Page 211 of Always: A Legacy Novel

He fucked her through that orgasm, and she backed her ass into every flex of his hips. She felt his tremor, his hand in her hair tightened, and then she felt him pull away. Hot, ropey streams of his cum painted her back as he groaned her name low.

“Jesus Christ,” Cross grunted.

His hands let her go, and he fell into the bed. She rolled over, not even thinking about the sticky mess he had made on her.

“I have to change the damn bedsheets now.”

Cross laughed, husky and sinful. “I’m out of condoms.”

“Couldn’t tell,” she mumbled against the back of her hand.

“I’ll help you change them after we shower.”

He was up off the bed and heading for the bathroom in a flash. She heard the shower turn on while she was still trying to catch her breath. By the time she got into the bathroom, he had already stepped in behind the frosted glass. Her hands were shaking again, and she didn’t want Cross to see it. She grabbed her purse off the floor where she had left it earlier.

When one or two of her meds wouldn’t do, she just added another to the mix. Like a cocktail of numbed perfection.

Catherine found what she was looking for, and dropped the pill back.

“What the hell was that?” Cross asked.

Catherine found him staring at her from around the glass door of the shower. Her lie was already ready, but her heart beat heavily in her throat. “Birth control.”

“Since when did you switch from the shot?”

“A couple months ago?”

“Why?”

“Because it’s easy,” she said.

Cross tipped his head to the side. “Taking a pill every day is easier than getting that shot once every four months or so?”

“What does it matter, Cross, as long as we don’t end up with a damn kid?”

“My bad. You have plans tonight, or do I get you all to myself?”

Catherine smiled over her shoulder at him. “Tonight you do. I’m going out with Andino to a premier party tomorrow night, though.”

Cross’s gaze darted away, a sure sign of his displeasure. He didn’t say a thing, though.

“What do you want to do tonight?” he asked.

“How about we shower, make a mess in there, fix the bed, and then you take me to dinner since you owe me for being gone so long. We’ll see where we go from there.”

He smirked. “We can do that.”

Catherine was late.

In two ways.

Late for class, for one.

Late by three days, for her period.

This wasn’t supposed to happen—her shot was super effective, and she made sure to get it on time whenever the appointment came up.

She sat on the toilet, and ignored the buzzing of her phone on the counter sink. She was too busy staring at the small piece of plastic in her hands.