Still Beating Jennifer Hartmann

Chapter Twenty-Three

Morning afters are confusing when you have no idea what's supposed to come after.

The sun shines in through a nearby window, setting her milky skin aglow as she rests a few inches away from me. After watching her fall in and out of sleep so many times in that basement, I can tell she's awake just by the way her body swells and deflates with every uneven breath. I stare at the expanse of her slender back, the bedsheet dipping off her hip, and I vividly recall every glorious detail from the night before.

But considering she's pretending to still be asleep after slipping out of my embrace, I'm wondering if she's trying to forget those same details.

I decide to brave the inevitable and slide my way over to her, scooping her up with one arm and pulling her to my chest. "Morning," I whisper, noting the shiver she produces when my lips graze her ear. I trail my fingers up and down her belly, in between her breasts, and stop just short of her neck. I play with the heart pendant on her necklace as I wait for her response.

Cora stiffens at the contact. "Hey."

"You don't seem quite as excited to see me as I am to see you," I tease, nudging my growing erection against her bottom as I kiss her shoulder.

Silence.

I go still, trying to read the mood. It's feeling more like an awkward one-night stand and less like the best night of our lives. "Cora?"

Cora rolls onto her back and peers up at me with tired eyes. She scans my face, worrying her lip between her teeth as she pulls the bedsheet up over her chest. "I have some errands to run today."

"What?" I blink at her, not expecting such flippant words to be the first thing out of her mouth after the night we just shared. "Right now?"

"Yeah," she shrugs. "It's Sunday. It's errand day."

"It's also the day after we had mind-blowing sex, and we should probably talk about it."

Cora sits up, her cheeks staining pink, and begins to move herself to the edge of the bed as she drags the blankets with her. "I don't want to talk about that, Dean."

What the fuck?

"Seriously?"

"Yes. Seriously."

I watch her collect her discarded clothes from the floor, slipping the tank top over her head and looking around for her bottoms. I do the same, pulling on my boxers and jeans as my heart clenches in my chest with rising emotions. "You can't just pretend that didn't happen."

Cora glances at me over her shoulder, just briefly, and steps into her cotton shorts. "I'm going to hop in the shower. I forgot to pick up more dog food yesterday, and the store opens at nine."

Ouch.

I gape at her, standing on the other side of the bed, shirtless and gutted. "Cora... you're killing me."

She falters mid-reach for her cell phone charging by the side of her bed. Her shoulders heave up and down with a weighted sigh, and she sits down, tugging her hair back with her fingers. "We weren't even... safe."

My fingers curl around my hips as I stare at the back of her head. I can't argue with that—she's absolutely right. "I'm sorry. That was my fault." I approach her with hesitant feet, coming up beside her on the bed. "Are you on the pill?"

"Yes, but... I've missed a few doses. I've been forgetful with a lot of things lately, and I wasn't expecting..." She sighs again, and this time, tears spring to her eyes. "It's my fault, too. I should have stopped it from getting that far."

I scratch my cheek. "I'll give you money for the morning after pill. Just in case."

Cora swallows, sparing me another quick glance. "Are you...?"