Page 14 of His Secretly Pregnant Cinderella

One last time.

He would never see her again. She had been his brother’s woman and she was only here now because to do anything other than pay her respects would be to needlessly uncover Alex’s weaknesses.

He understood that without her having to say it, because when his parents had spoken to him about including her as family, he’d not voiced an objection to it for the very same reason.

When the service ended, it was only himself, Morgan and his parents at the grave.

“Morgan,” he said, keeping his voice even-keeled. “Would you like me to give you a ride home?”

She looked up at him, her gaze questioning. And then in a breath, he saw his answer.

She knew going with him was a mistake. He wasn’t going to give her a ride home. Or, rather maybe he was. But he wasn’t going to simply drop her and leave her. And this was something she knew, something she knew innately now because she’d crossed that threshold from innocent to woman who knew.

And she wasn’t going to put a stop to it.

He did drive her home.

“My apartment is small,” she said, as soon as they were out on the sidewalk.

But her words were cut off by his kiss. Hard and dark and she wanted to weep because this was what she’d needed all day.

This was somehow different than the first time they were together. They were both so raw.

And he was...

He was something else entirely.

There was no cool detachment, no control.

None at all.

And she couldn’t pretend it was an aberration because it was happening again. She couldn’t pretend she’d make a better choice, a smarter choice next time.

Because next time was here, and she was diving in headfirst.

And she was afraid she might drown.

“Upstairs,” she whispered, because they were dangerously close to getting indecent on the street, and there were still people milling around in spite of the cold.

The North End of Boston always had people out late nights, going to bars and Italian bakeries and pizzerias. She didn’t need to put on a show.

“There isn’t an elevator,” she said when they went into the building and she started up the stairs.

He didn’t pause, he simply followed her up the staircase and to her apartment door. She shoved her key in the lock and jiggled it until it opened. “It’s a little tricky,” she said.

She was embarrassed. She hadn’t expected him to come over. She hadn’t ever had a man over at all. Alex had picked her up, but never come in.

But he didn’t seem to care about the size or state of the apartment. Instead, he was kissing her again, walking her back to her tiny bedroom and smaller bed, and laying her down on the narrow mattress.

She kissed him, arching her back against him as he pushed his hand up beneath her dress.

Her mourning clothes.

This was wrong and she didn’t care.

She wanted him.

And after tonight she would probably never see him again.

---