"Does Mr. Eve know you’re departing?"
"Departing?" I laugh. I love the way he talks. “Ms. Sophia is with Aurora. I spoke with her before she arrived about stepping out for a few minutes. She said it was no problem because it's always only the two of them."
Aurora asked what I was going to be doing during that time. I didn't have any plans because I thought I would be needed here, but there are a few things I really need to handle as soon as possible.
"But he didn’t give you permission to leave."
"Permission?" How does one word have my body heating? That should be annoying, but holy hell, it’s hot. Everything we did this morning was wrong, but it felt so right.
Maybe I should be more concerned about losing my virginity the way I did, but I’m telling myself I’m making up for not having any wild nights in college. Kellan’s intense stare while his body was over mine made me briefly believe that our relationship could be more than physical, but I brushed that away. He was too bold with his actions and words, which made it clear to me that this kind of intimacy is normal for him. Me being here is temporary. I’m good with this type of relationship because I can see it for what it is.
Even taking my virginity wasn’t a big deal for him. Once he took it, I fell back asleep, and he went to work. At least that’s my best guess, because he was gone when I woke the second time.
"You belong to Mr. Eve," Niles says, and I suck in a breath.
Again, I should be getting pissed at the comment, but my body says otherwise. Niles might be right, but I should hate it. I wonder how Kellan knew I would respond in exactly this way. Maybe he has a radar for it and when he saw me, he knew he could barrel me into this agreement. That’s the best word I can think to use, because I don’t want to call it a transaction.
"Well, I have a medical thing I need to handle," I say, and his eyebrows rise all the way up. He steps back, assessing me as if to find an injury. "I'm fine; it’s girl stuff. I'll be right back," I tell him. "Mr. Eve is clearly a very busy man. I'm here to take things off his plate. I don't want to alert him every five seconds about what I'm doing, especially since he won't even notice it happened."
"I think he would rather you alert him every five seconds,” Niles says, and I snort a laugh. Niles does not find this charming.
"All right, going forward after this, I will tell him,” I promise, and then we proceed to stare at one another. "I really do have to go."
I only have so much time while Ms. Sophia is here so I can’t keep waiting around. Deciding to just go for it, I dart past Niles and out the side door. It leads into a massive garage, but it’s not hard to find my truck. It stands out.
This isn't a big deal. I'm going to the pharmacy where I can pick up my prescription and nail polish. I have a prescription for birth control; I just haven’t filled it. The doctor gave it to me at my last checkup a few months ago, saying, "Just in case." It was good for a year, and she was right. Turns out I need it.
The last thing I want is to get pregnant by a man who never intended to have kids to begin with.
Chapter Twelve
KELLAN
I’m pacing the hall as people move in and out of the house. It’s annoying that with everything going on, I forgot about hosting the charity New Year’s Eve party. When Edith told me the venue where it was supposed to be held had a fire, and she wasn’t able to secure another location big enough at the last minute, I offered my estate. This was before the phone call that changed my life and I brought Aurora to live with me. To be honest, I’d kind of forgotten about the event with all that’s happened.
This is Nova’s fault, and I’m adding it to the list of infractions and corresponding punishments she’s going to receive when she gets home.
There’s a rumbling in the distance, and I stop my pacing to stare out the front window. Coming down the driveway in the old beat-up truck is Nova, and I’m relieved as well as furious.
“She’s here, sir.” Niles says as he rushes to my side.
“I can see that,” I tell him as I fling open the front door just as she hops out.
Nova is wearing yoga pants and a hoodie with a faded college logo on it. It’s about three sizes too big, and I wonder if it’s an old boyfriend’s. The thought pisses me the fuck off, even if it’s none of my business. Nova is mine now, so it’s all my business.
“Kellan?” She stops dead in her tracks when she realizes I’m blocking her way. “You’re home early.”
“Whose sweatshirt is that?” I bark. Of all the things I could possibly ask her, I don’t know why this is the first thing that comes out of my mouth.
“I don’t know, I think one of my brothers?” She looks down at it and then back up at me like she’s just now noticing she has it on. “You said I didn’t have to wear the uniform, and I just thought?—”
“You thought you could wear another man’s clothing and I wouldn’t mind?” I shake my head. “You thought wrong.”
“But—”
“Were you trying to run away from me?” Again, I don’t know why my brain-to-mouth function isn’t working.
“What? No, I was?—”
