Page 30 of Craving Francesca

“Lou,” Bas called, standing in my doorway as there was some kind of commotion in the living room. “Can you come back here?”

“I’m all right,” I said quickly as I started backing toward the bathroom. “I’m fine.”

“What happened?” Lou asked frantically as she pushed past Bas. “Frank?”

I glanced at Bas who was staring at the wall.

“I got it,” Lou said, squeezing his shoulder. “Can you finish breakfast? We’ll be out in a few minutes.”

Bas didn’t answer, the muscle in his jaw flexing.

“I’ve got her,” Lou said quietly. “We’ll be out in a minute. Promise.”

“You good, Frank?” Bas rumbled, still respectfully keeping his eyes averted.

“I’m not hurt,” I assured him, my voice rasping painfully in my throat.

“All right.” He turned on his heel and left.

The moment he was gone, Lou swung the door closed, and it bounced back open. Bas had mangled the latch when he’d burst through the door.

“He’ll fix it,” she muttered, turning to me. “What happened?”

“He—he—he—” I couldn’t even get the words out. I felt like such a fucking idiot. Why hadn’t I been paying attention? Iknewbetter. It was so ridiculous.

“What?” Lou said gently, moving closer. “Slow down and tell me.”

“He hasn’t been wearing a condom,” I blurted, my voice trembling.

Lou’s eyes widened. “You didn’t know?”

“Of course I didn’t know,” I snapped, gaping. “He was getting one, ripping it open, putting it on and then—”

“He took them off?” she asked in disbelief. “How do you know?”

I turned and hurried to the bathroom. I needed a shower. I neededbleach.

“Frank?” Lou called from the doorway.

“He didn’t bother to pretend last night,” I spat angrily, tears still rolling down my face. “I found the unused condom in the bed this morning.”

“That motherfucker,” she breathed.

“When I asked if he hadn’t been using them, he asked why it was such a big deal.” I turned the shower on as hot as it would go. “He didn’t deny it. He acted like I was overreacting because I was angry about it.”

“Oh my god,” Lou gaped. “What an asshole.”

I climbed into the shower, wincing at the burn. After a few deep breaths, I could stand the heat, and I leaned into the water. A pale, delicate hand snaked into the shower and turned the heat down. I let out a hiccup of a laugh.

“I’m going to finish breakfast, but I’ll be right back,” Lou announced. “Get cleaned up, and I’ll braid your hair when you’re out.”

I cleared my throat. Then I cleared it again, pressing the heels of my hands against my eyes. “Okay,” I called as soon as I knew my voice wouldn’t break.

“It’ll be okay, Frank,” she called gently. “We’ll get you an appointment right away. It’ll be okay.”

I nodded even though she couldn’t see me.

How in the hell had I let it happen? I was so stupid. I’d paid attention to make sure that he was putting one on, but I knew how condoms felt. How hadn’t I noticed that he was taking them off? How long had he been pulling that shit? It was terrifying to think about.

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