Two words and my heart is pounding in my chest like a bass drum. Did she just…?
Genny looks over her shoulder at me. “I wouldn’t want to undermine anything her parents have taught her.”
“Right,” I say, my breath still caught in my lungs. That’s what she meant by that. Still, I can’t help but think there’s a layer of honesty to her statement. We’ve hinted at feelings for each other now, and yet we keep dancing around actually saying it. But moments like this? I have to think the words aren’t that far off.
My stomach twists at the thought, in a mostly pleasant way. And a little bit not so pleasant. I mean, this is a big thing we’re talking about—or not talking about, exactly—and while it’s exciting, it’s also fucking terrifying.
Also terrifying is what comes out of Mina’s mouth next. “Are you going to have a baby now?”
I scrub a hand over my face. “Wait…what?”
“Mommy says that when two people—”
“Hey, Mina,” I cut her off once I get the gist of where she’s going with this. “Why don’t you go downstairs and see if Millie saved me any of her famous pancakes? I’ll be down in just a minute, okay?”
She pauses, not completely sold on the idea of leaving me, but then suddenly she says, “Okay,” and darts out of the room.
“Damn. That was…” I trail off, not sure how best to finish the sentence.
Genny finishes it for me. “Precious. That’s what it was.”
“God only knows what she’ll say to everyone else about this encounter. I better get down there.” Reluctantly, I hop out of bed.
Genevieve stares after me with glassy eyes. “You’re going to be a really good father, you know.”
“Now that’s really terrifying.” I use the excuse of digging through my suitcase to hide my face from hers because, seriously, I’m imagining children waking us up in the future, children that don’t belong to my brother.
I wonder if Genny’s imagining the same.
Which reminds me of something else that we should probably address. “We haven’t used a condom these last few times.” I pull on a pair of jeans and turn to face her. “This isn’t your way of saying you’re not really on the pill, is it?”
She laughs. “No. I’m definitely on the pill.”
“Not that it wouldn’t be okay. I mean, we’re too young. And just met. And we have other agendas right now. But it would be cool. If you were. You know, just in case.” God, I sound like an idiot. No wonder she calls me goofy.
I meet her eyes, and yes, she’s laughing at me, but there’s something else too. Adoration, maybe? It’s how I imagine I must be looking at her.
“I’m not worried about it,” she says, completely in control of her speech, unlike me. “I’m not worried that I’ll get pregnant,” she clarifies. “But I’m also not worried about what would happen if I did. I know you’d be supportive.”
Supportive? I’d be goddamn-father-of-the-year if I had the opportunity.
Whoa. This really is moving fast.
I take a deep breath as I throw on a T-shirt. We’re just talking. That’s all. The kind of conversation all responsible adults have when they start having sex without latex. It’s all good.
When I turn back to her, she’s on her side, propped up on her elbow watching me, and it takes every bit of strength I can muster not to crawl back into bed with her. A day in bed sounds so perfect, and not only because my dick is twitching in my jeans, but because I can’t get enough of this woman. I want to talk to her and touch her and just be with her. All the time.
“If you keep looking at me like that, you’re never going to get out of here, and there will be one sad little girl waiting downstairs.”
“More likely she’ll come looking for me up here again.” I sigh, resigned to the fact that I have to leave her. But not without a good morning kiss.
I crawl over the bed toward her.
“Chandler, no! I haven’t brushed my teeth.”
I shake my head. “I don’t care.” She didn’t seem to care when we woke up in the middle of the night for yet another round of let’s-see-how-deep-I-can-go. She doesn’t fight me now either when I wrap my hand in her hair, tugging it sharply before ravishing her mouth.
I swear she tastes like fucking candy. I love it.
I love her.
“Are you going to come down too?” I ask when I bring myself to pull away, surprised I didn’t spill the contents of my heart instead.
“Yes. I want to shower and then I’ll join you.” Fuck, showering with her sounds even more delicious than my housekeeper’s pancakes. “Is that okay?”
Little girl. Waiting for me. Got to go.
I kiss Genny once more on her nose. “As long as you think of me while you’re in there.”
She agrees, and I’m not sure if it’s that or the kiss that caused the hard-on I’m sporting. The sight of her naked body as I watch her slip into the bathroom definitely doesn’t help.
Needing a few minutes to cool down before I go downstairs, I pace the room and recite the Pledge of Allegiance until something catches my eye—a folder sticking out of Genny’s suitcase with the Pierce Industries logo at the top of it.
I’m curious.
Okay, I’m a goddamned snoop.
I pull the folder out and find dozens of pages of financial transcripts, all belonging to Pierce Industries.
Which is weird, right? I mean, she wants to do business with us, but her interest is in Werner Media. So why on earth does she have this? I’m not sure where she’d even get that information. Not sure if it’s even public.