Page 13 of Orange Spell
He sucked in a breath.He’d done it.He’d left Marlin’s bed and his arms, and Marlin hadn’t noticed.Hopefully, he wouldn’t remember the night they’d shared.
Thinking that made Curran feel like an asshole.He didn’t want Marlin to remember, but he also didn’t want to think about the fact that if he didn’t, what they’d done last night wasn’t right.Marlin had offered to sleep with Curran, but Curran should’ve said no.He shouldn’t have taken advantage of how drunk Marlin had been.Being drunk was the only way Marlin would have done it.There was no other explanation.
Curran felt the sudden need to throw up.
Everything got worse when he got home.He’d hoped to be able to sneak into his bedroom, but his mothers were already awake.They were both in the kitchen, so they caught him the second he walked in through the door.
Alaina frowned.“You’re not in your bedroom?”
“I went for a walk,” Curran quickly said, hoping they’d believe him—knowing they wouldn’t.
Yarra snorted.“If you want to call it a walk, sure.”
“Mom!”Curran protested.“Can we not talk about that?”
“You’re an adult, so I suppose we can skip the questionsandthe speech.”
“You’ve already given me the speech, anyway.”It had been mortifying.
“Well, I hope you remembered it last night,” Alaina said.She was staring at Curran’s stomach in a way that made Curran uncomfortable.“You used protection, didn’t you?”
Curran glanced down and froze.The fertility line on his stomach was unmistakable.If he wasn’t careful and had sex without protection, he could get pregnant.
He definitely hadn’t been careful last night.
* * * *
MARLIN WOKE UP WITHa smile on his lips.How could he not?The first thought on his mind was that he and Curran had spent the night together.Marlin had wondered many times how it would feel to do that, and he was glad he’d offered last night.Hopefully, Curran wasn’t too hungover, and they could take advantage of the few hours Marlin had before he had to go to work after lunch.
He stretched and extended his arm to the side, frowning when the only thing he touched was fabric.He blinked open his eyes, swearing when the sunlight burned them.It took a moment, but he eventually managed to look around, and when he did, he almost regretted it.
His nest was empty.Curran was supposed to be there, cuddled next to him, but he wasn’t.In fact, he wasn’t in the room at all.It was empty.
As empty as his nest.
He sat up and listened.Maybe Curran was in the bathroom.Marlin had cleaned him up as best as he could last night after they’d been together, but Curran probably wanted a shower.Marlin certainly did.
He couldn’t hear anything, though.There was no sound of water or anyone walking around.There was no sound at all.The only thing he could hear was himself, which didn’t bode well.
Where was Curran?
Marlin groaned when he sat up.His stomach roiled, and he told himself that this wasn’t the moment to throw up.What if Curran was hungover?What if he was curled up on the bathroom floor, feeling sick?
Marlin got to his feet.He grimaced when he stumbled, but the sense of urgency he felt wouldn’t allow him to slow down.He made his way to the bathroom, still blinking at the sunlight, still hoping Curran would be there.
He wasn’t.The bathroom was empty, and there were no signs that it had been used since last night.The sink was dry, as was the shower.
Curran had left.That was the only thing Marlin could think about as he leaned against the counter.He’d thought he and Curran had finally taken a step into a relationship he’d wanted for years, but apparently, he’d been the only one to feel that way.He hoped he and Curran could talk this morning, maybe agree to be together, but instead, Curran had left before Marlin had even opened his eyes.
That was all Marlin needed to know, wasn’t it?He thought they could talk, but it was clear that Curran didn’t want to talk.If he did, he would have stayed.
He swallowed.He couldn’t afford to wallow.He had to go to work in a few hours, and he needed to clean up and eat before then.The thought of eating anything made him want to throw up, but he didn’t have to think about that just yet.He could focus on other things, push Curran to the back of his mind, and focus on returning to what his life had been before.
There would always be a before from now on, wouldn’t there?There would be a before Marlin found out what Curran felt like under him and around him, how he felt like cuddled in Marlin’s arms.
Marlin groaned.He needed to stop.He wasn’t a lovesick teenager.He was an adult and the king’s bodyguard, and he had work to do.
Reminding himself of that was enough to push him to get into the shower.He started with cold water to shock himself out of his maudlin thoughts, then went on with his business.He washed up, brushed his teeth, and put his room to rights.Once that was done, he left his rooms.
