Page 18 of His Kingdom

“Thanks, but I think I’ll stick with the medical tests.” She sighs. “Look, I had fun. Itwasfun, but you can tell your guard dog here to leave me alone now.”

“Give the phone back to Sammie.” I’m not mad that she wants to go and get checked out after having unprotected sex. It’s smart on her part. It’s not something she should be doing alone, though.

“Boss?” Sammie asks.

“Stay with her. Text me the address and I’ll meet you there.” I cut the call and walk over to the sink, strip out of my shirt, and wash my hands. The water turns red with the fucker’s blood. “Finish up here. I’ve got something to do,” I call out to Carlo.

“Yeah, you know what’s worse than an STD? A kid. Unprotected? That’s not like you,” he replies.

“How the fuck would you know how I fuck?” I lift a questioning brow in his direction.

“I don’t. But you’re smart, and not wrapping it isn’t smart.” He shrugs.

I don’t care what these fuckers think. Was it smart?No.Do I regret it?Also, no. Being inside Charlotte is probably the best thing I’ve ever felt. And it’s something I plan on feeling again as soon as possible.

* * *

I pull into the parking lot at the health clinic a few minutes after Sammie sent me the details. And when I walk inside, I find Charlotte sitting in the waiting area. The moment Sammie spots me, he stands and walks over.

“You want me to stick around?” he asks.

“Nah, I got it. Go help Carlo,” I tell him.

“Gladly.” Sammie smiles. I guess disposing of a body is better than sitting in a health clinic. At least for him it is. Right now, there is no place I would rather be than here, supporting this woman.

I take the chair my friend just vacated, and Charlotte looks over at me. “You didn’t need to come here.”

“You should have waited for me. I would have called the doc in for whatever tests you wanted,” I tell her.

Charlotte blinks at me. “Why are you here?”

“Because you’re here.” I shrug.

“Don’t you have things to do?” she asks.

“What’s more important than making sure neither of us has any diseases?” I counter. “If you’re going to get tested, it’s only right that I do it with you.”

“Yeah? You going to ask them to give you the morning-after pill too?” She raises a challenging brow.

“The what now?” I know what the morning-after pill is. I just don’t agree with her taking one. Something about it doesn’t sit right with me.

“The morning-after pill. It’s this magic little pill that will hopefully ensure I don’t end up pregnant,” she explains.

“You don’t want kids?”

“I do, actually. But I’d prefer to be married to their father first. Being a single mom may not be totally avoidable—because who knows? I could end up marrying some deadbeat asshole. That said, it’s not something I’m gonna set out to do,” she says.

“Don’t take the pill,” I tell her, and Charlotte’s head whips in my direction.

“Excuse me?”

“Look, I get it. Your body, your choice. And I’m one hundred percent onboard with that. But, if you’re only taking the pill because you think you’ll be a single mom with a deadbeat for a baby daddy, then I’ll be the first to tell you that’s not happening here. I wouldn’t abandon you or any child I helped create.”

Charlotte shakes her head. “You don’t even know me.”

“I know enough.” I lean in closer to her. “I know how you taste. I know how you sound when you come, and I know the way your brows crease when an orgasm hits you. I know that you talk in your sleep, and I know that you’re smart. Probably too smart to be mixed up with the likes of me.”

“Oh god, what did I say in my sleep?” she gasps.

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