It tookhim less than ten minutes to join Rowan at the table for breakfast, although it seemed his mate had actually waited for him before starting.
“You didn’t have to wait for me,” Mikhail said as Rowan got to his feet from his position on the couch and they walked over to the table.
“I wanted to.” Rowan shrugged and took the seat Mik pulled out for him.
Rowan lifted the cover off one of the plates and it was a flat soup bowl that had oatmeal in it. He took it, placed it in front of himself, then grabbed a little jar that was probably a tablespoon of honey and opened it, drizzling it over his oats before reaching for the milk and pouring that into his bowl as well. Mik noted that it was evaporated milk instead of skimmed. Mikhail continued to watch as his mate grabbed a handful of blueberries and dumped them in his oats, then stirred before lifting the spoon to his mouth. When Rowan finally looked up at him, he asked, “Aren’t you going to eat?” He then dipped the spoon into the bowl again before lifting it to his mouth. “Mmm, it’s really good.”
Mik couldn’t seem to find his appetite, though, even as he looked at the array of options before him.
“I will in a minute,” he said. “But, about last night…”
“I know.” Ro’s face stretch into a smile. “It was pretty special. I can’t deny that.” He chuckled before reaching out and grabbing a croissant from the cling-film-covered tray. “Seriously, you have to eat some before I eat everything. This is my second croissant, and I’ve already had two brioches.”
“The condom split.” Mik blurted.
Ro was mid-chew of his croissant, and he suddenly began choking. Mikhail quickly grabbed the crystal carafe with juice and poured a glass out, then handed it to Rowan. His mate seemed to gulp down the juice, but his eyes on Mik never wavered.
“And why do I have a feeling this isn’t the‘I’m clean, are you’ conversation?” Rowan’s voice had lost all the joy and amusement it had held so far.
All he could do was shrug.
“Please tell me you’re joking.” Rowan pushed his plate away, his eyes wide and stormy.
Mik shook his head slowly and swallowed before speaking. “I wish I could.”
Ro jumped out of his seat and started to pace back and forth in front of him, and all he could do was watch, even while he begged the goddess for Rowan to take the news well.
The silence stretched, and Mikhail was uncertain of whether he should interrupt with any words and then Ro finally stopped and turned to face him.
“How?” His voice was filled with suspicion. “Did you—”
Before Rowan could finish, Mik interrupted him. “No. I would never.” He was suddenly very tired. “You know I wouldn’t do that, or maybe you don’t since you barely know me, but I would never do anything as underhanded as that.”
Ro studied him then, and Mikhail never flinched. He wanted his mate, but he would never do what Rowan accused him of, and he hoped Rowan would know that about him, even if they just met each other.
Ro nodded before he restarted his pacing. “I know. I’m sorry. I may not know you very well”—he stopped and shot Mikhail a small smile—“even though sometimes I think I do. I’m just trying to wrap my head around it.” Rowan’s head fell back as he asked, “Does this mean what I think it does?” His pacing began again, and all the while, the only thing Mik could do was watch him. Rowan halted and faced him when he didn’t reply. “You’re not saying anything. What does this mean?”
Mik looked away for a second before finally saying what they both probably both knew, but Rowan seemed to need to hear. “It’s possible you’ll get pregnant,” he said. “The odds are not as high since I didn’t actually claim you.” His eyes dropped to where he would have placed his mark on Rowan’s neck. “We just need to wait and see.”
Ro’s jaw dropped, and his eyes looked like they might fall out of their sockets. “How can you say that so calmly?”
Mik shrugged. “I know it’s not what you want, and we definitely didn’t plan this. I get that. But I also know there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Ro shook his head, first slowly, then quicker. “I can’t do this,” he repeated over and over. He turned and ran towards the bedroom, and all Mikhail could do was cover his face with his hands and groan.
He could hear Rowan in the room, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out what he was doing. He finally got on his feet and walked over there like a condemned man off to hear his punishment.
He stood in the doorway and watched his mate put his jeans on, then he sat on the bed and began putting on his converse.
“We’ll get through this,” Mikhail tried, and Rowan lifted his head to look his way for a split second before going back to what he’d been doing.
When he was done, he got to his feet and slipped past Mikhail, doing his best not to let their bodies touch. He walked over and lifted his coat from where Mik had hung it over the dining chairs before walking towards the door to his suite.
“Rowan, please talk to me.” Mikhail could hear the pleading in his voice.
His mate stopped and looked over at him. “I… I need to think right now, I’ll call you.”
With that, his mate left the hotel room. All Mik could do was stare at the door as it closed behind Rowan.
