He raised his head off the pillow to squint at her. “That sounds tricky.”
She bit her lip. “I should have kept my mouth shut. But I just want a weekend. Just one weekend with you, without drama or stress. Can we have that? Can we agree to talk before you go home on Monday?”
He thought about it. His body felt as unruly as a plunging bronco. He ached to find release with her, but…
She wouldn’t need to tell him something so badly if it wasn’t critically important.
And she wouldn’t want to put off having the conversation if she didn’t dread what might come next.
“No,” he said.
* * *
His voice was soft but implacable.
She buried her face in her knees, longing to return to the simple, urgent passion they had shared just moments ago. She had meant to wait, to steal the time with him and let her weather vane spin in the wind all weekend. And then she would go whichever way it pointed before he left.
But apparently she wasn’t a secret baby kind of girl.
He pulled the curtain of hair back from her face. Even more softly, he asked, “Is what you have to say so terrible?”
“That depends on you.”
She drew away from his touch, crawled off the bed, and went back to the kitchen to pull her skirt back on. Then she picked up her panties. Oh, why the hell bother? She dropped them on a chair.
He had followed her silently, moving like a panther. When she turned back, she confronted the sight of him bare-chested, shirtless, and shoeless. The beauty of his body made her mouth go dry. She swallowed hard.
Crossing his arms, he leaned against the doorway of the bedroom. “I can wait all night if I have to, milaya.”
Her hands shook. This was so much harder than she had imagined—and she had a vivid imagination. “Do you remember what happened after Austin attacked me?”
His amber gaze narrowed. “Of course I do. Every damn minute of it.”
“Sunday was hard. Rough morning. Rough day.” She couldn’t watch his expression and let her gaze wander elsewhere.
His big body was out of focus. She tracked him out of her side vision as he came across the room and put his hands on her shoulders. He said quietly, “I went through it with you. Nobody knows that more than I do.”
That was enough of an opening to allow her to give him a direct look. “I didn’t take my pill that morning.”
His eyes dilated, a fast, involuntary reaction. “And the condom broke the next day.”
She nodded.
“Milaya.” His expression, his eyes, his Power blazed.
Before something unbearable happened, she clapped both hands over his mouth. “Listen to me. Just listen. I’ve got the advantage here—I’ve had a little while to absorb the news.” Her eyes flooded with moisture. “And I want this, maybe more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life. And I’m okay with it. And I wish… Oh, there’s no point in talking about what I wish. But I’m going to do everything in my power to keep danger away from this little one. She—or he—is going to be brought up with all the love and happiness and safety and security I can provide. So I think it’s best if you and I don’t see each other again after this weekend, because we both know what your life is about.”
He pulled her hands away from his mouth and bit out, “You can’t do this on your own!”
“Watch me.” It was harder than ever to meet the dark fire burning so furiously in him, but she did. “I’m on my way to find a teacher. I’m going to build a good life, and I’m going to be so damn happy it will make malcontents nauseated to look at me. I’m excited about my future. And… and you would be so welcome to be a part of this baby’s life if you ever chose a different path than the one you’re on right now. But the way you live—you’re consumed with revenge. I don’t know, maybe that’s why you want power and why you want to become Georgia’s next governor. This mysterious, terrible person who hurt you so badly all those years ago has eaten you up inside, and I’m not judging, Josiah. I’m really not. You get to be whoever you need to be. But you can’t live that life you’ve chosen and bring it here to me. Not after this weekend.”