I’d just let a guy come inside me, and he was now out in the receptionist’s area, discussing lunch with his secretary.

He had a secretary. The guy I’d just fucked to make a baby.

A baby, for God’s sake, when I wasn’t even entirely sure how to make Eggs Benedict. That logic didn’t fully track, but it did for me. I had cum running down my thighs—so much for your legs up trick, Hamilton—and the dude I’d banged like a drum was ordering me a salami sub. Sweet, really, since it was my favorite.

Holy crap, I had to get out of here. First, I had to get to a bathroom.

My gaze swung wildly around the office. Spotting a closed door, I let out a breath. Of course he had a private bathroom. I bent to gather my discarded dress. Not panties, since they were destroyed. Good thing they were a Walmart special and not La Perla. Not that I actually owned any La Perla, but—

Panic babbling had officially overtaken my brain. I wasn’t as weirded out by this whole thing as I was the first time we’d had sex—God, we were on multiples now—but the addition of procreation followed by shared salami definitely was upping the strange factor.

I needed to get cleaned up and get out so I could think without those sexy chocolate brown eyes unraveling me. Was that so much to ask?

After tugging up my dress and tying the straps behind my neck, I reached for my purse and cleaned up as quickly as I could with the single tiny tissue—fine, cocktail napkin—inside. Then I carefully walked on my tiptoes to the bathroom, more to remain as tidy as possible than to hide my escape. Tiptoeing wasn’t particularly easy in heeled sandals, but I was used to a number of foot tricks to distract myself from long hours waiting on tables. Prancing sideways to that closed door like a polo pony, however, was a new one.

I grabbed the doorknob and ducked inside, shutting my eyes on a grateful breath. Even having another door between us was a relief. Harder for him to work his magic on me through multiple layers of wood.

Then I opened my eyes and discovered the supposed bathroom was a dusty storage closet.

“Shit.”

No private bathroom meant I had to leave the office and slip down the hall. Which might not be so bad if Shelly wasn’t at her desk, but since he’d been talking to someone out there, chances were good it was her. And oh my Lord, the humiliation. She had to have heard everything Seth and I had done. We weren’t exactly quiet. I’d tried to be, but this was all new to me and I guess good sex meant making a lot of noise. Then again, maybe it was just as Seth had said—he didn’t mind if others heard. Was that his kink?

The depositing-his-cum-inside-me thing definitely seemed like another one, even if it did have an established end purpose. Still, did he have to relish it quite so much?

I rubbed my forehead. Okay, time to think. I still needed a bathroom, and I wanted some air, and I was also hungry, according to the roar currently emanating from my stomach.

Oh, lookie there, that window led to the fire escape. Score. Of course there was the small matter of my still slightly damp thighs, but delicate steps.

Forget the walk of shame. I’d patent the matching tiptoe.

I crossed the room, dodging boxes and miscellaneous paper goods, and stopped at the window. The fire escape snaked down the side of the building. Perfect. I could slip around Barb’s Bakery and into the alley, then cross the street and cover the short distance to the diner.

Where I would finish cleaning up, fold up this beautiful dress, and put on the spare uniform in my locker so I could get to work. Day off or no day off, I needed some normalcy in my life. Routine. A way to keep my hands and my mind occupied.

My spine prickled and I gripped the window, pausing long enough to haul in a breath. Maybe I shouldn’t do this. I couldn’t keep running out on the guy. Though this wasn’t that, precisely. I just needed to work. To figure out why I’d had sex with my best friend twice and was now trying to have a baby with him, without happening to mention the pesky fact that oh, I’d been in love with him forever.

No big.

That wasn’t all that relevant anyway. We were having sex, weren’t we? I’d never even expected to have that much with him. Any last flickers of hope in that direction, small and rare as they were, had been stomped out when he’d married Marj. Even after they’d divorced, that hope hadn’t returned. I was nothing if not pragmatic, and Seth and I worked as friends. Lovers were something else entirely.

But we seemed to be working there too. At least physically. Though that was pretty much a key-in-lock situation.

I shoved up the window. Yeah, I had to get out of here.

Gingerly, I climbed out, adjusting my dress as I went, and turned to push the window back down. I hurried down the surprisingly sturdy metal steps, sure everyone in town could see my midday flight. At the bottom of the steps, I realized I didn’t have my purse. Fuck. I’d just have to come back for it later. There was no way Seth wasn’t back in the office now. Besides, I lived with Sage and she would have a key. There was nothing I needed urgently in my purse. I rarely used my cell phone and I’d walked over to Seth’s from the loft so my car keys were still in our apartment. Other than a spare tampon, breath mints, and my wallet that contained a slim ten singles, my emergency credit card, and driver’s license, the bag was empty.

And I wasn’t risking running into Seth again right now, whether or not that made me a coward.

Now I was a coward who was ducking my head and rushing across the busy street to the safety of the tree-lined opposite side. Tall, stately buildings shielded me as I jog-walked to the diner, smiling at people as I passed, still walking like I was carrying a glass time bomb between my jittery thighs.

Nah, not a time bomb, just Seth Hamilton’s possible progeny.

The diner was like an oasis in the center of Main Street. I slipped inside and immediately aimed right for the back, tossing smiles and hellos as if they were confetti. But the second that swinging door shut behind me, I closed my eyes and breathed. Just breathed.

Made it.

My state of euphoria was short-lived.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Swallowing a sigh, I lifted one lid and faced my best friend. The other one, with cherub blond curls and green eyes that didn’t miss a trick. “I work here, last I knew.”

