Page 58 of Code Violation

I waste no time locking the door and moving across to the bar, pulling a couple of glasses from one of the shelves.

Silas’s eyes drop to the whiskey glasses in my hands, Adam’s apple bobbing on a deep swallow.

“Can I get you anything to drink?”

“No, thanks.” His voice is barely a whisper as he slides onto one of the stools and clasps his hands under his chin. “I just came here from a night with the guys and …” He pushes a stressed hand through his hair. It looks messy and like he’s been doing that a lot tonight.

I feel guilty for keeping him waiting with no contact since he walked out of my apartment and left the final decision to me.

“I’m sorry to have kept you hanging on for so long. I needed to rid my head of noise so I could clearly figure out what I wanted.”

His blue eyes soften, and he reaches out to take my hand in his. It feels colder than usual. “When I told you to take the time you needed, I meant it. You don’t need to explain yourself to me.”

I smile appreciatively. “Thank you.”

His eyes fall to the empty glasses on the bar. “I’m guessing you’ve made a decision, you know, with timelines and how the pill becomes less effective, the longer you leave it.”

Nodding, I squeeze his hand. “I have.”

He looks like he’s going to puke as he sets his eyes back on mine.

God, he’s so freaking handsome.

“And what did you decide, Ves?”

I stare down at a glass, a big grin threatening to break free. I press my lips together as excitable butterflies flutter around in my stomach.

“Well, I wasn’t planning on filling this tumbler with a shot of whiskey, if that’s what you mean?”

Silas’s brows shoot to his hairline. “Wait, are you telling me you didn’t take the pill?”

“Yeah,” I breathe, praying that he still feels the same way he did when he last left my apartment.

The legs on his wooden stool screech across the floor as Silas releases our hands, rounds the bar, and wastes no time wrapping me in his arms.

I snuggle into his black jacket, burying my face into his chest.

This man exudes safety, warmth, comfort, and love—every quality that makes the best kind of parent.

“Wow …” His voice breaks off, and he drops a kiss into my hair. “We’re really going to do this, huh?”

I pull back and look up at him, tears stinging behind my eyes.

He slides the two empty glasses along the countertop and lifts me to sit on it, standing between my legs.

His hands are warmer when he glides them up and down my arms. It’s always so hot in this place, especially after a busy shift. All I’m wearing is a short-sleeved red top, and my skin pebbles in response to his touch.

I’ve never craved the proximity of a man the way I ache for Silas to hold me. To me, this feeling is new, exciting, invigorating, and something I’ll never take for granted after my relationship with Kane.

“When will you be able to take a test?” he asks, happiness evident in his voice.

That’s something I’m not so sure about. “I came off birth control a couple of weeks after I slept with Kane, and I had a period the week after. Theoretically, I should be due soon, but I am so irregular, and I always have been.”

His eyes sparkle, and he leans into me, lips a fraction away from mine. “What are you doing after you finish up here?”

I shrug, struggling to form regular thoughts when he’s this close.

“There’s a twenty-four-hour Walgreens on the drive back to your place. We could swing by and grab a couple of tests in advance.”