Page 94 of Crashing the Altar
“And?” I pressed, needing to know while at the same time wanting to plug my fingers in my ears to keep from hearing what she had to say.
Tripp’s lips thinned. “She said we don’t have much of a choice. Tucker weighed in and said the sooner we get it done, the better. Mentioned something about the testing being more risky if we wait?”
Bile rose up my throat. I swallowed it back down, grimacing against the burn of the retreating stomach acid. “If we don’t get it done in the next eight days, it switches from a cheek swab to a needle through my belly.”
His eyebrows rose so high they kissed his hairline. “What?”
My nose tingled, and I scrunched it up, trying to keep the tears at bay. “Yeah.”
“No.” He gave a firm shake of his head. “Absolutely not.” A shaky palm settled over my belly. “We’ll help haul the horses to Nebraska on Monday before turning around and heading straight home.”
Eyes sliding shut, I dragged in a deep breath. “Okay.”
“And until then, I want you to stay in bed.” The pointed look he shot me told me he meant business.
“Don’t you think you’re being a little dramatic?” I teased, hoping to lighten him up.
Tripp tipped his head forward, using his fingers to comb through his black tresses. “Take a peek for me, darlin’. I’m sure there’s no less than fifty gray hairs after yesterday.”
Putting my annoyance aside, I could appreciate how traumatic it must have been for him to get a call from a stranger telling him his pregnant wife was having a meltdown on the sidewalk.
Placing my hands on the sides of his face, I lifted his gaze to meet mine before leaning in to brush my lips over his, whispering against them, “I’m okay.”
His swallow was audible. “Please,” he begged. “Just so I don’t have to worry?”
“All right. But can I at least get up long enough to take a shower? I can still feel you leaking out of me from last night.”
He huffed out a small laugh before issuing a playful warning. “Probably shouldn’t tell me that. Only makes me want to fill you up again. And I want you to rest today.”
My lips curved into a smile. “Is that a yes or a no to the shower, Mr. Sullivan?”
In a flash, his hand clamped down on the back of my neck, and his tongue was halfway down my throat. I moaned into his mouth, battling back, which wasn’t helping the slickness between my thighs.
We were both breathing heavily when he finally pulled away. “Go shower.”
“Join me?” I batted my eyelashes at him.
“Kinda defeats the purpose, don’t you think?”
My lips twisted to the side. “Suppose so, but I don’t mind.”
A growl worked its way up his throat. “Get outta here before I spank that ass of yours.”
“That’s not quite the threat you think it is, baby.” I tossed him a wink as I threw my legs over the side of the bed and stood.
I made it all of one step before he called out to me.
“Penny.” The way my name came out broken had me whipping around.
The color had drained from Tripp’s face, his eyes fixed on the bed. When I followed his line of sight, my blood turned to ice.
A spot of crimson as large as my fist stained the stark white sheets.
Chapter 24
Tripp
Myheartfuckingstoppedwhen I saw that blood.