“Today is your day off,” Sage said as if I’d forgotten. “You’re all dressed up and everything. Love the shoes, by the way.”

“Thanks. My favorite pair.” I almost said my only dressy summer pair, but she already knew that, living with me and all. She’d seen the pathetic lack of nice clothes and shoes I’d moved into my closet.

I sucked at girling.

“Yet you sneaked in here, all spy-like. So what’s up? I want details.” Sage crossed her arms over her ample breasts. I’d been envious of her rack a time or two, until Seth had shown such appreciation for my set. Now it was hard to want any others.

Nope, I didn’t have it bad or anything. Badder, since I’d been sunk over him to begin with.

I grasped Sage’s arm and towed her along with me past the kitchen and out the door to the back hall and on to the storage closet where I’d had that confab with Seth almost a week ago. A week where I’d spent more nights tossing and turning than actually sleeping. I’d nearly confided in Sage about Seth’s latest suggestion, but I hadn’t because I didn’t know what she’d say. Would she tell me he’d clearly gone off his rocker and run while I still could? Or would the diehard romantic inside her insist I throw all caution to the wind and have a baby with the man I’d loved for so long?

So what if he wasn’t suggesting a real relationship. Those were so 2016. Besides, it wasn’t like I’d ever had one that last more than the change of a calendar from one month to another. A few dates, a few makeout sessions and things always petered out. A therapist would probably say I drove men away and had too high expectations. I’d say that I’d spent so many years being a caregiver to a woman I owed everything to and loved so much that I was too tired to waste emotional energy on dating. I’d already used up so much on just getting through every damn day.

But being with Seth didn’t require that whole getting-to-know-you dance. Even sex with him had been surprisingly effortless. We had a rhythm, even when he scared me shitless with this hidden dominant side of him and dirty talk.

Dirty talk, for God’s sake. From Seth. To me. The girl whose hair he’d held back after the prom when I lost every bit of the tequila I’d loaded up on to try to have a good time and get wasted with my friends. I’d never been skilled at cutting loose. As proven by the fact that the first time I had sex it was with a man who wanted to impregnate me, so obviously, I made weird choices.

And now I was going to have to admit them. Out loud.

I opened the storage room door and pulled Sage inside with me, shutting the door safely behind us. “You have to swear not to breathe a word of this to anyone. You have to promise me.”

Sage slapped her hands on her hips. “You think you need to ask? Of course your secrets are safe with me.” She held out a handy, pinky extended, and I smiled a little as I hooked mine with hers. “To the grave,” she said solemnly, and my smile turned into a slightly misty grin.

“To the grave,” I echoed.

“Did you make love with him again? Tell me.” Her eyes gleamed and she leaned closer, reminding me of a nosy news reporter. Her face was a few inches below mine but it didn’t lessen the invasive factor. “Was it amazing? The first time isn’t supposed to be, but the second…” She sighed dreamily. “Were their sparks?”

I slid away from the door so she couldn’t hem me in. She was like a pug—adorable, pushy, and relentless. “Don’t call it making love. That’s creepy. We fucked. Both times.”

“I knew it. I knew you had that sex flush going on. You’re the same color as your dress. Was it incredible? Was it all you hoped for? Did he give you a climax?”

“More creepiness. No, he didn’t give me a climax, he helped me to get there but I’d like to think I had a lot to do with it myself. The mind is the biggest sex organ, you know.”

“But it was better this time. It had to be better because you’re barely answering my questions.”

I gripped my shoulders, turning away to stare at a dusty corner of the storage room. I’d run from Seth’s right to this one, and every bit of my flight was weighing on me now. He’d been so incredible, so careful to make sure I was right there every step of the way, and I’d repaid him by taking off.

Again.

“It was more than I ever imagined,” I said softly, swallowing over the grit in my throat. “He was almost desperate to have me. I never fathomed that could be real. That he could want me the way I always—”

“The same way you wanted him.”

“Yeah.”

“But he did. Oh Ally, that’s so awesome.” She stroked my arm, but didn’t try to get me to turn around. Under her relentlessness was a heart of pure platinum. “Did he take a long lunch break or something and bring you back to his house? Handy living so close.”

Heat blasted my face. “Um, no.”

“Don’t tell me he went for a room at the Inn again. Is he just trying to make tongues wag?”

“Not that either.” I cleared my throat. “We did it in his office.”

“You did it in his office?” she screeched and I winced and covered my face with my hands.

If there was anyone left in town who didn’t know that Seth and I were slapping skin, there wouldn’t be after this conversation.

“Yes. Please keep your voice down.”

“Like where, on the floor?”

I shook my head.

“Against the wall?” Sage lowered her voice about a quarter of a decibel. “On the—on the desk?”

The sheer scandalization in her tone made me laugh. “It’s not that shocking. People have office sex all the time. There’s even a category on porn sites.”

“There is? And why are you going on porn sites? Never mind. Don’t want to know. Anyway, on the desk. Really.” She whistled. “Wow.”

I cleared my throat again. “Yeah, it was fairly wow. I didn’t expect that when I went there, by the way. I just came over to tell him all systems were a go, and he surprised the hell out of me by—”

“You said yes? Oh my God.” Sage let out an excited peal of laughter and darted in front of me before pulling my hands off my shoulders to grip them. “So you could be pregnant, like right now? This very instant? Oh God, I need to prepare. We’ll need to have a shower. Are you planning on finding out the sex? We can go neutral themed for the party.”

“Sage.” I huffed out a laugh. “The first time, he used a condom.”

“But this time he didn’t, right?” Sage demanded. “So you could be with child right now.”