Page 93 of Stags

“Come on, be honest. You have a very comfortable and very regimented little sleep ritual here, and I’m just going to be in the way. You want to sleep alone. Admit it.”

Her lips parted, and she tried to protest.

“I don’t mind,” he said with a grin. “Sleep alone with your pillows. Just don’t try to get out of dinner on Thursday.”

“I would never,” she said. “You’rethe one who canceled our date tonight.”

“Admit it, kick me out, Tawny,” he said, his voice low and lilting. “Tell me you want me to go.”

She put her hands on her hips.

“You’re very fucking gorgeous when you’re angry and naked,” he said.

“I’m not angry,” she protested.

He just laughed.

So they kissed for a while, naked, her pussy just dripping with the way he’d filled her up, and then… he left.

She fell dazed into bed, alone, happy, and sated, and sort of glad that he wasn’t going to be there to contend with in the morning, because shewasused to her routine.

She lived alone, not in her mother’s house, but she had figured she’d move in with her family for a while, at least until her fawn was five or six and in school. Then she could arrange childcare with her sisters or her mother and probably get her own place again. If she wanted. She had thought maybe she’d end up liking it, living with family, even though she never had before.

She liked her space.

Did he just understand this about her?

If so, wasn’t that kind of a good thing?

Yeah, but if she was pregnant, she was going tohaveto give up her routine and her space and everything else.

She felt a stab of panic at this thought, suddenly.

Do I want to be pregnant?

Athos’s semen slipped sloppily out of her, taunting her that it was too late to be taking it back.

THE DATE COMMENCEDon Thursday between Tawny and Athos, and it went off without a hitch. They met up for dinner. If she’d worried it would be awkward or strange between them, it absolutely wasn’t.

He was excited to see her, complimented her dress, said she looked absolutely amazing, and grinned at her while they made small talk over the table, talking about their weeks and their jobs and everything else.

He seemed charming and handsome and didn’t say one jerkish thing, and she felt off-kilter about it, but she couldn’t say why.

She pointed out when he picked up the wrong fork. “That’s the dessert fork. You work in, using the utensils on the outer edges first. It actually makes sense.”

He set the dessert fork down, grinning. “Ooh, it makes me kind of hot when you criticize me.”

“That wasn’t criticism,” she muttered. “You’ll know it when I criticize you.”

He smirked. “I look forward to it.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.

She couldn’t help but feel unsettled by that, too, but in a good way, a way that made her feel a little excited and also, well, accepted, somehow. Like he was really looking at her and he understood her.

“I’m sorry about the fork thing.”

“No, no,” he said, “I get it. You like things to be done the right way. You’ve told me this before. Keep me in line, Tawny.” His lips curved into a smile she could only describe as sinful.

He was charming and handsome and she started wondering if everything was going to work out, likereallywork out?

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