Page 27 of Not A Whisper

I roll my eyes. “What if you change your mind after you move in?”

“That won’t happen.”

I look away from the heated look he’s pinning me with. My heart is working overtime as I consider his request. “Why do you want this?”

“Because I absolutely, one hundred and fucking ten percent adore you, and it feels right.”

My head jerks upward in surprise. Jason watches me in amusement as I struggle to free my fingers from my hair that holds them hostage. I give up, knowing only a half a bottle of conditioner will undo the mess sitting on top of my head.

“You’re ridiculous.” I move to go clean up the mess between my legs and get ready for the day, but Jason snags my wrist and pulls me back toward him.

“Ja—”

He drags me on top of him with ease. I sit up, straddling his waist. Rather than let go of me, he grabs my waist and holds me firmly in place.

“You’re going to get messy,” I point out, feeling his cum leaking from my body onto his torso.

“I’m not being ridiculous. Do you know how badly I want you?” he asks me, suddenly serious.

My face scrunches into a thoughtful expression. “Bad enough to blackmail me into a relationship?”

I meant it to come out as a joke, despite the truth behind my words, but Jason’s face darkens. A smile forms but it's cold—nearly brittle. I try not to allow the smidgen of unease that blossoms in my chest in its wake to grow much bigger. Only trouble can follow a look like this, and Jason is capable of anything.

“I’ll do much more if I need to in order to keep you.”

I huff loudly. What is going on this morning? “Threats? Before coffee? It’s bold to assume I’ll tolerate that.”

“Dick replaced coffee this morning.” Jason’s smile defrosts swiftly. Oh boy, he’s going to give me whiplash going through mood changes like this. “I’ll wear you down until ‘no’ or ‘you’re ridiculous’ aren’t even in your vocabulary anymore. I’m serious, dollie.”

I’m sure he is. Right now though, I’m not ready to deal with whatever shenanigans he’s implying.

“Let’s talk when my lease is up.” It’s a deflection and Jason knows it. Still, my answer seems to nullify his bad mood.

“Fine.” He lets go of me and I slide off him and out of bed. Just as I make it to the door he adds, “It just feels weird, being engaged and not living together.”

My footsteps falter. I bite my bottom lip to keep a hysterical laugh from slipping out.Engaged? God, I’d almost forgotten about that. Toward the end of the fall semester, the guys gaveme a label. ‘Fiancée’ is what they wanted to call me. At the time, I thought they were playing around. That they were agreeing to a relationship in their own fucked up way. And I—thrilled that they still wanted to play—had conceded to the label.

Since then, no one’s brought it up. They haven’t been around to do so.

But why is Jason bringing it up now? Hopefully it’s just to ruffle my feathers and nothing more. Pushing aside the ludicrous notion, I hurry out of my bedroom and make my way to the bathroom.

Seven

“I’ll be right back. I’m just going to introduce myself to Dr. Hambre, and then we can go.”

That was the last I heard from Jason, and that was over an hour and a half ago. Since then, I’ve been left to my own devices.

And I don’t particularly mind given our destination.

The sounds of cows mooing and sheep baaing are louder than the murmur of conversation around me. As people meander around the mobile stalls, peeking into them to check out the livestock for sale, an auctioneer panders somewhere nearby. Handlers are moving about to greet potential buyers or to muck the stalls. But even with fresh hay piles all over the place and their constant cleaning, it smells like a farm here.

But my attention isn’t on the people around me, or the cow that’s being auctioned off. The baby goat, laying in a pile of hay next to its mother, is the smallest goat I’ve ever seen. And probably the cutest. Occasionally, it bleats softly, but mostly it lays there, trying hard not to fall asleep.

Bracing my forearms on the railing, I watch the peacefullittle creature. Each minute that ticks by, my resolve not to break the law and steal it weakens. My heart swells as I stare. Who knew, in this massive pole barn that Jason brought us to, that such an amazing little creature would steal my heart? Around me, there are other stalls with other animals both big and small, young and old, but this little goat… He, or she, has captured my undivided attention.

Could I get away with trying to smuggle it out in my purse? I brought my bigger one today. My jacket is pretty thick too. No one would notice if I zipped it up and waddled out of here…

“Thinking about taking my kid from me?”

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