I can't make a noise for fear of being caught by my mom, so I arch my back, pushing against his length. Behind me, I hear the inimitable sound of a zipper, the soft noise of pants falling; the anticipation of what is about to happen pools wetness between my legs. I wore a skirt today. If last night I made it difficult for him, today I've made it all too easy.
Owen spins me around, taking me by surprise. He bends, winding a hand around the back of my knee and hoisting it up onto his hip. Reaching his fingers between my legs, he parts my underwear and I’m already biting my cheek to cover my moan. He lines himself up with me, and in one swift movement he's inside me. Warm, tight pleasure bursts between my legs as he pulls my other leg around him and supports my weight so that I’m fully riding him. He goes slowly, so slowly, eyes locked on mine the entire time.
He leans in, nibbling along my jaw, and sets a slow, steady rhythm. Pulses of pleasure start to radiate between my legs and I clench, suppressing a moan.
Owen's forehead presses against mine, and we share breath, heat, and desire. Owen lets out a gruff grunt and I reach up, slapping my hand over his mouth. He bites my finger and shudders against me. The waves of pleasure that rock through us both are delicious and hypnotic.
Somewhere in it all, our past melts into the present and I realize something startling.
I never stopped loving Owen. In fact, I think I care for him more deeply this time around, and that scares the shit out of me.
“Autumn?” my mom yells from deep in the house, and we both burst out laughing.
“Shit, go!” I hiss, laughing, as Owen pulls away from me and sets me on the ground, pulling up his pants and running into my attached bathroom to clean up.
I fix my underwear and smooth down my hair as I slip out into the hallway and prepare to pretend like nothing just happened.
Just like high school.
Chapter 17
Owen
Shit.Shit. Shit.
I stare down at the broken condom in my hands and realize that what Autumn and I have started again is about to come to a crashing halt. I knew it was too good to be true. Something had to come along and shatter our perfect second chance. Was I too quick to put the condom on and that’s why it broke?
I stare at my reflection in Autumn’s mirror. My own haunted gaze looks back at me.
Not again.
The first time it was Autumn forgetting her birth control. Now it’s a torn condom. Here we are again. Albeit both of us are more mature and financially well off, but a child … we’ve only recently apologized to each other for the last time we fucked things up. I thought we were trying to explore each other again and see where this could lead, not jump right into starting a family.
I quickly wrap the evidence in a wad of toilet paper and clean up before grabbing my phone and pulling it to my ear with a shaky hand.
I need to get out of here.
Now.
I can’t think straight, I can’t tell Autumn what happened, not yet. I need a plan or we will be reliving our biggest mistake again and I’ll lose her forever. The panic inside me feels just like it did ten years ago. How can that even be? I’m a fucking adult now.
I step out into the kitchen, sweat beading my brow, and start to have a fake conversation in my phone. “Push ten milligrams of Zofran, I’m on my way,” I say into the phone as Autumn and Faith both turn to face me. I pull the phone an inch from my cheek for a moment. “Emergency at the hospital. I’m sorry. I gotta run.”
Faith and Autumn wear matching frowns but both nod. “Come by later? I’ll save you some?” Autumn reaches for me to kiss my cheek and I freeze up.
“Sure.” I step away from her and hightail it out of there as fast as I can.
I don’t know what to do, so I start to drive to Ace’s house. My fingers tap a nervous rhythm on the wheel as I weave in and out of the streets.
You Home?I shoot him a text.
Yeah. What’s up?
I think I just got Autumn pregnant.Typing those words makes me want to throw up. I mean I could totally be overreacting. She’d have to be within a few days of her ovulation window, and what are the odds of that? Except I’m a doctor and I know way too much about sperm and how well they can thrive in the viscous fluid of a woman’s vagina for days on end. This is something her body was made to do, and clearly Autumn has no issues getting pregnant.
Again? I’m getting out the good whiskey, he texts back just as I turn on his street.
The moment I step into Ace’s condo, he greets me with a bro-hug.
