Mason kept one eye on Megan the entire time he drove to the hospital. She insisted they didn’t need to go, but he wasn’t taking any chances. He’d already fucked up enough. He wasn’t going to brush this off and have her lose her child, too.
“It’s not your fault,” Megan said quietly.
Mason grunted. Everything was his fault.
He stopped in front of the emergency room door and slammed the Jeep into park. He went around and met Megan as she was climbing out. He helped her get inside, leaving his vehicle in the driveway and not caring if they towed it away. All that mattered was getting her help.
“She’s pregnant and bleeding,” Mason barked at the woman behind the desk.
That got her moving. She jumped up and signaled for someone. A man hurried over with a wheelchair. Megan sat in it and they disappeared.
“Do you need to move your vehicle?” the woman asked.
“Yeah, but—”
“She’ll be fine. They’ll take care of her. I’m assuming you’re the father?”
It was a question, not a statement. Did he have a right to be there? Was he going to be allowed back to see her? Did he matter?
He knew the correct answer was no, but he opened his mouth and said, “Yes,” anyway.
“Okay, Daddy, go move your vehicle and come right back in. Mom has insurance cards?”
Mason nodded absently and turned toward the door. He got her there. He was getting her help. She survived long enough for that. He hoped her baby would, too.
Megan smiled at the technician as she squirted gel on her belly and grabbed the wand. Her doctor said an ultrasound too early wouldn’t show anything, so she hadn’t had one yet.
“How far along are you?”
“Not far,” Megan said. “Only about nine weeks.”
“Okay. We should be able to hear a heartbeat, but sometimes they aren’t in a good position. Have you had an ultrasound yet?”
Megan shook her head and stared at the screen. She couldn’t make out anything other than black and white splotches that didn’t amount to anything for her.
“It can be a little scary because you don’t really see anything, but it’s okay. Is this your first?”
Megan nodded. “Yeah. I…” She sucked in a ragged breath. Being pregnant was not something she asked for. It wasn’t a plan. Until that moment, laying on the bed in the ER and praying the technician found a heartbeat, Megan wasn’t even sure she wanted the baby. Now, she couldn’t imagine her life without the tiny person growing inside her.
The technician hit a few buttons, then a whooshing sound filled the small space. “There’s the heartbeat.”
“Oh, my God,” Megan breathed. Tears ran down her cheeks and relief flooded her.
“I recognize that sound,” the nurse said, coming back into the room.
“Yep. Everything looks good to me. I’ll take a few pictures and double check everything, but I think you’re going to be okay,” the technician said.
“Thank you,” Megan cried. She wanted to reach over and hug the other woman, but she was still examining her.
The nurse walked around the hospital bed and grabbed her hand. “You’re going to be fine.”
“Thank you. I never thought… I guess I should have.”
“It happens. We get carried away and forget. Most of the time it should be fine, but there are things your doctor can do if this continues.”
Megan took a deep breath, her first since Mason froze. “I don’t think it’ll come to that, but it’s good to know.” Mason wasn’t likely to go anywhere near her ever again.
“I think we’re all set,” the technician said. “This all looks great to me. I don’t see anything that’s concerning. Do you have any questions for me?”
Megan shook her head. “I don’t think so. Thank you.”
“Of course. Let me know if there’s anything else you need.”
A knock on the door turned all their attention to the woman who was at the front desk when Megan arrived. “Daddy is out there pacing. I told him I’d come see how things are going. Can I give him an update?”
“I didn’t know he was here,” the technician said. “He’s welcome to come back. I can update him.”
Megan opened her mouth to say something, but her voice stuck in her throat. He waited. And he was nervous. A tear ran down her cheek. The nurse turned to her and offered her an understanding smile.
“It’s a relief, isn’t it?”
Megan nodded even though she knew the nurse thought she was crying over the baby instead of Mason. She half thought she was going to need to order a ride.
“She’s right here,” the woman from the desk said.
“Megan. Are you okay? Oh, God, I’m so sorry,” Mason said as he raced to her side. He cupped her cheeks and leaned down so his face was right over hers, his forehead against hers.
“Mason?” the nurse said with venom in her voice.
He froze again, like when he saw the blood. He closed his eyes and pulled back from Megan to look up at the nurse.
“You’re the father? This is your baby? How…?”
“Hello, Bernadette.”
“I… Don’t come back here. Ever.”
The nurse stormed out of the room, pushing past the technician and the woman from the desk. They looked between Bernadette and Mason, then to Megan sadly.
“What was that all about?” Megan asked.
“Nothing. Are you okay? Is everything…?”
“Fine,” Megan said, forcing a smile for him. She wanted to press for more information, but she had no right. He wasn’t the father like the others assumed. He was a one-night stand. A man who would be gone now that he knew she was pregnant. Just like the father of her baby.
