The Silent Ones [✔️] (#2 in the Chilvati Series)

TWENTY-ONE

Virginia could hear the shower running when she entered Mark's room. Heading into the bathroom, she almost tripped over her own two feet when she saw him through the glass enclosure. He had his back to her, the muscled expanse rising like a brick wall above the light haze of steam that floated up from the floor. His arms were up, biceps flexing as he rinsed the shampoo out of his hair, fingers pushing through the dark, slick strands. The suds slid down, down, down, dripping from shoulder blades onto one perfectly shaped ass.

She must have made a noise because he suddenly twisted to look at her. Leaning over, he opened the door, some of the steam making a quick escape while it had the chance. "Janine here?" he called out.

She took a deep breath once she realized she'd been holding it. "No," she said, raising her voice loud enough to be heard over the rushing water. She thought about the conversation she'd had at home with her brother. He'd been unusually cooperative considering he knew where she was going, although he had seemed distracted by something. She was grateful, though. Janine had enough experience with men disappearing from her life: Tom, Jack . . . Mark once already. Virginia wasn't ready to bring her back to his place just yet. "Paul is going to stay with her tonight and take her to school in the morning."

"Then join me," he said in a husky drawl. Leaving the door open, he shifted his head back under the spray.

She had never undressed so fast in her life, throwing her clothes next to the ones he had taken off earlier. After stepping in and closing the door, she moved to face him under the foot-wide shower head. Her eyes drifted down with a shameless ogle that brought heat to her cheeks when it reached his hips.

Hello.

Her eyes snapped back to his.

"Everything go okay?" he asked, reaching for the soap with a knowing smirk. After sudsing up his hands, he started on her shoulders, massaging while he washed.

"Yes," she murmured, tilting her head back, loving the feel of his hands on her skin. "They picked up your car. You'll have to stop by impound to get it." She waggled her eyebrows. "Cap gave me the rest of my shift off."

"And Walt?"

Guilt stabbed into her as Walt's face flashed in her mind. No need to tell him how angry Walt had been. It would only upset him. "He was there, but we didn't get a chance to talk." She dropped her gaze to the floor and kept it there.

His long silence had her wondering if he knew she was lying. She risked a peek.

Mark was staring down at her with an odd look. "We didn't use any protection," he said out of the blue.

Oh. "Kind of late for that now." She tried to keep her voice light and steady, but the double meaning of her words didn't help much. Clearing her throat, she added, "Don't worry, I'm fine . . . timing wise."

Turning her back to him, she got busy rinsing off the soap only to glance over her shoulder and catch him frowning. Crap! Can he tell? She had gained some weight, mainly in her hips and breasts, and her abs were on their way to becoming more pillow-soft than rock-hard, but she didn't think her pregnancy would be noticeable yet to others. Unless someone knew her body well and actually spent some time studying it.

Which he did . . . and . . . he was.

She wasn't ready to tell him. Things were already moving way too fast, and she needed time to think. She needed a distraction.

"I'm starving," she said with a pout. Besides, it was close to dinnertime and she didn't want to risk getting to the nauseous stage. Being able to fight it off back at the warehouse had been a surprising victory, but hunger was a trigger harder to overcome without the help of food.