Page 44 of Teach Me
She took another taste of her coffee, seeking courage in the caffeine, followed by a deep breath. “So…I do have to go in to work for a little while, at least. I’m sure there are things I need to follow up with Gaines too. What’s on your agenda for today?”
Conlan stared into his cup, frowning. He cleared his throat. “I think we need to talk before we decide that.”
Dread filtered slowly through her veins, tightening muscles, clenching her teeth.Breathe. You’ve survived worse. You can survive this too, remember.
Yeah, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t hurt like a son of a bitch.
“Ithink I’ve heard those words before.” She turned her back and headed for a bar stool. When she was seated, her cup warming her icy hands, she looked over at his dead-serious face. “Spill it.”
“Jess, last night was…”
She let her eyelids slipped closed at the standard speech. Had he rehearsed it, or did he already know it by heart?
“It was amazing, Jess. Thank you.”
Her eyes popped back open, round with surprise. Not what she’d expected to hear, but she was afraid to hope. His expression didn’t shout happiness—it shoutedGet me out of here!
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Well, my nipples feel bruised and my pelvis aches and all I really want is for us to go at it again and forget the concept of talking ever existed.She didn’t think she’d answer that. At least not honestly, not when they were right in the middle of the I-don’t-think-we-should-see-each-other-anymore speech. “I’m fine.”
He cleared his throat. “Good.” Another sip, another throat clearing. “We… The condom we used…last night. It…it broke.”
Her lungs collapsed under a shitload ofcrap!She set her cup down with extreme care on the cool, smooth countertop.
Conlan was still talking. “I take full responsibility. I should have been paying attention. I should’ve noticed. Changed condoms. Especially before the second time. I just…didn’t. Notice, I mean. I— It was too—”
“Amazing.”
The coffee swirling in his cup seemed to fascinate him. “Yes.”
Jess’s gaze was stuck on Conlan. She’d thought she would hearIt was great, but…notYou might be a mommy. Shouldn’t she have noticed? She remembered the warmth deep inside when Conlan climaxed, but she’d been too inexperienced to realize that wasn’t normal with a condom. At least, she assumed it wasn’t normal, now, after…
Jesus.
The silence was loud between them, so loud Jess prayed it covered the pounding of her heart. It wasn’t fear. The thought of carrying Conlan’s child, now, before she was ready, before he had the chance to change his whole anti-picket-fence stance, didn’t scare her nearly as bad as she thought it should. What scared her was his reaction—or lack thereof. She searched his face, coming up empty.
Okay, well…She cleared her throat.
“God, I feel like a nineteen-year-old caught with his pants down.”
The image was so unimaginable Jess couldn’t hold back a laugh. Conlan glanced up from under his lashes, watching her hold her belly and laugh hysterically, and a sheepish smile touched his lips before he set his coffee cup down and came around the end of the bar. His arms settled around her the way she’d wanted them to when she’d walked into the room, and then he was replacing her giggles with his tongue. Jess swallowed the taste of coffee and amusement and Conlan.
When he finally stopped kissing her, Jess gulped in a breath. Conlan nuzzled her nose with his. “Good to know I can make you laugh.”
“It’s either laugh or cry,” she said, smiling up at him.
His gaze went serious. “I’m sorry. You’ve got enough on you right now without this.”
Staring up at him, she did some quick calculations. “I’d be more worried if it was last week, but as it is…” She shrugged. “It’s not likely, and we have more important things to focus on right now.”
“So, don’t worry until we have something to worry about?”
“I think so.”
Conlan seemed to think about that for a moment before giving her a brief nod. “Okay.” He tilted down, his mouth settling on hers, and time slipped away as she lost herself in his kiss.
The ringing of her cell phone back in the bedroom finally brought them up for air. “That’s Saul,” she said as she ran her hands down the firm muscles of Conlan’s chest, her fingertips catching on his pointed nipples. “It is safe for me to go, right? It’s broad daylight.”