“I, um…” the technician stammered.
“Yeah, we’re going,” Mason said gruffly. “Do you have all your stuff?”
Megan nodded and let Mason help her off the bed. He wrapped an arm around her, protecting her from the staff that was so kind and friendly only moments ago. He led her to the door and walked her outside, his arm around her the entire way. He opened her door and closed it behind her when she buckled her seatbelt.
He jogged around the front of his SUV and got in next to her. He started up the vehicle and pulled out of the lot without a word.
“What was all that about?” Megan finally asked.
“Nothing,” Mason answered. His voice said not to ask again.
Megan stared out the window, wondering where Mason would stop. Most likely, he’d drop her off at her brother’s house. She was surprised when he pulled over into a shopping center.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
Megan nodded slowly, not looking at him.
“There are a bunch of options here. Anything look good?”
Megan looked out and spotted the pizza place. “Pizza sounds good.”
“What do you like on it?”
“Anything. I’m easy.”
“Are you sure?”
Megan nodded.
“Do you want to go in with me?”
Megan finally looked at him. He was trying. He was just as out of his depths as she was, but he was trying. She nodded, and instead of looking frustrated, he looked relieved.
He waited for her at the front of his SUV and reached for her hand as they walked to the door. Megan wasn’t sure what to make of that, but she didn’t pull away.
The smell of cheese and baked bread made her stomach growl. She wasn’t that hungry until she walked in, then she wanted one of each. Each what didn’t matter, just one of each.
They waited in the short line until it was their turn. Mason ordered extra cheese, sausage, and sweet peppers on their pizza. He added garlic knots, a cookie pizza, and a two-liter of pop.
“Is that okay?” he asked her.
Megan nodded, her mouth salivating at the sound of all of it.
Mason paid, and they stepped to the side to wait for their food to finish cooking. Others walked in and picked up their meals, every order passing over the counter making Megan more hungry.
“Well, hell. I never thought I’d see you again,” a man said, walking over to them.
Mason stiffened and took a slight step away from Megan. “Same.”
The man grinned and reached for Mason’s hand. “Good to see you again. What have you been up to?”
“Working. You?”
“Same,” the man said, matching Mason’s tone. “Who’s this?”
Mason didn’t even glance at her. “No one you need to know.”
The other man raised an eyebrow but didn’t press. His gaze slid down Megan’s frame and back up before he met her eyes with a smirk. “Be careful with this one,” he said to Megan.
Megan forced a smile at the man. He definitely gave her a bad vibe. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was something dangerous about him. Something that screamed in her head to steer clear.
“Mason!” the man behind the counter called out.
Mason stepped forward and grabbed the boxes, then wrapped an arm around Megan and pushed her toward the door.
“Nice to see you again, Mason,” the other man said with a chuckle.
Mason ignored him and ushered Megan into his SUV. He opened her door and stared back at the pizza place while she got in, then he set the pizza in behind her seat and hurried around to the driver’s side. With his gaze still on the storefront, they took off.
“What was that?”
“Nothing,” Mason growled. It seemed to be his word of the night.
Megan sat quietly and debated what she should do. Mason was kind to her when no one was around. He was amazing in bed. He was exactly what she was looking for. She didn’t want a relationship, and even though it comforted her when he held her hand and acted like he cared, that wasn’t what she was after. It was nice to not be alone, but she wasn’t looking for a father for her baby. She was looking for a night of good sex. And she got it.
Mason himself said she wasn’t important. He ushered her around like she was incapable of taking care of herself. But she was very capable. She was going to prove that. To herself and everyone else.
Mason drove home in silence. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt the way he did. Probably when his Megan was still alive. He screwed up plenty with her, but with her, he always knew how to fix it. With Slade’s sister, he was lost.
She followed him up to his apartment and inside. But after that, she looked a little lost. Exactly how he felt.
“I should just go,” Megan said after a minute.
“Why?”
She looked carefully at him. “I’m not here for some grand romantic gesture. I had no intention of telling you or anyone else that I’m pregnant. I don’t want anything more from you than what we did earlier. I should go.”
“No, wait,” Mason barked. He did that a lot with her. Snapping orders and taking his frustration out on her.
“I’m not a dog. I’m not someone you can yell at and expect me to listen to you. I ambushed you and threw myself at you. You didn’t ask for this, and I don’t want you to feel like you have to take care of me because you know my deep, dark secret.”
“Slade doesn’t know?”
She hesitated, then shook her head.
“Why not?”
She sighed heavily and laughed. “Because he’s my big brother. Because he’d lose his shit. Because I don’t want to tell him.”
“Why did you tell me?”
That earned him a glare and a duh look.
“You wouldn’t have told me if you hadn’t started bleeding.”
“I would have been long gone by now if that hadn’t happened.”
