Page 18 of Bullied Pregnant Mate

And scary. It wasn’t just my attraction I was trying to hide. She definitely spooks me.

Luckily, I enjoy thrills.

“I wasn’t sure what you like,” I say, hurrying back to the kitchen to pile up two more plates. “Or if you had specific dietary needs, so I just made everything.”

“You sure did,” she mutters as I set down a loaded platter of sausage, bacon, eggs, and crispy fried potatoes.

When I sit down opposite her with my own food, I see a dazed look on her face, and doubt blooms in my guts.

“I’m sorry,” I say, feeling genuinely stupid. “It’s too much, isn’t it? I just wanted to do something nice. I felt like having a fancy breakfast together would be a good way of beginning our life as a couple.”

She looks up at me. Her crystal eyes are so still and cold, I feel like I’ve been hit with a blast of icy wind. I can’t even move under the force of it.

“Normally, I don’t eat much for breakfast,” she says. “But I am pretty hungry today.”

I watch her pick up a fork and attack the fried potatoes, waiting for her to say thank you. She gets about halfway through the plate before I realize she isn’t going to.

Why should she? I completely overdid it. It’s not a nice gesture, it’s a clumsy attempt to cover my guilt. I put so much effort into it, I practically forced her to sit down with me. I didn’t even ask if she wanted to!

The silence stretches out, becoming worse than awkward as the only sound in the room is the scrape of cutlery on plates. I can’t focus on my food, just keep looking up at her as if she might disappear if I don’t keep a close eye on her.

She can vanish just as quickly and quietly as she appears, and that’s exactly what I’m afraid of.

“Were you comfortable in the guest room?” I ask. Even though I’m trying to be diplomatic, it’s also a roundabout way of reminding her she didn’t sleep with me.

I’m such a fucking jerk. When am I going to grow up?

Alisa looks up at me, her eyes still and calm. “It was fine, thanks.”

“You know the west wing has several rooms, and two bathrooms. You’re welcome to use any you like.”

She just nods in response, keeping her eyes on her plate while she scoops up some bacon and egg.

“There’s the movie room, just at the end of the hall,” I continue. “The den has plenty of books and a big fireplace. There’s a ballroom in the east wing, but I don’t think you’ll have much use for that.”

I lighten my tone, trying to make a joke, but when she looks up at me, her face is set in an expression of indignation.

“Jenks.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve been in your house before.”

“Oh? Oh! You mean, you actually came to my parties in high school?”

She shrugs. “Once or twice. It’s true that I didn’t look around much, but I got the general layout and stuff. I won’t get lost.”

Is that a joke? Should I laugh?

Since I’m not sure, I decide to just finish my breakfast, demolishing the sausage and potatoes in a few bites. When I look up, Alisa is stacking up a couple of pancakes and drenching them in syrup.

“So… I have to go to town soon and meet with Bae,” I say. “I shouldn’t be too long, and I’d like to take you out shopping later. You can get anything you like. I just want you to feel comfortable here.”

Alisa looks up at me, slowly licking syrup off her lips. “That sounds really good, thank you.”

I’m so mesmerized by the slow movement of her tongue that it takes me a moment to catch up to the conversation again. When I finally do, I clear my throat and stack up the plates, taking them to the sink.

“I’ll just get ready, then,” I say. “Leave your stuff on the bench, I’ll clean up later.”

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