"I think we both need a shower," I said finally, once enough strength had returned for me to speak again. We were both covered in sticky sweat, our bodies still clinging to each other. But despite that, I didn't want to move.
"I don't think I have the strength," Jade admitted.
I smiled, then leaned in to kiss her gently on the lips. "Me either."
Jade returned the smile, then closed her eyes and leaned her head against my chest. I held her tight, closing my own eyes and drifting off to sleep, happier than I could ever remember being.
16
Jade
It felt like I'd just closed my eyes when I opened them again. Sunlight streamed into the room from the large windows. The curtains did little to diffuse it, and I had to blink a few times to clear my vision.
I shifted, shivering a bit, as cool air washed over me. Immediately, I reached for the blankets to pull them up over myself, then realized I was laying on top of them. Slowly, the previous night came back to me, and I turned to see Christian laying next beside me, still completely nude. Then, I understood as everything clicked into place.
We'd had the best sex ever together, then simply fallen asleep where we'd laid. We hadn't bothered to wash up or even get under the blankets. My cheeks heated as I remembered it all, remember the way he'd made me feel.
Then, my mind went back further, remembering what had brought him to my room last night. He knew. He'd overheard his mother and I talking and knew I was pregnant. This time, when my cheeks heated, it wasn't in a good way.
I hadn't seen him after his mom had made me a cup of her special tea. She and I had sat in the kitchen as I sipped it, just talking. Not about the baby or even about Christian. We'd just talked, like we were old friends. Then, she'd sent me off to bed, claiming I needed my rest. And I'd been so tired, I hadn't argued.
Christian must've been downstairs the entire time, processing the conversation he'd heard, piecing together the puzzle I'd been trying so hard to keep from him. I'd known I would eventually have to tell him the truth. And as much as I'd been dreading the conversation with him, that wasn't how I'd wanted it to go. It was a wonder he'd been able to look me in the eyes last night, much less do anything else we'd done.
I felt like such an ass. I should have owned up to everything sooner, should have told him the truth right from the beginning. Everything last night had been done in a fit of passion. What if, when he woke up, he was thinking clearer? Would he still want to look at me? Still want me to stay at Frost Industries? We were having a baby together, but that didn't mean we had to have any other kind of relationship.
When Christian started to stir, my heart rate sped up. A good part of me wanted to slip out of bed and run off somewhere. But considering I was still completely naked and smelling like sex, that didn't seem like the best idea. Besides, where could I go? I was out at Christian's family ranch. I had no idea where anything else was much less how to get there.
He blinked his eyes open and when they focused on me, he smiled. "Good morning," he whispered, reaching out and pulling me against him. He was warm, but I fought back the urge to snuggle up against him, still afraid of what he might say once he really woke up. Of course he noticed right away though. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice soft. There was something else there though. Fear? "Are you having second thoughts about last night?"
Immediately, I shook my head. There was a lot I was still mixed up about, but last night was not one of them. Last night had been heavenly, and though I couldn't believe he'd wanted to look at me, much less touch me, I didn't have a single regret about anything we'd done.
"Then what's wrong?" he asked.
"I...." The words stuck in my throat. Christian was patient though, keeping calm and quiet until I managed to find my voice. "Aren't you mad at me? For keeping it from you? For lying to you?"
My questions were met with silence. I refused to look up into his eyes though, afraid of what I might see there. When Christian finally spoke, it was thunderously loud in my mind, though he still only whispered. "I was hurt, at first. I wish you'd have trusted me with the truth from the beginning, but I'm not mad at you. I understand why you'd kept it from me. I just hope I can earn your trust in the future. I love you, Jade. I hope you feel the same way about me."
"I love you, too." This time, there was no hesitation as the words came out of my mouth. It was as if my body had responded before my brain had even registered the words. But I wouldn't have taken them back for anything. I really did love Christian.
"I just have one question." He took a deep breath. This time, I did look up into his eyes. They locked onto mine, and it seemed like he was looking right into my soul. "Who's the father? I'm assuming it's someone at the office, but I need to know who it is. I promise, it won't change anything. Not between us and not at work."
My eyes went wide, my heart stopped beating. So he didn't know. Not everything anyway. He'd figured out the puzzle, enough of it to see the bigger picture, but he was