“You said you were staying the night.”
She snorted. “I haven’t stayed the night with a man… in a long time. I don’t intend to do so with you.”
“What’s so wrong with me?” Mason asked, puffing out his chest.
She rolled her eyes. “For one, I had to chase you down. Two, you told multiple people tonight that I’m not important. And three, I’m sorry, but I only wanted sex. I’m not looking for more than that.”
Mason had to admit it was a little bit of a blow to hear she wasn’t really interested in him. No, he didn’t want to want her, but he did. She made it sound like he was convenient more than anything else. And the rest…
“The people we talked to tonight are not important, and they don’t need to know anything about you or how we know each other. I… I have a past. One you clearly don’t know about. I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“I never said you couldn’t, but your brother will kill me—”
“I do not answer to my brother.”
“Maybe not, but I do. He’s one of my teammates, and technically, one of my bosses. I am not looking to cross any lines.”
Megan glanced toward the bed and raised a brow. “I think it might be too late for that.”
“He’s never going to know about that,” Mason growled.
“Agreed,” Megan said. “Because this is never going to happen again.”
“Then how about we start over as friends? Eat this pizza and watch a movie or something.”
“Seriously?”
Mason shrugged. “Sure, why not. I get the feeling you could use someone to talk to. And I—”
“And you are trying not to drink alone.”
Mason smiled at her intuition. “Something like that.”
Megan drew a deep breath and shrugged. “Okay, fine. Friends.”
“Friends,” Mason said, wondering how in the hell he was going to pull this one off. He knew trying to be friends with her was going to blow up in his face. He already couldn’t wait to be inside her again, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t risk hurting her or her baby. So they’d be friends. Or something.
Megan flipped open the pizza box while Mason found them some cups and filled them. He turned on the TV and searched for a movie they could both enjoy, finally settling on an action movie.
Everything was going well until they finished eating and leaned back on the couch. It was a small couch, something Mason found on the curb one night. Free was his price range, and since he never had people over, he didn’t worry about the fact that it was closer to a loveseat than an actual couch. But he and Megan were big people, and when they leaned back, their entire sides touched.
“Sorry,” Megan said, moving closer to the edge.
Mason followed suit, but the couch was too small for either of them to really go anywhere. Mason drew in a breath and her scent filled him. He hardened.
“You need a bigger couch,” Megan said with a laugh.
“Just relax,” Mason growled. “Stop moving.”
“What the hell is wrong with you now?”
Mason grimaced and stilled his breathing. “Nothing.”
“Something’s wrong. You look all pissed off again. We were enjoying pizza. What happened?”
Mason turned and looked at her. Her eyes were narrowed and angry. When she saw the look on his face, they softened, then widened with realization.
“Are you…?”
“I’m trying to be friends.”
She glanced down and sucked in a breath when her gaze landed on his erection, pressing against his zipper.
“Just ignore it. It’ll go away.”
“I know how to make it go away,” she said.
Mason swore and pushed off the couch. He stomped across the room and stopped in front of the kitchen counter. He grabbed the edge so he didn’t turn around and reach for her.
“Maybe we should amend our earlier agreement,” she said, her voice far away. “Pregnant women supposedly get really horny. I… the father isn’t in the picture. He hasn’t been. We weren’t really together. I’m only here for a few weeks. Maybe we could be friends who occasionally have sex. Or something.”
“I… I can’t. You’re Slade’s little sister. You’re not someone I should have ever laid a hand on. And—”
“I’m not a virgin. I’m not a child. I’m not fragile. I’m a woman. And I came here tonight because my brother trusts you. If you’re worried about me getting attached, that won’t happen. I have a child to think about, and I’m not bringing anyone into their life. I’m going to raise this baby on my own.”
Mason turned and looked at her. He admired her determination and her spirit. She was strong and confident, and she knew what she wanted. He was so worried about tainting who she was because of their age difference and the differences in their lives, but she was right. She wasn’t fragile. She was tough, and she could probably kick his ass if she wanted to.
“Sit down and finish the movie. Then I’ll go,” Megan said.
She leaned back against the couch and focused on the TV. She wasn’t playing with him. She wasn’t trying to convince him. She was being herself. A woman who knew what she wanted but wasn’t afraid to walk away.
“Okay,” he said, answering the question she posed earlier, not agreeing to what she just said.
She still didn’t look at him. Just stared at the TV.
“I said okay,” Mason repeated.
“Yeah, I heard you. But you’re not sitting down.”
“Because I wasn’t agreeing to that.”
Her gaze snapped to his. A slow, sexy smile curled her lips.
“You’re staying here tonight,” Mason said.
Megan grinned wider. “Good. Because I wasn’t going back to my brother’s house, anyway.”
Mason laughed and finally sat back down. The movie played, but it was long forgotten.
