Page 86 of The Duke's Virgin

“I won’t stop being your friend, cousin. Don’t stop being mine.” He caught a lock of my hair and tugged. “Talk to me.”

I closed my hand around his wrist, but he flipped it around just at the last second so that we ended up with our hands loosely linked. The concern on his face proved to be my undoing. Without any idea it was about to happen, I dropped my head forward to rest on his shoulder. “I’ve fucked things up, Aeric. I meanbad.”

“It can’t be that bad.” He gave me a reassuring pat on the back, then urged me to look at him. “Come on, talk to me.”

Talk to him. Where did I begin?

I hesitated, trying to find the right words.

Somebody knocked on the door. Aeric sighed and stepped away. “I had the kitchen get breakfast ready for you. You’ll eat, and we’ll talk.”

Warily, I eyed the door as he opened it.

One of the kitchen staff pushed in a cart. That familiar cold sweat broke out over the back of my neck while my face began to heat. Shit.

“Just set it up over there,” Aeric said, unaware of my imminent run for the toilet.

I started to shift toward the door to the bedroom—and the bathroom. The man in his pristine white uniform placed the tray on the table and whisked off the silver dome.

The scent of food filled the air, and my belly revolted.

Spinning on my heel, I rushed for the bathroom, ignoring the startled voices from behind me. I barely made it to the toilet and bent over, emptying my belly.

Ginger tea and water rushed out.

I was vaguely aware of Aeric, and after the second spasm, I heard his footsteps as he came over. Saliva pooled in my mouth, and I groaned, another spasm twisting my stomach. This time, as I bent forward, Aeric held my hair.

My belly calmed after a few more seconds, and I eased away. He helped me to my feet, and I took great care not to look at him as I went over to the sink. I rinsed my mouth out with water, the weight of his eyes on me unbelievably heavy. Brushing my teeth bought me a few more minutes, but that was it.

Finally, I blew out a sigh and turned to meet his gaze.

Aeric was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed with a troubled look in his eyes.

“You’re pregnant, aren’t you?”

No point in lying about it, so I didn’t. “Yes.”

“You told me that you and Emmett weren’t close…like that.” A dull flush settled over his cheeks, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

Leaning back against the counter, I jammed my hands into the pockets of my robe. My belly had already calmed down. If I waited a few more minutes, I might even be able to eat. “It’s not his baby.”

“All right.” Aeric pushed off the wall and came closer. “Who is the father?”

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

He narrowed his eyes.

I stared him down. “I’ll be raising the baby on my own, Aeric.”

“So, you ended up sleeping with a deadbeat.” He heaved out a breath and looked away. “Sorry, that came out wrong. We all end up meeting people we really wish we hadn’t let into our life.”

Words burned in my throat, things I wanted to say, but couldn’t. I swallowed them down and stared at the middle of his chest.

“Is this why my aunt and uncle have been giving you so much trouble?”

I gave a stiff nod. I’d confided in him in several texts, but I also knew my mother had talked to my aunt on several occasions, bitching about me, no doubt.

“They’ll start up again when you go back home.”

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