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Barry liked to be prepared for all eventualities. Still, he could understand Xolani’s reluctance to discuss a pregnancy that wasn’t confirmed. So he nodded, “Okay.”
But even as he agreed with her, his mind whirled. What if she got pregnant?
His mind conjured images of her heavily pregnant, of him pressing his hand to her bump so he could feel their growing child. He imagined them raising the kid together and celebrating all the milestones that came with being parents. Those images should’ve terrified him, but strangely they didn’t. If anything, a warm feeling grew in his chest.
“What’s funny?” Xolani interrupted his thoughts.
“Huh!” He met her eyes.
“You’re smiling,” she noted. “What’s funny?”
He hadn’t even realized that he was smiling.
“Nothing much,” he hedged. He wasn’t brave enough to reveal that the thought of her carrying his child made him happy. Before she could question him further, he flipped their positions again so that he was on top of her. “Since you’ll be taking the pill anyway, why don’t we make it count?”
“Huh?” She was confused for a moment. But when she understood what he was getting at, disbelief filled her eyes. She tried to push him off her. “No way.”
He forced his lower body between her thighs. “Why not?”
“Because we just_” Her lips parted in a gasp. “Oh my God. Barry! Are you hard again?”
Instead of answering, he lowered his head and locked their lips.
In the hours afterward, he took full advantage of the fact that he didn’t have to use protection. Somehow, they ended up in her bedroom where he caught some sleep. At five a.m., the alarm he’d set on his phone rang. Xolani didn’t even stir as he turned off the alarm. She just kept sleeping.
He would’ve loved to sleep in too, then wake up at the same time as her and head to the office together, but he hadn’t carried a change of clothes. He needed to go back to his place. Making a mental note to keep a packed bag in the trunk of his car from now on, he dressed up.
Once he was dressed, he drafted a message on his phone to let the still-sleeping Xolani know that he’d left earlier and to call him once she was awake. He sent the message to her phone.
She didn’t even wake up when her phone beeped the arrival of his message. But who could blame her? He’d thoroughly exhausted her.
Smiling, he hovered over her while tenderly brushing her braids away from her face. In her sleep, she was less fierce but still incredibly beautiful. He lightly ran his thumb over her lips before bending to replace his thumb with his lips.
“Bye,” he whispered then kissed her again.
She didn’t wake up or answer him.
After one last soft kiss, he straightened to his full height then walked out of the bedroom. Minutes later, he let himself out of her house.
22
BARRY’S MORNING WAS QUITE BUSY, but as soon as he had a second, he went looking for Misty.
“Hey, Misty,” he greeted as he stopped at her desk.
“Hey, Barry.” Smiling, she spun in her seat to face him. As she gave him a slow up and down look, she asked, “Is that a new suit? You look great in it.”
If this was a normal day and he was being his usual polite self, he would’ve said that she looked good in her pink plaid trouser-suit too. However, being too nice had caused the previous night’s situation, so he gave her a simple, “Thanks.”
Misty noticed immediately. “What? No compliment for me?” She grabbed the lapels of her jacket and opened it up to show off the black camisole beneath. Her tone was as flirty as her expression as she asked, “Don’t I look good?”
Instantly, Barry felt annoyed. But he kept it from showing in his face and voice as he asked, “Can I talk to you for a second?”
“You can talk to me for as many seconds as you like,” she returned coyly. Leaning forward with her hand on her chin, she asked, “What can I do you for?”
Barry caught the double entendre but refused to acknowledge it. Glancing around, he said, “Not here.”
Unlike him, Misty didn’t have her own office. Her desk was among many in the open area that hosted most of the lower-level staff. Several of her workmates were at their desks, and a few were covertly watching her and Barry. Barry could only assume that the covert watching was because everyone in their department knew she was after him, and they were looking for something to gossip about.
