabbing my elbows in his hands.

“It’s yours, by the way,” I add, unsure if he thinks otherwise. He glares at me quickly and shakes his head.

“Obviously, it’s mine,” he scoffs, cupping my chin and kissing me gently on the lips. “Why didn’t you tell me when you found out?”

“Well, I was going to,” I hesitate, searching for the best way to word it without digging the knife in deeper. “I cooked you dinner that day to surprise you, but when you came home…well, you broke up with me.”

“Fuck.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Rafael

What can I possibly say to that?

I did come home and break up with her—right when she was about to tell me she was pregnant with my child. I imagine the hurt and confusion she must have been feeling that day and mentally berate myself for my horrible timing.

If I had only waited a day more to do it.Then what? I would have married her and moved to the suburbs to raise our baby? White picket fence and all?

Marriage. That was the answer, I suddenly realized. If Lux marries me, I can protect her and our child. She would be virtually untouchable in this city. I could give her the life she deserves.

The idea hits me so suddenly, so potently, that I spring out of bed and start pacing the length of the bedroom.

I run through the different scenarios and potential outcomes this might lead to but can’t come up with anything that would put her in a worse position than she’s in now.

“Rafael?” she calls, sitting up in bed. She still sounds like the name is strange to her, but the sound of my real name falling from her lips makes my heart and my cock clench up with desire for her.

I glance back at her, safely tucked away in a cloud of white bedding, looking like an angel. With her post-sex rosy cheeks and mussed-up hair, she’s never looked more beautiful.

I need to make her mine, forever.

“Lux, we have to get married,” I blurt, hopping back onto the bed and grabbing her hands in mine. She falls backward into the pillows with a little snort.

“What is this? The 1800s? We do nothaveto do anything,” she says with humor in her voice. “People raise babies outside of marriage all the time. I mean, do you even want to be involved in all of this? We broke up, remember?”

A tinge of pain and embarrassment flash across her face and I feel horribly guilty all over again. I pull her up so that we’re sitting, facing each other. Her eyes hold a million emotions, all of them breaking my heart.

“I don’t just want to be involved,” I start, my voice breaking with sincerity. “I want it all, the whole dream…a colorful house in that neighborhood you love, kids, a dog in the yard, you and me growing old together. Don’t you want that, too?”

I wait with bated breath as she processes what I’ve just said. If she answers no right now, I might just combust into a million pieces.

“I mean,” she starts, shaking her head. “We don’t even really know each other. How can I honestly answer that? We had a great time together, but committing to each other for an entire lifetime takes a bit more than a few weeks of dating.”

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